10 Things WWE Fans Should Know About The Money In The Bank Briefcase
WrestleMania 21 was the home of the very first Money in the Bank ladder match, and the winner of the contest was given a briefcase in which they are guaranteed a future World Championship shot at any time and any place. The first six Money in the Bank ladder matches took place at WrestleMania, but the match became so popular that Money in the Bank became a PPV in 2010.
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There is a good conversion rate for Money in the Bank ladder match winners to go on to become World Champions, but it isn't always guaranteed. Furthermore, there are some trivial facts about the Money in the Bank briefcase that will be ideal for wrestling fans to know about.
10 Edge Was The Inaugural Winner
The first Money in the Bank ladder match took place at WrestleMania 21 and there were several ladder match specialists with the likes of Edge, Chris Jericho, and Christian featuring. Kane and Shelton Benjamin were also involved in the proceedings. However, Edge got the bragging rights as the very first winner of the Money in the Bank ladder match.
It was the right choice to have the Rated-R Superstar winning the Money in the Bank ladder match as he needed to get to the next level as a main eventer. Edge successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase at New Year's Revolution 2006 and he defeated John Cena for his first WWE Championship reign. Edge held the briefcase for 280 days which was the longest a male superstar has held the briefcase.
9 CM Punk Is The Only Male Back-To-Back Winner Of Money In The Bank Ladder Matches
CM Punk won the Money in the Bank ladder match for the first time at WrestleMania 24, and he was a popular choice to win it. The Straight Edge Savior cashed in three months later on Edge to clinch his first World Heavyweight Championship in June 2008.
It's fair to say that Punk's first World Heavyweight Championship reign didn't go according to plan. However, Punk made history by winning back-to-back Money in the Bank ladder matches by replicating the feat at WrestleMania 25. For the second year in succession, Punk won the World Heavyweight Championship via a Money in the Bank cash-in, and he saw off Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules 2009.
8 Kane Became The First Man To Win MITB And Cash-In On The Same Night
Kane competed in his fourth Money in the Bank ladder match at the inaugural Money in the Bank PPV in 2010 and he was hoping to win the briefcase for a future World Heavyweight Championship title opportunity. The Devil's Favorite Demon finally got over the line by winning the Money in the Bank ladder match.
Later on in the night, Rey Mysterio defeated Jack Swagger to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. Kane cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Mysterio and captured the World Heavyweight Championship. With the victory, Kane made history as the first man to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, the same night after winning it.
7 The Money In The Bank Briefcase Has Been Defended Seven Times
Winning the Money in the Bank ladder match is a huge achievement, but some holders of the Money in the Bank briefcase have found themselves defending the briefcase. The first instance was in 2005 when Edge and Matt Hardy slugged it out in a Loser Leaves Raw ladder match which Edge won.
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RVD retained the briefcase and beat Shelton Benjamin for the Intercontinental Championship at Backlash 2006. The likes of Dolph Ziggler (who did it twice) and Braun Strowman have retained their briefcase. However. Mr. Kennedy and Otis were not so lucky with Kennedy dropping the briefcase to Edge on an episode of Raw in 2007 and at Hell in a Cell 2020, The Miz beat Otis for the contract.
6 Winners Of The Women's Money In The Bank Ladder Match Have An 100% Cash-In Success Rate
The first women's Money in the Bank ladder match took place in 2017 and Carmella was the winner of that titular bout. She went on to defeat Charlotte Flair in April 2018 to win the SmackDown Women's Championship. However, Mella wasn't the only women's Money in the Bank ladder match winner to convert their triumph into gold.
The odds have been in favor of her successors as Alexa Bliss, Bayley, Nikki A.S.H., and Liv Morgan all went on to win the Raw or SmackDown Women's Championship. Asuka won the women's Money in the Bank ladder match in 2020 and 24 hours later she was unveiled as Raw Women's Champion as Becky Lynch announced her pregnancy meaning that every women's Money in the Bank ladder match winner to date has been successful.
5 Theory Is The Only Money In The Bank Winner To Cash In For A Mid-Card Championship
Theory became the youngest Money in the Bank winner at 24 at Money in the Bank 2022 and he looked set to become World Champion with the briefcase. However, on the November 7, 2022 edition of Raw, Theory opted to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on Seth Rollins who was the United States Champion.
Theory attempted several times to cash in on the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns but to no avail. It seemed like WWE was backed into a corner to get the briefcase off Theory as soon as possible, and it was the first time someone cashed in their briefcase on a mid-card title. Theory failed to win the US Championship which put his Money in the Bank experience to rest.
4 The Miz's WWE Championship Reigns Have Come Via Money In The Bank Cash-Ins
The Miz won his first Money in the Bank ladder match in 2010, and in November 2010, The Miz defeated Randy Orton for his first WWE Championship reign. The Awesome One managed to successfully defend the title against John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 27, but he dropped the title at Extreme Rules 2011 to Cena.
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It remained to be seen if Miz would be WWE Champion again but he edged closer by winning the Money in the Bank briefcase from Otis at Hell in a Cell 2020. At Elimination Chamber 2021, Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and he defeated a battered Drew McIntyre to become a two-time WWE Champion, which meant both of his WWE Championship wins have been via Money in the Bank cash-ins.
3 The WWE Championship Has Been Featured In The Most MITB Cash-Ins
Winning the Money in the Bank briefcase means a guaranteed World Championship match for either the WWE, World Heavyweight, or Universal Championship. However, the WWE Championship has been involved in the most Money in the Bank cash-ins with 12.
John Cena was the victim of Edge and Rob Van Dam in the first two Money in the Bank cash-ins in 2006. Cena had the unwanted record of becoming the first Money in the Bank winner cashing in and failing to win the WWE Title. Although he didn't lose the match as he won by DQ, the title can't change hands. Baron Corbin failed to beat Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship in 2017 with Big E being the most recent MITB winner in 2021 to win the WWE Championship via cash-in.
2 Carmella Held The Money In The Bank Briefcase For A Record 287 Days
Carmella wasn't just the first woman to win the Women's Money in the Bank ladder match in 2017, she also holds the record for holding the Money in the Bank briefcase for the longest. Beating Edge's record by seven days.
The Princess of Staten Island cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on the SmackDown after WrestleMania 34, and she dethroned Charlotte Flair for her lone SmackDown Women's Championship reign.
1 Seth Rollins Is The Only Money In The Bank Winner To Cash In At WrestleMania
Seth Rollins won the men's Money in the Bank ladder match at Money in the Bank 2014 and the Architect had fans guessing as to when he'd cash in his briefcase. Rollins bided his time and decided to cash in his briefcase at WrestleMania 31 during the WWE Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.
It became a triple threat match which was the first time this happened in a Money in the Bank cash-in. Rollins went on to win the WWE Championship and it was known as the Heist of the Century, and another Money in the Bank cash-in has not happened at WrestleMania since in one of the greatest endings in the history of WrestleMania.
