WWE Money In The Bank PPV: Every MITB Ladder Match Winner

Most times, a WWE superstar needs to figuratively climb the ladder to get a title match, but at the Money in the Bank PPV, wrestlers literally do this to earn a championship match. And it always makes for exciting television. Originally, the MITB ladder match was featured on other PPVs, before becoming it's own entity. Now, on May 19, MITB arrives again to the WWE Network and PPV. The match card is stacked and we have a few predictions as to what we think will happen.

The briefcase winner receives a world title match that can be cashed in at any time in the coming year. Winners take full advantage of this stipulation, often cashing in when the champion is exhausted or wounded; the majority of cash-in matches last less than a couple of minutes.

And although the majority of these cash-ins end with the challenger holding gold, some of these attempts go horribly wrong. Even winning the world title is no guarantee of success; the winner is often a midcard wrestler, given a massive push, and not everyone rises to the challenge. After losing the title for the first and only time, the wrestler can disappear into obscurity.

Here is every WWE Money in the Bank Winner in WWE history, their cash-in attempt, and whether they swam or sank. The upcoming Money in the Bank PPV will feature two briefcase matches, one for the men and one for the women, on May 19. Make sure to come back to GameSpot that evening for live coverage and a review of the show.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: John Cena

At: New Year's Resolution

The first man to win the briefcase set the precedent; he cashed it in at the most opportunistic moment possible. Immediately after Cena's Elimination Chamber title defense, Vince McMahon came out from the back and announced that Edge was cashing in. A bloodied Cena staggered to his feet and took two spears before finally taking the pinfall. Edge was World Heavyweight Champion.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: John Cena

At: ECW One Night Stand

Rob Van Dam played things a little classier than Edge; he announced that he was cashing in on Raw, instead of sneak attacking Cena in the closing moments of the pay-per-view. The ECW crowd was virulently anti-Cena that evening, and when Edge speared Cena while the referee was knocked out, the crowd chanted "Thank you Edge!" Paul Heyman then ran to ringside, counted the pinfall, and awarded RVD the WWE Championship.

Successful Cash-In: No

Against: N/A

At: N/A

For a minute there, it seemed that Mr. Kennedy was a future world champion. He was pinning former world champions. He won the Money in the Bank briefcase at Wrestlemania 23; the world was his oyster. But then, he hit a streak of bad luck. The doctor diagnosed him with a triceps injury that would put him out for months, and so he dropped his briefcase to Edge. He later found out the triceps injury wasn't as serious as originally thought; he had given up his title shot for no good reason. Ouch. Edge went on to cash in on the Undertaker and win the world title. And Mr. Kennedy began a slow, multi-year slide into obscurity.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Edge

At: Monday Night Raw

One bad turn deserves another. Edge got a taste of his own medicine on Monday Night Raw. An unrepentantly smug heel, the world champion came down to ringside in Oklahoma to insult hometown hero Jim Ross, who was leaving Raw for Smackdown. Then, Batista beat him down. And then, CM Punk ran down to ringside, cashed in, and took Edge out with a vicious GTS, echoing what Edge had done to Cena and the Undertaker in prior years. It was a comeuppance made in kayfabe heaven.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Jeff Hardy

At: Extreme Rules

Jeff Hardy has always been a fan favorite. And at Extreme Rules, he clinched the world title in a ladder match against Edge; there was no better stipulation on which the more reckless member of Team Extreme could make his mark. His victory, however was short lived. CM Punk came out to ringside and delivered a GTS to steal the victory. He then did a heelish lap around the ring, celebrating his second reign with the World Heavyweight Championship.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Chris Jericho

At: WWE Smackdown

When Jack Swagger cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Chris Jericho, the match lasted less than ten seconds; Edge had speared Jericho's "injured ribs" right prior to the bout, which gave Swagger the window to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Unfortunately, Swagger, who was once hyped as the second coming of Kurt Angle, did not live up to his promise.

This was also the first time that WWE set a narrative precedent for the cash-in--tfrom then on, the referee tended to play stupid. He ran to the ring late, not knowing a cash-in was about to happen, or he acted confused when the wrestler shoved the briefcase into his hands, screaming. It became predictable, maddening, and incredibly frustrating to watch.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Rey Mysterio

At: Money in the Bank

Rey Mysterio was an unlikely champion; even when he was at the top of the card, the commentators still sold him as an underdog, who had to use his quickness and smarts to outmaneuver his bigger, stronger opponent. Many fans were impressed when he beat Jack Swagger at Money in the Bank. But even the die-hard Mysterio fans lost hope when Kane walked out to the ring, briefcase in hand. After a chokeslam followed by a Tombstone Piledriver, Kane was the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Randy Orton

At: Monday Night Raw

This was yet another opportunistic cash-in. One of the drawbacks of becoming champion via cash-in is that there's an asterisk attached to your reign; the vast majority of briefcase holders won their titles against champions who were exhausted, injured, or both; they were in no condition to mount a believable defense. And the Miz's WWE Championship reign suffered from this. Nearly every single match against a top competitor was won via interference or outright cheating; there was no cleverness to the victories, no setting and springing of traps. Miz has never been considered a main eventer since then, but he's carved out a niche in the midcard for himself, and he excels in the role of Intercontinental Champion.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Big Show

At: TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs

Daniel Bryan cashed his briefcase in on a weakened Big Show, who had just suffered a post-match beatdown at the hands of Mark Henry. Bryan held the title for a little over 100 days, before losing it in humiliating fashion at Wrestlemania XXVIII. Sheamus pinned him in eight seconds, thanks to a smoochy distraction by AJ Lee.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: CM Punk

At: Summerslam

Alberto Del Rio first tried cashing in on CM Punk at Money in the Bank. But Punk had enough fair warning to flee through the crowd before the bell could ring. At Summerslam later that year, Del Rio finally caught up to Punk thanks to Kevin Nash, who returned to WWE to perform a jackknife powerbomb on the Straight Edged Superstar. Del Rio was WWE Champion, which he held until dropping it to John Cena several months later. He would regain it quickly, but then lost it again to CM Punk--this time for good--at Survivor Series.

Successful Cash-In: No

Against: CM Punk

At: Monday Night Raw

John Cena was the first man to cash in and fail to capture the world title; he technically won the match via disqualification, but unless stated otherwise, a title cannot change hands on a disqualification or a countout. Don't feel bad for him though. Nine months later, he won the WWE Championship from The Rock at Wrestlemania 29, the traditional way.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Alberto Del Rio

At: Monday Night Raw

Dolph Ziggler is a wrestling fan's wrestler. He's unbelievably talented, criminally underrated, and unfairly saddled with awful gimmicks, like male cheerleader Nicky from the Spirit Squad. But in 2012, WWE decided to pull the trigger and give Ziggler a run with the title. Unfortunately, he only held it for only 69 days; an ill-timed concussion, midway through his run, didn't help matters.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Daniel Bryan

At: Summerslam

This might be the meanest cash-in. Daniel Bryan beat John Cena at SummerSlam for the WWE Championship, with Triple H acting as guest referee. And after holding Daniel Bryan's hand high, The Game suddenly gave Bryan a Pedigree. Former Evolution stablemate Randy Orton came into the ring and scored the pinfall. And the fans were outraged. Eventually, Daniel Bryan would get his revenge, defeating Randy Orton and Batista to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship at Wrestlemania XXX. But the emotional impetus for that feud started at SummerSlam, with this perfectly timed backstabbing.

Successful Cash-In: No

Against: John Cena

At: Monday Night Raw

Winning the Money in the Bank briefcase permanently damaged Sandow's career. He was the first WWE Superstar to lose his cash-in attempt via submission of pinfall. And after his defeat, WWE slowly phased out his "arrogant intellectual" character, before reinventing him as The Miz's stunt body double. WWE released him in June 2016, despite his ongoing popularity with fans.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns

At: Wrestlemania 31

The most epic, memorable cash-in happened at Wrestlemania 31, during the main event between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. As both men lay on the floor, bloodied and exhausted, Seth Rollins ran to the ring, briefcase in hand, and turned the title match into a Triple Threat. He Curb Stomped Reigns to become WWE Champion, and he celebrated on the ramp as a barrage of fireworks lit the evening sky.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Roman Reigns

At: Survivor Series

Sheamus' cash-in and subsequent win was a delay tactic, done more to stretch the McMahon/Reigns feud to Wrestlemania 32 than to give Sheamus any sort of meaningful push. He held the WWE Championship for only 22 days before dropping it back to Reigns on Raw.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Seth Rollins

At: Money in the Bank

The same night he won the briefcase, Ambrose cashed it in on Seth Rollins, hurting from his match against Roman Reigns, to become WWE Champion. Unfortunately for Ambrose, the subsequent title run was a bit uneventful; he lost the title to AJ Styles at Backlash after 84 days. He challenged for it a few more times before heading back to the midcard, where he became a two-time Intercontinental Champion.

Successful Cash-In: No

Against: N/A

At: N/A

The first women's Money in the Bank ladder match should have been a historic event--another brick in the foundational structure of the growing women's division. Instead, James Ellsworth climbed the ladder, and dropped the briefcase down to Carmella, securing her victory. That a man helped a woman win this landmark, inaugural event rubbed fans the wrong way. And two days later, WWE decided to correct their mistake. More on that later.

Successful Cash-In: No

Against: Jinder Mahal

At: Smackdown

Corbin hit his career peak when he captured the briefcase in 2017. But then, in the space of a single week, he suffered a figurative one-two punch that derailed his once promising career, possibly permanently. First, he lost his cash-in opportunity against Jinder Mahal, thanks to John Cena's interference. Next John Cena beat him in a lopsided match at Summerslam. And since WWE drafted the two men to different brands, there was no way for Corbin to get his win back or otherwise take revenge. He's currently working as a punching bag for main event stars, although he did get to retire Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 35.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Charlotte Flair

At: Smackdown

The fan backlash against the first women's Money in the Bank match was so strong, that they held a do-over on the following Smackdown, just to appease the outrage. And this time, Carmella won the briefcase, without relying on anyone else for assistance. She would later cash in her briefcase on Charlotte Flair, which led to a brief, uneventful run as Smackdown Women's Champion. She was given too much, too soon, and she is currently a comic relief character along with R-Truth, which suits her surprisingly well.

Successful Cash-In: Yes

Against: Nia Jax

At: Money in the Bank

To win the title, Bliss cashed in her title opportunity on Nia Jax, after interfering in her match with Ronda Rousey. It was a surprise victory, but one that rang a bit hollow. Bliss was getting overpushed, while other Superstars like Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Ember Moon were being underutilized. Bliss then got squashed in a title match against Rousey, which confirmed what some had suspected; Bliss was a transitional champion between Jax and Rousey, so that neither would have to suffer a loss to the other. This felt like a waste of a spot, especially if Bliss was going to be beaten so easily.

Successful Cash-In: No

Against: Roman Reigns

At: Hell in a Cell

Braun became the third man to fail in his cash attempt, which is good reason to conclude that he never should have won the briefcase in the first place. His entire contender run seemed half committed. At first Braun was a good guy; then, he was a bad guy. At first he was a loner; then, he had lackeys cheating for him. And although announcing his cash-in beforehand was a good guy tactic, getting Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre to interfere during the actual match was a bad guy tactic. It was all very confusing, and it made for an embarrassing spectacle against Roman Reigns. It ended in a pointless no contest after Brock Lesnar interfered, attacking them both.