This year’s edition of the Money in the Bank (MITB) ladder match has some of the most promising stars eyeing to grab the briefcase that guarantees them a huge moment sometime in the future. The cash-in has been regarded as a huge moment because of what history tells us. Each and every cash-in has some sort of thrill, suspense attached to it. Some have cashed in sooner than later while some took their time and that has been worth the wait.
In many of the earlier editions you just knew that some of these superstars were just there to perform high spots but had a slim chance of actually winning. This year all 6 members of the ladder match have a chance of winning. Each one of them has either been a part of big money matches or have the potential to be in one in the future.
Here are the 5 men who took the longest to cash-in their contract
#1 Edge -280 days
Being the inaugural MITB winner had a lot of baggage attached to it. Like any other fresh idea, this idea of contract in a briefcase could have been a hit or a miss. Edge himself was very unconvinced with this and wanted to opt out of the first ever MITB ladder match at WrestleMania until Jericho and Kane made him change his mind. And that has made all the difference.
So, WWE took its time building up to the moment of the cash-in. And when it finally happened after 280 days, it was everything that it promised to be and more. It was unexpected, shocking, thrilling and a breakthrough for Edge where he finally became THE Guy.
Cena, out and about, downtrodden after his brutal victory in the Elimination Chamber match was greeted by Vince McMahon who congratulated him only to tear down that moment by announcing that Edge will be cashing in. It was a major swerve. This set the bar for what a cash-in can look like and it was glorious.
#2 Rollins- 275 days
Rollins’ held the briefcase for a tad bit shorter duration than Edge, but the greatness of the cash-in is much closer to the original or maybe better for some. Rollins began his night at WrestleMania 32 losing to Randy Orton with an ‘RKO outta nowhere’ or probably the most beautiful RKO we’ve ever witnessed. But ended the night by stealing the show.
He stuck impeccably to his character, sprinted to the ring while his music blared in the arena and in a series of breathless moves finally caught Reigns in the Curb Stomp to sleekly capture the title and run away from the spot. The Heist of The Century, truly.
#3 Ziggler- 268 days
For years, Ziggler became the guy who deserved a breakthrough but never really got one, steadily becoming a must, must-see performer, gaining the adulation of the audience and just being that darn good in the ring and improving monumentally on the mic.
After many roadblocks, which included a real life car accident a day before the MITB ladder match, Ziggler won he briefcase to the rabid delight of the crowd and held it for 268 days and finally cashed in on a babyface Del Rio. The Heel was welcomed like a hero by the New York/ New Jersey crowd and deservedly, he owned that moment with a sweet, sweet victory.
#4 Sheamus -162 days
Sheamus is the latest MITB winner who had a successful cash-in.He won after pinning Roman Reigns who had won the championship in a tournament where his brother Dean Ambrose was the runner–up. Reigns had held the title for a total of 5 minutes 15 seconds when Sheamus crashed the party.
This cash-in made everyone believe that there are worst options than Reigns to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. This worked well anyway for Sheamus since he was a heel and he needed that heat. This feud also briefly made Reigns get over with the hardcore audience.
#5 Daniel Bryan- 155 days
When Daniel Bryan won the Money In The Bank ladder match, the hardcore fan base rejoiced but he still hadn’t become the character that everyone could relate too. So when he finally cashed in on the Big Show at TLC 2011, not everyone was particularly delighted. Sure, there were many cheers, but there still was something missing.
His babyface character wasn’t really catching on fire. But this was an instrumental moment as it let the WWE make him a heel and begin the Yes chant. This began growing organically and when WrestleMania happened, when he finally lost the title he’d won through a cash-in, his moment had come. The man was on his way to being a supernova.
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