WWE Money in the Bank: Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston's Unlikely Shot at the Top

What do Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston have in common? They are both booked in the RAW Money in the Bank ladder match at Sunday’s pay per view, and neither have a prayer of winning.

Now, before I get any hate mail from fans regarding both guys’ ability in the ring, and WWE’s apparent lack of interest in pushing them, believe me, I get it. I am in agreement on both fronts.

In fact, when it comes to entertaining the crowd and giving fans their moneys worth, both Bourne and Kingston are above-average performers.

Kofi, until he reportedly landed squarely on Randy Orton’s bad side, looked as though he were headed to the top. His feud with Randy took his character to new places, and fans loved seeing the young man standing up to the top heel on RAW.

Then, of course, came his downturn, and while he has enjoyed some success since then, he has not been the same Superstar. He is simply not looked at as a viable threat to the WWE Championship.

Evan Bourne is a highlight machine, a good worker with a dynamic style who gives new meaning to the term “high flyer.” His shooting star press is a thing of beauty, and he is a photo opportunity just waiting to happen.

But, the problem is he has basically ended up as a human punching bag for guys like Sheamus, and usually ends up doing the job for whoever he’s working on any particular night. Recently, he seems to have received some renewed focus, and somewhat of a push, as he has been put in yet another program with Jack Swagger. It is good to see that perhaps WWE does care about the guy after all, but is he really going anywhere near either the WWE or World Title?

The fact is, Evan and Kofi are fan favorites, in every way. They have been pushed in the past as being young, hungry, Superstars who are generally good guys and love entertaining the fans. And, it’s worked. Both guys are having nice little WWE careers, at mid-card and below.

But, is that good enough? Is there anything about either one of them that screams heavyweight champion?

The hard truth is, Evan and Kofi are filler for this match. They will provide some great “holy crap!“ moments, and in this type of match, that is a must. It is a ladder match, after all, so they will be right at home. Undoubtedly they both understand they serve a purpose, and are surely up to the task of giving fans something to talk about online afterward.

However, when considering the other participants in the match, I am still left with the feeling that they are out of place.

Rey Mysterio is a former World Champ, he’s already been the man, and despite rumors of him supposedly leaving the company in the near future, he could realistically walk out with the briefcase.

Jack Swagger has been in this spot before, has won the match, cashed it in and became World Champion. He may not currently be utilized on the main event level that often, but it is very conceivable that he could be given another go at the belt.

The same scenario rings true for The Miz. There is every reason to believe he could once again win the Money in the Bank, and eventually, the WWE Title.

Miz’s former protégé, Alex Riley, is a hot young star on the rise in WWE. Fans are popping for him, he has the fire in his eyes, and could, at any time, be shot to the top. It would be a nice twist on the heat between he and Miz, perhaps leading to a big title match down the road.

R-Truth’s recent push has propelled the fourteen year veteran to the top of Monday Night RAW. He has never had a bigger push, or more spotlight in his career, and perhaps this could be his road back to John Cena.

Then, of course, there’s Alberto Del Rio, who is supposedly destined to become WWE Champion. He is a good heel with the ability to be a great heel, and possibly even a great champion.

When one of these six men walk out of the pay per view with that red briefcase, no one will be surprised. We expect it will be one of them, it is almost a foregone conclusion at this point.

Of course, I could be wrong. It’s happened before, and I’m man enough to admit it. Perhaps the stars will align in Evan Bourne’s favor. Or, maybe Kofi Kingston will actually get a real chance at being a top guy, despite Randy Orton’s influence behind the scenes.

Real drama in a match of this nature lies in the probability of any one of the eight men involved being able to go over at the end. Four of the eight have already held the gold in WWE. Two of the eight could very well be on the cusp of winning the top prize. And the remaining two are likely going nowhere near the strap. For me, there is little drama in that.