WWE Money in the Bank 2018: Dream and Nightmare Scenarios for Ladder Matches

The build to Sunday's Money in the Bank pay-per-view has been atrocious at best, but the excitement level for the event is still through the roof.

With both the men's and women's ladder matches filled with top talent from the Raw and SmackDown brands, there are at least two bouts with major long-term implications.

Here are the dream and nightmare scenarios for both Money in the Bank matches Sunday.

Women's Money in the Bank Match

Dream Scenario: Becky Lynch Finds Redemption

Since joining the main roster, Lynch has been one of the most popular wrestlers in the company and has the in-ring prowess to back it up. While she was the first SmackDown women's champion, she has wallowed without a storyline or direction for too long.

Lynch should pull the briefcase down Sunday.

If Lynch is able to win the ladder match, the victory could spawn several intriguing storylines, including a feud against her friend Charlotte (and a heel turn for Flair) and a series of battles against Asuka, who could also turn heel.

On the other hand, Lynch could square off against Carmella and challenge for the championship if Asuka is unsuccessful in her title match, possibly due to interference from the Iiconics. Regardless of what comes next, the best-case scenario for the women's briefcase would be a Lynch victory.

Nightmare Scenario: Lana Pulls Down the Briefcase

All of the women in the Money in the Bank ladder match are talented, but Lana's lack of experience and long-term character development make her the worst-case scenario as the winner.

While it wouldn't be as bad as 2017's decision to have James Ellsworth pull down the briefcase for Carmella, it would still create plenty of backlash among wrestling fans.

Lana has been relegated to non-televised matches and segments involving her husband, Rusev, for the most part. With Charlotte, Naomi, Sasha Banks, Ember Moon, Alexa Bliss, Natalya and Lynch in the match, Lana just isn't on her opponents' level.

Some would argue that winning the briefcase would enable Lana to reach the stature of the other women in the division, but they have earned the chance to show what they could do with such a monumental opportunity.

Men's Money in the Bank Match

Dream Scenario: The Miz Sets Up Story Against Daniel Bryan

Whether fans like The Miz or not, the dream scenario for anyone who loves entertaining, long-term storylines would be for the A-Lister to win the briefcase and eventually cash in on Daniel Bryan.

Miz and Bryan have verbally jousted for years, dating back to the heated battles on Talking Smack. It's time to turn that potential feud into one of the most important storylines of the next year.

Bryan will eventually get another shot at the WWE Championship during a marquee PPV and should pull off a victory. After a hard-fought battle, Bryan would be exhausted in the ring, only for The Miz to cash in the briefcase and steal Bryan's moment.

The Miz would earn legendary heat, and the subsequent battles on the mic and in the ring would comprise the main storyline on SmackDown for months. Bryan is at his best when he is the mistreated underdog, and the Miz excels as the weasel heel.

Miz with the briefcase would allow him to be the ultimate bad guy.

Nightmare Scenario: Bobby Roode Wins Without a Character

The talent in this ladder match is so deep that even the nightmare scenario isn't that bad, but Bobby Roode has been without a clear storyline direction or any character development since coming over to Raw.

In NXT, Roode was one of the best heels in the business, but since making the jump to the main roster, he's mostly lived off his theme song and solid television matches. The longtime veteran deserves better, but throwing him in the championship scene via the briefcase is a recipe for disaster.

Just as we saw with the run Baron Corbin had as the contract-holder in 2017, handing a Superstar a career-changing achievement with no intention of actually following through can do more damage than good.

Roode deserves to be one of the top Superstars in WWE, but the company needs to take the time to build a storyline that actually makes sense and turn him into the pure heel wrestling fans have come to expect from him.

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