Just a couple of days away before Money in the Bank and this year's event is shaping up to be something memorable in the main event department. To help me get ready, I'll go ahead and discuss my Top 8 Best Money in the Bank Ladder Matches, which also sort of extends into my Top 8 Favorite Money in the Bank Winners. These are my 8 favorite editions of this annual ladder match, utilizing the most interesting participants and delivering with innovative spots. Most importantly, these matches need to have winners that I genuinely enjoyed seeing with the briefcase and what they did with their opportunity. So let's make that long climb to the top with the Top 8 Best Money in the Bank Ladder Matches.
Number 8: Dolph Ziggler vs. Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Damien Sandow vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Sin Cara vs. Tensai vs. Christian (Money in the Bank 2012)
As much as I loved Ziggler's run with the briefcase (including one of the best cash-ins in history), this match gets docked a little for the list of participants. Guys like Tensai, Santino, Sin Cara (the original Sin Cara), and Damien Sandow (at least that early into his WWE career) seemed a little out of place to be competing for a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity. The result was something fans had wanted for a long time. Whether it was Rhodes or Ziggler, those two were the favorites. It didn't matter which one it was, as long as one of them won and had a good run with the case. That's exactly what we got with Ziggler and we couldn't ask for much else other than a better World Championship reign had Ziggler not been injured.
Number 7: Jeff Hardy vs. King Booker vs. Finlay vs. CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Matt Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge (WrestleMania 23)
My first Money in the Bank Ladder Match and my first WrestleMania match, this match is more than just nostalgia. The eight competitors were 8 of the best the company had to offer at the time and they went out and delivered a spectacle in front of over 80,000 people. Many of the spots still hold a spot in my mind when I think of the greatest ladder match moments in history. Kennedy's victory was the right decision at the time but it hasn't aged great due to him losing the briefcase to Edge due to injury. Had he not been injury prone, this would definitely be Top 5 material because he would have been a great World Heavyweight Champion.
Number 6: Rob Van Dam vs. Christian vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus vs. CM Punk (Money in the Bank 2013)
The All-Star premise for this match was much more than tolerable than the former champions MitB match from 2012, because these were 6 guys that were at least workhorses in a ladder match and had been out of the main event longer. This match was definitely focused on the returning Rob Van Dam, Daniel Bryan's rise in popularity with the fans, and Paul Heyman turning on CM Punk. Add Christian and Sheamus helping to take most of the spots and Orton capitalizing to win the briefcase, and we have a pretty solid main event. Orton's time with the briefcase only lasted a month, but his cash-in created The Authority, so this is definitely an important Money in the Bank moment for wrestling history.
Number 5: Randy Orton vs. The Miz vs. Mark Henry vs. Ted DiBiase vs. John Morrison vs. Chris Jericho vs. Evan Bourne vs. Edge (Money in the Bank 2010)
When this happened live, my draw dropped at the idea of Miz being a future WWE Champion. But then we got his reign with the briefcase. His feud with Daniel Bryan was great, his mic skills were improving weekly, and he was constantly adding new facets to his character. When it was time to cash-in, I had bought into the hype. Miz's moment of glory was well-handled and the more times I watch this match, it grows on me. History probably has a big factor in that, because there's some moments here and there that are a bit silly, but it's an otherwise good ladder match. Having an even mixture of veterans (Jericho, Mark Henry, Edge, and Orton) and younger talent (Morrison, DiBiase, Bourne, and Miz) really helped give this match a unique, yet balanced flavor to it. The spots aren't too memorable, but the shock of the final moments seal this as an important entry in Money in the Bank.
Number 4: Seth Rollins vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Jack Swagger vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Dean Ambrose (Money in the Bank 2014)
The big story in this match was the rivalry between Rollins and Ambrose. While it may have been obvious that Rollins was going to win, that was the point. This victory was a HUGE boost for the new heel Rollins and he was being pushed up the main event before he even needed to cash-in the briefcase. And what does he do when he finally does cash-in? He steals the whole show at WrestleMania 31. Again, a lot of people had a feeling that was going to happen, but that didn't mean we didn't want it. When it happened, it really felt like the culmination of a new era in wrestling being ushered in by one of its newest established superstars. I guess with some hindsight, Rollins winning the briefcase really was best for business.
Number 3: John Morrison vs. Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. MVP vs. Chris Jericho (WrestleMania XXIV)
With 7 competitors (originally 8 had Jeff Hardy not been suspended right before Mania), this was one of the first MitB matches to feature all young talent. It was a Sophie's Choice of people you wanted to see win the briefcase and they tore it up in the ring. So many great spots occurred, but the most memorable moment for most fans was seeing Punk victorious at a high-profile match like this. At that time, most fans never would've imagined they'd give an indy guy a shot at the World Title, but this signified that it was gonna happen. Of course, his first run with the briefcase and title wasn't as good as his second, but this was the superior match and I'm a huge Punk fan, so I hold a special place in my heart for this one.
Number 2: Sin Cara vs. Wade Barrett vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Sheamus vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Heath Slater vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane (Money in the Bank 2011)
In a match that had a couple of odd choices for World Heavyweight Championship contenders, the Chicago crowd and the athleticism on display really helped turn this match into a classic. Sheamus powerbombing Sin Cara through a ladder, the tension between the former members of The Corre, Cody Rhodes during his time with the face mask, and the surprise of surprises when Daniel Bryan won the briefcase. Granted, Bryan getting buried while he held the briefcase was a severe disappointment, but it made his cash-in that much more sweet of a moment. This was the moment that turned Bryan into a main eventer, led to the Yes! movement, and showed that the Money in the Bank ladder match can still have surprises all these years after the inaugural match.
Number 1: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge vs. Kane (WrestleMania 21)
It's hard to top the original. This was the right 6 men at the right time in history. They busted their humps trying to steal the show at Mania 21 and make a mark in wrestling history. This match led to Edge getting the main event push he craved, becoming the Rated-R Superstar, and gave us the most iconic Money in the Bank cash-in to date. This is the standard that Money in the Bank needs to live up to every year and I don't know if we will ever see this match get topped. Maybe this Sunday will change that, maybe it won't. Without this match, the ladder match wouldn't have evolved and given us something new and inventive, superstars like CM Punk, The Miz, and Seth Rollins might not have received their push at the right time. Where would history be without this match? I shudder to think about that and I'm forever grateful for this instant ladder match classic.
Are there any that I'm forgetting? Is there one on this list that you think isn't deserving of a top spot? Well, let me know in the comments and also suggest what type of wrestling countdown you'd like to see me do next.
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