WWE Money in the Bank 2016 Ladder Match Must Be Used to Elevate Emerging Stars

There is a mother lode of momentum to tap into with the WWE Money in the Bank 2016 ladder match, and not just for the man who pulls down the briefcase on June 19's namesake pay-per-view. 

The upcoming bout is an opportunity to further careers, for Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Cesaro and Dean Ambrose to all emerge from the chaos and bent ladders as bigger stars. Creative, thoughtful booking is the key to all four men benefiting and for this bout to welcome the much-hyped New Era.

On Monday's Raw, fans saw glimpses of this at work.

Owens was his usual ornery, wisecracking and unscrupulous self. He flourished despite a loss and left the audience murmuring after providing one of the night's bigger moments. Cesaro scored a surprise submission victory, and Ambrose continued his post-WrestleMania winning streak.

But Raw also featured missed opportunities when it came to the MITB ladder match field. As the pay-per-view approaches, WWE needs to minimize those, instead using this crowded contest as a springboard for stars on the rise. 

Leave the Superstars Surging

Throughout Monday's Raw, the six men booked for the MITB matchup faced off in a trio of singles bouts. The most unexpected result came in the first of those, when Cesaro not only bested Jericho but forced him to tap out.

Jericho has held off the likes of NXT alums Neville and Apollo Crews. Cesaro is the showman extraordinaire whom WWE asks to take losses more often than not. So when The King of Swing bent Jericho in the Sharpshooter until he submitted, it grabbed attention.

Sean Ross Sapp of Wrestling Inc pointed out that this was a big victory for the Swiss strongman:

Whether or not Cesaro ends up seizing the briefcase, it's just smart business to have him notch wins like this beforehand. Not only does it make him look like a legitimate contender going in, but it provides the audience with images of him in triumph. 

The power of those images will carry on past the PPV.

WWE should let Cesaro bowl over Big Show and outlast Sheamus, and let Ambrose and Zayn follow similar paths. WWE can then build on that once Money in the Bank wraps up.

Ambrose is certainly on a roll of late—something we're not used to seeing. On Monday night, he took Owens' best shots and still used Dirty Deeds to score the winning pinfall.

That marked Ambrose's sixth consecutive one-on-one victory, per CageMatch.net. After dropping two major matches in a row to Triple H and Brock Lesnar, The Lunatic Fringe needed to rebound like this.

Zayn, meanwhile, dropped his bout to Del Rio, as he was unable to make the heel pay for his cockiness. Questionable Critics writer Kevin Berge commented on how the booking affected Zayn:

"

Not too happy with Del Rio getting the pinfall win after spending over 5 seconds taunting and staring. Makes Zayn look bad. #Raw

— Kevin Berge (@TheBerge_) June 7, 2016"

If this was meant to further the idea that Zayn is an underdog, it was misguided. That's been well-established. It's time to start portraying him as more than the plucky loser.

The goal in the weeks ahead should be to convince fans that all these men are at the top of their games, that they belong in the mix for the briefcase. Having them all face each other as they did on Monday makes that more difficult. Why not have Zayn and Co. engage in warm-up bouts with lower-rung stars instead?

But beyond wins and losses, the Money in the Bank build and the match itself are a means to deepen these Superstars' characters.

Moments and Stories

Monday's Raw opened with all six men standing on ladders with microphones in their hands—all waiting their turn to speak as if they were in some goofy musical. In all the bickering that followed, we didn't learn much of anything about them.

The "just cram everyone in the same ring with ladders" approach is lazy. Telling each combatant's story is more complicated but far more powerful.

Credit: WWE.com

We need to learn more about Zayn and become more connected with Cesaro. WWE needs to craft video packages and have these men sit down for backstage interviews. In hearing what this win would mean for them, the company can elevate these Superstars, getting fans to care more about their future wins and losses.

And while only one wrestler can pull down the briefcase at Money in the Bank, there will be chances to create moments during the match and during the build that fans won't soon forget.

Owens already had one of these following his loss to The Lunatic Fringe on Monday night. The bruiser pushed Ambrose off a ladder and proceeded to pound him into the mat.

Credit: WWE.com

So even though Owens lost, there was a buzz around him. The audience remained in awe of him.

Miami Herald columnist Scott Fishman still dished out praise to the powerhouse:

There needs to be more of this. Perhaps Owens injures one of his fellow MITB competitors before the match by smashing his leg between a ladder. Maybe a brawl among all six men breaks out on SmackDown and Zayn surprisingly ends up being the last man standing.

Once the actual bout begins, there will be more shots for generating these kinds of lasting images. And of course, there will be one career-defining moment awaiting the winner.

Don't Waste the Prize

Del Rio can't win the Money in the Bank match. Neither can Jericho. There is no reason to give that briefcase to guys who have already been world champion, who don't need that ticket to the top tier that Cesaro and Co. do.

And after crowning one of the match's emerging stars, be it Cesaro or Owens, Ambrose or Zayn, WWE cannot have him be the next Damien Sandow.

After winning in 2013, Sandow failed to turn that briefcase into gold. Only he and and John Cena have ever seen a cash-in end in disappointment. The tool that is meant to be one's ticket to titleholder status wasn't enough.

Sandow lost to Cena after cashing in his world title opportunity, even though the champ had only one good arm at the time.

The heel went from contender to comedy act and eventually from irrelevant to released. That was a waste of the MITB concept and a booking blunder that hurt Sandow in a major way.

WWE cannot do that again. 

Owens has quickly made it clear that he's a marquee star. Cesaro has been one of the company's top in-ring performers. Ambrose looks every bit like a main event babyface. Taking advantage of that is a must.

But beyond just elevating a single star, WWE's goal should be to have multiple men change positions. When the briefcase is in hand and all the wounds from the ladder battle are treated, several wrestlers should be charging forward with added interest from the audience.

Zayn and the other potential foundations of the New Era should move up a rung and be poised to keep climbing.