10 greatest Money In The Bank cash-ins

"Rollins with the heist of the century!"

The Money In The Bank pay-per-view is right around the corner, and that means it's time to once again look into the long and storied history of the ladder match concept.

Since 2005, we've seen many highs and lows associated with MITB, as the WWE Universe remains split regarding whether or not the briefcase is a useful way in which to advance storylines on a week to week basis.

Nevertheless, whichever camp you fall into on that matter, there's no denying that it's entertaining.

The matches are usually full of high-level competitors from top to bottom, and as such, we've had some great winners, and some even greater cash-ins.

The reasons behind some of their inclusions in this list will vary, but trust us, they're all worth watching.

So with that being said, here are our 10 greatest Money in the Bank cash-ins.


#10 - John Cena

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The irony of this entry is that it was kind of botched in a weird, 'you're over-thinking it' sort of way.

For those of you who don't know, Cena revealed seven days prior to Raw 1000 that he'd be cashing in his contract against Punk at the big event.

Then, when the match actually happened, it felt quite rushed before Big Show interfered to cause the DQ.

Unfortunately, they failed to properly acknowledge that Cena was the first man to ever unsuccessfully cash-in the contract, but they made up for it with what happened following the bout.

After The Rock came down to help out 'Big Match John', who was being beaten down by Show, CM Punk finally turned back to the dark side by clotheslining The Great One and nailing him with a GTS.

#9 - Kane

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For years it seemed like Kane would never be able to get the world title reign that he so richly deserved.

He had been placed into several poor storylines throughout the course of his career which didn't do him any favors.

But, finally, in the summer of 2010, he was able to capture the World Heavyweight Championship from Rey Mysterio at Money In The Bank.

It was a title win that, in many ways, was quite historic. Firstly, it marked the first time in which a contract holder had cashed in on the same night that they won the briefcase.

Secondly, the build-up was quite interesting to follow as The Big Red Machine chased Jack Swagger to the back before returning and confirming his heel turn.

#8 - CM Punk

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While CM Punk has certainly had a positive relationship with Money In The Bank, his second cash-in is often overlooked.

It occurred during a time when it was clear to see that Jeff Hardy was the next breakout Superstar in WWE, and as such, Punk's World Heavyweight Championship victory was always going to lead to a heel turn.

But, it wasn't just the match itself that was fun with Jeff threatening to steal the victory, as the feud afterward will go down as one of the greatest in. WWE history.

The 'Straight Edge Superstar' vs 'Mr. Live In The Moment' make for some fascinating television, that went far beyond the status quo booking that we'd become so used to seeing on a week-to-week basis.

#7 - The Miz

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Nobody thought that The Miz was ready to win the WWE Championship back in 2010, and to be honest, a lot of fans still feel that way when looking back on it.

With that being said, nobody could've anticipated just how fun his actual cash-in would be when he eventually took on Randy Orton just minutes after he'd retained the title against Nexus leader Wade Barrett.

It wasn't your standard 'cash it in and win immediately' match, as Miz took his time before getting the job done.

It seemed as if 'The Awesome One' could become the first man to ever unsuccessfully cash-in the briefcase, and given how realistic that would've been, it made things all the more intriguing.

Plus, he wasn't half bad as Champion despite what the internet would have you believe.

#6 - Dean Ambrose

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How do you gain the perfect measure of revenge on your former tag team partner? Steal the World Championship from them.

Back at Money In The Bank 2016, it seemed like Roman Reigns would easily retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins.

But, 'The Architect' proved to be too much for 'The Big Dog', as the returning heel won the belt fairly cleanly. Then, in a stunning turn of events, Dean Ambrose cashed in his contract to finally become a World Champion in WWE.

Not only was it cool to see all three members of The Shield hold onto the title in one night, but it was also great to finally see Seth get what he so richly deserved at the hands of Ambrose.

While his eventual run as Champion wasn't that entertaining, the moment itself was more than worth it.

#5 - Rob Van Dam

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Rob Van Dam was someone who the fans were dying to see break into the main event scene, but it never felt like it was a realistic possibility.

Then, after winning Money in the Bank at WrestleMania in 2006, the impending ECW arrival gave him the perfect opportunity to make his mark after he officially challenged John Cena to a match for the WWE Championship.

The controversy surrounding the eventual result at One Night Stand made things even better, as Paul Heyman was the man to count John Cena's shoulders down for the three count.

The eventual reign of RVD wasn't all that special due to a number of unfortunate circumstances, but nobody can ever take this moment away from him.

#4 - Randy Orton

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For years, fans had been calling out for Triple H and Randy Orton to turn heel. They didn't necessarily need to reunite, but they did need to stop performing as bland babyfaces because it just wasn't working out for anyone.

So then, when they came together to win the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2013, surely everyone was ecstatic, right?

Wrong. Because, the win came at the expense of everyone's favorite goat, Daniel Bryan. The whole thing was orchestrated so perfectly as Randy slowly turned and faced the ring, before Triple H mercilessly put Bryan out of his misery by nailing him with a pedigree.

It began as a story which eventually culminated at WrestleMania 30, and while it wasn't exactly perfect, it was close enough.

#3 - Dolph Ziggler

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Dolph Ziggler is yet another WWE Superstar who once fell into the category of 'criminally underrated'.

'The Show-Off' was consistently overlooked when the company were looking for midcarders to promote to the main event scene, until finally, on the night after WrestleMania 29, he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to the elation of the fans in New Jersey.

It was, honestly, one of the loudest reactions we've ever heard, and that's saying something.

Ziggler was unbelievably over with the fans, and at the time, it felt like a new star had been born.

Unfortunately, things didn't quite pan out that way over the course of the next few months and beyond, but that's still one hell of a moment to have in your CV.

#2 - Edge

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They often say the original is always the best incarnation of any given subject matter, and in this case, that's almost accurate.

Edge was a guy who had worked his way up through the ranks of WWE, from being a Tag Team guru to a high profile midcarder with a strong crowd backing.

The only thing missing was a slot in the main event picture, until he finally got it in 2006.

After Cena had survived a grueling Elimination Chamber match, Vince McMahon came out and revealed that the 'Rated R Superstar' would be cashing in his Money in the Bank contract.

It was the dawning of a new era in many ways, as Edge began a trend of cash-ins that have continued on to this day.

Plus, and this cannot be understated, the moment itself was incredibly fun.

#1 - Seth Rollins

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When Seth Rollins won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31, time stood still.

Okay, that may be an over-exaggeration, but it was pretty damn incredible. Nobody had ever cashed in on 'The Grandest Stage Of Them All' before, and while some viewed it as a possibility, most fans had forgotten about Seth courtesy of the fantastic match that was happening between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar.

Then, when his music hit, Levi's Stadium erupted. The unpredictability was too much to handle as Rollins curb-stomped his former Shield teammate Roman, before stealing the title win that many felt was being saved for Reigns.

If the MITB carries on for another decade, we still probably wouldn't see a more iconic cash-in than this.

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