Full Predictions for WWE Money in the Bank 2016 Ladder Match Leading Up to PPV

The WWE Money in the Bank 2016 ladder match is poised to be the launchpad from where a number of rockets shoot skyward.

It won't just be the man who claims the briefcase at the June pay-per-view who benefits from being a part of this match. Look for the ladder match to be a celebration of a star's return, a means to catapult Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose's ticket to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

On Monday's Raw, WWE wasted no time in moving on from Extreme Rules and beginning the build to Money in the Bank. The night featured five qualifying contests for the PPV's trademark ladder match. 

Owens, Ambrose, Chris Jericho, Sami Zayn and Cesaro all claimed victory on Raw to earn their way into the bout. And now just two open slots remain.

Count on a monster joining that fray, Owens to be the star of the clash's build and for Ambrose to hit a new career peak.

Final Entrants

AJ Styles is surprisingly out of the running. He lost to Owens on Monday's Raw and now looks to have his hands full dealing with an angry Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

John Cena returns next week, but he has historically been the victim of cash-ins, not among the men battling over the briefcase. In over 14 years with the company, he has been in just one Money in the Bank ladder match. WWE likely has other plans for him, perhaps returning him to U.S. title contention.

Instead, Alberto Del Rio and Bray Wyatt are set to join the field.

Wyatt is the perfect candidate for these annual ladder matches. He's a star on the rise, one the audience could buy as a winner in the bout.

The Eater of Worlds has been out with a calf injury since April, but has been teasing a return on Twitter for some time.

As for Del Rio, his inclusion won't exactly thrill WWE's fanbase, but the company does have a habit of adding at least one participant who isn't a great fit for the ladder match. Two years ago, it was Kofi Kingston, who wasn't anywhere near a world title level, taking up that spot.

With Mexico's Greatest Export not involved in a storyline right now, chances are WWE will cram him into this match, playing up the fact that he has won a Money in the Bank match in the past.

A Showcase for Owens

The coming weeks will feel like the Kevin Owens show.

As WWE hypes the coming ladder match, Owens' skills in and out of the ring will be on full display. Expect great matches, powerful promos and a fiery, indignant heel largely being the focus of the bout's build.

Even in the qualifying process, we saw that in action. WWE chose Owens' clash with Styles to be Raw's main event on Monday night. Both men delivered as expected. And while Styles will now slide over to a story about colliding with Gallows and Anderson, Owens will be the face of the ladder match.

He's such a perfect antagonist that WWE will want to have him bicker with every one of his opponents. In addition to his longstanding issues with Zayn, he is sure to squabble with Ambrose and Cesaro, two guys he has contentious history with as well.

Owens has also shown he doesn't get along with heels either. Expect some fireworks between him and Jericho as two massive egos crash into each other.

Regardless of the outcome at Money in the Bank, Owens will come out of the ladder match with added momentum. The past has shown that it doesn't matter whether he is champion or challenger, winning or losing, he still comes off as a star.

Aubrey Sitterson, host of the Straight Shoot podcast, noted that Owens doesn't have to rely on being a titleholder:

That will be more evident en route to Money in the Bank. WWE will lean heavily on him, and he will make them look smart for doing so.

A Classic in the Making

The 2016 edition of the Money in the Bank ladder match will be among the best of its kind. 

The bout is brimming with talent before the final two spots have even been decided. Vaughn Johnson summed it up well for Philly.com when he wrote, "Money in the Bank is typically a match full of highlights and memorable moments, but when you have people like Owens, Zayn, Cesaro, Ambrose and Jericho involved, the insaneness level may be ratcheted up a few notches."

Credit: WWE.com

Many of those men have a proven history of thriving in ladder matches.

Zayn and Owens composed classics with that stipulation when they were fighting each other as part of Ring of Honor. Jericho was involved in many of the first editions of Money in the Bank. Ambrose and Seth Rollins tore the house down by way of ladder match at last year's PPV.

Cesaro's creativity will be a major plus. Owens' brutality, Jericho's experience and Zayn's agility will add up to a thriller.

It certainly helps that there are so many rivalries intertwined in this matchup.

Zayn and Owens have been in a never-ending feud. Jericho and Ambrose are just days removed from leaving each other bloody at Extreme Rules. Cesaro has issues with Owens and history with Zayn that dates back to NXT.

Winner

It's Ambrose time.

His story so far has been one of near-wins and getting within inches of ultimate glory. Last year, he actually had the world title in his hands in the Money in the Bank PPV as he and Rollins both fell to the canvas with the title in hand.

The Lunatic Fringe nearly beat Triple H for the crown at Roadblock and thought he dethroned Rollins at Elimination Chamber 2015. 

The fans have followed his journey with great anticipation, cheering when he seemingly had claimed gold, only to see that his victory was a mirage.

The time is right to move toward finally ending those teases. Ambrose has in many ways been the babyface WWE wants Roman Reigns to be. He's unique and compelling, popular and creates pathos.

Plus, there's a marquee matchup awaiting WWE's approval. As Kyle Fowle wrote for the A.V. Club, "The Ambrose win does set up a potential Shield showdown though, with all three guys circling the title if Ambrose can get the briefcase."

That is the bout Money in the Bank will set up. Ambrose will storm into the Rollins vs. Reigns storyline with a briefcase in hand, complicating and elevating that rivalry.