WWE Money in the Bank: 10 Things to Know About the SmackDown Ladder Match

Tonight, the Smackdown brand will have eight superstars hoping to gain what WWE promises to be as close to a guaranteed world title reign as it gets. The Money in the Bank briefcase has made stars and showed us innovative moments that are difficult to repeat. Superstars have added clips to their highlight reels in this kind of match, even it it has not led to them winning the match.

Smackdown's Money in the Bank match is more captivating than RAW's and may be the most interesting one to watch yet. More than half of the eight men in this match joined the main roster just a little more than a year ago. Four of the eight were products of the NXT brand. Only two of these men have been a world champion before, and it is the first Money in the Bank ladder match for six of these men. That is the first time that statement could be said since the original six-man Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21.

There are a bunch of interesting things about this match. Here are 10 things to keep in mind when this match is going on.

Justin Gabriel Makes a Name for Himself Tonight

Just like the other great high-fliers before him, Justin Gabriel is custom built to make a name for himself tonight in this match. Gabriel impressed on NXT, but fell short of winning the first season. He impressed in Nexus, having great matches with John Cena, but nothing ever came from it. Tonight could be a night made for Gabriel to finally get that recognition. Gabriel can hit high-flying moves off of ladders and help this match to be the unexpected show stealer, at least from the Smackdown brand's perspective.

I'm also secretly rooting for Gabriel to win and try to avenge his real-life girlfriend, Kelly Kelly, from Randy Orton's very inappropriate comments about her.

Sheamus Doesn't Need the Briefcase

Outside of Randy Orton and Christian, Sheamus is easily the top contender on Smackdown right now. The two-time WWE Champion and King of the Ring has already earned a whole lot in his first year and a half and nearly was a part of the title match at Capitol Punishment. Does him winning this briefcase really prove anything? If Christian loses again, one would only assume that Sheamus would be clear to get a chance at the title anyway.

The purpose of the briefcase is to give opportunities to people who would not normally have them. Since Sheamus is right there anyway, why would this be his time to earn yet another unnecessary accolade for him?

Sheamus Looks to Make Up for Past Ladder Match Loss

The last ladder match for Sheamus was in December at the TLC pay-per-view. His feud with John Morrison led to a ladder match between the two with a future WWE Championship match on the line. Sheamus ended up being put through a ladder as Morrison won a future title opportunity.

Almost eight months later, Sheamus has another ladder match with a title shot on the line. Will Sheamus falter again in a ladder match, or does he avenge that loss and walk away with the blue briefcase?

Heath Slater There to Make Everyone Look Good

Of the eight men in this match, Heath Slater seems to be the least likely to win. He is still the punchline to many jokes out there from fans. I hate to sound like Chris Crocker talking about Britney Spears, but leave Heath Slater alone.

Slater is a former FCW champion, so you know that WWE knows how talented he can be. This match can go a lot to show some of the character of Slater, and he could earn some fans tonight. Slater will likely be that guy who takes a major bump from Daniel Bryan or Sin Cara. He may even have to take a bump from his friend Justin Gabriel.

Cody Rhodes Not Dashing Like a Year Ago

Cody Rhodes is a far cry from the man who thought he was "Dashing" when he entered Money in the Bank last year. Rhodes even sold a great spot where he went head first into the armored truck on display at the ramp.

I would love to see Rhodes win this match, and his attitude is there for it, but I don't know if his gimmick has ironed out all of the wrinkles in order to do so. Next year may be a different story for Cody, but it would still be a treat to see tonight.

Can Lightning Strike Twice for Kane?

The answer is probably not, but it is nice to think about. Kane winning the briefcase last year was a good story in the wrestling world. After so many failed gimmicks, one finally stuck for Glen Jacobs, who would be the brother of The Undertaker.

Kane has had a great career thus far, winning countless championships and eliminating so many men in Royal Rumble over the years. What escaped Kane, however, was world championship reigns. He had one back in the Attitude Era, but it lasted only one day.

Winning the briefcase and cashing it in later that night was the perfect way to further the storyline for Kane and his pursuit of his brother's attacker. Kane would have the world title reign that he always deserved to have. Now, it is someone else's chance.

Is Sin Cara the Sleeper?

The one guy that is not getting a lot of chances from the fans is Sin Cara, who will be in just his second pay-per-view match tonight. Sin Cara would seemingly be in a good mood with a ladder match. While he has gone through some growing pains in WWE, the ladders can make up for any hardships he would normally have with opponents.

Should Christian win the world title tonight and Sin Cara win the briefcase, a match between those two could be entertaining. We saw Sin Cara earn his first loss to Christian just a few weeks ago.

The Search for the Number Two Face on Smackdown

Smackdown is very heavy with heels. From Sheamus to Christian to Mark Henry and even mid-carders like Cody Rhodes and Jinder Mahal, there aren't a lot of faces on the blue brand. Besides Orton, the only male faces on Smackdown are The Usos, Ezekiel Jackson, Sin Cara, Kane, Trent Barreta, Yoshi Tatsu and this man, Daniel Bryan. The simple idea of a world title chance for Daniel Bryan has a bunch of fans chomping at the bit.

Does Bryan have a chance? He does, but many fans are literally forgetting that he is even in the match. Still, without a gimmick and with a feud against Cody Rhodes right now, we may need to wait longer to see an emerging face behind Randy Orton.

Wade Barrett Is the Favorite Nobody Talks About

Wade Barrett is my pick to win tonight. His matches with Christian would be decent, and we all know how well he has been against Randy Orton. Now without any friends and no Intercontinental Championship, Barrett is all alone and can no longer live off of being the first NXT winner. Barrett needs to back some of that talk up now with a victory tonight. He is the one guy who is hurt the most by not winning tonight.

Will the Winner Get Involved in Orton/Christian?

Randy Orton and Christian have told a decent story, but their constant one-on-one matches are becoming tiring. I need to see someone else challenge for the championship. Whoever wins the briefcase could be just like Kane last year and cash in on a vulnerable champion, adding a wrench to this rivalry. It could phase out Christian and give him something else to do. It could give Orton someone new to work with. It could give opportunities to new challengers.

It would also be interesting to see if Christian, after losing to Orton yet again, tries to be like his friend Edge and take a briefcase away from the winner. There are a million ways that it can play out, but the important thing is to show us something different and make us want to watch every Friday night.