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The Money in the Bank briefcase was first introduced to WWE in 2005, with Edge being the inaugural winner. Since then, 21 men and four women have won the briefcase.
But what is inside the Money in the Bank briefcase? Well, there is an official WWE contract that allows the winner to use it on a Champion of his choosing.
The contract inside the MITB briefcase states the following:
- The winner of the Money in the Bank briefcase has a full calendar year to cash it in.
- The winner is allowed to cash in the briefcase at any time and place of his/her choosing
- The winner isn't under any obligation to notify WWE in advance about when they intend to cash in the briefcase
Statistically, all four women to hold the Money in the Bank briefcase (Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Bayley, and Asuka) have successfully cashed in to become the RAW or SmackDown Women's Champion. On the men's side, it's a bit more complicated. Mr. Kennedy dropped the briefcase to Edge in 2007 while Otis lost his to The Miz in 2020.
Not counting those two cases, there has been three failed Money in the Bank cash-ins from John Cena, Damien Sandow, and Baron Corbin. The Miz had a failed cash-in at TLC 2020, but the briefcase was handed back to him on a technicality.
Seth Rollins, who won the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2014, is the only WWE superstar to cash in at WrestleMania.
What was the Money in the Bank controversy in 2020?
Otis emerged as an unexpected winner of the Men's Money in the Bank ladder match in 2020. He won the briefcase in the cinematic "Corporate Ladder Match" that took place in the official WWE Headquarters.
Otis was involved in a feud with The Miz over the Money in the Bank contract, with the latter hinting at using legal loopholes to get the briefcase out of the Blue Collar Brawler's hands.
In an interesting move, WWE's social media team posted a photo of Otis and Tucker on Instagram with the Money in the Bank contract on display. It was noted by many that the contract stated that the winner could cash in the briefcase between May 14th, 2015, and May 15th, 2016.
Some believed that it was on purpose as it would lead to Otis' cash-in being invalid. Another argument was that WWE simply gave Otis an old contract to hold. Ultimately, it didn't play into the storyline.
The Miz beat Otis at Hell in a Cell 2020 to win the Money in the Bank briefcase for the second time after Tucker turned on his partner. The A-Lister would eventually cash in successfully in 2021, holding the WWE Title for eight days before losing it to Bobby Lashley.
