A few weeks ago, I ranked all the Ms. Money in the Bank winners since the women’s match was included in 2018. With Money in the Bank taking place this Saturday, it seemed fitting to do the same with the men’s winners.
Of course, the men’s Money in the Bank match has been happening longer than the women’s. However, I will only rank the men’s winners since 2018, as that is when I started watching WWE. I did consider including the 2014-2016 winners, but since I didn’t watch those stories unfold live, it’s not appropriate to include them. Of course, we can still agree that Seth Rollins’s cash-in (from 2014’s Money in the Bank) is the greatest of all time.
Mr. Money in the Bank Rankings Since 2017
Criteria
As with any rankings, we first need to establish the criteria. The following will be considered when ranking these winners:
- Did it make sense for the winner to win? Was the right man booked to win, or did it come out of left field?
- How was their run as Mr. Money in the Bank? A good run with the briefcase can help outweigh a seemingly random winner. At the same time, a poor run can outweigh a logical winner.
- What was their cash-in like? Cashing in a Money in the Bank contract needs to trigger excitement. Did it do that? Did it make it feel like something big was happening?
- Where does the storyline go once Mr. Money in the Bank cashes in? Was it good? Were they just a transitional champion?
These criteria are not listed in any particular order. They are just the things I will consider when making this list.
Mr. Money in the Bank #9- Otis (2020)
Otis winning in 2020 was a random choice. The briefcase literally and figuratively fell into his hands as the two wrestlers fighting for it dropped it into Otis’s hands. It was a peculiar choice at the time, and there weren’t many logical directions WWE could take with it. At no point did Otis feel like a threat to WWE Champion Drew McIntyre or Universal Champion Braun Strowman. The only thing WWE could have done to make this work was to have Otis align with Bray Wyatt and have Bray help him cash in on Strowman. Maybe Otis would have become the human version of the Huskus the Pig puppet, with Many Rose (his storyline girlfriend) being the human version of Abby the Witch?
Alas, the WWE did nothing with Otis as Mr. Money in the Bank. Once they realized there was no direction with him, they had him lose the briefcase to the Miz. We can all agree that Otis should never have possessed the briefcase in the first place.
Mr. Money in the Bank #8- Austin Theory (2022)
In theory, no pun intended, picking Theory to win was not a bad choice. It was random, especially as he was a late entrant into the match by Vince McMahon. Putting the briefcase on someone like Theory could be interpreted as the WWE looking to elevate the company’s next star. After all, that is the purpose of the briefcase.
The problem, however, was that the only world champion at that time was Roman Reigns. It was never believable that Theory was a threat to the Tribal Chief. The WWE did tease a few mid-match cash-ins, but each one was thwarted. There could have been a way to make it work, especially if the WWE was looking to split the two titles Reigns had, but WWE did not go in that direction.
Instead, they had Theory try to cash in on the United States Championship, a mid-card title. Granted, that may have been the WWE’s way of elevating the only singles title on Monday Night Raw at the time, but it ultimately didn’t matter as Theory lost his cash-in match. It would have made more sense for Theory to cash in on the NXT Championship. Sure, it would not have made it any more memorable, but having him cash in on a mid-card title did damage to the briefcase’s reputation and Theory.
Mr. Money in the Bank #7- Baron Corbin (2017)
In a Money in the Bank match that included fan favorites like A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, having the heel Corbin win was a great choice. Being at the event, I remember watching with excitement, thinking either Styles or Nakamura would win, only to have the rug pulled out from under me when Corbin won.
Corbin was a budding star who had won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He was on the verge of becoming a great WWE Champion. The only problem is that when he cashed in on Jinder Mahal, he got distracted by John Cena and got pinned by Mahal. Just like that, Corbin was no longer Mr. Money in the Bank, nor was he the WWE Champion. It came to light that Corbin was experiencing behavioral issues backstage, including making some inappropriate comments on social media, and his punishment from the WWE was to cash in unsuccessfully.
The original plan was for Nakamura to win the title from Mahal, only for Corbin to cash in and take the title. This would have been fun to see, and a heel title run by Corbin feels like something we were robbed of. However, we did see a great title run from A.J. Styles soon after. However, Corbin’s career suffered a setback as a result of this. In a way, it never truly recovered. He did have a nice heel run as acting general manager of Raw, and even when that ended, he had some shots at the Universal Championship. But still, it feels like a lot was left on the table with him as Mr. Money in the Bank.
Mr. Money in the Bank #6- Braun Strowman (2018)
Strowman went from winning the Raw Tag Team Championship with a fourth grader to becoming Mr. Money in the Bank and entering the world title picture once again. From forming his version of the Shield, throwing Kevin Owens off the top of a steel cage, to proclaiming he would do things “face to face” when it came to cashing in, there was a lot of momentum for Strowman as Mr. Money in the Bank.
Unfortunately, the WWE ruined that momentum by having Strowman use his briefcase to request a title match against Roman Reigns inside Hell in a Cell. While the game itself was good, it ended in no contest when Brock Lesnar interfered. Somehow, a hardcore stipulation match ended in no contest. All this was done to set up a triple-threat match in Saudi Arabia. The Money in the Bank briefcase was wasted to set up a match at the event, which was already controversial due to being held in Saudi Arabia.
If WWE wanted to have the endgame be a triple-threat match, they should have had Strowman cash in at the beginning of the Reigns/Lesnar match at Summerslam. You could still have the ending where Lesnar F-5s Strowman (who was at ringside in real life), then gets speared and pinned by Reigns. In this scenario, however, you could then have Strowman challenge Reigns at Hell in a Cell, and everything else plays out the same. At least in this way, we still have a legitimate cash-in.
Mr. Money in the Bank #5- Drew McIntyre (2024)
McIntyre became Mr. Money in the Bank at last year’s event. He cashed in during the match between Damian Priest and Seth Rollins. He nearly won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship before C.M. Punk interfered. This added more fuel to the feud between McIntyre and Punk. However, many believe that WWE wasted the briefcase by using it to fuel a feud that did not need it.
The WWE handled last year’s Mr. Money in the Bank perfectly. At the time, Damian Priest and Cody Rhodes held the world titles. Priest was going to take the World Heavyweight Championship into Summerslam against Gunther, while Cody was taking the Undisputed WWE Championship to WrestleMania 41. There was no logical direction to take Mr. Money in the Bank. So, what did they do? They use it as a prop in storytelling. I respect WWE for recognizing that. Sure, McIntyre and Punk did not need the briefcase to intensify their feud, but it did not hurt their feud at all.
For McIntyre, he also became one of the few wrestlers to win a Royal Rumble, an Elimination Chamber match, and become Mr. Money in the Bank. Furthermore, he has done all of that within four years.
Mr. Money in the Bank #4- The Miz (2020)
The Miz became Mr. Money in the Bank after pinning Otis. Despite not winning the ladder match, the Miz did have a decent run with the briefcase. There was a bizarre moment at TLC in December when John Morrison cashed in for the Miz, who entered a match between Drew McIntyre and A.J. Styles and lost. Then, the Miz got the briefcase back since Morrison cashed it in, not Miz himself. Weird.
However, Miz’s cash-in was great. After McIntyre won the Elimination Chamber match to retain the WWE Championship, he was attacked by Bobbly Lashley, who had made a deal with the Miz. After the attack, Miz cashed in and won the WWE Championship. The Miz only held the title for two weeks before losing it to Lashley, as giving him a title match was part of their deal.
In this instance, the Miz was a transitional champion, but the execution of it was well done. This helped set up the feud between Lashley and McIntyre at Wrestlemania 37.
Mr. Money in the Bank #3- Brock Lesnar (2019)
Lesnar’s win was unexpected. He was an unannounced entrant who entered the match only in the final minutes. This was a controversial decision, especially considering Vince McMahon supposedly changed his mind at the last minute and told the would-be Mr. Money in the Bank he would not be winning.
Despite the controversy, Lesnar was great as Mr. Money in the Bank. The “Brock Party” gimmick with Lesnar carrying the briefcase like a boombox is classic. Paul Heyman attempting to have an air guitar solo only for Lesnar to tell him to stop was priceless. And, of course, the exchange between Lesnar and Heyman, regarding the former’s uncertainty about how long he had to cash in, was hilarious.
Despite the comic relief, Lesnar was always a threat, and it finally paid off when he cashed in. Seth Rollins had just finished a grueling mixed-tag team match alongside Becky Lynch against Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans. Just when it seemed Rollins would come out of the night a winner, Lesnar’s music hit, and everyone’s face dropped. Heyman and Lesnar entered, and it only took one F-5 for Lesnar to regain the Universal Championship.
Lesnar’s ensuing title reign lasted only a few weeks, which would drop it a bit in the rankings. However, the buildup and execution of the cash-in were just too good not to have in the top three.Â
Mr. Money in the Bank #2- Damian Priest (2023)
Priest is a perfect example of how a briefcase can elevate someone’s career. As soon as he became Mr. Money in the Bank, Priest found himself in nearly every storyline on Monday Night Raw. Would Priest cash in while his stablemate from Judgement Day, Finn Balor, was fighting Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship? Even when the briefcase was not in the storyline, Priest was. A good example of this could be seen at Survivor Series Wargames, when Priest and the Judgement Day fought in a Wargames match, with Priest serving as the team leader.
Priest’s career was elevating, but there was one problem. How would he cash in? While Priest was becoming a man on the show, he was not establishing himself as a threat as Mr. Money in the Bank. Like Austin Theory in 2022, there was no way Priest would cash in on Roman Reigns. The only option was Seth Rollins, the World Heavyweight Champion. But how could WWE do it in a way that was meaningful and exciting?
Just do it out of the blue at Wrestlemania! After Drew McIntyre beat Rollins for the title, he gloated a little too much to C.M. Punk at ringside, who attacked McIntyre. Just when it seemed the seeds were planted for the two to fight for the title later in the summer, Priest’s music hit. Here, he comes down the ramp, cashes in, and pins McIntyre. Just like that, Priest was the World Heavyweight Champion. He was a transitional champion, as he dropped the title to Gunter at Summerslam. However, he did have a decent run as champion, which has kept him in the higher-end storylines on the show. It’s not too shabby for Senor Money in the Bank.Â
Mr. Money in the Bank #1- Big E (2021)
This one may not deserve to be number one, even on a list that only dates back to 2018. However, everything about this was poetic and was a truly deserving moment for Big E.Â
Money in the Bank 2021 was the beginning of live audiences returning to WWE shows. What is one of the first things WWE does? They give the briefcase to a fan favorite. Big E was not a shocking pick to win, given the cast of wrestlers in the match. Still, seeing him grab the briefcase and knowing he may soon be a World Champion was exciting.Â
The night of his cash-in was an interesting one. The first thing to note is that Big E was on the Smackdown roster. While being Mr. Money in the Bank usually gives the holder the ability to go from show to show, it was still a surprise to see WWE advertise Big E would be appearing on an episode of Monday Night Raw. Furthermore, it was advertised that Big E would be cashing in that night. It was an unusual choice, as cash-ins are typically meant to be a surprise. Still, it likely had to do with the increase in viewership following the pandemic.Â
Once Bobbly Lashley retained against Randy Orton and Big E’s music hit, the pop from the crowd was unreal. The execution of the cash-in was unusual, with a commercial break inserted into a moment that was supposed to occur immediately. However, once the match started, the execution was spot on. Lashley hit Big E with a spear, but Big E kicked out at a two-count. The crowd chanted Big E’s name the entire match and held their breaths at that point, but on this night, Big E would not be denied. After countering Lashley’s attack with a “Big Ending,” Big E finally became WWE Champion. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods running down the ramp to celebrate with their New Day friend illustrated what everyone was feeling. It was an odd cash-in, but boy, it was fun.Â
Big E held the title for a few months before losing it. It was not a spectacular run by any means, and it was disappointing that he was removed from the title picture as soon as he lost the title, but it was still a great moment. Â
Main Photo: Joe Camporeale- Imagn Images
