Making the Case for Each Superstar to Win WWE Money in the Bank 2017 Match

WWE wields the power to alter a Superstar's career in the 2017 Money in the Bank match.

It can announce Shinsuke Nakamura's arrival in emphatic fashion. It can allow Kevin Owens to seek a second championship to place over his shoulder.

Be it Nakamura, Owens or someone else, the story of one of SmackDown's stars is about to go in a vastly different direction as they claim the Money in the Bank briefcase and the shot at championship gold that comes with it. 

The Money in the Bank pay-per-view is set for June 18. And we now who will compete for the briefcase in that event's namesake bout.

On Tuesday's SmackDown, commissioner Shane McMahon revealed the field for the annual ladder match:

• Baron Corbin
• Shinsuke Nakamura
• Kevin Owens
• AJ Styles 
• Sami Zayn
• Dolph Ziggler 

There's a ton of new blood there. Ziggler is the only one who has won one of these bouts before. And only he, Owens and Zayn have ever competed in one of them before.

WWE can choose to prioritize elevating a rising star. It may instead decide to fortify a veteran's resume or set up a marquee title feud.

There are a number of reasons to choose each participant as the victor, and the following is a look at those, making the case for everyone from Corbin to Ziggler to walk away with the golden briefcase.

Baron Corbin

A Money in the Bank win would be a major boost for Corbin.

He has yet to win a title. He's failed to beat his premier opponents, from John Cena to Randy Orton.

The Lone Wolf has long talked a good game, but he'd now be able to back up his words if he outlasted the field on June 18.

Corbin trash-talked his fellow competitors on Tuesday's SmackDown. The banter, though, fell short because of his lack of success. LaToya Ferguson of the A.V. Club wrote: "His threats of domination? Pretty hollow."

It's been over a year since Corbin won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. WWE failed to maximize the momentum from that win. Now Corbin should be rising up the ranks on SmackDown, but he's in need of a major accomplishment to get people talking about him again.

Becoming Mr. Money in the Bank would do just that for him.

Plus, the concept has always worked better for heels. Corbin isn't the type of guy to feel guilty for the unfair advantage the briefcase would bring him. In fact, he's sure to relish kicking the champ when he's down.

Kevin Owens

Credit: WWE.com

Owens could leave the Money in the Bank PPV poised to become a double champion. The U.S. titleholder would be moments away from joining an exclusive club if he pounced on the WWE champ while still holding the crown he's carrying around now.

Winning the ladder match would be a big-time statement for a man who could easily be the cornerstone of SmackDown.

Owens has won the Intercontinental Championship, the U.S. title and the Universal Championship. Adding the briefcase and the WWE strap to that resume would make him feel like a special member of the roster. It would be easier to sell him as one of the current greats.

His persona fits the Money in the Bank concept perfectly, too.

Owens is a bully and a coward, a heartless sadist with a lax moral code. Putting the Money in the Bank briefcase in his hand would make for a natural fit.

Shinsuke Nakamura

If WWE wants the audience to believe that Nakamura is all he's been hyped up to be, crowning him Mr. Money in the Bank would be a great move.

He's only been on the main roster since April. If he won the Money in the Bank ladder match on his first try and won the WWE title in his rookie year, the speed of his rise would speak volumes.

It would allow WWE to continue his current undefeated streak and make The King of Strong Style look like royalty.

And the briefcase would add an intriguing wrinkle to his character. Daily DDT's Rob Wolkenbrod wrote: "It makes him an even more exciting Superstar with the unpredictable briefcase in hand, something that will only help him have a larger presence on SmackDown."

He wouldn't have to speak much; just holding up the briefcase with a mischievous look on his face would say plenty.

AJ Styles

Credit: WWE.com

No one in the Money in the Bank field makes more sense as a future world champ. WWE already knows full well that Styles can handle that spot as he was the heart and soul of SmackDown last fall as the top titleholder.

And regardless of who is holding the gold by the time Styles cashes in, The Phenomenal One would make the best rival for them.

Styles has looked tremendous in the ring with everybody. A Styles vs. Jinder Mahal feud post cash-in has great potential. The same goes for Styles vs. Randy Orton or Rusev.

A victory at the June 18 PPV would also continue WWE's attempt to make Styles look like a top-tier star. He's one of the few men to defeat Cena on multiple occasions, is a former WWE champ and went toe-to-toe with Roman Reigns. Winning the Money in the Bank briefcase would be a natural next step.

Sami Zayn

Credit: WWE.com

Zayn has been searching for real momentum since moving up from NXT.

He's often played someone else's stepping stone. He's come heartbreakingly close to big title wins. The audience has to be ready to finally see this underdog triumph.

And a Money in the Bank win would allow him to charge past his longtime rival Owens and his current enemy Corbin in a bit of poetic justice.

Zayn will be the fan favorite in this field outside of maybe Nakamura. A victory for him would be a feel-good moment, a callback to Daniel Bryan's unexpected world title run in 2011.

The Underdog from the Underground would make an ideal rival for Mahal, too. The Maharaja is the guy many fans didn't want to see rise to the top. Zayn, on the other hand, is the Superstar much of the crowd has long pulled for.

Dolph Ziggler

Credit: WWE.com

For one, Ziggler is the biggest long shot here, and his win would be a huge surprise.

He's not the level star WWE would book for two Money in the Bank wins. Only CM Punk has done that in the past.

Making Ziggler a two-time winner would change the narrative of his career, though. He wouldn't be the guy who loses in big matches. He wouldn't be a Superstar who had one brief taste of the marquee before falling back into the midcard.

In that way, despite being around longer than his fellow competitors, he's among the ones who need the win the most.

The briefcase in his grip would suit his character, as well. Ziggler is a slimy opportunist with a whatever-it-takes approach. Being Mr. Money in the Bank would simply be an extension of that.