WWE Money in the Bank 2016: Ladder Match Preview, Top Contenders and Pick
On Sunday night, six of the most exciting wrestlers on the WWE roster will do battle in a Ladder Match. The winner will receive the next best thing to a guaranteed WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign.
Money in the Bank may be a relatively recent addition to the WWE calendar, but it's quickly become established as one of the biggest nights of the year. Beyond even the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, this is the show that makes the stars of tomorrow.
This year's match should be especially exciting, as four of the six men involved have never been world champion. Here's your full preview of each competitor and a final pick for the winner of Sunday night's ladder match.
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Sami Zayn
Now established on the main roster, Sami Zayn's natural connection with the crowd and ample acumen between the ropes have allowed him to quickly rise to a prominent position in the upper midcard.
The Underdog From The Underground saw great benefit from his inclusion in the recent multiman feud over the Intercontinental Championship. While the belt isn't as respected as it once was, competing for the gold helped Zayn avoid some of the pitfalls that squandered the potential of certain other NXT graduates.
That being said, Zayn doesn't look like a top contender for the briefcase. His character isn't the sort of guy who would try a sneaky cash-in, or even brag about holding the contract, so giving him the win would be something of a waste.
Hopefully Zayn will claim the world title at some point—but when he does, it should be a hard-earned victory, not a sneak attack with the Money in the Bank briefcase.
It's safe to say Chris Jericho's current run is far better than the previous returns we've seen in recent years. Between his solid performances in the ring and his excellent comedy chops, the gift of Jericho keeps on giving.
Of course, he's nowhere near the favourite to come out on top in the Money in the Bank ladder match. Despite having created the stipulation, he's very unlikely to claim the briefcase come Sunday night.
It's unlikely we'll ever see Y2J presented as a real world-title challenger again. He's still a great WWE asset —but it seems almost certain he'll continue to be used in his current role as a veteran opponent for up-and-coming talent, rather than a main eventer in championship contention.
Cesaro
There will be plenty of fans holding out hope for a Cesaro win on Sunday, but the fact of the matter is, he's a dark horse at best.
Cesaro has maintained his popularity ever since he made his return on the Raw after WrestleMania. His tear-off suit and 007-inspired entrance give crowds something to sink their teeth into, and the Swiss Superman has demonstrated an ability to feed on that response.
However, there's been little sign that Cesaro is being prepped for an entry into the world-title picture. He's being given more of an opportunity to excel as a singles competitor than he was before his injury, but he's not exactly being pushed to the moon.
The Money in the Bank briefcase isn't what Cesaro needs right now—he needs a feud that will allow him to flesh out his character.
Alberto Del Rio
The only former Money in the Bank winner in the match—no matter what Chris Jericho might tell you—Alberto Del Rio is the outside choice to take home the briefcase this weekend.
It might seem strange for Del Rio to come out on top after spending months adrift in The League of Nations, but this outcome wouldn't be designed to help El Patron.
Del Rio is the sort of villain who can rebuild himself even after taking a bad loss. As such, if he were to make a failed cash-in attempt on Roman Reigns, it wouldn't be as much of a blow as the likes of Cesaro would suffer in the same situation.
WWE is on the verge of a brand split, and that raises some serious questions about the Money in the Bank briefcase. If the company wants to use a quick failed cash-in to dodge this issue until 2017, Del Rio seems like the perfect candidate to win.
Dean Ambrose
Going into Money in the Bank, Dean Ambrose has been presented as the favourite to win—and it seems like a red herring.
WWE knows fans want to see the three former members of The Shield settle their differences in a Triple Threat match. The briefcase is a shortcut to making that happen, as was drilled in to viewers during the Ambrose Asylum segment on Raw last week.
However, this seems like a bait-and-switch. If WWE were to deliver on that match, it would almost certainly give it ample build—the briefcase being involved suggests Ambrose would be added to the match as a surprise.
Fans would be ecstatic to see Ambrose with contract in hand, but Sunday night is not his time. That said, it wouldn't be too surprising to see him interject in the main event, regardless of whether he has the all-important contract to make him an official challenger.
Kevin Owens
Out of the six men in contention for the briefcase Sunday night, Kevin Owens seems like the best-possible prospect to win the ladder match.
His Prizefighter persona is the ideal candidate to carry around a contract good for a world-title match. If anyone can hold that advantage over the head of the champion, it's KO.
Moreover, the ladder-match stipulation plays into Owens' strengths as a performer. Anyone who followed him on the independent scene will know he's no stranger to the hardware—even if he's lost the two ladder matches he's been involved in since signing with WWE.
This time last year, Owens had just made his main-roster debut. Now, there's little doubt he would excel as a world-title contender.
The Money in the Bank briefcase is made for competitors like KO.
Who do you expect to come out on top in the Money in the Bank ladder match? Make your predictions ahead of Sunday night's pay-per-view in the comments section below.
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