Ranking Best, Worst Cash-Ins in WWE Money in the Bank History

The Money in the Bank cash-in has been a staple of WWE programming for 15 years and remains one of the most popular angles thanks to its unpredictability.

Fans never know whether this is the moment the winner of the namesake ladder match will explode through the curtain, relinquish the briefcase and take their shot at capturing gold. That cashing in one's briefcase is no guarantee of championship ecstasy only makes it a more thrilling ordeal.

Over the course of the Money in the Bank's existence, WWE has produced some unforgettable and highly emotional cash-ins. Some have paid off career-long journeys to the top, while others have been the culmination of a childhood dreams. All of them, though, have altered the Superstars' careers, for better or worse.

As men and women prepare to climb the corporate ladder at WWE HQ on Sunday night in unprecedented Money in the Bank ladder matches, relive the cash-ins that remind every competitor that dreams can come true.

But first, the cash-ins that did not quite go over as well.

But First, the Worst...

5. John Cena, 2012

Announcing a cash-in ahead of time may have worked for Rob Van Dam (more on him, shortly), but for John Cena, it was a one-week ratings ploy that devalued what had become one of the most popular gimmicks in the business.

The franchise challenged CM Punk for the WWE title on the July 23, 2012, Raw 1000 episode, turning his briefcase over like the honorable babyface he was. Instead of winning the gold and ending Punk's reign, he saw his title aspirations go up in smoke courtesy of The Big Show.

And just like that, an opportunity for a memorable moment was wasted.

4. Damien Sandow, 2013

Damien Sandow had lost all momentum ahead of his Money in the Bank cash-in on October 28, 2013, episode of Raw. So much so that no one believed he would defeat John Cena, one night after the top star in the industry returned at Hell in a Cell.

And he did not.

Though he targeted the previously injured triceps of Cena, he was unsuccessful in his attempt to dethrone him and would soon become a running joke on the show rather than the main eventer his Money in the Bank briefcase win suggested he could be.

3. Braun Strowman, 2018

Braun Strowman's ill-fated heel turn in August 2018 preceded an even poorer conceptualized cash-in of his Money in the Bank contract at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, at which he challenged universal champion Roman Reigns.

Any shred of momentum he had built for himself was erased the moment he inexplicably turned heel, and any shot he had of a sustained main event push evaporated when Brock Lesnar interrupted The Monster Among Men's championship match with The Big Dog. That the namesake match of the PPV ended in an implausible no-contest only placed an exclamation point on how poorly planned the entire ordeal had been.

2. Alberto Del Rio, 2011

Alberto Del Rio's cash-in ranks just below the worst-ever because of the ramifications it had on the hottest Superstar in the industry at the time.

CM Punk had just successfully defended the WWE Championship against John Cena in the main event of SummerSlam when Kevin Nash hobbled to the squared circle, dropped him with a Jackknife Powerbomb and Del Rio came from out of nowhere to cash in and win the gold.

Punk, who had single-handedly sparked interest in an industry that had been ice-cold for years, saw his momentum stunted to benefit the one-dimensional Del Rio and jumpstart the feud between Triple H and Kevin Nash. It was bad booking then and, in hindsight, even worse now.

1. Baron Corbin, 2017

Baron Corbin's Money in the Bank cash-in is an example of backstage politics interfering with smart booking. In an attempt to punish him for comments made during a meeting, Corbin was booked to cash-in his briefcase, only to be defeated by Jinder Mahal in short order.

His credibility shot, it would take nearly an entire year to rebuild him into someone fans could buy in a high-profile role. The damage done to him, the ridiculousness of the segment and the reason behind it renders it the easy choice for the worst cash-in.

8. Carmella, 2018

Carmella made history in 2018, becoming the first woman to successfully cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase, some nine months after she won it.

Capitalizing on a two-on-one beatdown dealt to women's champion Charlotte Flair at the hands of the debuting IIconics, Carmella rushed the ring and defeated The Queen to win the blue brand's top prize. 

It was a suitable payoff to numerous teases in the weeks that preceded it and instantly elevated the Princess of Staten Island. She went on to defeat Asuka in a series of matches, thanks in large part to an unlikely alliance with James Ellsworth, before dropping the title back to Flair at SummerSlam.

The cash-in itself introduced a new act, crowned a new champion and set the tone for Carmella's title reign, in which she would rely on others to do the majority of the work so she could swoop in and benefit.

7. The Miz, 2010

The Miz's WWE Championship reign is one of those chapters of that particular title's history fans want to forget through very little fault of his own.

The most magical run of his career began on the November 23, 2010, episode of Raw when he capitalized on a battered Randy Orton to make his lifelong dream a reality.

Just moments after The Viper barely retained his WWE title over The Nexus' Wade Barrett, Miz capitalized on the injuries suffered by the third-generation star and delivered the Skull-Crushing Finale to pick up the most monumental victory of his career.

His expression showed just how important the moment was to him, while the disdain etched on the face of one young lady in the crowd forever earned her the name, Angry Miz Girl.

The title reign was probably a bit premature as Miz struggled to rise to the level of his opposition in high-profile matches against Orton and John Cena, but his Tables, Ladders and Chairs match with Jerry "The King" Lawler was a fun highlight and proof of his ability to manipulate the crowd.

6. CM Punk, 2008

Just 24 hours after a Night of Champions pay-per-view in which he narrowly defeated Batista to retain the World Heavyweight Championship, Edge found himself on the receiving end of a Batista Bomb.

As The Rated R Superstar struggled to his feet, CM Punk rushed the ring with the Money in the Bank briefcase he had captured three months earlier at WrestleMania XXIV and officially cashed it in. A Go To Sleep and referee's three-count later, and Punk had captured the red brand's most coveted prize.

Like most who have captured the briefcase, it was seen as a huge jumping-off point for Punk. Instead, it was the sole highlight of a title reign that ended without Punk ever losing, with the gold ripped away from him in a prematch angle.

5. Rob Van Dam, 2006

Rob Van Dam defeated Matt Hardy, Ric Flair, Bobby Lashley, Finlay and Shelton Benjamin at WrestleMania 22 to capture Money in the Bank and announced ahead of time that he would be cashing in on WWE champion John Cena at June's ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view.

While the element of surprise was gone, what made Van Dam's cash-in one of the greatest of all time was the atmosphere surrounding the match. Emanating from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, Van Dam was the beloved hero, while Cena entered one of the most hostile environments he would ever compete in.

The desire of the hardcore audience to see Van Dam dethrone Cena was evident, and thanks to some interference from Edge, he did just that. The post-match celebration with the ECW originals made the moment that much more special. It should have marked the beginning of great things for a brand WWE was preparing to relaunch, but as history tells us, the cash-in was one of the last good things to happen to Paul Heyman's revolutionary brainchild. 

4. Dean Ambrose, 2016

Dean Ambrose won Money in the Bank on June 19, 2016, and wasted little time in capitalizing on the briefcase. That night, in his new hometown of Las Vegas, he cashed in immediately following Seth Rollins' victory over Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship and realized his lifelong dream of becoming champion.

Ambrose had been the odd man out, the only member of The Shield not to be world champion to that point. He changed that in grand fashion, sparking a genuine excitement surrounding the product and setting himself up to become the face of SmackDown as part of the company's upcoming relaunch of the brand extension.

Best of all? He helped make history as on that night, no matter how briefly, fans witnessed every member of The Hounds of Justice with the WWE Championship, as Reigns entered with it, Rollins won it and Ambrose cashed in to capture it.

That little statistic alone makes it one of the coolest cash-ins ever.

3. Edge, 2006

Edge won the inaugural Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 21 in April 2005, and as the concept was still fresh and intriguing, no one could have imagined just how significant it would be to his career as both a main event star and future Hall of Famer.

After carrying it around for nearly a year, The Rated R Superstar finally handed the briefcase over to Mr. McMahon at New Year's Revolution on January 8, 2006, before rushing the ring and attacking a bloodied, battered John Cena fresh out of the Elimination Chamber.

Consecutive spears later, and the Toronto native realized his dream of capturing the WWE title. The moment, as special as it was for Edge, was equally as important to the Money in the Bank concept. The surprise, the emotion and the excitement of the fans set the bar for every cash-in that followed.

Edge's win in that first ladder match and the execution of the cash-in 10 months later were key to establishing the idea. For that reason, the Hall of Famer's championship triumph ranks as highly on the list as it does.

Oh, and it catapulted Edge to the top tier in WWE, something both he and WWE had been trying to accomplish for years, so there's also that.

2. Seth Rollins, 2015

The fact that Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania, interrupting a hard-hitting main event for the WWE Championship between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar and capturing the title in one of the greatest heists in company history, is sure to draw many an argument for the top spot on this countdown.

And every single one would be valid.

It took place at WrestleMania in a show-closing angle that ranks as one of the greatest moments in the event's long and illustrious history. It not only played up the angle's unpredictability but also managed to catch fans off guard while cementing Rollins in a role he had filled for the better part of a year as the lead villain in WWE.

So why is that cash-in not the best of all time?

Because there is something to be said about the incredible drama of the top pick that narrowly nudges it above Rollins' moment.

1. Dolph Ziggler, 2013

There is no more perfect cash-in in WWE history than Dolph Ziggler's.

For years, he built his reputation on his ability to create drama through the selling of his opponents' offense and the utilization of near-falls. For four minutes, he took fans inside New Jersey's IZOD Center on an emotional roller-coaster ride that had some thinking he would fail to capture the title from the beaten, battered Alberto Del Rio.

Overcoming the resiliency of his opponent and twisting at his injured ankle, Ziggler escaped an armbar and put Del Rio away with the Zig-Zag for the win and title. The roof blew off the arena as many of the same fans who had chanted "we want Ziggler" one night earlier at WrestleMania got their wish and celebrated alongside The Showoff.

The ability of Ziggler to create that drama and uncertainty, coupled with the reaction and the clear emotion that also painted the faces of Lee and Big E, helped elevate the moment and proved to both management and fans that a cash-in can still be high drama, even if the outcome is a given.