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The annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view is now mere weeks away and the two traditional contract ladder matches are already taking shape.
In recent years, the Women's Revolution has allowed WWE to include their female roster in the show. Now, there is an annual winner for both the men and the women.
WWE's creative team knows who they want to win the match in advance, but sometimes there are circumstances beyond their control, and changes are then forced to be made. This means that there are several current and former WWE Superstars who were once scheduled to win the Money in the Bank contract but were not able to hold that briefcase.
The following list looks at five WWE Superstars who were initially set to win Money in the Bank before their plans were changed.
#5. Shayna Baszler was set to win Money in the Bank in 2020
Shayna Baszler made waves in NXT before she was promoted to the main roster in 2020. The Queen of Spades looked to target RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch but was unable to dethrone The Man at WrestleMania 36.
This led to plans (according to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer) for Baszler to win the Money in the Bank contract, which was at WWE's Corporate Headquarters for the first time. Ahead of the pay-per-view, WWE became aware that Becky Lynch was pregnant and it wouldn't be possible for the company to continue its planned storyline with The Submission Magician following Money in the Bank.
This meant that there were several last-minute changes made to the match and in the end, it was Asuka who came out victorious. Lynch then revealed to the new Miss Money in the Bank on RAW that the match was for the RAW Women's Championship. She then handed over the title and went on maternity leave.
Given their history, this segment worked better with The Empress of Tomorrow and Lynch which is why WWE decided to scrap Baszler's win. The former Women's Tag Team Champion hasn't been able to qualify for this year's Money in the Bank ladder match, so it appears that she will now miss out for a second year.
#4. Mustafa Ali was set to win Money in the Bank in 2019
Ahead of the annual Money in the Bank ladder match in 2019, Sami Zayn was found hung up by his ankles backstage and wasn't able to take his place in the match.
The match went ahead without Zayn and it was later revealed that Brock Lesnar was his replacement after he made his way to the ring near the end of the match.
Mustafa Ali was about to take the contract before the former UFC Champion arrived in one of the biggest surprises of the year.
Fightful went on to report that the initial plan for this match was for Mustafa Ali to go on to become Mr. Money in the Bank. This plan was only changed moments before the superstars made their way through the curtain after they were informed that Brock Lesnar would be entering the match in Zayn's place.
Brock Lesnar went on to cash in his Money in the Bank contract at Extreme Rules where he defeated Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship.
#3. Cody Rhodes was set to win Money in the Bank in both 2011 and 2012
One of the greatest Money in the Bank cash-ins of all time came back in 2013 when Dolph Ziggler was able to become World Champion.
It's interesting to note that this may not have happened if WWE had followed through on their original plan to have Cody Rhodes win the 2012 Money in the Bank ladder match.
Rhodes revealed these plans in a post on Twitter back in 2020. He also confirmed that the result of the match was changed just hours before the show started.
The following year, Rhodes was embroiled in a storyline following Money in the Bank after his tag team partner Damien Sandow was chosen as the winner of the match. This led to a feud between the two men where Rhodes went on to throw the contract into the Gulf of Mexico.
Sandow did eventually cash-in on John Cena and became one of very few WWE Superstars who failed to win when using their Money in the Bank contracts.
#2. Drew McIntyre was set to win Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 26
Before WWE made Money in the Bank an annual pay-per-view of its own, the contract ladder match would take place as part of WrestleMania.
In the buildup to WrestleMania 26, Drew McIntyre was scheduled to face The Undertaker in a one-on-one match. Plans were changed and he was added to the Money in the Bank ladder match instead.
McIntyre was then told that he would go on to win the Money in the Bank contract match. However, these plans were also changed and Jack Swagger was the star who came out victorious.
The former WWE Champion revealed the plans in A Chosen Destiny, which was released earlier this year:
“I was told in advance I would be winning the Money in the Bank match. To beat nine fellow Superstars for the coveted contract would have been a massive deal and the next logical stage for my spoiled character. What was disappointing was that it became clear that I wasn’t winning the Money in the Bank match after all – because it was ‘too obvious’. The change of plan wasn’t communicated to me or explained. It just happened, and I felt elbowed aside."
McIntyre didn't need the Money in the Bank contract to become WWE Champion in the end. He was able to defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 a decade later.
#1. Edge was set to win Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 23
Edge was the inaugural Money in the Bank contract winner and went on to cash-in for the first time at New Year's Revolution in 2006.
The former World Champion won the title following his cash-in on John Cena and has since begun an annual tradition in WWE.
Edge later went on to win the Money in the Bank contract from Mr. Kennedy, who climbed the ladder and retrieved the contract at WrestleMania 23.
Kennedy himself revealed that Edge was originally supposed to win the Money in the Bank ladder match that year as part of a conversation with WrestlingInc in 2017:
“I think we had been there about 2 or 3 days and I think Edge was supposed to win. They were still talking about Edge winning and then three days out to the pay-per-view they switched it and it went my way. And I knew it was possible thats right before our music hit, they could have said, ‘No we’re going to go with CM Punk.’”
Kennedy put the contract on the line against Edge later in the year and The Rated-R Superstar came out victorious. Edge then cashed in for the second time on The Undertaker.
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