WWE Money in the Bank: Power Ranking Every MITB Ladder Match in WWE History

From 2005 to 2009, the Money in the Bank ladder match was a staple of Wrestlemania, a once-a-year, show-stealing bout that featured daredevil antics and high-risk spots.

But, in 2010, WWE officials made the decision to give MITB its own pay-per-view, and we now have two ladder matches on one show.

All in all, we've already witnessed eight of these jaw-dropping bouts. Some have been good, some have been bad and some fall somewhere in between.

And when the second-ever Money in the Bank PPV concludes in 13 days, we'll be able to place two more matches into one of those three categories.

Until then, though, we can only look back and reflect on the history of the Money in the Bank match.

Which ones can we watch over and over again? Which ones would we rather forget?

Here are my power rankings of every MITB ladder match in WWE history.

And be sure to check out my breakdown of Raw's match for this year's show.

8. Wrestlemania 26 (2010)

Winner: Jack Swagger

Other Competitors: Christian, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Evan Bourne, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy, MVP, Shelton Benjamin

In 2010, WWE officials experimented with the idea of having a whopping 10 competitors in the Money in the Bank ladder match.

It didn't work out too well.

Though there were some memorable spots--like the A-shaped ladders, Evan Bourne's Shooting Star Press, Kofi Kingston using the ladder as stilts, etc.--there were too many participants in this bout, which really hurt the wrestlers' abilities to tell a story.

Of course, that's not the only reason I have this match last.

The winner of the bout, Jack Swagger, took what seemed like three minutes just to take the briefcase off the hook, and it really killed the excitement that generally comes with the finish of the MITB match. 

7. Wrestlemania 22 (2006)

Winner: Rob Van Dam

Other Competitors: Bobby Lashley, Finlay, Matt Hardy, Ric Flair, Shelton Benjamin

At Wrestlemania 22, the WWE held only the second-ever MITB ladder match. It was also the shortest one in history, coming in at just 12:14.

I'm not sure if the length of the bout was the main reason why this match doesn't really stick out in my mind, but it definitely played into it.

The competitors didn't get enough time to truly showcase their talents, and as a result, the high-risk spots and big moves were few and far in between and were generally left to Rob Van Dam, Matt Hardy and Shelton Benjamin.

It didn't help either that Ric Flair and Bobby Lashley weren't really on the top of their games that night, and probably weren't the greatest choices for ladder match participants anyway.

Though Benjamin was on fire in this match like usual--remember his jump from the top rope to the ladder in the middle of the ring?--and seeing RVD win was nice, this match didn't have the flare of most of the other MITB matches. 

6. Raw's Money in the Bank (2010)

Winner: The Miz

Other Competitors: Chris Jericho, Edge, Evan Bourne, John Morrison, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase

Looking at the star power in this match, you would expect it to be one of the top two or three MITB matches in history.

But that just wasn't the case.

This was the second longest MITB ladder match ever (20:25), and it definitely had its moments--just watch the beginning of this video--where the match flowed really well and we saw some awesome spots.

The ending was also great, with Randy Orton obliterating his opponents with a bunch of RKOs and The Miz coming seemingly from out of nowhere to win the match in epic fashion.

However, the "wow" factor seemed to play second fiddle to consistency, with the match generally staying at one speed and failing to pick up the pace enough to make the crowd go crazy.

5. Wrestlemania 25 (2009)

Winner: CM Punk

Other Competitors: Christian, Finlay, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, MVP, Shelton Benjamin

I actually enjoyed watching the MITB match at Wrestlemania 25 the first time, but then I re-watched it and noticed why it generally doesn't get the love of other MITB matches.

Sure, CM Punk did a fine job, Christian was his usual great self and Shelton Benjamin proved why is he probably the greatest MITB competitor in history.

But one thing I don't like to see in a much at the granddaddy of them all is very noticeable botches, and we saw plenty of them in this bout.

Whether it was MVP screwing up a powerbomb or Christian botching the Killswitch, it was blips like these that diminished the quality of the match and turned what could have been crowd-wowing moments into crowd-silencing ones.

That being said, though, Kofi Kingston also had some great moments here, and Benjamin's insane stunt off the ladder (fast forward to 5:00) was indeed one that, like the crowd, made me say "Holy s**t." 

4. Wrestlemania 21 (2005)

Winner: Edge

Other Competitors: Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Christian, Kane, Shelton Benjamin

Along with Wrestlemania 23, the inaugural MITB ladder match at WM 21 was probably the most star-studded one ever, with some of the greatest wrestlers in WWE history competing at the granddaddy of them all.

And, needless to say, this match did not disappoint.

Edge, Christian and Shelton Benjamin proved why they are three of the top ladder match competitors to ever step foot in a WWE ring, while Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and Kane were right there with them.

After watching the highlights of this bout, you'll be entertained. But you probably won't be as impressed with this as some of the other MITB matches.

Still, at the time, this was the first match of its kind that we had ever seen. And you know what they say--you always remember your first.

3. Wrestlemania 24 (2008)

Winner: CM Punk

Other Competitors: Carlito, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Shelton Benjamin

From start to finish, you could argue that Wrestlemania 24 was one of the--if not the--greatest Money in the Bank ladder matches ever, as it never seemed to have a dull moment and kept me intrigued from the time the bell rang until CM Punk grabbed the briefcase.

If you haven't seen this match, then here's a good recap of what you missed.

I'll never forget John Morrison's moonsault with a ladder to the outside of the ring, Shelton Benjamin's jaw-dropping plunge through the ladder or Carlito's Backstabber on Chris Jericho.

Though some might call this a spot fest, I'd argue that that's one of the main purposes of the Money in the Bank ladder match.

Just about every guy in this match was on fire that night, and it resulted in some of the most memorable spots in MITB history.

2. Wrestlemania 23 (2007)

Winner: Mr. Kennedy

Other Competitors: CM Punk, Edge, Finlay, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, King Booker, Randy Orton

Look at the participants in this match and try not to drool.

There literally isn't a weak spot here, and in fact, you have three of the greatest ladder match competitors--Edge, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy--ever competing in the same bout, along with future Hall of Famers like Randy Orton and King Booker.

And these guys worked their you know whats off in this match.

I loved Edge's Spear-fest, Jeff Hardy's leg drop onto Edge and through the ladder was one of the greatest moments in Wrestlemania history and Orton RKOing CM Punk off the ladder was a heck of a spot.

I recall watching this match and just thinking about how bad these guys were going to be hurting the following day.

I'm sure they were, but I'm also sure that it was worth it when they realized that they tore the house down at Wrestlemania 23. 

1. Smackdown's Money in the Bank (2010)

Winner: Kane

Other Competitors: The Big Show, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy

Sometimes long matches seem to drag on, and they really aren't all that entertaining.

But at last year's inaugural Money in the Bank pay-per-view, eight Smackdown stars got 27 minutes and 18 seconds—roughly twice the amount of time of four of the previous six MITB matches—to put on a show.

That's exactly what they did.

From Kofi Kingston's Boom Drop onto Drew McIntyre and through the announce table to the piling of ladders on The Big Show, I've never been more entertained by or more invested in a Money in the Bank match (which, yes, really surprised me).

Whoever booked this match did a great job of focusing on individual battles—like Christian vs. Matt Hardy—while also keeping the bigger picture in mind.

It was the small things that really made this match work, even though it may not have had the number of high-risk spots of past MITB matches.