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Just like the Royal Rumble, the Money in the Bank match has become something that could propel a mid-card star or struggling main-event wrestler into super-stardom. It happened with Edge, CM Punk and Seth Rollins, and even established Superstars like Randy Orton and John Cena have captured briefcases at various points.
Also like the Rumble, however, is the fact that even though winning the match guarantees the winner a title shot, the booking doesn't always meet the luster of the win.
Both Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka won rumbles two years ago and each was booked to lose in their respective matches at WrestleMania.
The last two male winners, Braun Strowman and Baron Corbin, have failed in their cash-ins. Strowman announced his cash-in on Reigns for last year's Hell in a Cell PPV, but it was ruined when Brock Lesnar crashed the match. Corbin also failed the prior year when he was rolled up by Jinder Mahal in his cash-in attempt.
This year's field has three former winners, but with Sami Zayn beating Strowman for his spot in the match on Raw, it leaves Corbin and Orton as the only two former winners in the match.
Zayn, Finn Balor and Drew McIntyre have all participated in previous MITB matches while Andrade, Ali and Ricochet are the newcomers to the match. Each man can provide high-flying action and exciting spots.
But not everyone has the same chance of winning the match. This year's field has a mix of vets and newer stars that could conceivably walk out of the PPV as the new 'Mr. Money in the Bank'. Here are five possible finishes for the men's MITB ladder match.
#5 Finn Balor adds the briefcase to his Intercontinental Championship
Although I'm a fan of Balor and his work in the WWE, I feel like his inclusion was strange due to the fact that he's currently holding the Intercontinental Championship.
He looked destined for a showdown for the title with Andrade, but that was put on hold when both men were named participants in the ladder match.
The feud can certainly resume during and after MITB, but things aren't likely in his favor on Sunday. The crowd would go wild if Balor won the title and any potential match between him and Kofi Kingston would likely be amazing.
A Balor win could also start off a heel turn, but as things currently sit on SmackDown, he's one of the top faces of the Blue Brand.
He certainly could win the briefcase on Sunday and keep Kingston or potential new champion Kevin Owens on their toes all year.
Owens also entered a MITB match as a champion but failed to win. The same fate might befell Balor, but he is 'an ordinary man who does extraordinary things.'
#4 Randy Orton wins another briefcase
One easy solution to cure the ratings woes in WWE's eyes might be to have Randy Orton claim his second Money in the Bank win. They trust him in the main event even though his last title run with Jinder Mahal and Bray Wyatt was certainly lackluster.
But he's one of the top guys in the company and is usually booked to look strong with his RKOs that have become completely telegraphed and expected. They aren't out of nowhere if the fans are waiting for them and expecting The Viper to strike.
Orton is a top heel on SmackDown and does have some history to play on with Kingston. Dating back to 2009, Kingston was thrust into a program with Orton when The Viper was on top of the food chain in RAW. But Kingston's momentum was stalled and nothing much came out of the feud for the Dreadlock Dynamo.
Fast forward a decade, and it's now Kingston holding the gold and Orton chasing and looking to get back atop the WWE.
Orton could easily win to lurk around and haunt Kingston, but it would be a huge missed opportunity to give it to someone else who needs a big push forward.
#3 Sami Zayn wins the briefcase and rubs it in the fan's faces
One huge change to the PPV occurred on Raw this week when Sami Zayn not only challenged Braun Strowman for The Monster Among Men's spot in the MITB match but won it.
It changed the dynamic of the match in that people wouldn't have to worry about Strowman causing carnage in and around the ring during the match.
What it also did was put a logical and deserving Superstar in the match instead of someone who has had many stop-start pushes in Strowman.
Zayn was great as the 'never say die' babyface, but his stock rose even higher when he became 'Smug Sam' with Kevin Owens in late 2017 and 2018.
Although he missed almost a year due to surgery, he returned to Raw and picked up where he left off.
A great reward for his fantastic heel work on the mic would be walking out of MITB with the briefcase. He could mock the match itself and even what the briefcase signifies while rubbing his win in the fans' faces the whole time.
Zayn facing Kingston would be a great feud due to how both men used to portray relatively similar faces.
But with Zayn now angry with the fans while Kingston continues to show them love, a win for the Critic Of The Critics would spotlight the antithesis of both men as they currently stand in WWE.
#2 Drew McIntyre grabs the case
McIntyre has made good on his word to shake up the locker room to his core. He was disgusted with the complacency he saw in the the boys backstage and has taken his rage and frustration out on the faces of WWE.
He also stated that he came back to win the Universal Championship, and even though that's usually every Superstar's goal, his claim was actually believable.
McIntyre has been booked like a tsunami that will claim anyone and anything in its path and he's clearly had Seth Rollins in his cross-hairs ever since he returned to the WWE.
McIntyre winning is one of the most logical and acceptable situations due to his great work since returning.
He's never 'won the big one' and a win in the match would cement the fact that he's a future world champion.
Although he's risen to the status where he likely doesn't need a briefcase to stake a claim at a title shot, it would still make him even more of a threat to Rollins or whoever holds the gaudy red belt.
#1 Andrade becomes 'Mr. Dinero en el Banco'
'El Idolo' has only been on the main roster for a little over a year, but it's already apparent that he's one of the top performers in the entire company.
He's battled the likes of AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Finn Balor already and if you need more proof, watch his matches with Rey Mysterio as a sign of his adaptability to 'WWE Lucha Libre.'
Andrade also capped off SmackDown with huge momentum when he won the 'Fatal Four Way' between SmackDown's participants in the ladder match.
Although he didn't close things out by pulling down the briefcase, that's actually a good thing for him. People who usually do that prior to the PPV don't usually win. Ricochet pulled down the case, but I didn't think he'd win even before that.
With Fox looming in the Fall and WWE's need to create new stars in terms of both faces and heels, an Andrade win would do wonders for WWE.
It would highlight an already fantastic performer on a show that will move to Fox and it will showcase a Latino star that both FOX and the WWE desperately want.
