Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios for Brock Lesnar's WWE Money in the Bank Cash-In

Brock Lesnar should not be Mr. Money in the Bank.

It would be difficult to think of an active roster member less deserving of the briefcase. Lesnar doesn't need it in order to get a title shot, much less win the title. With few exceptions, the briefcase is typically won by a wrestler who couldn't win the world title in a straight-up match. That's the entire point of the thing: to elevate a Superstar who would otherwise not get to the main event on his own.

Lesnar is the type of guy who gets cashed in on; he shouldn't be the guy cashing in.

The former UFC heavyweight champion is also a part-time Superstar, which means the briefcase is only sporadically present on weekly TV. And every day that the briefcase is not on Raw, it loses its importance. WWE always tries to flip that logic; when Lesnar would be gone for months at a time, the company would explain that Lesnar was a marquee attraction who made the title more exclusive and important by defending it less.

It didn't work out that way. For the title to feel important, fans first have to care about it. And the Universal Championship has such a short history that any absence gives us less reason to care about what happened to it. And the same is true with the briefcase. Leave it off television for long enough, and people might find that they don't miss it.

Lesnar probably won't hold the briefcase for a full year or anywhere close to it. But when he finally does cash it in, under what circumstances will it happen? And will he win the title? Here are five possible eventualities.

Worst: Brock Cashes In When Seth Rollins Is Beaten Up, Wins

Credit: WWE.com

Let's start off with the worst possible scenario, which is also, sadly, the most likely.

Seth Rollins is lying in the ring, battered and bruised from either a match or a beatdown. And out comes Lesnar for the F-5, followed by the pin. Lesnar is universal champion.

If this is the best that WWE can do, shame on the promotion. This is the coward heel's move, the one that a wrestler would use because they would lose a straight-up match.

For his entire career, Lesnar has been booked as the guy who can beat anyone on the roster, even on his worst day. Such a cash-in would make little sense. Narratively speaking, it would put us back to where we were before WrestleMania 35.

Best: Brock Cashes in When Seth Rollins Is Beaten Up, Loses

This is the more likely scenario in which Lesnar loses. He comes to the ring, briefcase in hand, as Seth is rolling about the ring in agony. And the Beast gets cocky; he figures Rollins is no threat. But the Kingslayer manages to sneak in a low blow or a small package to win or Lesnar gets distracted somehow, and Rollins takes advantage to eke out a victory.

This protects Lesnar because Paul Heyman can frame the loss as a fluke. And Rollins can finally move forward with his story arc and take on better, more interesting challengers.

Worst: Brock Cashes In for a Scheduled Title Match, Wins

Credit: WWE.com

In a slightly more honorable angle, Lesnar could cash in during a booked match in the main event of a pay-per-view. He could score the pinfall or submission and hoist the title as the event goes off the air.

This is also a terrible idea because the end result is the same: Lesnar becomes universal champion and holds the show hostage to his part-time schedule. The fans continue to not care about the universal title. And so it goes.

But this is better than an opportunistic cash-in for one reason: It creates a cleaner title transition, and the universal title needs a few more of those. The inaugural champion, Finn Balor, dropped the belt after less than 24 hours because of injury. Triple H then got involved in a Fatal 4-Way to literally hand the vacant title to Kevin Owens. And that's the first two title reigns.

There needs to be more transitions that are less gimmicky and more legitimately contested. The Universal Championship's reputation is low; a scheduled match win would prevent it from sinking any further.

Best: Brock Cashes In for a Scheduled Title Match, Loses

This is unlikely. But in this scenario, Rollins manages to repeat his unlikely victory at WrestleMania 35. He has a scheduled match with Lesnar, manages out to outsmart or cheat the Beast again and walks away with the universal title in hand. Lesnar is humiliated.

If this happens, it means that WWE is putting the Beast out to pasture and that the company is fully confident in the younger talent's ability to carry the show. Historically, that's never been the case. WWE loves its nostalgia; whether the fans want it or not, Lesnar is here to stay. And since this scenario would be a glorified burial of Lesnar, it's not going to happen.

Best: Brock Loses the Briefcase to Another WWE Superstar

Credit: WWE.com

All the prior situations mean that Lesnar cashes in the briefcase. That's why this possibility is better than all of the others. Lesnar loses the briefcase to another Superstar in a stipulation match, and that new Superstar cashes in on Rollins instead of Lesnar.

The briefcase is a fantastic narrative device when placed in the right hands. Why should the WWE Universe have to wait another year for another briefcase winner? Undo the mistake before this goes on any longer, and push Brock Lesnar to the background, where he belongs.