Since 2005, the Money in the Bank ladder match has become one of the most exciting events on the entire WWE calendar. After becoming a huge hit for six straight WrestleManias, the event got its own pay-per-view event in 2010. Before the 2017 edition, we’ll take a look at every cash-in attempt of the match’s briefcase in WWE history.
There’s one title in WWE that many have tried to hold, but few have before: Mr. Money in the Bank. (Thanks to this year’s show, we’ll be getting the first Ms. Money in the Bank, which freakin’ rules.)
Since 2005, when Chris Jericho came up with the concept of the match (and if you don’t believe he created it, just ask him) for a ladder match that would reward the winner a world championship match anywhere at any time for the person that rose up the ladder and grabbed a briefcase with the contract for that match inside, the match has become one of the can’t-miss events of the year for WWE.
Past winners include WWE Hall of Famer Edge, who became the first person to cash in the briefcase twice, current UFC fighter CM Punk, who became the first to win two Money in the Bank ladder matches and 13-time world champion Randy Orton, who won the briefcase back in 2013.
Before we get not one, but two Money in the Bank ladder matches at the SmackDown Live-specific Money in the Bank pay-per-view on June 18, we’ll take a look at every single cash-in attempt in the past and rank each of them from the worst to the best.
So, to not keep you waiting any longer, here’s a list of all 17 cash-ins ranked, starting with WWE’s most polarizing superstar of all-time.
17. John Cena wins the Money in the Bank ladder match in 2012, cashes in on RAW’s 1,000th episode and wins … via DQ
It wouldn’t be John Cena-related if it wasn’t the first thing to ever occur, right?
(I mean there was the “Once in a Lifetime” match … that happened twi … you know what, never mind. Let’s move on. You get the idea. Cena is important.)
In his first and only Money in the Bank ladder match in 2012 — the year where Cena’s life was basically falling apart on camera after the loss to The Rock — the guy that Never Gives Up won RAW‘s Money in the Bank ladder match and couple things were of note with his victory:
- He was one of the few stars to announce when he was going to cash in his briefcase (which ended up being RAW‘s 1,000 episode against then-WWE Champion CM Punk).
- He won his cash-in match, but didn’t win the title, which to this day, is the only instance of something like this happening for a cash-in attempt.
Cena cashed in for a match with CM Punk, but thanks to the Big Show’s interference in the match, Cena won the title match by disqualification, but didn’t win the championship, marking the first time ever that a cash-in attempt didn’t result in a championship changing hands.