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Theory Wins 2022 Men's WWE Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVJuly 3, 2022

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 01:  Drew McIntyre attends the U.S. Premiere Of "Jackass Forever" held at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 1, 2022 in Hollywood, California.  (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Theory defeated seven other Superstars to win the 2022 men's Money in the Bank ladder match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view on Saturday night.

During the superstar entrances, Adam Pearce came out to announce that Theory was being added to the match. He got the win after a brief tussle with Riddle on top of a ladder.

WWE @WWE

.<a href="https://twitter.com/_Theory1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_Theory1</a> is Mr. Money in the Bank! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MITB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MITB</a> <a href="https://t.co/wBXNyNgpmE">pic.twitter.com/wBXNyNgpmE</a>

By virtue of his victory, Theory can now challenge for the undisputed WWE Universal Championship at any time of his choosing.

The addition of Theory to the match came after he dropped the U.S. title to Lashley earlier in the show.

The men's MITB ladder match featured a solid mix of Superstars who had already been to the top of the mountain and those who were looking to get there for the first time.

WWE @WWE

RKO OFF THE LADDER!!!!!!<a href="https://twitter.com/SuperKingofBros?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SuperKingofBros</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RandyOrton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RandyOrton</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MITB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MITB</a> <a href="https://t.co/6vwBEendmQ">pic.twitter.com/6vwBEendmQ</a>

Despite the disparity in world championship experience, all seven competitors had to qualify at some point on Raw or SmackDown in order to vie for the Money in the Bank contract, meaning no spots were handed out.

On Raw, Seth Rollins won a tightly contested match against AJ Styles to get in, while Omos impressively defeated Riddle.

Sami Zayn defeated Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown, and initially, it looked like neither Drew McIntyre nor Sheamus would get in since their qualifying match ended in a double count-out.

After they appealed to Pearce, he agreed to put both of them in the match, but the higher-ups overruled them, leaving McIntyre and Sheamus in a difficult situation.

They were given one last opportunity to qualify by facing The Usos in a tag team bout, and they put their differences aside enough to prevail.

A last-chance battle royal was held on the go-home episode of Raw to determine the sixth Money in the Bank competitor, and Riddle won it by last eliminating The Miz.

The seventh and final spot in the ladder match was settled on SmackDown the night before Money in the Bank when Madcap Moss beat Happy Corbin, The Miz and Ezekiel in a Fatal 4-Way match.

Theory is clearly in line for a big push given how frequently WWE has been teasing him having a match with John Cena at some point.

Dropping the U.S. title to Lashley earlier in the evening seemed like an odd booking decision if Theory is going to have a future bout with Cena. It made some sense when he was added into this match, especially after he captured the briefcase to guarantee himself a title match any time in the next 12 months.

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