WWE ‘Money in The Bank’ Fantasy Booking Wishlist

This weekend marks the 17th annual WWE “Money in the Bank” (MITB) PLE at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, where six competitors in each men’s and women’s division will climb the ladder to reach the ‘cash-in contract’ inside the dangling briefcase. The lore of MITB is rich, beginning with the match’s debut at WrestleMania 21 in Los Angeles, California, over 20 years ago—April 3, 2005.

Since then, over 90 superstars have competed in the stake-filled ladder match, including seven WWE Hall of Famers. Seeing big names compete in a multi-man gimmick match is great, but MITB is designed for the athletic upstart willing to take big spot risks. In fact, several years have seen the standout of the match be someone who didn’t hold the briefcase at the end of the night.

From RVD to Seth Rollins, Shelton Benjamin to Kofi Kingston, and Iyo Sky to Tiffany Stratton, the MITB has had its share of stellar performances and memorable battles— like LA Knight and Andrade going toe-to-toe at the 2024 MITB—the match has to be strategically assembled with the right combination of the six competitors.

For all the memorable MITB showings of the past, and the future showcases to come for the likes of Je’von Evans, who makes his MITB debut this weekend, a laundry list of wrestlers never had the chance to compete in the ‘battle for the briefcase.’

As we gear up for this new crop to make a splash on Saturday, FightsATW.com will look at the legends and workhorses who never competed for the briefcase, focusing on the big names who would have brought the psychology and highlights to MITB.

PSICOSIS

The Mexican-born wrestler Psicosis (or Psychosis) made his name in the Lucha Libre scene and New Japan Pro Wrestling before finding American stardom in WCW, ECW, and WWE. Ahead of his time, the Rey Mysterio Sr.-trained luchador was part of the ‘cruiserweight’ division that was showcased weekly on Monday Night Nitro. Psicosis would have been MONEY in any ladder match, but his experience with the lucha style would have made him a natural.

You could have picked any cruiserweight from that era like Juventud Guerrera, Dean Malenko, or Syxx Pac, but Psicosis was ahead of his time with ‘Penta crossover’ potential. Psicosis’s feud with Rey Mysterio Jr. elevated both their careers, and the work they could have done together under the MITB stipulation—Mysterio Jr. technically competed in an MITB, but it was the WWE headquarters MITB during the pandemic.

THE ROCK

The Rock is one of the greatest to ever hold a mic in WWE, but that level of entertainment can sometimes overshadow just how good he was in the ring. The Rock competed in a couple of high-profile ladder matches, and he could get hardcore when he had to, but seeing him cut promos on five guys at once would be priceless.

You can already imagine the MITB go-home segment from The Rock where he changes songs to fit the MITB theme (“In the MITB Ghetto” Elvis remix?). There is certainly an alternate universe where The Rock competes in an MITB segment and remixes “Jacob’s Ladder” to troll Kane.

EDDIE GUERRERO

This might be cheating since he was also part of the amazing WCW era cruiserweights, but that would be perfectly fine considering the entry’s propensity to ‘lie, cheat, and steal.’ In fact, those are the exact attributes that make the WWE version of “Latino Heat” the ideal MITB competitor. Coincidentally, Eddie wrestled at WrestleMania 21, where MITB debuted, but he tragically passed away in November of that year.

Eddie had famous ladder matches against RVD for the IC title and Rey at SummerSlam, with Dom’s custody hanging in the balance—knowing Eddie, he would have preferred the title shot.

BRET HART

There is a huge misconception about who ushered in the ladder match in WWE/WWF, with many fans crediting Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon after their WrestleMania X ladder match set the standard. In actuality, Bret Hart introduced the ladder match, as he was familiar with the stipulation because it was used in Calgary Stampede Wrestling, where his father, Stu, was the booker.

Bret booked the first ladder match in WWE/F and smartly chose Shawn as his opponent, but that match took place off TV, premiering on Coliseum Home Video as a special attraction. Bret’s authentic style would have sold the ladder as a weapon, not just a prop for big spots, but his psychological approach to finishes could have made for an all-time cash-in.

SHANE ‘SHANE-O-MAC’ MCMAHON

Here comes the money… because Shane McMahon, in a multi-man ladder match, puts the ‘money’ in “Money in the Bank.” Vince’s son is one of those high-risk takers who crashes through tables, something he’s done many times before, including King of the Ring against Kurt Angle and Hell in a Cell against The Undertaker.

While taking a spot away from an actual wrestler isn’t ideal, the potential storylines that can come from Shane and contracts and ‘money’ (even if it is metaphorical) make for bigger payoffs. It doesn’t matter because he wouldn’t be in the match to win a briefcase anyway. Shane would be in the match for one reason and one reason only—to fall off a really tall ladder.

Mario Mungia

Mario Mungia Jr. has a decade worth of experience as a combat sports journalist and correspondent which began with ThaBoxingVoice (TBV) as a podcast co-host, writer and editor-in-chief. Aside from his online resume, Mario spent a fair portion of his early career working for Spanish/English magazine Premier Round and the Mexican website Izquierdo. Mario has also contributed to NYFights while simultaneously working for MIC Sports Network as part of the broadcast crew covering local high school sports. Since then, he has launched his own podcast/live stream (Infighting/Work In Progress) and is covering pro wrestling for FightsATW.

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