WWE Money in the Bank 2015: Power Ranking Every Ladder Match Winner Ever
Since the first Money in the Bank match took place 10 years ago, we've seen the briefcase and the contract inside it become part of the very fabric of WWE.
Sitting somewhere between the concept of the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring, it's a great chance for an up-and-comer to finally break through the glass ceiling and reach for his first taste of world championship gold.
The 14 men who have claimed the briefcase have had mixed success following the win—but the ones who truly seized the opportunity have seen their careers reach new heights thanks to Money in the Bank.
Here are the best and the worst briefcase-holders from the first decade of Money in the Bank.
14. Mr. Kennedy
1 of 14
It's not difficult to pitch Mr. Kennedy as the least successful Money in the Bank winner thus far.
After winning the coveted briefcase at WrestleMania 23, Kennedy would hold it for little more than a month before losing it to Edge in a match on Raw. That switch came as a result of an injury, and as it turned out it wasn't nearly as serious as expected.
Still, Kennedy's momentum at WWE never really recovered. Money in the Bank seemed like the opportunity he needed to catapult himself to the very top, but just two years later he was released from his contract.
13. Damien Sandow
2 of 14
Many fans were right behind Damien Sandow when he won the briefcase in 2013, but in the two years since he's done little more than flounder.
The win seemed to ignite a feud between Sandow and his partner Cody Rhodes, who looked set to claim the briefcase before Sandow betrayed him to grab it for himself. However, a short singles match at SummerSlam was the only real follow-up outside of some memorable segments on TV.
The lack of a real feud between the Rhodes Scholars was a missed opportunity, but Sandow's failure to cash in successfully was nigh on criminal. A weakened John Cena managed to put away The Intellectual Saviour without much trouble, and Sandow has never managed to climb as high up the card since.
12. John Cena
3 of 14
In 2012, John Cena became the first man to unsuccessfully cash in his Money in the Bank contract.
The cash-in came at Raw 1000, where he faced the reigning champion CM Punk just eight days after winning the all-important ladder match. His relatively short time with the briefcase makes this one of the less memorable instances in the contract's history, especially since Cena was something of a spare part in the storyline that followed.
The fallout of the match saw CM Punk turn on The Rock, sparking the villainous portion of his lengthy reign as world champion. Cena—and by extension his MITB contract—were just a means to an end, which puts him near the bottom of this list.
.jpg?w=256)
11. Kane
4 of 14
Kane was an unlikely pick to win Money in the Bank back in 2010—especially when he shocked fans by cashing in on the very same night.
Those actions marked the beginning of an entertaining run as champion, even if it's been forgotten by many since. It was a good way to build Kane up for his feud with The Undertaker, but the win might have done more good for an up-and-comer rather than an established veteran.
During his title run, Kane looked the best he had in years, but unlike previous winners he didn't really need the contract to set up a title shot. For that reason, Kane's win can't travel much higher up the list, even if it was a success on the whole.
10. Jack Swagger
5 of 14
The underrated Jack Swagger seemed set to make it big when he won the briefcase at WrestleMania XXVI, but an uneven world title run put paid to that.
Swagger cashed in his opportunity just days after earning it, snatching the strap from championship rivals Chris Jericho and Edge. His reign wasn't very long but did provide some entertaining moments—thanks mostly to his Soaring Eagle mascot.
The reign itself wasn't the problem—it was the fact that nothing of note came afterwards. Even with a world title run under his belt, Swagger wasn't any more established than he was previously. It would take a partnership with Zeb Colter for him to regain any sort of relevance, and that wouldn't happen until 2013.
9. Alberto Del Rio
6 of 14
Alberto Del Rio racked up a fine list of achievements in his WWE career—world champion, Royal Rumble winner, Money in the Bank winner—but few of those victories were as memorable as they perhaps should have been.
Del Rio cashed in his contract on CM Punk after Kevin Nash delivered a Jackknife Powerbomb to The Straight Edge Superstar in the closing moments of SummerSlam 2011. However, just a month later Del Rio would lose the title to John Cena at Night of Champions.
Given that Del Rio was already comfortably positioned as a main event contender ahead of his win, it's difficult to say that the contract did all that much for him. From a storyline perspective, it served it's purpose—but his is certainly not one of the more memorable runs with the briefcase.
8. Randy Orton
7 of 14
In 2013, Randy Orton pulled off one of the more memorable cash-ins in the history of the Money in the Bank contract.
Moments after Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship, a Pedigree from Triple H made the new champion a sitting duck. A three-count later, The Authority was born.
Given the way the faction has dominated WWE television ever since—not to mention the fact that Orton's actions played a huge part in Bryan's meteoric rise, this was one of the better instances of the MITB concept. It was a truly shocking ending to the pay-per-view.
However, Randy Orton wasn't the true beneficiary. While he did enjoy a lengthy run as world champion, he's no stranger to the gold. This was a great cash-in, but mostly for the fact that it prompted Daniel Bryan's journey to WrestleMania 30.
7. Dolph Ziggler
8 of 14
The excitement that surrounds the Raw after WrestleMania is something of a tradition at this point—and Dolph Ziggler's 2013 cash-in is one of the most memorable moments that it's produced thus far.
Dolph's extra-long run with the briefcase in his possession left many of his supporters wondering if he would ever do the deed and cash it in. Appropriately, he opted to do it in front of a crowd that would be particularly appreciative of his win.
It's a real shame that his title reign was cut short by a concussion, as the response to his defeating Alberto Del Rio for the gold was absolutely deafening. Furthermore, the double-turn during the match in which he lost the title was executed absolutely perfectly.
Dolph is known for being the plucky underdog who gives his all before falling short. Seeing him finally get the win he deserves was a great moment, one that won't be forgotten anytime soon.
6. The Miz
9 of 14
Whatever your opinion of The Miz, it's difficult to argue that he didn't make full use of the briefcase back in 2010.
The idea of the contract lends itself to a rank outsider winning the greatest prize in pro wrestling, which is just what The Miz did. Under normal circumstances, it would have been all but impossible for the reality star to rise to such heights—but the briefcase can be a great equalizer.
The Miz finished off Randy Orton after a gruelling title defence to earn the world championship, and in the months that followed he'd use similarly unsportsmanlike tactics to keep the gold in his possession.
Without Money in the Bank, it would have been very difficult for The Miz to believably headline WrestleMania. Whether he should have or not is a different matter, but Miz certainly made the most of the briefcase while he had it.
5. Daniel Bryan
10 of 14
While it wasn't Money in the Bank that propelled Daniel Bryan to superstardom, it certainly played an important role in his WWE career.
Bryan won the briefcase on the same night that CM Punk walked out of Chicago with the WWE Championship held hostage—a very pleasing pay-per-view for anyone who had followed the pair's careers from the independent scene to WWE.
The power housed inside the briefcase changed Bryan from a clean-cut fan favourite to a schemer desperate for a successful cash-in. He managed to do just that at Tables, Ladders & Chairs, dashing the hopes of former friend Big Show and forging his own path forward.
That reign came to an end at the hands of Sheamus in the oft-referenced 18-second loss at WrestleMania 28. Against all odds, that defeat would be the catalyst for Bryan's tumultuous rise to the top—but MITB was one of the first steps in his journey to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
4. CM Punk
11 of 14
CM Punk is the only man to ever win back-to-back Money in the Bank matches—and he used both opportunities very successfully.
His pair of briefcases did much to cement him as a top-tier talent at WWE while also establishing that stars of the independent scene could compete at the highest level in WWE.
Furthermore, it did a great deal for the legitimacy of the MITB concept as a whole. Punk was only the fourth man to win the match, and given the way Mr. Kennedy's victory turned out, it was far from a proven notion at that time.
Punk's WWE tenure was defined by his ability to tenaciously pursue opportunities, which is exactly what he did with the two briefcases he claimed during his time with the company.
3. Rob Van Dam
12 of 14
Like much of his work in the wrestling business, Rob Van Dam cashed in his Money in the Bank contract his way.
He didn't sneak up on the champion after a match or bide his time for the most opportune moment—instead, he made his intentions clear and laid down a challenge to John Cena for a WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand 2006.
The result was an absolutely electric main event that should be considered essential viewing for any wrestling fan. The match was a completely appropriate followup to the previous year's celebration of ECW's legacy. More to the point, the contract allowed Van Dam to claim a world title—something that many were clamouring for him to do as early as his WWE debut in 2001.
For both Van Dam and a rowdy crowd packed into the Hammerstein Ballroom, Money in the Bank made a very special moment possible.
2. Seth Rollins
13 of 14
We're still in the early stages of Seth Rollins' title reign, but it's already clear that his Money in the Bank win has done wonders for his career.
Back when The Shield was the most dominant force in WWE, fans had their concerns that Rollins would be lost in the shuffle once the group had run its course. Without the brash personality possessed by Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, it was unclear if Rollins' impeccable in-ring acumen could carry him to the top.
However, The Architect's alignment with The Authority put those concerns to rest. Not only did it give him the platform he needed to remain a major focus of weekly television, but an assist from Kane hoisted him to victory in the 2014 MITB ladder match.
Rollins' cash-in at WrestleMania is perhaps the most momentous in the history of the king-making briefcase—not to mention an iconic WrestleMania moment that we'll all remember for quite some time.
While Rollins certainly had the raw talent to succeed on his own terms, the briefcase was just the ticket to jumpstart his ascent as one of WWE's elite.
1. Edge
14 of 14
When most people think of Money in the Bank, they think of The Rated-R Superstar.
The Ultimate Opportunist built a career on taking advantage of his situation whenever he could. Whether it's winning the very first Money in the Bank ladder match or claiming Mr. Kennedy's briefcase for his own, no one epitomizes the idea of the contract quite as well as Edge.
Edge's rise through the ranks of WWE is one of the most hard-fought journeys of any pro wrestler. Having proven himself as a tag team with best friend Christian, he was given a sizeable push in the early 2000s to try to establish himself as a potent singles competitor.
However, it would take several long years before he would claim the world title. Injuries slowed his progress, but his prior accomplishments were something of an obstacle, too. It can be hard for talent to transition from the midcard to the main event, which is why Money in the Bank is such a vital tool for WWE.
Edge used the briefcase to redefine his character, which is what gave him the nudge he needed to be taken seriously as a world title contender. The contract-holders who came after him can be split into two groups: those who followed his example and gained similar success and those who didn't.
MITB was hugely influential on Edge's career—but in turn, he laid out the blueprint for how the wrestler carrying the briefcase should use it to his advantage.
All who follow have their opportunity to put their own twist on proceedings, but it has to be said that they all owe something of a debt to the pioneer of Money in the Bank, Edge.
Who do you think is the greatest Money in the Bank winner of all time? Who's the worst? Let us know in the comments section below.
.jpg?w=480)
