Who should win Money In The Bank briefcase this year?

[ShinChan]

Simple question. Who should win Money In The Bank briefcase this year?

Money In The Bank PPV will be a Smackdown Live PPV scheduled to take place on 18 June.

Some significant names who could be participating in this gimmick match:

• AJ Styles
• Baron Corbin
• Dolph Ziggler
• Jinder Mahal
• Kevin Owens
• Luke Harper
• Rusev
• Sami Zayn
• Shinsuke Nakamura
• Tye Dillinger

If Jinder gets another match with Randy Orton at this PPV, we can eliminate his name. AJ Styles, Baron Corbin and Kevin Owens are sureshot participating in this match.

Seeing that Nakamura & Ziggler might meet at Backlash, I think that including them in this match won't be surprising. Don't know when Rusev's going to return from injury. Tye Dillinger may or may not participate.

Some names from this list won't win at any cost. Like Harper, Dillinger, Ziggler, Zayn & Rusev.

Owens, Corbin, Styles & Nakamura look like the favorites. Of those, I think that Corbin is most favorite.

I would be fine with either Styles, Owens or Corbin winning. Not sure about Nakamura though. Problem with Owens winning is that he's United States Champion as well. That leaves with either Styles or Corbin. No problem either way.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It depends if they go with one case or two...

I personally would prefer one with representatives from all brands in the match, SD, RAW AND NXT.

I can see two people as the potential winners...

Bobby Roode and Drew McIntyre

At some point they're going to want to bring Roode up to the main roster and it would be an interesting wrinkle if he came in to the MITB match via the NXT title... won the case and thus has his guaranteed title match when he finally joins the main roster.

Drew works on a similar note but based around his "chosen one" gimmick.

Another name who could benefit is Matt Hardy - if he was able to get into the match it means they have a way to get "broken" Matt a title win/match when they can access the gimmick.

 

[Dmbfantomas]

Apollo Crews. He's on that Titus Brand now, so he can have Titus speak for him while he continues to be dope as fuck in the ring. He would be the PERFECT face for Raw in ~a year.

 

[ShinChan]

It depends if they go with one case or two...

I personally would prefer one with representatives from all brands in the match, SD, RAW AND NXT.

I can see two people as the potential winners...

Bobby Roode and Drew McIntyre

At some point they're going to want to bring Roode up to the main roster and it would be an interesting wrinkle if he came in to the MITB match via the NXT title... won the case and thus has his guaranteed title match when he finally joins the main roster.

Drew works on a similar note but based around his "chosen one" gimmick.

Another name who could benefit is Matt Hardy - if he was able to get into the match it means they have a way to get "broken" Matt a title win/match when they can access the gimmick.

Apollo Crews. He's on that Titus Brand now, so he can have Titus speak for him while he continues to be dope as fuck in the ring. He would be the PERFECT face for Raw in ~a year.

Well, as mentioned in the OP, Money In The Bank PPV is a Smackdown branded PPV. So that leaves off any chance of Raw participants. Also, that almost leaves no chance for NXT as well.

There's no Money In The Bank briefcase for Raw. And that also signifies about Brock's Universal Championship reign. It ain't going to end anytime soon as MITB briefcase won't work for Raw. Therefore it's just for Smackdown.

Also, I'm still torn between AJ Styles and Baron Corbin.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There was an article out last week on wrestlinginc.com that was taken from BetWrestling.com that listed the early odds on which wrestler was likely to win MITB this year. The site acknowledged that while nobody had been officially named for the MITB ladder match as of yet, the odds were arranged based on who was likely to participate. The list looks like this:

Baron Corbin +150
Shinsuke Nakamura +200
Kevin Owens + 250
AJ Styles + 400
Sami Zayn +600
Rusev +800
John Cena +1000
Randy Orton +1000
Mojo Rawley +1400
Dolph Ziggler +1700
Big E +2000
Tye Dillinger +2000
Kane +2500
Luke Harper +2500
Zack Ryder +2500
Jinder Mahal +3300

As of now, Baron Corbin is the favorite to win, though it's hardly a runaway at this point. According to the article, they give Corbin a 40% chance, Nakamura a 33% chance, Owens a 28% chance and Styles a 20% chance. Now I'm not a gambler and I'm not entirely sure how the odds work so I can't swear to this. But the real money to be made would be going for the long shots and hoping they'd win. Beginning with Cena and Orton, both them have only about a 10% chance of winning and the odds get worse as you go downward. And yes, I know Orton's listed but, once again, the list is compiled of the most likely wrestlers to compete based on the lay of the land for SmackDown and it's possible, however unlikely, that Orton drops the title before then. As I was saying, in regard to the odds, if you were to bet $100 for Cena to win, you'd collect somewhere around $2,000 in winnings if he did win.

As to who SHOULD win, that's up in the air. Personally, I wouldn't have mind at all if any of the top four to six wrestlers won MITB; I might even be persuaded to be on board for one of the long shots like Big E or Tye Dillinger if I knew they'd hold the briefcase for quite a long while and that time would be wisely used to build the long shot up as someone who could be a feasible challenger. The more likely scenario with a long shot would be WWE having said long shot play the role of some sort of vulnerable underdog that seems in over his head much of the me but manages to make good eventually.

Based simply on what I see right now, Baron Corbin looks like he's being set up for the win. Corbin lost at WrestleMania, he's lost twice to AJ Styles in as many weeks and his next program seems likely against Sami Zayn; there's a real possibility than Zayn defeats Corbin at the Backlash ppv. I could see the match going either way with the loser winning a rematch televised on SmackDown Live so that neither really looks dominant over the other. If WWE is as high on Corbin as reports claim and he isn't booked to look unstoppable between now and MITB, I'd say he'll walk out with the briefcase.

I don't think Styles or Owens necessarily "needs" the briefcase; Styles had a strong WWE Championship run, Owens was Universal Champion for 6.5 months, has held the Intercontinental Championship twice and is the current United States Champion so there's definitely a feeling that he doesn't "need" it.

Nakamura is a strong possibility and I know some people feel he should all but be champion already and they'll bitch like the boniest fingered nun poking said finger into the chest of a heathen sinner if he doesn't. It would help to secure Nakamura's standing as someone who's all but written in the stars to be the first Japanese WWE Champion, it could also be a means of ensuring he doesn't get lost in the shuffle due to fears of Vince simply not knowing what to do with him.

Sami Zayn winning MITB is a possibility as we all know how much Vince likes to play up the underdog angle at times. Zayn winning would be a significant feel good moment and could eventually lead up to a memorable title win and moment in his career.

Part of me still holds out hope that WWE will one day implement a 2nd MITB ladder match for a mid-card title shot. Maybe put Corbin, Owens, Styles, Nakamura, Zayn & Jinder into the WWE Championship MITB match while Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, Mojo Rawley, Tye Dillinger, Big E and Sin Cara for a United States Championship MITB match. I would stick Rusev in there somewhere for either match but he'll likely face Randy Orton at MITB for the WWE Championship itself.

 

[roipdh123]

I believe the match can be with the following participants:
Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn vs AJ Styles vs Baron Corbin vs Shinsuke Nakamura vs Tye Dillinger vs Dolph Ziggler vs Rusev which will be a phenomenal match.

Corbin should win.

MITB card will be:
MITB match as the main event.
Randy vs Jinder for the title
Charlotte vs Tamina for the women's title
Breezango vs New Day for the tag titles
Usos vs American Alpha in a 2 out of 3 falls match
Naomi vs Natalya vs Carmella in a No.1 Con. Match

 

[Randy Orton's Head Blood]

Who do I want to win? Baron Corbin. As a heel that just beats people up & gets a kick out of it (like we saw on Talking Smack this week), I think that Corbin having it & giving the champ a huge beating after a match, followed by cashing in, would be my ideal way of having him become WWE Champion, while getting some big time heat for winning in such a disgraceful manner.

Who do I think should win? While Corbin would be brilliant, I really think that with Smackdown Live pushing this "Land of Opportunities" thing that they've got going on, that the MITB Ladder match should be for people that;

• Haven't won the WWE/Universal Championship before.
• Win a Qualifying match to be in the Ladder Match (Unlike previous years, where the participants are just "announced".

This way, the people that take part have to fight just to be in the match itself and also, whoever wins the briefcase (should they then win the title) would become a first time ever WWE Champion. This would give me a lineup of participants (I've used 8) as follows;

1. Baron Corbin
2. Big E
3. Kofi Kingston
4. Luke Harper
5. Mojo Rawley (You need SOME jobber meat in there)
6. Sami Zayn
7. Shinsuke Nakamura
8. Tye Dillinger

Now, none of those guys have ever held the WWE or Universal Title before. Not only that, but you've got a good enough mix of - Great wrestlers (Zayn/Nakamura), big guys (Harper/Big E/Corbin) & risk takers (Kingston/Zayn/Dillinger), as well as Mojo Rawley there to just...well probably get beaten up a lot. For me, the 8 of them could definitely put on a match worth watching & knowing that we'd potentially get a first time champion is even better.

As for who I'd pick to win? Either Shinsuke Nakamura or Kofi Kingston. Nakamura, as a face does seem like an unlikely pick to win the briefcase & quite honestly, we all know he's going to be in the title picture in the next year, so there may not be any point to him winning it at all. Kofi on the other hand, should he win the MITB, would have his New Day brethren with him at all times. They would be there to make sure that nobody ever stole the briefcase, would be there to protect Kofi incase the champion ever attempted to beat him down so that he couldn't be cashed in on that evening.

More importantly, I think that with Kofi winning, that New Day would be there to potentially turn heel (I liked heel New Day) & be part of the eventual beatdown on whoever may be champion at that point (Orton?), leading Kofi to the easy victory when he cashes in the MITB.

Yes, I'm totally fantasy booking it now, but that's just my 2 cents.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

Kofi on the other hand, should he win the MITB, would have his New Day brethren with him at all times. They would be there to make sure that nobody ever stole the briefcase, would be there to protect Kofi incase the champion ever attempted to beat him down so that he couldn't be cashed in on that evening.

More importantly, I think that with Kofi winning, that New Day would be there to potentially turn heel (I liked heel New Day) & be part of the eventual beatdown on whoever may be champion at that point (Orton?), leading Kofi to the easy victory when he cashes in the MITB.

I agree. I want wwe to either give it to someone who's already been world champion(Owens) or give a "first time champion reign" to someone who's been with the company for a lengthy amount of time(Kofi).
I personally dislike how quickly guys win the world championship in the first year or two of their careers now. Corbin and Nakamura will eventually become main eventers and possibly win the world title down the road, but they shouldn't any time soon, imo.
Other than Kofi, I would love to see someone return and win the MITB. MVP, Carlito, or Shelton Benjamin would be great to see and a good addition to the Smackdown roster.
just a thought, what are the chances that the MITB winner will fail to cash in this year?If they go that route, I can see Zayn winning it, and either Owens cost him the championship match(jealous/tries to keep Zayn from succeeding in wwe) or Owens is the champion and beats Zayn to retain.

 

[The Perfect Max]

I chose Baron Corbin. I like his look and his style, even if WWE are looking to change things up and I'm sure that they will. Edge changed somewhat in my opinion during his 250-ish day "reign" with briefcase, and if Corbin keeps the case for a good period of time, he can do the same.

He's an imposing guy, but equally he comes across as that guy who only gets you when you're not looking because he doesn't want the hassle having to go face-to-face with you, if that even makes any sense. Money in the Bank suits Baron Corbin. He could be that guy to come out in the main event of a pay-per-view and cash-in to win the belt. But unlike Seth Rollins who cheered with all his might, Corbin would be that entitled guy who truly believed he did something of major significance to win the belt.

I personally don't see Shinsuke winning it only because I don't think he needs it. He is definitely getting a shot at the title before the end of 2017. And I wouldn't even be surprised if he's already champion by that point. Kevin Owens is the same. I feel it would be wasted on him too because we know he can get back to the world title picture without it. It could suit his character though. If AJ was still a heel, I'd say he has more of a chance, but I don't think I see it. Sami is also a good shout and if he were the briefcase holder and Owens was the champion, that could be very compelling and it would be different for Mr. Money in the Bank to be stalking the champion beyond wanting the title.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

if this would have been a dual brand PPV i would have said Jeff Hardy but since it's a smackdown only ppv i've got to go with Baron Corbin at this point mostly because out of al the heel on smackdown, he'S the one that need the briefcase the most.

Kevin owens would have been a good choice also but i got so much in such little time that he really doesn't need the briefcase and i think if he win this it might hurt him more then help him in the long run.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I have a feeling that Kevin Owens will lose the United States Championship Title Belt, and move back to Raw. The creator of the Money In The Bank Ladder match, and NEW United States Champion, Chris Jericho will then also become the 2017 Mr. Money In The Bank.

 

[That N Word]

I voted Sami should win it because it leads to a great story and a deserving champ. Not only would it establish Sami Zayn as a main event player in WWE and cement him at the top of the mountain, but it can also lead to some great rivalries with Baron Corbin, Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Tye Dillineger, John Cena,Dolph Ziggler and Shinsuke Nakamura. They could really play up the underdog story here with Sami cashing in on Randy Orton after Randy gets beat down by Baron Corbin following Randy beating him in a match. Sami runs down and cashes in and then you have a possible money feud between Randy Orton or Sami Zayn.

Another option would be The New Day, Yes you read that right!!! But here's the deal, only one member on New Day can cash it in to become the WWE Champion. Imagine a storyline with New Day members stealing the briefcase from one another when the others isn't paying attention and trying to cash it in only to be stopped by the other members. It not only creates some compelling TV but it also sets up perfectly for the split of The New Day. Have it lead to a triple threat between the members of New Day that would either lead to Big E winning the match and eventually cashing in on the champ OR Kofi Kingston winning the briefcase and Big E costing him his title match.

OK maybe neither scenarios happen, but what likely will is Baron Corbin walking out with the briefcase and eventually cashing in on Randy Orton to become WWE Champion.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I have a feeling that Kevin Owens will lose the United States Championship Title Belt, and move back to Raw. The creator of the Money In The Bank Ladder match, and NEW United States Champion, Chris Jericho will then also become the 2017 Mr. Money In The Bank.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but jericho is leaving wwe after next monday to go on tour with fozzy for the summer, plus he got a new album to record and promote also, so owens isn't going anywhere or losing the us title on sunday.

 

[ISkye]

I honestly can't see Shinsuke even being in the MITB match with how he has been booked. He was already on Smackdown PPV promotional material the night of his debut on Smackdown right after 'Mania. Possibly the same for Owens, but given his history with matches with any form of pro-wrestling weaponry I don't see them exactly leaving him out. We'll see where he is heading because they don't exactly book main event programs around him, but he is almost always thrown into something that benefits him or makes him kept strong. I imagine he beats Jericho and loses to Styles and then interference or maybe a stipulation that assists Styles to win on the rematch clause. If he is out of the U.S title scene and AJ has a high profile competitor to challenge him I easily see him included rather than anywhere else.

I love Ziggler, but I really don't want to see him win. If he did it'd be awesome and all, but that Michael Jackson promo was all I needed to remind me he's only good when someone matches his chemistry. The Miz and him did great, great work last year but it was erased even before the Royal Rumble came around. Same deal for both Jinder Mahal, Tye, and Mojo. The thing is I just don't think it really works with a majority of them, but I wouldn't mind seeing any of those 3 win at the same time. If they spent a while holding the briefcase like Rollins' did I think it could really, really be a great run. At the same time there are guys on Smackdown that could really benefit for it more with at least some form of steam behind them.

With the poster who had mentioned Zayn I feel the same with. You can also add Rusev to that list. Think the storytelling would be great, and they usually 100% have a big purpose determined for the MITB competitor. A long run with this, maybe even just cashing in and having a full blown match would be awesome. Zayn not getting a cheap win over someone and playing the good guy as he had in one of the endless great moments of the Neville feud would be great stuff. Same thing with Rusev, but maybe as a heel. Also, as a face for what it's worth and current fan perception of Rusev. I also do see him coming back to challenge Styles for the U.S. title, so I'm not sure on that.

I want Baron to win. Been a fan since I saw he had signed a contract, and will always like him at the end of the day. Him winning the MITB match and go on to win the title after an eventual build would be really, really cool for me and would prove WWE actually has their money in him. Good look. Consistently improving in ring skill. Great finisher + signature moves, and I think he'd not only be a good heel, but a good face. There are better pro-wrestlers, Talkers, and even overall packages but he is more than passable and for the time he has been wrestling I think he's proven quite a bit. This would be a great passage way onto him getting over if done right.

Orton, Cena, Styles, Sure. I'd love for literally any of those 3 to win, but I don't see them even being in the match. Cena's would be really, really epic on that journey to the new ***record*** (WWE recognized) for most titles. Also, Kofi Kingston is someone I'd love to see win just as much as Baron. The only thing with that is Smackdowns tag scene is complete trash, and they're already set to return. The idea still resonates in my mind, but I'm aware it's not exactly preferred in the long run or exactly reasonable.

Picture Breezango winning the SD titles, or going back to jobbing. Don't see A. Alpha splitting up any time soon. Rhyno x Slater are gone. Literally no one cares the ascension exists, and even if I hate to say it Aiden English is with them. Kane is running for mayor.

Sin cara will probably be in this if he is available just for some spots basically. I don't picture Harper winning or being in this match, but he also has history so it could be. I imagine it'd also be filler until he has a solidified program to work off of. On the wyatt note I also don't see Rowan doing literally anything to win. These 3 and guys like Ziggler are pretty much just going to either A) Be in the match, because it's a bigger deal than they are currently doing B) Not be in the match, because we need an opener and undercard. Excited too watch the build, and eventual PPV though already regardless of what happens. Fine with guys I don't even think will win, so I mean. Smackdown has done a really, really good job even at their absolute worst.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I honestly can't see Shinsuke even being in the MITB match with how he has been booked. He was already on Smackdown PPV promotional material the night of his debut on Smackdown right after 'Mania.

I'm a little confused by this since we haven't seen Nakamura booked in a match just yet, yet they've been hyping the guy all over the place since his arrival on the blue brand. I see Nakamura's feud with Dolph Ziggler as a means of introducing him to fans who may not be as familiar with him as others are; as such, they put him into a solid mid-card program with a workhorse who can definitively give Nakamura a strong match in which he can showcase himself. SmackDown's first ppv in the post WrestleMania season is Backlash on May 21st, which is where I see Nakamura's first match on the main roster taking place and it'll be against Ziggler. If he keeps getting good responses and if the match lives up to expectations, it'll be difficult to argue that he won't be/shouldn't be in the MITB match. Depending on what happens with Owens & Styles at Backlash, even if Nakamura is in MITB and doesn't win, it could be the start of a program with either of them over the United States Championship.

There are several potentially interesting and entertaining directions they can go with Nakamura, especially if Vince allows Nakamura to ultimately be himself and allows Ryan Ward, the head booker of the blue brand and former head booker of NXT, to book him because he knows how. For me personally, however, I think it could be too soon for Nakamura to win MITB though that's not to say it couldn't be a lot of fun if he does win. I'd like to see him hold the briefcase for a while and continue to be built up over a period of much of the rest of the year.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

AJ Styles doesn't really need it anymore. He's already a star and a qualified main eventer. He will be world champ again, regardless of the MITB.

Nakamura is way too fresh for that role. He will have a hard time winning the fans over, but who knows what can happen in two months? However I still believe that giving him a bonafied world title run (because that's what the MITB does), will not help him. Fans need to be uncertain of his future, in order for him to grow in them.

Corbin will be way too predictable. How many times have we seen a heel winning the damn thing and then beating up his opponent and becoming a champion? Way too many times. Same thing goes for Rusev.

Ziggler.. naah. Dillinger, of course not.

Sami Zayn: The last time we've seen an underdog face chasing the world title holding the MITB briefcase and challenging to win the belt was in 2006 with RVD. And boy did it do wonders with him. Zayn is over. He's perfect for that role. Give him the briefcase and we're sure to see a long and nice title chase. However there's on problem. I don't think Sami's ready to be a world champion. He still lacks in personality. Creative can help him with that, bu he's definately not on the level of 2013 Bryan or 2006 RVD. So I don't think he will be a strong face champion.

So my pick is Kevin Owens, but with a twist. Owens is perfect in losing and then coming back stronger and angrier from a loss, and, more over. He did with Cena, he did it with Ambrose and he did it with Goldberg.
So, have Owens win the briefcase, but then have him fail to cash it in. Then, let him go insane, until he gets what he wants. The WWE Championship.

Owens is perfect for that job. It's his character. And he will be more over than before.

 

[King Patrick Star]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but jericho is leaving wwe after next monday to go on tour with fozzy for the summer, plus he got a new album to record and promote also, so owens isn't going anywhere or losing the us title on sunday.

Oh really...

Phase one is complete. Now to phase two. The creator of Money In The Bank should win the Gold briefcase, and then disappear from WWE TV for 6 - 12 months, and then come back to cash in. I'd have the G. O. A. T. cash in at Money In The Bank 2018.

 

[ShinChan]

Oh really...

Phase one is complete. Now to phase two. The creator of Money In The Bank should win the Gold briefcase, and then disappear from WWE TV for 6 - 12 months, and then come back to cash in. I'd have the G. O. A. T. cash in at Money In The Bank 2018.

Well, I won't mind a Chris Jericho win for Money In The Bank briefcase. But I would surely mind him disappearing for 6-12 months like you suggested.

But it's highly unlikely. Even more when Chris Jericho isn't supposed to appear at Money In The Bank PPV. He's scheduled for a Fozzy Tour at that time and not in USA but in UK. So, that makes it almost impossible.

Also, it's looking that Baron Corbin will surely win Money In The Bank briefcase.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Well, I won't mind a Chris Jericho win for Money In The Bank briefcase. But I would surely mind him disappearing for 6-12 months like you suggested.

But it's highly unlikely. Even more when Chris Jericho isn't supposed to appear at Money In The Bank PPV. He's scheduled for a Fozzy Tour at that time and not in USA but in UK. So, that makes it almost impossible.

Also, it's looking that Baron Corbin will surely win Money In The Bank briefcase.

You know, Chris disappearing and then making a surprise return to win the title is not bad. It will be fresh and surprising. Plus, fans will be so egdier to find out when Chris will come back!