WWE: Handicapping Both Money in the Bank Ladder Match Fields

There have been eight Money in the Bank ladder matches in WWE history. Those briefcases have been used by six different men and there has been a 100 percent success rate in "cashing in" the cases.

Essentially, winning either of these matches in eight days is as close to a guaranteed world championship reign as you are going to get in WWE, short of sleeping with the daughter's boss (sorry, Triple H).

At this time last year, I wrote an article about the "rules" for being a Money in the Bank winner. After all, if this is a guaranteed title reign with their respective brand's top prize, you would need to meet some sort of requirements from the people in the back. In that piece, I predicted "Dashing" Cody Rhodes to win the SmackDown match, which was wrong. I was not wrong, however, in saying that The Miz was eligible to win the RAW Money in the Bank briefcase.

My reason for not picking Kane as the SmackDown Money in the Bank winner was that he was too tall to be champion. Nobody taller than Jack Swagger (6'6") had won the title before, until Kane did (6'9"). This made Kane the exception to the rule. In anything, there is always a rule, but usually an exception to the rule.

For this year's matches, it is time to put these rules to use and address the exceptions to said rules. Hopefully, we can whittle the field down in either match and pick out our next world champions.

Rule 1: Height Does Not Help

Rule: No superstar standing more than 6'6" tall has won the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Exception: Kane in 2010 (6'9", even though he is billed as 7'0")

The reason for this is often that tall superstars don't possess the ability to climb a ladder and get a briefcase before the smaller and more agile superstars can intervene. This was a special case because Big Show was in the match as well and made his own ladder to be able to climb. It was massive and nearly indestructible. Kane used that ladder to win the match and briefcase.

This means that Kane cannot win this year's match. After all, if there are two exceptions to a rule, it isn't that good of a rule. So, the rule stands at 6'6" being the cutoff.

Luckily for everyone else, they are still in the game. Sheamus is at the cutoff at 6'6" (as is Jack Swagger, obviously), Wade Barrett stands at 6'5", and Alex Riley is 6'4". Every other superstar, outside of Kane, is shorter than those marks.

Eliminated: Kane

Rule 2: No Repeat Performances

Rule: Nobody who wins the Money in the Bank ladder match should have already won one.

Exception: CM Punk won two straight at WrestleMania 24 and WrestleMania 25.

The match is designed to create new opportunities for new people. So why let someone win it more than once? Keep in mind that Edge won a second one, but only for beating Mr. Kennedy in a regular match for it. CM Punk would win on consecutive WrestleManias to get briefcases and eventually cash them in for championships.

Would they really have another two-time winner be crowned on his last pay-per-view in his home state? They've already pissed him off enough, but I don't think they would just hand that honor to anyone. Kane is a former winner, but he is already eliminated. The Miz also won last year, eliminating him. Jack Swagger also won a briefcase last year during the final WrestleMania Money in the Bank ladder match. It's time to share some of the wealth.

Eliminated: The Miz, Jack Swagger

Rule 3: It Pays to Be Young

Rule: Money in the Bank winners are not older than 32 years of age at the time of winning.

Exception: Rob Van Dam was 36 years old when he won the match at WrestleMania 22.

The briefcase is meant to give chances to the young guys on the roster. Wasting a briefcase on an older guy can be a costly investment. This eliminates four superstars, including a favorite from both contests. Sheamus is 33 years old, eliminating him from the conversation. Rey Mysterio is 36, R-Truth is 39 and Alberto Del Rio, a favorite in the RAW Money in the Bank by some, is 34 years old.

Eliminated: Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, R-Truth

Rule 4: Who Needs a Second Chance?

Rule: No Money in the Bank winner has competed in a previous Money in the Bank ladder match.

Exception: CM Punk, when he won the briefcase for a second straight year at WrestleMania 25.

While the central theme for many is the match paying dividends for those who can do the best spots and eventually have that pay off for them, winners of the match typically do it on their first shot. This eliminates a couple more names, as we get rid of Cody Rhodes (who competed in 2010's SmackDown MITB), Kofi Kingston (competed in three matches previously), and Evan Bourne (competed in two prior Money in the Bank matches).

Eliminated: Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne

Rule 5: Small Not an Advantage

Rule: Money in the Bank winners must weigh at least 230 lbs.

Exception: CM Punk, who weighs 222 lbs.

The Miz won last year's Money in the Bank at the very cutoff of 230 lbs. Not only do you need to be a good size to win a ladder match, but you also need a good size to win a world championship. Imagine a guy like Spike Dudley as a world champion. Exactly.

This eliminates the following men, all from the Smackdown Money in the Bank ladder match: Sin Cara (weighs 175 lbs.), Daniel Bryan (weighs 192 lbs.) and Justin Gabriel (weighs 223 lbs.).

Eliminated: Sin Cara, Daniel Bryan, and Justin Gabriel

Rule 6: No One-Hit Wonders Allowed

Rule: Every Money in the Bank winner has won some singles gold before the briefcase.

Exception: None... yet.

It isn't common to see someone win a world championship before winning any other singles gold. With just two men left on the Smackdown side, Heath Slater goes down for only holding tag team gold.

Eliminated: Heath Slater

RAW's Mr. Money in the Bank

I know that I had just said that no MITB winner won a briefcase before singles gold, but I am still putting in Alex Riley as the RAW Money in the Bank winner. After all, there needs to be an exception somewhere, right?

I can imagine Riley winning the case, which angers The Miz that much more. It causes The Miz to want to take the briefcase away from Riley, which he does successfully, much like Edge did to Mr. Kennedy. Perhaps that match takes place at SummerSlam. The Miz can then cash in after a beaten John Cena retains at, say, Night of Champions, and The Miz can take the WWE Championship away from the Rock-Cena match at WrestleMania 28.

Smackdown's Mr. Money in the Bank

Some of the best matches of Wade Barrett's career thus far have been against Randy Orton. It was Orton that was WWE Champion when Barrett nearly won it last year. Since then, Barrett was exiled from Nexus, shifted to Smackdown, formed The Corre, won the Intercontinental Championship, was beaten by Ezekiel Jackson for it, and had his second faction turn on him.

Barrett is now all alone and WWE needs to prove to people why he was their choice over Gabriel and Slater (FCW Champions) and Daniel Bryan (one of the best technical wrestlers in the world) to be NXT's first winner. It also takes the Sheamus-Christian-Orton saga and injects a curveball into it, much like how Jack Swagger cashing in threw a wrench into Edge/Jericho.