It's that time of the year where the WWE Superstars must climb the ladder of success and reach for the skies as they attempt to win the Money in the Bank match to secure themselves the briefcase.
This is one of the most coveted prizes in WWE, as within it holds a contract wherein that Superstar can challenge for a championship title of their choosing at any given moment for the next full year.
These cash-ins all but guarantee the title will change hands, as 23 out of the 28 cash-in attempts have led to a new champion being crowned. With an 82% success rate, capturing this briefcase can make someone's career and put them in the history books.
Over the years, the match has undergone various changes—be it the briefcase itself changing design multiple times, the addition of a women's ladder match, moving away from WrestleMania to its own pay-per-view, and the number of competitors in each match being different virtually every year.
WWE even once held it at its corporate headquarters during the pandemic, with Superstars competing on the rooftop of Titan Towers!
This year, not too much information has been revealed quite yet, but the 2023 Money in the Bank event is right around the corner and the field of competitors is starting to take shape.
So who are the online sport odds favorites to win the men's and women's ladder matches? Which Superstars could be a shocking victor no one sees coming?
Let's break down some of what we know and much of what is being projected out there.
Current Participants
So far, only two Superstars have qualified for the men's Money in the Bank ladder match and none for the women's.
First, Ricochet defeated The Miz, followed by Shinsuke Nakamura taking down Bronson Reed.
On SmackDown, the current advertisements have two more qualifying matches scheduled with LA Knight against Montez Ford of The Street Profits, as well as Lacey Evans vs. Zelina Vega to determine the first woman to enter the match.
A graphic that appeared during Raw showed silhouettes for what would be a grand total of 6 competitors in each match, rather than how in the past, WWE has had even as much as 10, but usually 8. Of course, WWE could always insert more people at the last second if they so chose, as they frequently break their own rules on a weekly basis.
Already Outdated Betting Odds
Many projections are already outdated, having listed Bronson Reed at +750. As he has already been ruled out of the competition, these need to be altered to reflect Ricochet's and Shinsuke Nakamura's standing, as those two weren't factored in.
The +750 betting odds also applied to Solo Sikoa, who hasn't been hinted whatsoever at even attempting to qualify for this match. After Night of Champions, it can be assumed he'll more so team with Roman Reigns to fight The Usos at the pay-per-view, rather than be involved in the ladder match.
Drew McIntyre is still injured, so his +650 may be asking too much, and while Cody Rhodes and Bobby Lashley at +500 are still viable options, Montez Ford at +400 and LA Knight at -120 are interesting to keep an eye on.
No one has been willing to place odds yet on the women's match—not even the qualifier between Vega and Evans—but that should change within a week or so, too.
Potential Favorites / Who to Look Out For - Men's Ladder Match
LA Knight has long been rumored as a favorite to win Money in the Bank. His crowd reactions are steady and loud, and @WRKDWrestling has scooped that his name has been tossed around as potential winner.
The same goes for Damian Priest, though, and if you ask others, the clear and obvious choice is Cody Rhodes, so he can challenge Roman Reigns and "finish the story" now that The Tribal Chief has surpassed 1,000 days as champion, possibly leading to a match in Detroit at SummerSlam for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Other names rumored to have been suggested as participants are Bobby Lashley, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, Chad Gable, Edge and two men who are currently in a feud together, Matt Riddle and Imperium's Gunther.
The latter two should logically be excluded from this, though. While Gunther went up to Riddle on Raw and said he is hoping Riddle qualifies, wins the briefcase and attempts to cash it in on his Intercontinental Championship (which last year set the precedent can happen, as Austin Theory used his cash-in on the United States Championship), that seems more like setup for a title match rather than the Money in the Bank itself.
Look out for Riddle to fight Gunther at the pay-per-view with the Intercontinental Championship on the line, instead of either of them being in the ladder match.
There are still plenty other potential candidates, though, from AJ Styles to Grayson Waller, Cameron Grimes, Santos Escobar, Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, Karrion Kross, Johnny Gargano, and even underdogs like Rick Boogs.
If WWE sticks to just having 6 competitors, that would most likely point to only one more Superstar from Raw qualifying and the rest being on SmackDown between Knight/Ford and two others.
Without knowing the other qualifying matches and the options available, LA Knight does stick out as the potential favorite to win.
Potential Favorites / Who to Look Out For - Women's Ladder Match
With regards to the women's match, Vega qualifying over Evans is the only thing worth betting on right now. Vega's received a push in recent weeks as part of the Latino World Order, fighting Rhea Ripley for the title at Backlash in Puerto Rico. In contrast, Evans has been missing in action for months with no direction for her character dating back to well over a year ago.
It isn't likely either of them would ultimately win the briefcase, though. That honor will almost assuredly go to someone else.
Judging by who has been used more frequently and who is in a better position right now on the roster, some of the main candidates to potentially qualify are: Becky Lynch, Chelsea Green, Raquel Rodriguez, Sonya Deville, and Zoey Stark on Raw, and Bayley, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky and maybe Michin on SmackDown.
Others like Liv Morgan are injured, while someone like Trish Stratus is a part-timer and not someone who WWE would likely put this briefcase on. Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler just won the women's tag team titles, so giving one of them the briefcase on top of that wouldn't be very smart.
Out of those dozen or so options, the top ones to keep an eye on would probably be Lynch, Rodriguez, Belair and Flair.
WWE could go with someone like Green to make a joke out of it, which has happened plenty times before with failures like Otis and Baron Corbin. It would be the first time a woman failed to win her MITB cash-in, and WWE does love doing first-time-ever situations.
Belair winning after just losing the title following breaking the record for the longest reign might upset fans who think she's pushed too much—not that WWE would likely listen to that audience anyway. Plus, simply having her challenge Asuka again would be a waste.
If Flair is announced, she'll instantly become the favorite. If not, Lynch might take that spot, assuming Trish and Zoey don't cost her the match, which is a strong possibility.
These Odds Will Change Very Soon
The betting odds will undoubtedly change even as quickly as this episode of Friday Night SmackDown, where more qualifying matches will take place. Over the coming weeks, as more Superstars join the fray, certain standout favorites will start to be pushed, and that should reveal some possible directions WWE may go with the winners.
Stay tuned to Smark Out Moment for more updates as we head toward July 1 when WWE takes over the O2 in London, England for its next premium live event!
0 comments: