5 early predictions for the winner of the 2019 Men's Money in the Bank

Following the craziness that was WrestleMania 35, the WWE are looking to launch into the rest of 2019 with their superstar shakeup, and the next big step along the long, winding road to WrestleMania 36 is Money in the Bank.

The WWE have a 'Big 4' PPV - Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series, but MITB has become just as important over the last few years, with the Ladder match contested on the show becoming one of the most important to a WWE stars career on the calendar.

From Edge to CM Punk to Daniel Bryan, the briefcase that is suspended above the ring can launch plenty of careers, and while the company has also gone with established stars for this spot, it's always best to give a rising star the rub.

So without further ado, read on as we look forward to Money in the Bank with 5 possible options the WWE can go with to become Mr. Money in the Bank 2019.

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#5 Buddy Murphy

Over the past year, The Best Kept Secret in WWE has just been getting better and better, and he's done that while cutting weight to fit under the 205-pound weight limit, so if he were to bump up to heavyweight, there's nothing that he couldn't achieve.

The Superstar Shakeup next week is the perfect opportunity to catapult The Juggernaut to either RAW or Smackdown, and once he gets there, with the combination of attitude, athleticism and in-ring skill, Murphy would be on the fast track to the main event level.

While he isn't the over-the-top character that the WWE like to push, he's an incredible talent, and given the depth of babyface talent that the WWE have on hand to combat Main Event Murphy, it's about time he's given the chance to do just that, main event on the main roster, because he will prove just how good he is.

#4 Ali

So often it is the heel who wins Money in the Bank to cash in like an opportunist, but like we saw with Rob Van Dam, it's also a way to get someone over big as a babyface, and no one in the WWE (except for one Johnny Gargano) does babyface better than The Heart and Soul.

While unfortunate, his injury did pave the way for KofiMania and the madness that we've followed for the past 2 months, but knowing that Ali was supposed to be in that spot means the WWE are quite high on him.

There is always the possibility of a heel turn for Ali as a result of this victory, but he's just too good in his current role, and whether he's on RAW or Smackdown Live following next weeks superstar shakeup, Ali should be in for a big push in the latter half of 2019.

#3 Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn just made his return from a 10-month injury hiatus on this past WWE RAW, and didn't waste any time at all getting back to his heel form, and without KO by his side this time, the sky is the limit for Zayn.

Sure, he's never going to have the look that Vince McMahon desires in a top heel, but not everyone needs to be at the top of the industry, and Zayn has more than enough talent and charisma to be a main event player for years to come.

Sami made his mark as a heel during his last run, and nothing would be more heelish than winning Money in the Bank and cashing it in on an unsuspecting Champion. We aren't saying that he should cash it in on Kofi Kingston at some point, but if he were to do so, with that and the combination of his charisma and pure smug attitude as a heel, he'd be the most hated man in the entire company, so it's worth a shot.

#2 Ricochet

Alongside Aleister Black, Ricochet has been incredible since coming to the main roster, but those men are meant for big things as singles performers, and Money in the Bank is a great way for The One and Only to break out.

Secondly, ladder matches are like a playground for high-fliers, and there's none better in the world right now than the Future of Flight, and after seeing what he did in the ladder match at Takeover: New Orleans, it would be a spectacle to behold.

Ricochet has been wowing audiences around the world for over a decade now, and while he's new to the majority of the WWE Universe, it's clear that he's a big part of their future, and could be a World Champion one day.

The Rock has already dubbed him a future WWE Champion, and if he continues to show off his amazing aerial offence, it will only be a matter of time until the whole crowd gets behind him.

#1 Andrade

When you look at it, on paper, Andrade has everything the WWE would like in a top heel: charisma, a great look, in-ring work and a connection with the WWE Universe, and traditionally, Money in the Bank has been great at getting over future top heels. Sure, guys like Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan, Elias or others are already at that next level, but like it did with Edge, CM Punk and many others, MITB is best used to elevate the future of the WWE.

Having Zelina Vega by his side doesn't hurt Andrade either, as she's a fantastic manager and performer in her own right, and 2019 is the year that El Idolo will truly break out as a top star in the WWE.

He hasn't been given a significant story since arriving on Smackdown, but yet he's still shown immense promise and potential, so when the WWE finally give him something to sink his teeth into, Andrade could become the WWE's top heel.