5 WWE Money in the Bank victories that went nowhere

WWE's Money in the Bank briefcase is practically the perfect wrestling storytelling tool. It's a way to bump someone up to main-event level status, as well as advance a main-event level feud. It also features a briefcase, which can be used to smash dudes in the head, and that's always a bonus.

While winning the briefcase isn't the sure-fire trip to Championship City it used to be, it certainly raises the stature of whoever holds it. Edge, the very first Money in the Bank winner, went from mid-card to main event just by pulling that briefcase down off its hook. But it hasn't been that way every single time.

It's worth noting that all of the women who have won Money in the Bank thus far have gone on to become champions. A handful of guys, however, have won the grueling ladder match, only to come up empty handed in the championship department. Some have even seen their careers come to a standstill afterwards.

Well, I hope those guys aren't reading, because we're about to dredge up some unhappy memories for them. Let's take a look at 5 Money in the Bank victories that went absolutely nowhere.

#5. John Cena - 2012

Let's start out with a victory of a match that contained five wrestlers who simply didn't need it. The match for the WWE Championship-specific briefcase featured five former WWE Champions - Cena, Kane, The Miz, The Big Show, and Chris Jericho. You know, a bunch of young, hungry upstarts just waiting for that chance to shine.

The first Money in the Bank to be won accidentally?

Cena won the match after the hook holding the Money in the Bank briefcase broke as Cena was using it to bash Big Show with. The look of surprise on Cena's face sort of seemed to indicate that... that wasn't supposed to happen. But it did, and Cena was your winner that year. Hurray.

Cena, ever the noble gentleman, used the contract to challenge then-Champion CM Punk to a title match on the 1000th episode of WWE Raw (rather than just sneaking up on the champion). However, while he technically won that match, it was by DQ (Big Show punched him) so he didn't win the title.

While it gave us a pretty good match, the entire thing was kind of pointless.

#4. Mr. Kennedy (Kennedy) - 2007

Did you know that the Money in the Bank briefcase doesn't have to be won in a ladder match? Mr. Kennedy certainly does.

The story of Ken Kennedy (aka Ken Anderson) in WWE is probably the ultimate "What If?" tale in pro wrestling, just maybe outside "What if Magnum TA didn't crash his car?" Every time the guy seemed to be making serious traction, he'd either get hurt or tick off Randy Orton, both of which might as well be the same thing.

Money in the Bank should have led to big things for Kennedy

Take, for example, his victory in 2007, back when the Money in the Bank match was held at WrestleMania. Following his victory, the Man Who Likes To Say His Last Name Twice proclaimed that he was going to cash his contract in at the following WrestleMania (which would have been 24, for those keeping count) and securing himself a Main Event.

Then came the episode of Raw in May of that year, where Edge challenged him to put up his Money in the Bank briefcase in a match against him. Which... why would you do that? Well, Kennedy did, and Edge not only became the first Mr. Money in the Bank to not win the briefcase in the ladder match, but the first to win it twice.

Edge would go on to cash in the Money in the Bank contract on The Undertaker on an episode of SmackDown later that year. Mr. Kennedy would be out with an injury (the legit reason he gave up the contract), only to return and almost be Vince McMahon's illigitimate child. That honor, of course, eventually went to Hornswoggle. As most things do.

#3. Otis - 2020

While Ken Kennedy had to give up the Money in the Bank due to a legitimate injury, 2020 winner Otis lost it... just because?

Otis, then one half of the tag team Heavy Machinery, was getting quite the push, as he was the focal point of a pretty important upper-midcard story with Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, and Dolph Ziggler. That angle culminated in a pretty sweet moment at that year's WrestleMania. Suddenly, Otis's stock was on the rise.

2020's Money in the Bank match was held at WWE headquarters

The 2020 Money in the Bank match was actually held inside WWE headquarters, as the pandemic meant a regular ladder match was out of the question. Otis found himself fighting for the contract against AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, King Corbin and Rey Mysterio. In the end, Otis came out smelling like the roses he loved to give Mandy Rose (aww).

And then, he lost the Money in the Bank briefcase to The Miz in a match at Hell in a Cell later that year after his Heavy Machinery partner, Tucker, turned on him (speaking of things that went nowhere). The Miz would go on to cash in Money in the Bank against Drew McIntyre to win the WWE Championship, which he would then lose to Bobby Lashley.

#2. Damien Sandow - 2013

There is no reason that the 2013 Money in the Bank winner Damien Sandow shouldn't still be in WWE right now. He's been given plenty of opportunities, nailed those opportunities, and still found himself floundering. It's not fair.

Sandow won Money in the Bank and turned on his tag team partner

Case in point, the aforementioned Money in the Bank of 2013. Sandow not only won the briefcase, but he did it while turning against his Team Rhodes Scholars teammate Cody Rhodes (and his epic mustache at the time). So, he was working an important and entertaining midcard angle while also ready to jump into the main event at any moment.

Sandow would hold on to his Money in the Bank contract until October of that year, when he finally cashed in at the World Heavyweight Champion at the time, John Cena. In fact, Sandow had the bright idea (no sarcasm) of attacking Cena with the briefcase continuously before cashing in. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of cashing in against John Cena. So, that clearly wasn't going to work.

Damien would go on to make the best of what he was given, including an amazing run as The Miz's "stunt double" - a joke gimmick he turned into pure gold - but eventually left the company shortly thereafter.

#1. Baron Corbin - 2017

On the other hand, you have the 2017 Money in the Bank winner Baron (now King) Corbin. No disrespect to the former Golden Gloves boxer, but at least Damien Sandow got some offense in before unsuccessfully cashing in.

Corbin won Money in the Bank against some top-tier talent.

Corbin was paired against some of the best talent on the roster at the time - AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn. The fact that he was chosen to win Money in the Bank over that list of talent should have led to something exciting - something that could have pushed Corbin to the moon and justify him winning the match against all of that other talent.

The WWE Champion at the time was Jinder Mahal who, in August of that year, fought a non-title match against the aforementioned John Cena on an episode of SmackDown Live. Just as Cena was pinning the champion, Corbin raced in to attack him, causing a DQ. Corbin would go on to cash in his Money in the Bank contract, only to get distracted by Cena... and rolled up for the pin by Mahal.

Yeah, that was it. Probably the shortest Money in the Bank cash in ever.

Since then, he's gone on to win the United States Championship and even fought Kurt Angle in his very last match at WrestleMania. So, he's gone on to do some impressive things. But, his Money in the Bank victory will go down as pretty much the most pointless ever.

Who else do you think had a pointless Money in the Bank run? Sound off in the comment section below.