WWE Money in the Bank 2013: Why Cody Rhodes Should Win Money in the Bank

Most fans look at the Money in the Bank ladder match as the launching point for young Superstars on their path toward World or WWE Championship glory. In the past, performers such as Edge, CM Punk, Jack Swagger, Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler have capitalized on winning the briefcase by cashing it in for heavyweight titles.

While each has done so to varying degrees of success, all of those men found themselves better off than they were before. They all eventually moved up the card and into meaningful storylines and enjoyed headlining exposure. For most, the Money in the Bank briefcase was a reward for years of hard work and evidence that World Wrestling Entertainment was finally going to give them the opportunity to carry the proverbial ball.

Of all of the very talented Superstars in Sunday's World Heavyweight title Money in the Bank ladder match, no one Superstar deserves to have his work rewarded with a main event opportunity more than second-generation performer Cody Rhodes.

Since debuting in WWE six years ago, Rhodes has undergone a number of transformations. He was the young rookie, taken under the wing by veteran Bob Holly. He was the arrogant second-generation Superstar paired with other second- and third-generation stars in the faction Legacy. From there, he split off on his own, becoming "Dashing" Cody Rhodes before a fictional facial injury suffered at the hands of Rey Mysterio caused him to become more "deranged" than "dashing."

It was under a mask, with an edgier new persona, that Rhodes enjoyed his greatest success. He defeated Mysterio at WrestleMania 27 and won the WWE Intercontinental title from Ezekiel Jackson. He was a bright spot on Friday Night SmackDown and appeared poised to climb the ladder of success to a potential World Heavyweight title reign.

Daniel Bryan would win the 2011 Money in the Bank match and eventually cash it in to win the World title, while Rhodes would drop his successful gimmick, become "just Cody Rhodes" and become the recipient of an uneven push that saw him lose more than he won, despite remaining a featured star on WWE programming.

Now, in the middle of yet another tag team run (this time with Damien Sandow as Team Rhodes Scholars), Rhodes is floundering in the midcard while younger Superstars are entering the company and receiving meteoric pushes—despite the fact that, in the six years since debuting, Rhodes has grown exponentially as a performer, becoming a smarter wrestler and a better talker with every passing week, month and year.

With the recent arrivals of The Shield and The Wyatt Family, as well as a number of young talents in NXT receiving rave reviews, the time for the company to push the hard-working and dedicated Rhodes is now.

There is no other Superstar in Sunday's match who has accomplished as much yet been the victim of a number of start-and-stop pushes, as Rhodes has.

At some point, the company will have to see what it has in the "son of a son of a plumber." If not, he may very well go down in history as another highly talented individual who was never able to catch the break he deserved.