Highlights
- The Money in the Bank briefcase can turn a WWE prospect into a global superstar.
- Winning the ladder match hasn't brought success to everyone, though.
- There has been a mixed bag of results over the last decade in terms of the male winners.
Money in the Bank is one of the most anticipated events on WWE’s calendar. Like other Premium Live Events, it’s not uncommon to see major title bouts go down at the show, but the ladder matches after which the spectacle is named provide a hint of the company’s direction over the coming year, as well as who may find themselves ascending up the card.
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However, while some years the briefcase has allowed its holder to realise their dream, other winners haven’t had much success, and some have come away from their win without having been elevated much at all. So, let GIVEMESPORT take you through the last decade of male Money in the Bank winners as we rank them from worst to best.
Last 10 Money in the Bank winners ranked | ||
|---|---|---|
Rank | Wrestler | Year |
1. | Seth Rollins | 2014 |
2. | Dean Ambrose | 2016 |
3. | Damian Priest | 2023 |
4. | Big E | 2021 |
5. | Brock Lesnar | 2019 |
6. | Sheamus | 2015 |
7. | Otis | 2020 |
8. | Baron Corbin | 2017 |
9. | Braun Strowman | 2018 |
10. | Austin Theory | 2022 |
10 Austin Theory
2022
Ranking as the worst Money in the Bank winner of the last 10 years is Austin Theory, but context can certainly matter, and the young star wasn’t dealt the best hand to make this work. The thing is, everyone knew that his push was directly supported by Vince McMahon, and, just 20 days after Theory won the briefcase, the 78-year-old stepped down from his role in the company due to the ongoing allegations against him, with Triple H certainly less keen on making Austin a world champion.
Nevertheless, the idea behind Money in the Bank has stayed the same, and it’s meant to lead you to the top honours in WWE. Instead, Theory became the first man to cash in on the United States Championship. On top of that, he didn’t even get to walk away with the title, losing his cash in to Seth Rollins after Bobby Lashley’s interference.
9 Braun Strowman
2018
Following the 2016 brand split, Braun Strowman was one of the hottest acts in all of WWE, but they never really capitalised on his popularity. During the early days of his singles run, no one was getting louder reactions than the Monster Among Men, yet he lost any world title match he found himself in, so a large portion of fans were relieved when he grasped the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2018.
However, his cash in seriously underwhelmed. Given his size, it made sense that Braun would announce his title opportunity ahead of time rather than ambushing the champion, and a Hell in a Cell match was made between himself and Roman Reigns. Annoyingly for many viewers, the infamous match-type which usually shows no mercy ended in a no contest when Brock Lesnar ran down and laid out both men.
8 Baron Corbin
2017
Baron Corbin has the look of a world champion, but, because of his in-ring style, many fans still need convincing about The Lone Wolf finding his way to the top of the card. However, given his persona as an unlikeable heel, giving him the Money in the Bank briefcase is a somewhat understandable decision, as he could obtain the gold without needing to beat the champion in a 20-minute classic. Unfortunately, though, at the time, the company were focused on something different.
The spring and summer of 2017 saw WWE push on with an experiment that many fans would rather forget, as they looked to strengthen their hold on the Indian market by having Jinder Mahal win the WWE Championship. So, to deal with the briefcase, Corbin was booked to lose his eventual cash in thanks to a distraction from John Cena. A bit of a waste of the yearly contract when it could’ve been more.
7 Otis
2020
2020 brought with it what is certainly the strangest Money in the Bank Premium Live Event to have taken place, with the men’s match ending when the briefcase fell into the hands of Otis on the roof of WWE’s headquarters, capping off a good six-month period for him in which he won many fans over with his storyline alongside Mandy Rose.
However, as much as Otis had played a good role in his early 2020 angles, it never felt as if WWE wanted to make him the world champion. This was later reflected when he lost his briefcase to The Miz who later cashed in successfully on Drew McIntyre despite not being in contention for the Money in the Bank that spring. While he may one day reach the mountaintop, WWE certainly didn’t have much faith in Otis in 2020.
6 Sheamus
2015
When Sheamus won the 2015 Money in the Bank, he had recently turned heel after returning from injury and debuting a new look. At the time, WWE was still trying to bed in their next crop of top stars, so it felt as if putting the briefcase on the Irishman was a reliable option to transition one era into another as the company continued to elevate the likes of Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns.
Plus, it was fortunate for WWE that his cash-in was an option when November rolled around, as then WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins had gotten seriously injured at a live event and had to vacate the title. It was no secret that Sheamus’ reign was there as a further attempt to establish Reigns as a star in the eyes of the fans, and, although viewers still weren’t convinced as the Celtic Warrior lost to belt to Roman, they made the best of an unlucky situation when Rollins was sidelined in 2015.
5 Brock Lesnar
2019
Brock Lesnar wasn’t even a participant in the 2019 Money in the Bank ladder match, but, coming down as Mustafa Ali was about to claim the case, The Beast filled in after Sami Zayn was taken out earlier in the show. Many were off-put by Lesnar’s conclusion, particularly as his late arrival was an example of false advertising on the company’s part, but ‘The Beast in the Bank’ certainly raised a few eyebrows.
Some will fondly remember the ‘boom box’ variation of the case that Lesnar introduced, and it did provide some laughs, but, at its core, Money in the Bank isn’t necessarily meant for someone the calibre of Brock Lesnar. To see The Beast hold the briefcase made for an interesting image, but it wasn’t long before he cashed in and found himself as Universal Champion.
4 Big E
2021
For many, a focus on Big E was long overdue. WWE simply wouldn’t have been the same throughout the mid to late 2010s without The New Day, and, after Kofi Kingston had become WWE Champion in 2019, fans were desperate for the group’s other members to reach similar heights too. So, Big E’s win was greeted with thunderous cheers, and he would begin to look a real threat to the top title holder on both Raw and SmackDown.
You could say that perhaps his announcement of his cash-in ahead of time dampened the possible excitement of a surprise use of the contract, but the moment itself was still just as emotional for fans of the New Day member. The title reign that followed wasn’t as good as it perhaps could’ve been, with some fans still not happy about his loss to Brock Lesnar in a five-way match.
3 Damian Priest
2023
The most recent men’s Money in the Bank holder and the current World Heavyweight Champion, Damian Priest became the first man to win the contract outside of the United States in 2023. To the dismay of those in the O2 who wanted to see LA Knight win the future championship match, The Punishment helped to secure Judgment Day’s role on Monday Night Raw.
For months, fans wondered if Priest would ever cash in the accolade, particularly as then-champion Seth Rollins had been laid out many times before Damian finally took his opportunity. In the end, it wasn’t even The Visionary on the receiving end of the case, as Drew McIntyre fell victim to only the second ever cash-in to take place at WrestleMania. After a few misfires in the years previous, Priest’s run with Money in the Bank was solid and established him as Raw’s top champion.
2 Dean Ambrose
2016
Simple. Effective. Having won the briefcase earlier in the night, Ambrose was Mr. Money in the Bank for only 57 minutes in 2016, so there isn’t a lot to discuss about his time with the case. In character, Dean wasn’t the kind of person to wait long to cash in the contract, particularly given who was in the main event later that evening, but the moment he reached the mountaintop may be remembered forever.
This places so highly in our list, and almost claims the top spot, for it being a perfect bow on the story of The Shield. With Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose being centrepieces of the wrestling world today, having the former beat the future Tribal Chief for the gold, only for their former stablemate to cash in and ensure that all three Shield members were WWE Champion in one night perfectly summed up their rise to the top, and how their careers will always be intertwined no matter where they are.
1 Seth Rollins
2014
Following the aforementioned Shield break-up, the path for Seth Rollins was clear. However, the group’s demise would slow down The Authority’s plan to crown The Architect as the top guy. After his briefcase win, Dean Ambrose made it his mission to deny his former stablemate any cash-in opportunity. That was until Rollins became the first man to ever use his briefcase at WrestleMania.
For many, this is the greatest cash-in ever, as Seth saved fans from a Roman Reigns title win that they didn’t want, and created an unforgettably shocking moment all in one. Plus, the involvement of Ambrose meant that Rollins’ entire run with the case was laden with storyline justification at every corner. A perfect use of Money in the Bank.
