The Ultimate Opportunity: The Case for Edge as “Mr. MITB”

Money in the Bank is a big moment for WWE each year, and Edge could be a candidate to hold the briefcase once again.

Edge should win Money in the Bank this year. The match and the man both need it. Heading into WrestleMania 39, WWE legend Edge had a frankly lackluster build leading to his Hell in a Cell match to finish his year-long story with Finn Balor. The forever feud with Judgment Day did him no favors other than occupying his time away from the main event. Now that Judgment Day is (presumably) behind him, his focus should shift, and the company needs to start building Edge back up.

Despite winning most of his matches this year, he has not felt like a contender since he lost to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37. Beating up a faction consisting of Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor wouldn’t change that.

Luckily, a run as the ultimate opportunist and a strong showing in his signature match could do just that. We won’t have Edge around forever, and while his return has included some enjoyable moments, much of it has been locked into feuds that lasted for months or even a full calendar year. Also, with Edge himself previously hinting at leaving WWE for good soon, they have an opportunity to give him a proper goodbye that honors his career and saves the rather stale MITB gimmick.

Money in the Bank Started With Edge

MITB is missing something in recent years. The last six or so winners have been rather lackluster, with many of the winners either failing altogether or being relegated to the mid-card despite winning a world title.

In 2005, when Edge won the first-ever MITB ladder match, it was a huge deal. He held the briefcase for longer than anyone on the roster, and his cash-in was a surprise. Some of that was because it was a new concept. However, it also has a lot to do with the way Edge treated his briefcase and carried himself with it. Although he says he needed some convincing when he did run with the briefcase, he set the blueprint for “Mr. MITB.” Everyone else has felt a little less sincere since. Sometimes going back to the start is the best way to reboot a story, and Edge winning will feel like a genuine callback, not a rerun.

In addition to feeling played out as a gimmick, WWE has nobody else right now. The last few years have felt lackluster in part because the winners either didn’t need it or needed more time to be ready. Otis, Austin Theory, and Braun Strowman didn’t feel like they were at the World Championship caliber when they won it. Otis even had to drop his to The Miz. Even Big E was treated like a mid-carder pretending to be main event ready, and his reign has undeniably been the best of the bunch. Like Big E, Edge is credible enough to win it, and the title, but not so dominant as Brock Lesnar was that it seemed silly. Unlike Big E, though, Edge won’t be treated as anything other than a WWE Hall of Famer. It is not a permanent solution to WWE’s boring MITB problem, but it does solve it for at least the following year.

International Cards Need Stars

WWE’s premium live event schedule is very interesting following WrestleMania. The next three shows, including MITB, are international. WWE likes to go all out for PLEs overseas, and the fan base in these countries has frankly come to expect it. Even a brand new show, like Clash at the Castle last year, was given as much hype as possible, including major angles with Solo Sikoa and Dominik and Edge and Rey Mysterio reigniting their old tag team to feud with who else, Judgment Day. Edge has had plenty of stories that just did not work, but he always found a way on the card as an iconic attraction. Those are the types of names WWE will need as it completes its global PLE push over the next six months. Making his character exciting again as Mr. MITB would be an added bonus to an inevitable booking decision.

Putting together a WrestleMania-caliber card requires acts from the past to go in and have a strong showing, and the pressure is likely even higher when the show in question is a recognizable and beloved part of WWE’s history. To make these shows and the Money in the Bank show in London memorable, WWE could give us an Edge we haven’t seen in a long while and give him another crack at the main event in the most poetic way possible.

The Ultimate Opportunist is Peak Edge

Edge has been a vampire, a grizzled wrestling icon, a cult leader, a “dude,” a family man, a conquistador, a white meat babyface, and the leader of the La Familia faction during his career. The Hall of Famer has excelled in all these pursuits, no surprise given he is truly one of the best, but there was only one character he seemed born to play. His turn as the “ultimate opportunist” and the certified Rated R Superstar was undeniably his best work. That Edge helped anchor the company and made moments that fans still talk about to this day. If that Edge made a full, unfiltered return, it would be the perfect last stop on the performer’s road to retirement.

Edge was admittedly a heel at the time, meant to join Randy Orton as a main villain in John Cena’s rouge’s gallery of challengers. So when this iteration of Edge returns, it needs to coincide with something noteworthy, like another MITB win similar to the one that launched the character in the first place. This time, though, he will not be booed no matter what he does to Cody, Seth, or any babyface. On the flip side, though, who cares? Fans love Edge and are going to cheer for him, but frankly, the Edge who cashed in his briefcase or attacked Cena relentlessly over the WWE Championship is the Edge people remember most fondly. If he does it again, he can be a heel or a face, and it won’t matter. The character’s motivations are more important than the fan’s reaction to it.

Edge should win Money in the Bank

The case is simple for giving the briefcase to Edge. The legend of Edge was born when he won that first briefcase, so an ending after winning the same briefcase makes sense. If fans are genuinely on the verge of saying goodbye to Edge again, then seeing the Edge we all grew up watching is a must. This last run has seen plenty of Brood callbacks, but arguably his most successful gimmick has been a footnote thus far. Winning the match he helped launch into a yearly tradition is the quickest and most exciting way to get Edge there as a character. Having Edge win his last world title and run retirement angle off a MITB title run is a no-brainer.