How WWE Should’ve Booked The Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Written By Ben Hercik

Its time for one of the best match types in the wrestling world, Money in the Bank. This is a show that many fans look forward to, and a match type that people love. You have eight wrestlers all fighting for a briefcase that has a contract for a guaranteed title match anywhere, anytime. It is always a fun match with a lot of carnage, and this years field could do just that. That being said, this years field is very meh at best. You have Strowman, Corbin, McIntyre, and Orton, four guys that don't scream ladder match. So how should WWE have booked the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match? Here is how I would do just that.

Ricochet

Who wouldn’t want Ricochet in a ladder match? Sometimes it’s nice to just want the simple things in wrestling, and Ricochet doing flips off of ladders is something we can all enjoy. I think that Ricochet being in this year's Money in the Bank ladder match was a fantastic call. He is someone that you would never think of winning a world championship, at least in Vince McMahon’s WWE. You have him win the briefcase, and he becomes a legit challenger for the title at any time. The big issue on Raw is the lack of main event stars, and the briefcase would help them build a main event superstar, and Ricochet is the perfect person for that. He is someone that can hold the briefcase for a long time, and build up the suspense of when he will cash in.

Drew McIntyre

If you want to have the scariest scenario for the champions coming out of the pay per view, then Drew McIntyre winning the briefcase would be horrifying to see. That being said, I would love to see it. You have a scary monster heel running around with a contract that he can cash in at any time, anywhere he wants. You would have the champion looking over their shoulder after every match, just looking for McIntyre incase he decides to cash in. Imagine if Braun Strowman finally wins the title, or if Seth Rollins did the unthinkable and beats Braun Strowman to retain the title, and then a Claymore Kick out of nowhere to win the title. McIntyre would be the big man in this match, which is important to have, as someone has to help the smaller guys make them look great. I would love to see McIntyre take the case, and be the scary dominant heel that we all know he can be.

Cesaro

What I wouldn’t give for a Cesaro world title run. I think it would be so nice to see him get one run with it while he is in the company. While Cesaro has all the tools to be able to win the title on his own, something just tells me that Vince McMahon just won’t let him reach his potential. I think that the only way we see Cesaro as a world champion is to win the Money in the Bank contract. One of the issues is that it is tough to talk about Cesaro as a singles star as him and Sheamus have been The Bar for the better part of two years. Now that he is a singles wrestler once again, this would be a perfect way to reintroduce him as a singles competitor. Can you imagine him hitting that Swiss Uppercut on someone hanging from the briefcase in mid air? That would be awesome.

Cedric Alexander

The fact that Cedric Alexander isn’t in this match upsets me. One of the fun things about the Money in the Bank is that it can make new stars. You have people who became big deals in the wrestling world like Shelton Benjamin and CM Punk. I think that Cedric could be one of those wrestlers, if he was given the chance. This is the guy that made 205 Live one of the best things about pro wrestling, and helped make the show watchable after the whole Enzo Amore issue. I think that Alexander doesn’t get enough credit, and this match would be the perfect place for him to do it. While Cedric isn’t ready for a main event push just yet, this is the perfect place for them to begin pushing Cedric up the midcard ranks of Raw.

ALI

This is the only wrestler from the Smackdown side of the match that I think should stay in the match, and for good reason. I want to see Andrade vs Finn Balor for the Intercontinental Championship, and Orton doesn’t need to be in the match. Part of the charm of Smackdown is that they are young and you have guys trying to prove that they belong in title consideration, and that is perfect for Ali. Ali has been someone that has always been around with the big names of Smackdown Live, and has looked very impressive in those matches. I think that Ali is someone who could be in the main event discussion at the end of the year. Of all the wrestlers in this hypothetical match, Ali is the one that can benefit from this match while not winning it.

Buddy Murphy

Since his appearance on the Smackdown during the Superstar Shake-Up, we have yet to see Buddy Murphy in a match for the blue brand. Murphy has been called the best kept secret, but we all know what he is capable of. Look at any of his matches against Cedric Alexander, or his match from Survivor Series against Ali. We all are excited to see what Murphy can do in his matches, but those have been straight up singles matches. You add ladders to the mix, and just try to imagine what Murphy could do. If you were looking for a dark horse in this match, then Buddy Murphy would be the one for you. He is a wrestler that someone is very high on backstage, probably Triple H, and it’s for good reason. The move to 205 Live helped rejuvenate Murphy’s career, and being in the Money in the Bank ladder match would be very helpful for his career and let him continue to reach new heights in his in ring career.

Matt Hardy

Does Matt Hardy need to be in this match? No, but I would love to see it. We know that Jeff will be gone for a while, and that is very unfortunate. While Jeff is out, I doubt that this is it for Matt Hardy, and we see him get a bit of a singles push on Smackdown. What better place to start this push than in a match type that he helped make famous. The reason I have Matt Hardy in this match is because the current lineup of the match doesn’t really scream ladder match. Yes you have guys that do flashy moves like Ali and Ricochet, and guys that are fantastic wrestlers like Finn Balor and Andrade, but the match feels really light on ladder experts this year, while focusing on the subpar stories going into the pay per view. You have a guy that understands ladder matches, and someone that just gets ladder matches, and Matt Hardy is the perfect guy for that. Plus, how awesome would it be to see him get the one title that has eluded him his entire WWE career in the WWE Championship. That would be a fantastic final title win in a Hall of Fame caliber career, that will be wrapping up sooner rather than later.

Apollo Crews

This one needs the most justification, I feel. One of the common trends in a Money in the Bank ladder match is that there is always someone that you have in the match that has no shot of winning the match. There was the likes of Lord Tensai, Sin Cara and Heath Slater. That is Apollo Crews for this match. He is someone who is so good, yet been done so bad that people tend to forget just how good he actually is. Crews is someone who has been a victim of stop start booking, and if done right he could be a great mid card wrestler, and even a borderline main eventer, it will be tough to get to that point, but with him on Smackdown now, he is in the perfect place to get to that level.