WWE: Handicapping Alberto Del Rio and the Remaining RAW Money in the Bank Field

Since its advent at WrestleMania XXI in 2005, the Money in the Bank ladder match has been one of the WWE’s most exciting and unpredictable matches. Due to the match’s popularity amongst fans, Money in the Bank was given its own pay-per-view last year.

With the second-annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view set to take place in two weeks, speculation is abound regarding who will secure the RAW and SmackDown briefcases and have the ability to cash them in for title shots at any time. Eight such matches have occurred in the past, and each time the briefcase has been cashed in successfully.

While one would have to think that somebody will have the unenviable task of unsuccessfully cashing in the contract at some point, there is reason to believe that whichever superstars win the Money in the Bank matches in two weeks will be future world champions.

As compelling as both the RAW and SmackDown matches are sure to be, the RAW ladder match will likely be the focus as it is the WWE’s main show. The match will feature five superstars who have never held a world title in the WWE, making it quite likely that a new star could be born from the match, just like The Miz was last year.

Here are the chances each superstar has of winning the RAW Money in the Bank ladder match, in order from least likely to most likely.

8. Evan Bourne

As one of the best in-ring workers in the entire WWE, it is certainly understandable why Evan Bourne has such a sizable fan base. Unfortunately, due to his lack of size and poor mic skills, Bourne isn’t WWE Championship material, and is very unlikely to win the Money in the Bank ladder match. With that said, he should still be an integral part of the match due to his high-flying style of wrestling.

Although I don’t endorse the idea that somebody has to be a muscle-bound freak in order to be a world champion, Bourne simply wouldn’t be believable as a flag carrier for the WWE. He is more than capable of excelling as a mid-card champion (United States Championship) and I believe he will get a chance to prove that in the near future.

Bourne’s size deficiency is a bit too much to overcome, however. When he has beaten big men like Sheamus and Jack Swagger in the past, it hasn’t come across as being believable. It isn’t a knock against Bourne himself, but it’s difficult to suspend disbelief when bigger, stronger competitors should be ragdolling him. Rey Mysterio overcame his small stature to become a two-time world champion, so perhaps Bourne can do the same. I just don’t see it, though.

7. Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio is unquestionably the most experienced and most popular superstar in the RAW Money in the Bank ladder match, but in all likelihood he isn’t a serious contender to snag the briefcase. At 36 years of age, Mysterio has accomplished a lot in the business of professional wrestling, but I think the WWE realizes he should be used to advance younger talent rather than to hold the company’s biggest title.

Despite the fact that Mysterio is still solid in the ring, he has undoubtedly slowed down in recent years due to the wear and tear on his body. That may be why it came as a shock to many when Mysterio was rewarded with a second World Heavyweight Championship reign last year. Although he deserved it due to his body of work, his short run with the title was fairly uneventful.

Mysterio is sure to add some much-needed flair to the match, but his odds of winning are slim to none in my opinion. Putting the belt on Mysterio would definitely be a safe move for the WWE as he is beloved by the WWE Universe, but Money in the Bank has traditionally been used to catapult wrestlers to stardom, which is something Mysterio doesn’t need.

6. Kofi Kingston

Kofi Kingston seems to have a nice combination of good in-ring skills and popularity among the fans, but he simply doesn’t stand out as a main-event talent. Much of that has to do with the fact that his mic ability is very suspect. Because of his shortcomings in that area, the creative team rarely allows him to have much time on the mic, and I feel like that makes him an effective upper-mid-card face.

It also seems like Kingston is a bit too gimmicky in some areas to be taken seriously as a world champion. His character used to be much more over-the-top when he was supposed to be a Jamaican, reggae-type wrestler. The WWE has tried to put that in the past by billing him from Ghana and having him lose the fake Jamaican accent, but it’s still a bit difficult to get past his former gimmick.

Kingston’s moveset is also a tad unbelievable at times due to his exaggerated kicks and chops and his “boom drop.” This makes him a popular face, but not a main event-caliber wrestler. Also, Kingston seems to be involved in a feud with Dolph Ziggler for the United States Championship at the moment. After last night’s RAW, it doesn’t seem like that will be ending any time soon, so I have to believe Kingston will fall short in his bid to nab the coveted briefcase.

5. Jack Swagger

As a former World Heavyweight Champion and Money in the Bank winner, Jack Swagger should be somewhat of a kayfabe favorite in this match. The fact remains, however, that Swagger has been severely mismanaged by the creative team since winning the title off Chris Jericho last year. He has lost on a regular basis over the past year, making him seem like an unlikely candidate to win at Money in the Bank.

The All-American American has been booked to look like a fool time and time again for the last year and change. From multiple non-title losses to the likes of Kofi Kingston and Big Show to his partnership with Michael Cole, Swagger has been nothing more than a joke. It’s quite difficult to fathom why this has happened, though, as Swagger displays great in-ring ability and is capable of delivering some entertaining promos.

While most probably feel like Swagger has absolutely no chance to win in two weeks, there is a faint ray of hope. That hope lies in the way Swagger was booked prior to winning the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXVI. After losing the ECW Championship, he was routinely jobbing to the likes of Santino on RAW. It was widely regarded as an absolute shock when Swagger took home the briefcase. If he’s lucky, maybe lightning will strike twice.

4. Alex Riley

Since dissolving his relationship with The Miz about a month ago, Alex Riley has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the hierarchy of the WWE. Riley was previously The Miz’s stooge, routinely getting embarrassed by and eating the finishers of the WWE’s elite faces. Riley is now on his way to joining that class of elite faces, however.

Although it may be difficult to believe that Riley could essentially become a world champion in waiting just two months after going off on his own, the WWE has wasted no time in building him up. Not only has he been featured in main event tag-team matches with John Cena and Randy Orton, but he has also beaten The Miz on multiple occasions, including a match at Capitol Punishment.

While I wouldn’t exactly place a bet on Riley grabbing the briefcase, A-Ry does have one thing going for him. In this day and age, the WWE obviously is not averse to pushing young talent straight to the moon. The aforementioned Jack Swagger is one example as he went from a floundering lower-mid-carder to the World Heavyweight Champion in the matter of about a week in 2010. Also, after just five months on the active roster, Alberto Del Rio won the Royal Rumble this year. If nothing else, this should make Riley a candidate to win the match.

3. The Miz

As perhaps one of only two established main eventers in this match, along with Rey Mysterio, it would seem to make perfect sense for The Miz to win RAW’s Money in the Bank ladder match for the second year in a row. The Miz became a bona fide star after winning the briefcase last year and enjoyed a five-month reign with the WWE Championship.

Despite the fact that The Miz has been able to remain relevant since dropping the title, he has been getting buried time and again over the past few months. He lost under ridiculous circumstances in his attempts to regain the title from John Cena, and he has also been bested by Alex Riley on a weekly basis. Regardless of that, there seems to some indications that The Miz could get back on track at Money in the Bank.

After losing to Riley once again on last night’s RAW, the fans saw a side to The Miz that hasn’t been seen since he won the briefcase last year. The Miz snapped after his most recent loss to Riley and completely dismantled him, throwing him into guardrails and ring steps and over the announce table. The Miz seemed to be a man possessed, intent on getting back to the top of the mountain. After his Money in the Bank win last year, The Miz delivered a seething promo about how it was his time to reach the pinnacle of the WWE. It looks as if that Miz may be back.

2. R-Truth

It wasn’t too long ago that R-Truth was an annoying, rapping, dancing, mid-card face who seemed bound for mediocrity for the remainder of his career. When he turned on John Morrison, however, it was as if a switch finally flipped, making Truth a tolerable and somewhat entertaining heel. With his mic work and recent feud with John Cena receiving positive reviews, Truth is certainly among the favorites to take the briefcase.

When it comes to the Money in the Bank briefcase, it is a much more natural fit for a heel to carry it than a face. This is because whoever holds the contract is supposed to use the element of surprise in order to capture the title. This often makes the superstar who cashes the contract in look like a coward. Truth could also use the briefcase to win the title despite his conspiracy theory that the WWE is trying to hold him down.

With wrestlers like Chris Jericho, Batista, Undertaker and Triple H either departing or getting injured over the past year, there is a definite hole in the main-event scene. Truth has shown glimmers of hope with regards to becoming a legitimate main eventer, so it is a real possibility that the WWE brass will entrust Truth with the briefcase.

1. Alberto Del Rio

The odds-on favorite to become the heir apparent to the WWE Championship has got to be Alberto Del Rio, but you already knew that. Since his debut in August, Del Rio has shot up the ranks and it seems to be a foregone conclusion that he will one day become a world champion. The only question is when, but the answer seems to be sooner rather than later.

Most wrestling fans believed that Del Rio would win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania after earning a title shot by winning the Royal Rumble. In fact, the rumor is that he was originally planned to beat Edge for the title, but it was changed due to the fact that Edge had sustained a career-ending injury and the WWE wanted to give him the win as a farewell gesture.

Since moving to RAW in the draft, Del Rio has been quite successful, especially over the past month. He seems to have effectively won his feud with the Big Show, and he won a triple-threat match against R-Truth and Rey Mysterio for the No. 1 contendership for the WWE Championship on last night’s RAW. Of course the “reinstatement” of CM Punk means that Del Rio’s win will be rendered moot, but it should only serve to maintain his considerable momentum. Del Rio has been on the verge of championship gold for months now, so he seems to be the obvious choice to reign supreme at Money in the Bank.