5 Reasons why Big E won the Men's Money in the Bank briefcase

By Rohit Nath
Modified Jul 19, 2021 04:14 GMT
Big E is money
Big E is money

Big E is officially Mr. Money in the Bank 2021. In the co-main event, he overcame Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura, Drew McIntyre, Riddle, Ricochet, and John Morrison to ascend the ladder and win the briefcase.

It was right after he hit the Big Ending on Rollins from the ladder in a big drop down.

With that, SmackDown's Big E now has the opportunity at gold - potentially joining Kofi Kingston as the second New Day member to win a World Championship. He has always seemed like he was destined for big things, and when he was separated from The New Day in last year's WWE Draft, that became increasingly evident.

One Intercontinental title reign later, and WWE has ensured that Big E has taken the right steps leading up to this huge Money in the Bank victory. Here are five reasons why the powerhouse of The New Day Big E is the new Mr. Money in the Bank:

#5. Big E is a fresh face to redeem the hype around the MITB briefcase

Realistically speaking, WWE has made a bad pick for the men's Money in the Bank ladder match for four consecutive editions. In 2017, Baron Corbin won only to fail his cash-in to Jinder Mahal. In 2018, Braun Strowman won and cashed in for a Hell in a Cell match that didn't even have a finish. In 2019, Brock Lesnar won, for some reason. While dancing beatbox Lesnar was admittedly entertaining, he wasn't the right person to win that year.

Last year, Otis had momentum and Vince McMahon seemed to be so into him that he had him win the Money in the Bank briefcase. As you may know, the former Heavy Machinery member never got the chance to cash it in, as he lost the Money in the Bank briefcase to The Miz.

Big E is a fresh face and his Money in the Bank win is perhaps the best we've seen in five years, at least on the men's side. It's hard to imagine that it took so long, but he represents a new winner and a new direction.

#4. For Big E to cash in on Bobby Lashley

While there is a lot of hype about Big E potentially being the man to dethrone Roman Reigns, we mustn't forget that the WWE Draft is only a little over two months away.

It doesn't seem realistic to see Reigns losing the Universal Championship that early, even a year into his title reign. On the other hand, we wouldn't be surprised to see Big E moving to RAW.

For one, RAW needs some top babyfaces. In our view, SmackDown is a better fit for him since it's the show with bigger stars right now. If WWE wants to establish Big E as a top babyface down the line, it's perhaps better done on SmackDown.

But with that said, WWE may feel that RAW needs him more and that it makes more sense to cash in on Bobby Lashley. While The All Mighty WWE Champion is in top form, Roman Reigns is simply levels above.

It seems easier to picture Big E cashing in on Lashley over Reigns.

#3. Big E to be the man to dethrone Roman Reigns?

Could Big E be the man to dethrone Roman Reigns? We made a big case last slide about why him cashing in on Reigns wouldn't make as much sense as Bobby Lashley.

In The Tribal Chief's case, things seem to be a bit different. He is closing in on a full year as the Universal Champion and it's hard to see anybody realistically dethroning him. Because he is having the best run of his career, not even a legend like Edge could manage to dethrone Reigns in two attempts.

And in a way, it's better that Roman Reigns stays around with the Universal Championship. If anyone is to benefit from his long title reign, it needs to be a younger star like Big E.

He is the perfect superstar to dethrone Reigns. Given that it's July, he could still be a full year away. It feels as though WWE may pass on quick cash-ins this year and Big E alongside Nikki A.S.H. could hold the briefcase for longer than we expect.

Nikki A.S.H. could cash in a lot sooner, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Big E hold the briefcase until some point in 2022.

#2. Big E to be a backup plan for WrestleMania 38?

WrestleMania 38 could be a big show for Big E. It will take place in the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, with a crowd of over 100,000. As of now, there are rumors of a potential blockbuster main event between Roman Reigns and The Rock.

The only problem is that The Brahma Bull's status is never certain. He has pressure from his insurance because an injury against John Cena in 2013 delayed his filming schedule for Hercules.

If Roman Reigns vs. The Rock doesn't happen, a match against Big E could. This also means that the chances of the latter winning the Royal Rumble 2022 seem slim to none.

While we're not sure how it would work, Big E would be a good option to face Reigns at WrestleMania 38 - but only if it's a proper coronation. It all depends on his overall momentum on SmackDown and if he's able to maintain it.

What it requires is an organic storyline. Big E is already on the right track.

#1. Big E was the best and most realistic option to win the briefcase

Big E emerged through a stacked match
Big E emerged through a stacked match

Big E was a part of one of the most stacked ladder matches in Money in the Bank history. This year's line-up from RAW and SmackDown comprised of fresher superstars and other exciting names.

Each superstar had their role, apart from just the winner Big E. For one, Drew McIntyre came close to glory, only for Jinder Mahal, Veer, and Shanky to cost him as expected. This sets up their SummerSlam program.

Kevin Owens' role was evidently to take the biggest bumps - something he does more often than we realize. Ricochet and John Morrison had the "high-flyer" role - with both men impressing in a big way.

Riddle was great as well and so was Shinsuke Nakamura. Seth Rollins was meant to be the "thorn" in the match, with many fans not wanting to see him capture the briefcase for the second time.

Perhaps that's why Big E landed the big ending on Rollins before claiming the victory. He was the most realistic option to win the match and although it was stacked, Riddle, Ricochet, etc. weren't as ready as Big E.