The future of WWE’s main event scene will be significantly impacted by this Sunday’s upcoming pay per view, so we took a few minutes to sit down and discuss the two Money In The Bank ladder matches and the odds for each entrant.
WWE Title – All Stars Money In The Bank
Christian
Nathan: As much as I like how he brought ‘one more match’ back, he’s probably the least likely to win. With his recent troubles with The Shield, it seems like he’s headed more for a feud with Ambrose over the US title then anything in the main event.
Rob: I agree. I think they can keep Christian involved in other things, help use his charisma and popularity to elevate the United States title before he gets firmly back into the World Title picture. A feud between a heel Christian (because you know it’ll happen) and John Cena could be very entertaining.
Kane
Nathan: Not really much of a threat to win it, as others are far more likely. The only way I could see him winning is if he then puts it on the line in a future match against someone like Bryan (and most likely loses it a la MISSSSSSSSTTTTTEERRRRRRRRR KENNEDYYYYYYY)
Rob: I like Kane’s odds more than you do at this point, but I think it’s fair to say that he’s a long-shot.
Sheamus
Nathan: He’s been kinda floating around with no real direction so he doesn’t seem likely, though he did have a decent run as WHC. Same with Kane, there are just others that are much more likely.
Rob: The fact that you have RVD listed ahead of him is something that I can’t buy into, not at all. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he should be listed ahead of Randy Orton, too.
RVD
Nathan: The true wildcard of the bunch, mainly because we have no idea what he’ll do and Creative could swerve us with him winning. However, he’s a part timer and the briefcase would be wasted on him.
Rob: Despite having an awesome first name, there’s no chance RVD hot shots his return with a win here. I’d probably put him below Christian at this point.
CM Punk
Nathan: The one guy who seemingly has the home field advantage. He absolutely could win, but more then likely the Brock Ness Monster will cost him the opportunity, either by coming out and pushing him off the ladder or by his music playing to cause the distraction.
Rob: I think everyone agrees that CM Punk is destined for a one-on-one with Brock Lesnar, but for some reason I’m not convinced that the former UFC Heavyweight Champion is going to show up at Money In The Bank. I think it’s just as likely that Punk wins, and that his eventual title shot is interrupted, or that Lesnar shows up and gets a match with Punk with the briefcase on the line.
Orton
Nathan: Yes he does have the disciplinary issues, but as long as he stays out of trouble, they’ll have no problem pushing him. The briefcase could perhaps launch his long-awaited heel turn and he’s probably the one guy (besides Punk of course) who could bring the most legitimacy to the title
Rob: I agree that he’s probably in the top four, but I wouldn’t go any higher than that. WWE hasn’t shown any signs of wanting to push him into a title shot, nor should they at this point. Let him go heel without the briefcase.
Daniel Bryan
Nathan: With all the momentum he’s had, people will probably riot if he doesn’t win.
Rob: I’d be surprised if he doesn’t win, and he seems like the best option to win, too. With that combination, he probably won’t win.
World Heavyweight Championship Money In The Bank
Fandango
Rob: He’s certainly popular and charismatic, but he’s going to have to show a LOT more before he gets into a match with the big belt on the line. Build him up a little more, give him a midcard title, then we’ll see where he’s at.
Nathan: I agree with him needing a midcard title so he can be built up to be a serious threat, as right now he’s more of a novelty gimmick even with how over he is with the crowd. Definitely the least likely to win it in the WHC match.
Antonio Cesaro
Rob: I debated putting him higher on this list, just because I think he has the in-ring work and the mic-work taken care of, especially with Zeb Colter in his corner. But at this point, I don’t know that they would pull the trigger, which is a shame because I think a feud between he and Dolph Ziggler could be really entertaining, especially because it would force them to split away from the “anti-foreigner” gimmick. Even if Del Rio keeps the belt, I still don’t see Cesaro being the one to get a shot at him… even though it’s a way better option than another Swagger v Del Rio match.
Nathan: I would put him ahead of Swagger because he’s shown he can succeed despite horrible booking. While I do agree that a Ziggler-Cesaro feud would be entertaining, I doubt it would be over the WHC.
Jack Swagger
Rob: I didn’t think he was ready for the title shot before, and that didn’t stop them from giving him a try. I really, really wanted to put Cesaro ahead of Swagger, but I have no faith in it.
Nathan: They’ve already seen how horrible giving him a briefcase turned out as well as his pre-Mania push. For me, he’s barely ahead of Fandango in terms of likelihood of winning.
Damien Sandow
Rob: I’d be surprised if this happened, but I think he could do great things with a step up the rungs of the ladder to get a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. WWE sure seems to understand the plenitude of talent this guy has, so I could see them elevating his status with a title shot.
Nathan: A win would just give me more material for his entertaining promos. However, like Fandango, I believe a midcard title run would serve him better instead of rushing him into things.
Cody Rhodes
Rob: I’d rather see Damien Sandow in this position, but in terms of how realistic either of them would be, it’s gotta be Cody Rhodes ahead of his tag team partner (and best friend). I don’t see him winning a championship if he gets the opportunity, but I could see him getting the shot for the same reasons that Sandow might.
Nathan: I actually would put him ahead of Ambrose. Cody has shown he can succeed in the ring and on the mic and can handle a main event spot he’s seemingly been waiting on for years. I could see the briefcase as a catalyst for a possible face turn.
Dean Ambrose
Rob: They’ve been putting this guy up against top talent, they’ve been making him look like gold, so why wouldn’t they take one of the hottest things in sports entertainment right now (The SHIELD) and put them into the top spot? A match between he and Ziggler could be great. If Del Rio keeps the belt, well, obviously Ambrose’s odds go down the toilet.
Nathan: They are indeed making him look like gold and he might have the best future singles career of the other Shield members. However, I feel its too soon to push him into a world title feud, with Swagger being a cautionary tale. However, it’s not totally outside the realm of possibility and could be a huge swerve on Sunday.
Wade Barrett
Rob: Given how they’ve pushed Wade Barrett on and off over the past few years, this seems like the perfect opportunity to push him once again and finally put the World Championship on him. I think they’ve purposefully kept him out of the spotlight for a bit, and now it’s elevation time.
Nathan: He was purported to be the winner of the MITB at Mania 28 but then he got hurt and hasn’t gotten back to that level. He’s the most main event ready guy in this match as he’s already proven it when he was with Nexus. I could see him cashing in on Del Rio just as Ziggler is about to get the pin, thus setting up a great Barrett-Ziggler feud.
