Predicting WWE Money in the Bank 2026 Winners, Surprise Returns and Bold Booking Calls

Money in the Bank is routinely one of WWE's most anticipated and unpredictable events of the year, and the 2026 installment emanating from New Orleans is shaping up to be no exception.

The fields for the men's and women's Money in the Bank Ladder matches are nearly complete and consist almost entirely of Superstars who have never held world title gold in WWE. Although there are a few favorites in both bouts, it isn't uncommon of the company to pull off a swerve with either winner.

The only other announced match as of now is Roman Reigns defending his World Heavyweight Championship against LA Knight, a man who is no stranger to shortcomings at the annual event. Reigns retaining feels like a foregone conclusion, but how it happens and the possibility of a shock ending can't be counted out completely.

Ahead of Money in the Bank 2026, let's look who's most likely to go over in each outing, surprise returns, bold booking calls, last-minute additions to the card and more.

Penta Becomes Mr. Money in the Bank

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Penta's exceptional performance against Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship on the Sept. 14 edition of Raw caused his stock to skyrocket and put him on a path to permanent main event status.

WWE followed up on his huge night in Mexico City by having him qualify for the men's Money in the Bank Ladder match one week later. He replaced Solo Sikoa and stole the win from Dominik Mysterio, who was heavily expected to not only be involved but also take home the briefcase.

Bron Breakker has been overlooked for some time and would be a great fit as Mr. Money in the Bank, but Penta securing the contract instead would hardly be a bad thing.

The former Intercontinental champion has had a standout 2026 and should further cement his status as a top-tier talent in WWE by earning a guaranteed shot at a world championship. He wouldn't necessarily have to cash in on Reigns, but he'd almost certainly have to cash in successfully to justify him holding the briefcase in the first place.

This year's men's Money in the Bank bout will be stockpiled with star power, so there's a number of direction directions WWE can go in with the winner, but Penta pulling out the victory would be the best possible outcome.

Stephanie Vaquer Defends and Retains the Women's World Championship

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Paul "Triple H" Levesque has been keen on smaller cards for the premium live events and keeping them around three hours in length. Four or five matches is commonplace on most B-level shows in the modern era of WWE, so with only three officially announced for Money in the Bank, one would have to assume at least one more will be added before showtime.

An Undisputed WWE Championship defense from Sami Zayn could be in the cards or the expected rubber match between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, but it makes more sense for Stephanie Vaquer to defend her Women's World Championship at the event instead.

Vaquer vanquished Liv Morgan in her home country of Chile earlier this month and outright told Morgan and Becky Lynch on the Sept. 21 edition of Raw that they can get shots at her title. She never specified when that would be and whether it'd be in singles matches or in a Triple Threat.

The latter would be a logical way to further the feud between all three women, and if that does come to fruition, Vaquer must walk away still the Women's World champion. Morgan getting her rematch and losing would pave the way for Vaquer and Lynch to branch off into their own feud.

Solo Sikoa's Interference Inadvertently Costs LA Knight

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LA Knight will come closer than he ever has before to becoming World Heavyweight champion at Money in the Bank when he battles Roman Reigns. While it isn't set in stone that he's losing, it's just difficult to fathom that WWE would give Knight Raw's top title temporarily before getting the belt back on Reigns in time for WrestleMania 43.

That would be the ideal direction for the final few months of the year, but WWE presumably isn't willing to upend their plans quite to that degree. If Knight is going to lose to Reigns yet again, there's bound to be some sort of shenanigans that come with it.

Knight has constantly acknowledged how it was The Bloodline as an entity that defeated him at Crown Jewel 2023, not just Reigns. The Bloodline hasn't been interfering in most of Reigns' matches this year, so they should let him go at it alone at Money in the Bank as well.

The 946, however, won't be as gracious. They already took out Solo Sikoa on the Sept. 21 edition of Raw and will surely have their sights set on costing Reigns his coveted championship come New Orleans.

Sikoa will reemerge to thwart their involvement, only to factor into the finish and inadvertently cause Knight to lose. Perhaps that will spark some tension between those two and even lead to Knight snapping on Sikoa if he believes he betrayed him on purpose.

Seth Rollins Returns

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Seth Rollins last wrestled at SummerSlam in a losing effort against World Heavyweight champion Roman Reigns. Their mini tribute to The Shield afterward was a fitting conclusion to their long-running rivalry, as well as a strong sendoff for Rollins ahead of his hiatus.

Upon returning from injury on the road to WrestleMania, Rollins had been so determined to settle his score with The Vision followed by rekindling his rivalry with Reigns that there wasn't an obvious plan in place for him post-SummerSlam. Thus, giving him some time away was the best thing WWE could have done with his character.

Rollins has been synonymous with not only the Money in the Bank briefcase but the event itself for his entire career, so an appearance at this year's installment would be appropriate.

It'd be better suited for a segment on the show, such as stepping up to Intercontinental champion Chad Gable or shutting up Big Cass or Dominik Mysterio, than interfering in Reigns vs. LA Knight or the men's Money in the Bank Ladder match.

A Rollins return at Money in the Bank would give fans an incentive to tune into Raw that Monday to see what he'll have in store.

Blake Monroe Steals a Spot and Wins Women's Money in the Bank

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The sixth and final spot in the women's Money in the Bank Ladder match will be filled on Friday's SmackDown when Tatum Paxley, Tiffany Stratton and Candice LeRae collide in a Triple Threat qualifier.

That show will also see Blake Monroe (allegedly) make her main roster in-ring debut by finally facing off with Giulia, who she has been waging war with in backstage segments for months. Monroe should undoubtedly win that match, but what if that isn't the last time she's in action this weekend?

It doesn't happen all that often, but a precedent has been set for Superstars taking other people's spots in Money in the Bank Ladder matches by attacking them beforehand and going on to capture the briefcase (most notably Brock Lesnar in 2019).

Monroe could target Sol Ruca or Lola Vice, become Ms. Money in the Bank and then spend months teasing cash-ins on the champion of her choosing. WWE's use of the former NXT Women's North American champion thus far has been questionable, but she'd quickly turn her fortunes around if she were to shock the world by winning Money in the Bank without ever formally qualifying.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.