Who was the first man to win Money in the Bank?

Money in the Bank is a multi-person ladder match held by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Until 2017, ladder matches exclusively featured male wrestlers competing for a contract guaranteeing them a world championship match. However, starting from the 2017 event, women were also included in these matches, competing for a contract granting them a shot at a women's championship match. The contract, contained within a briefcase, must be used within a year, otherwise, it becomes invalid.

In the men's division, there have been 25 Money in the Bank cash-ins, resulting in 18 male grapplers successfully winning a title. Notably, superstars such as CM Punk, Edge, and The Miz have hold the Money in the Bank briefcase twice. While In the women's division of WWE, there have been seven Money in the Bank ladder match winners and among them, six women have successfully cashed in their contracts to claim titles. However, there was a special case involving Asuka, where instead of cashing in her Money in the Bank contract in the traditional manner, she was awarded the championship directly without a cash-in attempt.

First Man to win Money in the Bank

‘The Rated R Superstar’ Edge made history at WrestleMania 21 in 2005 as the first male wrestler to capture the inaugural Money in the Bank briefcase. He achieved this victory in a six man ladder match against Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Christian, Kane, and Shelton Benjamin. Edge further cemented his legacy by becoming the first male wrestler to successfully defend the briefcase and subsequently cash in the contract on John Cena to become the World Heavyweight Championship.

Additionally, he secured his second Money in the Bank contract from Mr. Kennedy, who had initially earned it at WrestleMania 23 in 2007. Edge then cashed in the contract on The Undertaker and defeated him with a vicious spear to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time, solidifying his place in the record books as the first superstar to hold the Money in the Bank contract twice.

First Woman to win Money in the Bank

The first women's Money in the Bank match was took place in 2017, where six female superstars Carmella, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Natalya, and Tamina competed in a ladder match. During the match, Carmella grabbed the briefcase with the assistance of James Ellsworth, becoming the first woman in WWE history to be known as "Miss Money in the Bank.

However, Carmella had to compete in a second Money in the Bank Ladder Match against the same five superstars on an episode of SmackDown. This came after then-GM Daniel Bryan stripped Carmella of the briefcase because she initially won with assistance from James Ellsworth. Despite this setback, Carmella managed to win the contract for a second time and became the only wrestler to win the contract on SmackDown.

The Princess of Staten Island held onto her briefcase for 287 days, the longest period for any wrestler, male or female. After this record-setting tenure, she cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase on Charlotte Flair and won the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship by defeating her with a perfect super kick.