Money in the Bank, credit: wwe.com
Power ranking all 16 WWE Superstars to win Money in the Bank.
On June 18, live from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, the WWE will host its annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Every year, this particular show seems to bring out some of the company’s greatest matches and it’s no surprise. When you pit anywhere from 5-10 guys battling it out for a briefcase that almost ensures a WWE championship, throw in some tables, ladders, and chairs, well that’s a recipe for major excitement and drama.
The Money in the Bank match has not only been one of the most consistently entertaining bouts for the past seven years, it’s also the match that has propelled numerous careers into the upper echelon of the roster. Of the 16 MITB winners (CM Punk has won 2), 14 have successfully cashed in the brief case for a world championship. In winning this vaunted clash, it usually shows that the future of the victor is massively bright. Between all the winners here, from the day each won captured the briefcase, the group has won a combined 42 world championships. If winning the case is not a ringing endorsement for the future, I don’t what it is.
With the current core of challengers in the WWE, there is no doubt that this year’s MITB will be another classic show and a future star will shine. But in the meantime, let’s take a look back and count down how Money in the Bank has shaped careers and who made the most of their performance in the match itself, and the few who didn’t capitalize on the opportunity. Ahead we power rank all 16 MITB winners.
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16. Mr. Kennedy – WrestleMania 23
For the majority of the superstars who capture the briefcase, it turns out to be the best thing that happened to their careers. For Mr. Kennedy, it seemed more like a curse. Kennedy won the MITB match at WrestleMania 23 and shortly after announced that he would wait until WrestleMania 24 to cash it in. And that’s where the trouble began. Just over a month later, Kennedy was forced to defend the case against Edge in a match that he lost. However, during the match, he sustained what first appeared to be a torn triceps that would’ve put him out for several months. This injury took him completely out of the title picture only for it to be found out a few weeks later that the injury was only a severe hematoma.
Four months after losing the biggest shot of his career, Kennedy was caught violating the WWE’s Talent Wellness Policy and received a 30-day suspension. He did wrestle at WrestleMania 24 like he said he would, but it was in that years MITB match, he was unsuccessful. Then in June 2008, he was drafted to Smackdown but was injured again shortly after. Kennedy’s fall from grace eventually hit rock bottom when he was released from the company in May of 2009 after dropping one of Vince McMahon’s golden boys, Randy Orton, awkwardly on a suplex.
From the day Kennedy won the case his career was a roller-coaster, albeit one that only went down. And it’s a shame. Kennedy was a solid talent and put in a terrific performance during his case-winning match which also turned out to be one of the better MITB matches of all time. But just for the sake that he’s the only guy to win the case yet never even attempt a cash-in, Kennedy has to be #16.
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15. Damien Sandow – Money in the Bank 2013
The WWE career of Damien Sandow should be put into an educational video called “How Not To Book A WWE Superstar”. “The Intellectual Savior of the Masses” came to the WWE in early 2012 and was immediately a despised heel. But not in an ” I can’t stand Roman Reigns’ face” kind of way but more of an “I love to hate this guy” way. He was an egotistical, repugnant heel who could whip a crowd into a frenzy with just a microphone and some time to talk.
After about a year of varied success, Sandow won the briefcase at MITB 2013 in what was in my opinion, one of the top 5 matches of it’s kind and it appeared he was set for a big push. And why not? He had the goods as a worker. Good in the ring, even better on the mic, good looking, great shape, he had it all. So it was anyone’s guess why the WWE would waste a moment as big as winning that briefcase just so Sandow could cash it in about 3 months later and lose to John Cena on an episode of RAW. To compound matters, he spent the majority of his time with the case losing most of his matches in pretty easy fashion. And even in his match with Cena, he was booked horribly. Cena, even after just having a match and fashioning an injured arm, Still pinned Sandow clean.
Sandow then fell into obscurity for a while before the WWE universe brought him back to life during his run as The Miz’s “stunt double”. Once again he was red hot. And you know where that went? Nowhere. Sandow is one of two wrestlers to cash-in his briefcase and lose but it wasn’t just the loss that made his run so disappointing. It was the WWE’s inability to twice capitalize on a guy that could’ve been a big star.
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14. John Cena – Money in the Bank 2012
Well, it has to be this way, right? The only three guys to not successfully use the briefcase to win a world championship have to be the bottom three on this list. The only thing that makes Cena the best of these three is the fact that although unsuccessful with case, he’s still managed to win 4 world championships since the Money in the Bank 2012 PPV, the night he accomplished the feat. And also he was very valiant in his efforts, announcing that he was going to cash in the briefcase just 8 days later on RAW 1000 against CM Punk. He’d go on to win the match via disqualification and that was that.
So for all the good things that Cena portrayed as the MITB winner that year, what hurts his value is the briefcase match itself. It just wasn’t very good. The match on only included 5 superstars: Cena, The Big Show, Chris Jericho, Kane and The Miz. That was the first time with so few challengers and quite honestly, wasn’t the recipe for a great match. The match plodded along and if it wasn’t shockingly for The Miz stealing the show that night, it could’ve been a complete and utter dud.
There’s also a bit of hard feelings from this writer for the entire MITB 2012 show. Dolph Ziggler won the briefcase for the Smackdown brand in the opening match of the night, a match in which Smackdown was superior to the RAW one. And the WWE Championship was contested between two of the brightest talents of that time, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, in the 4th match of the night of a 7-match card. The fact that Cena’s win was spotlighted in the main event is an idea that I’ll never be able to understand and leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many fans.
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13. Sheamus – Money in the Bank 2015
So now we get into the superstars who were successful in cashing in on the MITB opportunity. Sheamus begins on this list at the bottom because this was the worst briefcase match in the history of the gimmick. Not to say it was bad, it wasn’t. But going into MITB 2015, this match had already been wrestled 15 times before and some of the installments were absolute classics. This match, though, it was just decent. With guys like Dolph Ziggler, Neville, and past winners like Kane and Randy Orton, this could’ve and should’ve been better.
Plus, Sheamus didn’t exactly set the world on fire after this win. He held on to the case for 181 days before cashing it on Roman Reigns during the conclusion of Survivor Series. 8 days later, Sheamus formed his new stable called “The League of Nations’ which included Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, and Rusev. Well, this group didn’t protect their champion as he lost the belt back to Reigns 22 days later and within 6 months the stable disbanded. Yet another wasted story line.
Since then Sheamus has been teaming with Cesaro and they’ve been good. Very good in fact, as they were the ones who ended The New Days historic title reign. But at the end of the day, it’s a far cry from being a world title, main event type guy. The MITB briefcase is about moving careers forward. Sheamus has really only gone back.
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12. Jack Swagger – WrestleMania 26
In July of 2010, Money in the Bank became it’s own PPV. However, about 4 months before that at WrestleMania 26 was the final MITB match at “The Grand Daddy Of Them All”. Since it was going to be the final time the briefcase was on the line at a WrestleMania, it seemed the WWE wanted to do things big. And that they did as they packed a record 10 competitors into the match. The result? Average at best. The field of 10 was just too crowded and with just under 14 minutes to work the action came off very stale and would go down as one of the weaker MITB matches of all time.
The one good thing that did come out of this match, however, was the shocking victor. This match really was anyone’s to win but it just didn’t seem like Swagger would be the guy. But it was to everyone’s surprise when the then 28-year-old Oklahoman climbed the ladder and retrieved the case. The only thing more shocking than this was when he cashed in the briefcase just 2 days later (5 days TV-wise) on Chris Jericho.
Now as much as it was a welcome sight to see a new face explode on to the world title scene, Swagger’s 82-day title reign was less impressive. It wasn’t that he wasn’t successful. In fact, he retained the title over the likes of Randy Orton, Edge, and The Big Show. But there was just something about his title run that lacked any type of excitement. As such, after dropping the belt to Rey Misterio at Fatal 4-Way that same June, Swagger never got anywhere near the main event again. That’s an example of a prime opportunity wasted.
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11. Alberto Del Rio – Money in the Bank 2011
If an in-ring beating ever earned someone a major win, it was Alberto Del Rio at the 2011 MITB PPV. The match, a decent MITB showing, also was pretty sloppy and because of that, ADR walked out with the briefcase as well as some nasty looking contusions. Del Rio wasn’t the stand out here though. Evan Bourne, Rey Mysterio, and The Miz were the show-stealers but it was Del Rio who left with the contract. From there, Del Rio would go on to win 4 world championships and compete as a top heel for a couple of years.
But if we’re basing just this particular win on where Del Rio sits on this list, #12 is appropriate. He cashed in the briefcase about 5 weeks after winning it from CM Punk, but that title reign only went for 35 days as Punk got his revenge at that years Survivor Series. A month later he tore his groin on an episode of RAW sidelining him for 6 weeks but upon return continued to wrestle at or near the main event.
Unfortunately for Del Rio, his time in the limelight came and went by faster than he most likely thought. His win at the 2011 MITB sent him on a 2-year party that ended with a 4-year hangover as he struggled to be recognized as the former 4-time world champion he became.
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10. The Miz – Money in the Bank 2010
The Miz did just about everything right in his climb (no pun intended) to the MITB briefcase. He won his qualifying matches and showed up the 2010 MITB PPV in Kansas City, Missouri with his eyes set on winning. And win he did, as he outlasted a field that included three first ballot type hall of famers in Edge, Chris Jericho, and Randy Orton. Rounding out the field was John Morrison, Mark Henry, Evan Bourne, and Ted Dibiasi Jr. These 8 superstars put on a very good match and in the end, The Miz shocked the WWE in being victorious.
Even The Miz’s run with the case was a lot of fun. Ever the heel, “The A-Lister” spent the next 4 months routinely trying to cash-in the case but time after time was thwarted in his attempts by multiple different attackers. Along the way, he even managed to lose the United States title to Daniel Bryan at Night of Champions that September. But just when it seemed his luck couldn’t get any worse, he finally stuck gold by cashing in on Randy Orton on the Nov. 22 RAW. The Miz would then parlay that win into a main event match at WrestleMania against John Cena in which he won, albeit with some help from The Rock.
The only problem with The Miz’s MITB program, was the actual title reign, and it was a huge problem. The very first feud the WWE put him in was against Jerry Lawler. That’s right, a then 60 year-old commentator who The Miz needed help from Alex Riley and Michael Cole to defeat. Not exactly the start to a world title reign any new champion wants. It also became evident that he was just a pawn in the feud the WWE was developing between The Rock and John Cena as evidenced by the fact that Cena took the belt from at the very next pay per view after Mania. The Miz is currently one of the top heels on the roster and hopefully he one day gets another chance as world champion. Because honestly, he deserved better than this.
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9. Randy Orton – Money in the Bank 2013
Randy Orton really has accomplished just about everything a WWE superstar can. He’s a 13-time and current world champion, a triple crown winner, and a now 2-time winner of the Royal Rumble. By the time he captured the briefcase at the 2013 MITB PPV, this was just icing on the cake. That night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, “The Viper” outlasted 5 other superstars, 4 of which had already been world champions in a very good, if not great MITB match. The only person at that point that wasn’t a world champion was Daniel Bryan, the man that Orton would cash the briefcase in on a month later at SummerSlam as Bryan celebrated his first WWE Championship.
The Bryan/Orton feud lasted throughout most of the rest of 2013 and paved the way for one of the most influential superstars in WWE history to emerge. Orton used the Bryan narrative, the one of the virtual underdog fighting the system, to push his way to the top, unifying both world championships at the time by defeating John Cena at Survivor Series. Unfortunately for Orton, this led to a long, drawn-out feud with Cena that the wrestling world had already seen about a half a dozen times or so.
Orton’s back and forth run as champion ended at WrestleMania 30 as Bryan finally solidified himself at the top of the mountain. Orton’s MITB win seemed to be a way to get Bryan into the spotlight and rightfully so. But it didn’t do all the much for Orton outside of another couple of boring title runs. Yes, it was a big win for Orton at MITB 2013, but at this point, it seems like just another trophy to add to his collection.
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8. Rob Van Dam – WrestleMania 22
If ever a superstar has done MITB the right way, it was Rob Van Dam. RVD emerged from WrestleMania 22 with the briefcase, outsmarting Bobby Lashley, Finlay, Shelton Benjamin, Ric Flair, and Matt Hardy. As far as MITB standards go, this match was solid and Van Dam certainly looked like the star everyone knew he was ever since his days in ECW. He took some wicked bumps and delivered some massive high spots which delighted the capacity crowd in Rosemont, Illinois as the majority of them erupted as RVD unhooked the case.
2 months later announced that he would cash it in at his old hunting grounds, the ECW Arena at One Night Stand against John Cena. In a terrific match that night in Philadelphia, Van Dam would earn his first WWE world championship, albeit with some help from Edge. It was a huge night for RVD as he celebrated in the place where his career initially flourished and proved that hard work and dedication eventually pays off. Days later, Paul Heyman confirmed that Van Dam was not only the WWE Champion, but also the first ECW Champion as the WWE had brought back the brand. To this day, he’s the only wrestler to hold both belts at the same time.
The celebration, however, was short-lived. In less than a month he’d lose both titles, the WWE Championship to Edge and ECW Championship to The Big Show. Shortly after the losses, RVD was suspended due to a drug possession arrest. And less than a year after that, he was out of the WWE. RVD would eventually return to the WWE in 2013 but never get anywhere close to the top again. Oh RVD, what could’ve been.
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7. Dolph Ziggler – Money in the Bank 2012
Ziggler’s MITB win at the 2012 PPV will be viewed as a success not for what he did once he cashed-in and won a world title, but for what he did leading up to that night. But let’s look at the MITB match itself first. It was really one of the weaker matches as far as MITB goes. But it was very clear who deserved that win the most that night. Ziggler is a human bump machine and that was on full display as he took a massive beating en-route to the win.
But for what the match itself lacked in, Dolph’s run with the case made up for it and then some. He held the briefcase for a staggering 267 days, which is second all-time in that category. In that time he feuded with world champions Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and John Cena. Talk about some major programs. And yes, he had varying degrees of success with all of those 3 opponents, but did defeat each of them in some shape or form. And then came the cash-in. In what would become known as one of the most exciting moments in the history of Raw, Ziggler, after what seemed like dozens of attempts, emerged with the briefcase and defeated Alberto Del Rio to capture his second world title the night after WrestleMania 29. Supposedly a heel at the time, the fans at the Izod Arena in New Jersey went ballistic over the cash-in and soon Ziggler had no choice but turn baby face.
So no, Ziggler, did not have a successful title run. Shortly after the win, he suffered a legitimate concussion and subsequently dropped the belt back to Del Rio at the following pay per view. But there’s something that has to be said for a guy who carried the roster for two-thirds of a calendar year and for giving WWE fans one of the best moments of 2013.
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6. Dean Ambrose – Money in the Bank 2016
Let’s start by talking about the match itself. The 2016 MITB ladder match was, in a word, awesome. One of the best in its history. Dean Ambrose, Chris Jericho, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, and Alberto Del Rio absolutely tore the roof off of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a display of violence and savagery, things that MITB encompasses. Each man had their moments but it was Ambrose who retrieved the case after close to 22 minutes of sheer mayhem. Anytime 14,000 fans give a standing ovation, you know something special just happened, and that was the scene at the match’s conclusion that evening.
So that’s one big reason for Ambrose’s placement on this list. Another is the manner in which cashed in the case. It was a little less than an hour after he won it. That’s right, Ambrose waited for the conclusion of the main event, a WWE Championship match between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, headed for the ring, blasted the new champion, Rollins, with said case, and handed the briefcase to the official. A Dirty Deeds later and Dean Ambrose was your new champion. It was a perfect way for “The Lunatic Fringe” to cash-in. A guy who constantly talks about his ADD showed zero patience and it was a massive shock to the WWE Universe.
Ambrose would go on to hold the belt for just 84 days. Not bad, but not great. He defended it at the next PPV against Rollins and Reigns in a great match but then had a pretty lackluster one with Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam. He dropped the belt to AJ Styles at Backlash in September and since then Ambrose has been feuding over the Intercontinental title, which he now holds, since. Although that title is basically the top belt being defended on RAW but that’s an argument for another day. Let’s hope to see some more Ambrose MITB magic this year.
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5. Daniel Bryan – Money in the Bank 2011
Much like Ambrose’s win in 2016, the Smackdown MITB match was an absolute classic. Bryan, a budding star, overcame the advances of Cody Rhodes, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Wade Barrett, Kane, Sin Cara, and Sheamus to climb the mountain, but he went through the ringer to do it. Bryan, constantly the smallest guy in the room, withstood a barrage of punishment in a fascinating MITB that seemed more like a car wreck than a wrestling match. Heck, Sin Cara didn’t even make it to the final bell.
During his run with the briefcase, Bryan, ever the perfect baby face, slowly began to show his heel side. He showed signs of smugness and arrogance, and actually went back on his guarantee to cash in the case at the following WrestleMania when he did just that on a prone Big Show at TLC 2011, 5 months after first earning it. Bryan would then hold the belt for 105 days, impressive considering he was battling giants like Mark Henry, The Great Khali, Barrett, and the aforementioned Big Show. It was a really fun reign but ended in ridiculous fashion when he lost it to Sheamus at WrestleMania 28 in just 18 seconds.
Bryan’s first title win came on the feels of his MITB win but it did a lot more than just give him a chance at a title belt. His title reign proved that all the hype about him was very real and he had the goods to be a main event type star. 2 years after his WrestleMania 28 debacle, Bryan headlined WrestleMania 30 after months and months of having the WWE Universe eating out of the palm of his hand. MITB 2011 was the beginning of the story that lasts to this very day. The modern day David won the briefcase and not too long after became one of the most popular superstars in WWE history.
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4. Kane – Money in the Bank 2010
Kane has been with the WWE for over 20 years and he’s had varying degrees of success in story lines and championships. He’s had as many ups and downs as pretty much anybody in the company’s history. But I can firmly state that the best work he’s done since being a WWE superstar began in July of 2010 at the MITB PPV and then for the next 154 days as World Heavyweight Champion. Kane accomplished a few firsts that night in Kansas City. He became the first man to win the ECW, WWE, and the World Heavyweight championship. He also became the first man to cash-in the briefcase the same night he won it and with that, he took the record for quickest cash-in at just 47 minutes.
It was pretty surprising to see a guy Kane’s size win MITB. Usually the success of this match is achieved by smaller, more agile guys. But not only did Kane win, he performed brilliantly, perhaps the best performance of his career. He took some big bumps early but then absolutely dominated the final minutes of the match against a field that included The Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, and Matt Hardy. And the match itself? It was good, really good. Not on par with top 2 or 3 best ever, but a solid one no doubt, which Kane played a major role in.
After his cash-in later in the night against Rey Misterio, Kane would engross himself in an insane program with The Undertaker. Between that and his feuds with Misterio, and Edge, his work as champ carried Smackdown for close to 6 months. Kane may never go down as the best or most accomplished superstar but he will one day be a hall of famer and as such, deserved this win as much as anyone who’s done what he’s done for the WWE.
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3. Seth Rollins – Money in the Bank 2014
Seth Rollins ranks so highly on this list for a number of reasons and when you add them all up, it really shows just how good his entire Money in the Bank experience was. First off his bout with Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, and Rob Van Dam at the 2010 MITB show was an absolutely outstanding tilt. Over the course of 23 minutes, Rollins managed to destroy his own body, massacre his opponents, and further what would be the 2014 and 2015 feud of the year with Ambrose. And although it took some outside interference from Kane, Rollins was the rightful winner.
His run with the case was also outstanding. He took his time, 273 days altogether, while being shown preferential treatment by “The Authority” and cashed in at the absolute best time possible. At WrestleMania 31, “The Architect” interfered in the shockingly good Roman Reigns/Brock Lesnar main event, curb-stomping Reigns and picking up the 3 count for his first world title.
Rollins title reign was also very impressive. He held the WWE Championship for 220 days, the longest ever reign for someone after a cash-in. And he only dropped the title after suffering a severe knee injury in November. Who knows how much longer that reign would’ve been. And per usual with Rollins, almost every title defense was a classic, especially on pay per view and especially with the aforementioned Ambrose. At only 30 years old currently, something tells me this isn’t the last time we’ll see Rollins climbing up and snatching that case.
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2. CM Punk – WrestleMania 24 and 25
So here’s the deal with Punk and Money in the Bank. Of the matches he was in, one was really good (WM24) and the other, not so much (WM25). And with both of his two cash in title reigns, he only held that world championship for a combined 118 days. But for the simple fact that he’s the only guy to win 2 MITB matches and produce 2 cash-ins in back to back years, he absolutely needs to be near the very top of this list.
For Punk, Money in the Bank was his statement to the wrestling world that he had arrived. Sure he had been an independent wrestling darling and former ECW Champion, but when he captured the briefcase at WrestleMania 24, Punk officially moved into the next phase of his career. And although he dropped his first world title only 69 days later, it was because he was attacked by Legacy before his scheduled title defense at Unforgiven and was stripped. After he repeated the MITB feat the following year at WrestleMania 25 and subsequently became champion again, he was firmly cemented as a main event star. In fact, he headlined the following SummerSlam.
Punk seemed tailor-made for MITB. He was fast, agile, fearless, and cunning. All the traits necessary for success in the ladder match. When it was all said and done, 2 MITB wins, 2 cash-ins, and 2 title wins. Quite the feat. After that Punk would capture 2 more world titles, one of them containing a staggering 434-day title reign as Punk carried the company on his back. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I see a world where Punk wins a third briefcase. We can all dream, right?
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1. Edge – WrestleMania 21
Simply put, Edge’s performance, along with his 5 opponents in the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania 21 set the bar so immensely high that Money in the Bank has become its own entity. On paper, the match kind of sounds insane. Chris Jericho, who starred in this match, came up with the idea of MITB and when you really think about it, it was genius. However, Edge was not keen on the idea of competing in this match and asked out of it for Wrestlemania. It wasn’t until Jericho and Kane talked him back into it that he agreed. And it was a good thing he did.
The match was loaded with ladder match specialists. Along with the 3 already mentioned, Chris Benoit, Christian, and Shelton Benjamin were all part of the inaugural match, and everyone performed beautifully. It was everything that MITB would eventually become known for and Edge was phenomenal. The recently turned heel unleashed his brand violence, administering wicked chair shots and multiple spears en route to the win. After the match, Edge was borderline intolerable. His cocky, brash, and offensive behavior garnered nuclear heat from the WWE fans. During his run with the case, he suffered a pectoral tear which sidelined him for a couple of months. But that didn’t stop him from enraging the WWE Universe with a microphone on his new talk show, The Cutting Edge.
Edge held onto the case for 280 days, a record that still stands, before cashing it on John Cena at New Years Revolution in January of 2006. His title reign, however, was short-lived at only 21 days. But what the 2005 MITB match did for “The Rated R Superstar” was invaluable. His cash in on Cena was for his first world championship. However, would go on to win 10 more while also main eventing 15 pay per views, including 2 SummerSlams and a WrestleMania. The original installment of MITB to this day is still it’s best and Edge built one of the best careers in the company’s history off it’s back.
Next: All 26 Champions in NXT History, Ranked
Who was the greatest Money in the Bank winner ever? Who had the best run with the briefcase?