Three early candidates to win the 2023 Money in the Bank Briefcase

The 14th annual Money in The Bank pay-per-view will take place on July 1 at the O2 Arena in London.

Most of the anticipation within the WWE Universe right now centers around WrestleMania 39, which is coming up in a month, and rightfully so. But, what about after ‘Mania? What’s the aftermath? Once the score is settled between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, who is next?

Of course, there is WrestleMania Backlash that follows, but what will set the shift for 2023 is Money in The Bank.

There’s not much greater excitement than knowing you have a guaranteed shot at the world title and you can use that opportunity any place, any time. So, let’s take a brief look ahead and three early candidates to win the 2023 Money in the Bank briefcases.

Gunther

Outside of who is already in the Universal Championship picture, nobody has been more dominant and impressive over the past few months than Gunther. Whether it was his performances at Clash at The Castle against Sheamus and in the Royal Rumble or holding the Intercontinental Championship for the past eight months and counting, Gunther has emerged as one of the top talents in all of WWE.

Week in and week out, he continues to show he is a champion WWE can be proud of, and since he finished in the final two with Cody Rhodes in the men’s Rumble. On top of that, Gunther broke the record for the longest time in a Rumble match, spending 1 hour, 12 minutes, and 35 seconds in the contest.

You add in the fact that Money in the Bank is over in Europe this year, where he is from, and he is almost a shoo-in to win the men’s briefcase.

Raquel Rodriguez

Although Raquel Rodriguez has vaguely been in the Smackdown Women’s Championship picture with Ronda Rousey, she has yet to win the gold. While she has been impressive since moving to SmackDown from NXT, something is still missing. Her character is growing every day, but she needs some sort of leverage other than being stronger than her competition. She needs the extra chip on her shoulder, the extra swagger, and nothing brings that more than a guaranteed championship match.

Rodriguez is a top babyface right now on the SmackDown women’s roster and I could see her feuding with either Rhea Ripley or Charlotte Flair over the SmackDown Women’s Championship after WrestleMania. I believe giving her the Money in the Bank briefcase will help her grow more as a superstar. She is a great candidate to win the women’s ladder match.

Montez Ford

The third potential winner was tough to figure out — until I saw Elimination Chamber. While Austin Theory won the men’s Chamber, nobody shined brighter in that match than Montez Ford. He had most of the memorable moments from that match and showcased his abilities as a solo superstar. It’s something the WWE Universe has been calling for and Ford somehow exceeded all expectations.

He already has the swagger, he just needs that guaranteed Universal Championship match. If he wins, he would be a case where he would hold on to the briefcase all year long and use that time to build his credibility as a solo wrestler. You don’t even necessarily have to break up The Street Profits in this scenario either. That is something that could wait until after he cashes in.

Ford is an absolute star and everyone knows it. I guarantee he will be in the match and if he is, he is that much closer to winning the men’s Money in the Bank contract.

Wildcards:

Bray Wyatt

The WWE Universe’s patience with the “creepy” Bray Wyatt stuff along with Uncle Howdy is growing thin. Some storylines take longer to develop than others, but since his return to the WWE back in October, he has had one match (if you would call it that) at the Royal Rumble against LA Knight. Even in that feud, it was primarily carried by Knight’s promos. Wyatt has yet to match the excitement everyone had when he returned and a Money in the Bank win may bring that back.

Becky Lynch

Believe it or not, Becky Lynch has never won the women’s Money in The Bank briefcase. If she and Lita didn’t just win the Women’s Tag Team Titles, I would say she is the clear-cut choice to win, but it things for her as a singles competitor. Lynch will likely not return to the Women’s Championship picture until after she and Lita lose the tag belts.

It all depends on how long they hold the titles. Money in the Bank is still four months away and a lot can happen, but we will see. If she is in the match, it’ll be hard to pick anyone other than her to pull down the 2023 Money in the Bank briefcase.