5 Superstars that should have won the Money In The Bank briefcase 

With Backlash now in the rear-view mirror, the WWE universe has begun to turn its attention towards the next PPV, Money in the Bank.

The Money in the Bank gimmick is one of the most popular ones in the WWE, and a victory at the event is seen as a big signal of intent from the WWE that the chosen Superstar is on his or her way to a World Title reign.

While the company's success rate with the briefcase has been, for the most part, fairly positive, there are plenty of examples where the WWE chose the wrong Superstar to win.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing, and looking back, the WWE has missed some huge opportunities over the years when it comes to crowning 'Mr Money in the Bank'. A stint with the briefcase can help really make a career, and the WWE definitely missed the boat with several Superstars in the last 10 years.

Let's take a look back at five men who should have won the Money in the Bank briefcase, and how it would have benefitted them.

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#5 Rusev

It looked as though the WWE had big plans for Rusev last Spring

Rusev has never competed in a Money in the Bank ladder match, but if you cast your minds back 12 months, you will remember that Rusev very briefly teased entering the bout last year.

Rusev appeared in pre-taped videos in which he would call out SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon and accuse him of not giving him the opportunity he deserves throughout the month of May, but the WWE decided to drop the storyline and give the WWE title to Jinder Mahal instead.

Given Rusev's current level of popularity, it's difficult to argue that having Rusev enter the Money in the Bank match and win would have been much better than Jinder Mahal's infamous WWE title run.

The WWE finally looked like they were going to pull the trigger on Rusev in early 2017, it's just a shame that they opted to go for Jinder Mahal instead.

4 Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre was a hot property back in 2010

While Drew McIntyre may be back in the WWE now, to describe his first run in the company as a letdown would be an understatement.

When McIntyre made his debut for the WWE in 2009, he was publically hailed as a future World Champion by Vince McMahon. This golden boy gimmick saw him rise up the ranks on SmackDown, and within months of his debut, he had won the Intercontinental Title.

It was clear that McIntyre was indeed a great talent, and the WWE should have gone all in with him at WrestleMania 26 and have him win the Money in the Bank briefcase. McIntyre was one of the favourites heading into the event, and the win would have instantly established him as a star in the WWE.

Instead, Jack Swagger won the briefcase and cashed in to become World Champion just a few days later. Swagger's run was instantly forgettable, and he would soon find himself slipping back down the pecking order.

McIntyre would go on to have a tough time in the WWE before leaving the company and reinventing himself on the indies. McIntyre recently returned to Raw in a tag team with Dolph Ziggler, but it seems unlikely he will ever reach the heights he could have in his initial run.

#3 Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett was constantly misused by the WWE

When the WWE look back at missed opportunities over the last 10 years, few Superstars stand out as much as Wade Barrett. The former Nexus leader had it all, he was solid in the ring, awesome on the mic, and had a great look.

Sadly, the WWE missed the mark with Barrett again and again, and he ultimately ended up leaving the company in 2016.

The Money in the Bank briefcase can be a great way of elevating talent back up the card, and Wade Barrett should have been given the briefcase at some point between 2012 and 2015.

Barrett would have excelled with the briefcase and it could have been used to finally establish him as a top-level talent. Instead, he ended up lumbered with a forgettable King of the Ring victory and saw out his WWE contract after a terrible run as a member of the ill-judged League of Nations.

#2 Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn could have been one of the biggest faces on SmackDown

The decision to have Baron Corbin win last year's Money in the Bank seemed like a good one at the time. The Lone Wolf was slowly working his way up the SmackDown ladder and it looked as though he was prepared to take the top prize.

Somewhere down the line, however, the WWE changed their mind with Corbin and decided that he was wasn't quite the man to take the blue brand forward. Corbin ended up failing to cash in against Jinder Mahal, of all people, on the go-home episode of SmackDown just days before SummerSlam 2017 and has not recovered since.

It was clear that Corbin was not the right man to win the briefcase, and taking a look back at last year's competitors, Sami Zayn would have made for a much better option. Zayn was one of the most over babyfaces on SmackDown at the time, and a Money in the Bank briefcase win could have been just what he needed to finally break into the main event scene on Tuesday nights.

With Daniel Bryan on the sidelines at the time, the WWE was crying out for an underdog babyface, and Zayn was the perfect candidate. Of course, Zayn would later go on and turn heel, but things could have been much different for the former El Generico had he taken home the briefcase last June.

#1 Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes is one of the biggest non-WWE talents in the world right now

Cody Rhodes is one of the hottest wrestlers in the world today, and he has done all of that in spite of his terrible booking at the hands of the WWE.

Rhodes was one of the most natural talents the WWE had, and there were a number of occasions when they had the opportunity to pull the trigger on him and elevate him to the top. The most famous example of this, of course, is when they decided to give the Money in the Bank briefcase to Damien Sandow in 2013 instead of to his tag team partner, Cody Rhodes.

Insight is a beautiful thing, and at the time, many fans were happy with Sandow winning the case. What followed though, indicated that the WWE made the wrong choice and that Rhodes would have been much better suited to the role.

Imagine the Cody we see today in ROH and NJPW walking around with Brandi and the Money in the Bank briefcase. Things could have been so different for Cody and the WWE.