The 2016 Money In The Bank ladder match is fast approaching (June 19th to be exact), and at the moment WWE have some of the freshest young talents they’ve had in years, all itching to take that step up.
Only two participants out of the 16 MITB winners have failed in their attempts to cash in the Money In The Bank briefcase, the unfortunate two are John Cena and Damien Sandow.
Despite this, the odds look very favourably to crowning a new champion within the year of the briefcase being won.
Let’s take a look at 7 possible winners of the 2016 Las Vegas event.
Sami Zayn
Would it be out of the question for Sami Zayn to go from NXT injury list to Money In The Bank winner in just 6 months? On paper, Zayn would be a great champion, his likeability factor has the fans fully behind him, regardless of the opponent.
Sami has been booked very well since his return, and in full contention to be the next Intercontinental Title, which you could argue he should start off by winning a secondary title before being a main contender for ‘the big one.
If Zayn were to win the MITB ladder match, it’d also heighten his ‘one up’ feud with Kevin Owens, with both competing to outdo the other in regards to WWE accomplishments, and furthermore bring both superstars to the main event level.
If Zayn were to be given such a big opportunity so early on, there’s no doubt the Canadian superstar would thrive on the chance.
Dolph Ziggler
He’s done it once before, could he do it again? The booking of Ziggler has been very up and down for the best part of 2 years now, and I really can’t see WWE having a change of heart enough to hand Dolph the briefcase and let him run with it again.
I’d love to see a heel Ziggler taking on the likes of Reigns/Ambrose/Styles, however, for the time being he’s stuck in midcard mediocrity. I wouldn’t rule anything out though, because as you know, WWE are very likely to change their minds multiple times between now and the MITB event.
Seth Rollins
When Seth returns, it’s going to be a big deal, there’s no doubt about that. Injury forced him to vacate the WWE World Heavyweight Title during what was a very successful reign, and upon his return he’ll be going straight back to the top of the ladder.
Maybe have speculated that Rollins will be turning face and aligned with The Shield once more, but personally I think he’s above that now, he is a top superstar and has proved he can hold his own. Should Rollins be a surprise entrant in the ladder match, I know where my money lies.
AJ Styles
Probably the most popular choice for the briefcase, and what a way it’d be to cement himself into the main event scene for the foreseeable future. There’s no doubt Styles is WWE World Heavyweight Title worthy already, and wouldn’t look out of place holding the strap, however, it’d seem harsh to leapfrog over some of WWE’s other talent in line to be champion.
Still, holding the Money In The Bank briefcase would only enhance the feud with Roman Reigns, and ‘The Club’ could play a major factor.
Styles could easily walk into any company and be the top superstar, but having a MITB contract giving him the right to a title opportunity with the next year, would make for a great slow build to reaching the highest goal in professional wrestling.
Cesaro
If Roman Reigns is to stay as champion for a long time, I don’t think there’s many other superstars within WWE that could legitimately look like a genuine match for him, than ‘the Swiss superman’. It’s clear to see that there are big plans in store for Cesaro, and since his return from injury this year, he’s gone from strength to strength and his popularity with the ‘WWE Universe’ is at an all time high.
You maybe see an Intercontinental Title reign in his future before he enters the WWE World Heavyweight Title picture, to give him more of a slow build up to the main title scene rather than a giant shove up the ladder.
Still, if you want to build a star, you give them the brass ring (or briefcase in this instance) and let them run with it.
Kevin Owens
WWE seem insistent on making this guy part of major storylines on certain levels. It started with the United States Title against John Cena, then he moved on to the Intercontinental Title, even defending it at Wrestlemania 32 (in which he lost, Woo Woo Woo!). Although personally I don’t see the hype surrounding Owens, and I find his work extremely overrated, I would agree with a fresh face being pushed towards the main event scene. The strong way he is being booked at the moment, as well as the strange decision to take the IC title away from him would make you wonder if there are bigger things ahead of KO along the way, and a MITB win would really put him in the hot seat, so to speak.
This would be good just for the comedy value of seeing him attempting to sprint down the ramp to cash in the briefcase.
Dean Ambrose
Ambrose stock has continued to rise over the last year, and you have to feel with some notable high profile feuds with the likes of Chris Jericho and Brock Lesnar, WWE feel he has what it takes.
His win/loss record probably doesn’t do his case any justice, including the strange decision to have him lose to Lesnar at Wrestlemania, but due to his excellent showing throughout this programme, the loss didn’t downgrade his credibility.
You do feel somewhere down the line there’ll be an Ambrose/Reigns face off, and whether it’s for the title remains to be seen, but the idea of Ambrose having a contract to cash in on his ‘brother’ Roman Reigns at any time makes for exciting viewing.
Randy Orton
Admittedly ‘The Viper’ is an outsider to win this match at the moment, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. We haven’t seen Orton since September of last year, with yet another injury to his shoulder keeping him out of action, but his return is imminent.
He teased a potential return at Wrestlemania 32 weekend, however, the next couple of months is a realistic timetable for his return. Many would argue that Orton shouldn’t be in the main event anymore, I see this as nonsense because he was and still is one of WWE’s best performers in the company.
His work as a heel is undoubtedly more effective, which opens up the gates for feuds against Reigns, Ambrose and a potential reigniting the flame of a returning face in Rollins.
Who do YOU think should win this years Money In The Bank ladder match?
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