The Money In The Bank Briefcase Is The Interim Championship Of WWE
By Josh Raibick
With WWE Money in the Bank 2018 just around the corner, the hype surrounding the ladder matches is always the highest, because two superstars will guarantee a future championship opportunity. Yet again, winning a Money in the Bank briefcase might actually be like winning a championship, an interim championship to be specific.
With a lot of buzz this past Saturday around CM Punk fighting at UFC 225, there were other big moments from the show including Colby Covington winning the Interim UFC Welterweight Championship. While the real championship is around Tyron Woodley’s waist, Covington capturing the interim championship basically guarantees him a shot at the real one.
Which brings me to the Money in the Bank briefcase, which is WWE’s version of an interim championship. Just like Covington’s interim championship, the Money in the Bank briefcase guarantees an opportunity at the real championship(s) in WWE.
The argument can be made that a briefcase that holds a contract for an opportunity up to a year for a championship match just makes that person a contender and not a champion. This point is technically true, but when further evaluated has a lot more in common with a champion than you would think.
For starters, the Money in the Bank briefcase becomes a part of a superstar’s gimmick, just like a championship does. Carmella is not just known now as “Carmella”, she is “WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella”.
Before that though, Carmella was known as the “Money in the Bank winner Carmella”. The point is that just like a championship, the briefcase is always present and must be mentioned in the same sentence as the superstar that holds it.
Another key similarity is the Money in the Bank briefcase instantly elevates a superstar just like a championship does. While it is easy to point out superstars who have gone on losing streaks following their big ladder match win, the fact that a superstar can withstand those losses proves how powerful ownership of the briefcase is.
The WWE Universe has been more patient with superstars who win the Money in the Bank briefcase and are experiencing a losing steak, because they know that superstar has a high chance of capturing a major championship in the near future. An ability to withstand consecutive losses without suffering major damage in fan support is a huge asset for any superstar.
Then there is the glaring obvious similarity of the Money in the Bank briefcase to a championship, and that is fighting other superstars to win it. Next Sunday, the superstars competing in both ladder matches are not just fighting for an extra piece of luggage to bring through TSA, no, they are fighting for a prize.
Prizes in WWE are regularly recognized as championships, so why do we not consider the Money in the Bank briefcase a championship? Simple, it does not have the word “championship” in the name, and it is not made up of gold and leather.
Yet, the Money in the Bank briefcase represents almost everything a major championship does. The only difference is a championship “belt” is the end game for a superstar, and a briefcase with a guaranteed championship match is the setup for that end game.
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A prize that resembles a championship, and leads to the ultimate end game can only be considered one thing, an interim championship.