WWE Money in the Bank: Is Edge or CM Punk the King of MITB?

CM Punk remains the only man to have won two WWE Money in the Bank matches, but Edge will always be remembered as Mr. Money in the Bank, as he embodied the opportunistic nature of the concept.

Since 2005, WWE has offered stars on the rise a chance to tilt things in their favor, to topple champions once they have already fallen and decide their own championship destiny.

There have been 12 Money in the Bank ladder matches in that time and names like Rob Van Dam, Jack Swagger and Daniel Bryan have all won one. Punk is not only the sole man who has won two, but he did so consecutively.

Punk outlasted his opponents at both WrestleMania 24 and WrestleMania 25 to win the Money in the Bank briefcase. He turned both of those wins into World Heavyweight Championships, cashing in on Edge in 2008 and on Jeff Hardy in 2009.

The WrestleMania 24 Money in the Bank was a fantastic match, with Punk being a central figure of what was a great, violent piece of theater.

Still, crowning Punk king of Money in the Bank doesn't feel right.

When Edge first won that inaugural match, the concept was fresh and fans didn't know to expect.

A man who built his reputation on his daredevil performances in ladder matches beat out Chris Jericho, Kane, Chris Benoit, Christian and Shelton Benjamin to become the first-ever Mr. Money in the Bank.

The sneaky, wily and calculating Superstar waited until WWE champ John Cena had ended a bloody battle inside the Elimination Chamber before he attacked him. A few spears later, and The Ultimate Opportunist became the first man to cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase.

The perfect poetry of that moment, fueled by Cena's vulnerability and the heat-generating move of taking advantage of a gutsy hero, will make the image of Edge clutching the title to his chest one fans will never forget.

As exciting as a cash-in still is, it can't match the thrill of it happening for the first time.

That alone might make Edge the man we most associate with Money in the Bank, but his legacy also includes a theft of the briefcase.

Mr. Kennedy won the Money in the Bank match in 2007, but thanks to Edge, he's one of two men to win the briefcase but fail to gain a championship out of it. Edge used his cunning to convince Kennedy to put the briefcase on the line in a match on WWE Raw.

Edge attacked him before the bell rang, defeated him in dominating fashion and held the Money in the Bank briefcase for the second time in his career.

Just a few days later, Edge cashed in to wrest the World Heavyweight Championship away from The Undertaker. That move made Edge more than just another beneficiary of the briefcase; it forever linked him with the concept.

Being the first man to possess two briefcases, the first to cash in for two different world titles and the first to steal someone else's Money in the Bank victory away from them made Edge a pioneer, a mastermind and a snake.

Van Dam returns on July 14, likely to try his hand at the Money in the Bank match. Should he, Bryan or Swagger win, they would match Punk in wins for this match, but they won't have add the impact on the WWE via the briefcase the way that Edge has.