Money in the Bank 2019: Assessing the chance of the four Raw male competitors

Last night on Raw, Alexa Bliss opened the show by announcing the four competitors representing Raw in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match.

Despite rumours suggesting otherwise, the four men taking part on behalf of Raw are: Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, Ricochet and Drew McIntyre.

The four men announced have been met with a mixed reception, with some arguments being made against Strowman and Corbin partaking in the match, given that they have both previously won the bout and then gone on to lose the subsequent cash-in title encounter.

There are still four more men set to be announced for the match, which will presumably happen on tonight's SmackDown. Until we have those name confirmed though, let's take a look at the chances of the four men already announced for the encounter.

#4: Ricochet

Ricochet will no doubt hit some crazy spots in the encounter

At this point, it remains unclear as to whether or not the WWE knows exactly what to do with Ricochet.

Since bringing him up to the main roster, he has competed for, and lost opportunities at both tag-team championships, been split from his partner during the ShakeUp, and lost in singles competition to Robert Roode. Now he finds himself competing in one of the most exciting matches on the WWE calendar.

While fans would love to see Ricochet take home the briefcase in a few weeks, his role in this match is clear, he's the big spots guy.

The Money in the Bank ladder match has a tradition of featuring high flying spots performers stretching all the way back to Shelton Benjamin in the early days, right through to the likes of Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston in later years.

Of course, that mean's Ricochet has absolutely zero chance of taking home the briefcase, but it does mean that he will put on one hell of a show.

Chances: No chance, here's there for the spots

#3: Baron Corbin

Corbin is one of the most unpopular superstars in the WWE

The inclusion of Baron Corbin in this match scares me. Why? Because the WWE seem to mistake the horrendous heat the guy has with a genuinely good reaction from the WWE Universe.

As a result of this, the company continues to push Corbin in and around the main event scene, much to the fan's anger.

Corbin's recent WrestleMania victory over Kurt Angle means that he does come into this match with some momentum, and the company could lean on the fact that he has experience winning this match in the past.

In all fairness, it doesn't seem too likely that the company will give him the briefcase again given how poorly he did with it the first time around, but the performer has become the company's go to way of trolling the fanbase in recent years, so this one shouldn't be ruled out quite yet.

Chances: Don't rule this out

#2: Braun Strowman

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Braun Strowman was the victor of last year's Money in the Bank ladder match and everything seemed to be going well for the Monster Among Men until he turned heel apropos of nothing and then lost his cash-in opportunity to Roman Reigns after the match was a no contest.

Since then, Strowman's character has been on a downward spiral, and while Strowman is still one of the most popular stars on the roster, his momentum was pronounced dead quite some time ago.

Strowman is in this match clearly because the WWE has nothing else to do with him right now, and they are going to just seemingly ignore the fact that he had a brawl with Samoa Joe on the SmackDown after WrestleMania, opting instead to put Rey Mysterio back into a feud for the US Title ahead of him.

Strowman will probably be made to look dominant at points during the match but will ultimately end up being taken out by all seven other men in a big spot.

Chances: Incredibly slim

#1: Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre is the clear favourite in this year's match

We still have four names left to be added to this year's Money in the Bank ladder match, but at this stage, Drew McIntyre has to be considered the overwhelming favourite.

The former Raw Tag-Team Champion is widely viewed as one of the biggest future stars in the company, and a nice run with the Money in the Bank briefcase, followed by a successful cash-in down the line will cement his place as a main-event star for years to come.

The company will want to make sure they take their time with McIntyre and his cash-in, given that they have messed up the last two victors of the match, and a steady build over the next few months should do the trick.

The only other star who could be added to this match who could be considered a favourite alongside McIntyre is Andrade, but given that the WWE switched his brand twice in one week, it seems unlikely they have too many long term plans pencilled in for him just yet.

Chances: Clear favourite