WWE Money in the Bank 2019 Ladder Match Winners That Would Anger Fans Most

The worst thing that could happen at Sunday's WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view is if someone who's won before wins again. It'll be even worse if the winner is a Superstar who has already recently had a chance—or even multiple chances—at gold.

WWE fans want the storyline to move forward and not revisit old plot beats. In the post-kayfabe era, they also want some say in the direction of the story. It used to be that the plot was the plot; fans didn't boo the outcome or a multi-year champion because they were simply dominant; there was no backstage context to color a push as political cravenness or a "burial" of young talent.

Now, though, WWE Creative must play the metagame and determine the winners based not only on what they think the audience wants, but also on what the audience thinks it wants. Those two things are often the same, but not always.

Here are the 2019 Money in the Bank participants who would anger fans the most if they won their respective briefcases on Sunday.

Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin won the briefcase in 2017, and he failed in his attempt to cash it in—John Cena interfered in the match, and Jinder Mahal pinned The Lone Wolf for the three-count.

Whether it was because they changed their mind at the last minute or they assumed (correctly) that he wasn't ready to be world champion, WWE has nevertheless given Corbin other chances to shine, such as being an authority figure on Raw and as the man who retired Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 35.

The only WWE Superstar to win two Money in the Bank briefcases in two separate years is CM Punk. And Corbin, for all his potential, is not CM Punk.

If the former Raw interim general manager wins, he'll be perceived as a "chosen one" to be shoved down fans' throats. That, combined with fans' disdain for his heelish attitude, would leave this decision widely derided and criticized.

Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss won the briefcase and cashed it in successfully last year, despite already having runs with both the Raw Women's Championship and the SmackDown Women's Championships in prior months and years.

And The Goddess did very little with her most recent title after she won it, except lose it to Ronda Rousey in a squash match at SummerSlam.

Bliss has not wrestled enough since her injury layoff to justify another briefcase win. It would simply be more of the same, to which the WWE Universe will never be amenable.

Carmella

Carmella's last championship run was marred by senseless controversies. In the inaugural women's Money in the Bank ladder match, James Ellsworth retrieved and dropped the briefcase to her, staining an otherwise historic event.

She later defeated Asuka (the second person after Charlotte Flair to do so) thanks to another Ellsworth distraction. Her ring performance showed The Princess of Staten Island wasn't ready for the spot WWE had given her, with her opponents carrying her in all her title defenses.

Carmella won the women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35, which gives her at least some precedent for winning at Money in the Bank for the third time. But after the last debacle, she'll never get any respect by winning the title via briefcase again. She'll have to work her way back to the top of the card the hard way if she wants a long career.

Randy Orton

If Randy Orton wins on Sunday, you'll know WWE has run out of ideas.

The Viper won in 2013 as a narratively strategic move so he could later squash Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam during his cash-in. Even then, though, there were lots of younger wrestlers who could have used the title shot.

We only look back on Orton's push fondly because Bryan would get his revenge at WrestleMania XXX.

If Orton won the briefcase in 2019, the blowback would be worse. He is a 13-time world champion, and someone of his caliber should neither need nor want a briefcase to be in the main event.

The Apex Predator was once called "the Legend Killer," but now he is a legend himself, someone younger needs to take on his old mantle.