10 Radical Ideas To Save WWE Money In The Bank

10. The Free Agent Gimmick

With the new brand extension due to take place in a matter of weeks, it only makes sense that the WWE will need to figure out how the Money In The Bank winner’s potential cash-in will work with rosters split between Smackdown and RAW.

Is there going to be a new World title for the brand that doesn’t have the WWE World Heavyweight Champion on the roster? If so, how will that work with the briefcase holder and their championship match contract?

Personally, I think splitting the top title (or worse, creating a new World title out of thin air, or bringing back the Big Gold Belt yet again) devalues the WWE World Heavyweight Championship without putting over the new title - it dilutes the importance of each.

For the same reason, one of the major mistakes they made with the brand split before was to give each brand a Money In The Bank ladder match and briefcase. It didn’t make the gimmick any more important, and having two men wandering around with briefcases actually dissipated any interest people had in the outcome of any cash-in.

Why not have the WWE World Heavyweight Champion a free agent, able to travel between brands? It worked for decades with the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion - top guys like Ric Flair and Harley Race would travel between the territories taking on the local NWA promotion’s top guy, making them look like contenders and then retaining on a (usually heelish) technicality to ensure they left with the title again.

With the guy with the gold a free agent, it only makes sense that the Money In The Bank winner would also become a free agent for the length of time he had the briefcase. The Money In The Bank winner has always been a kind of floating number one contender anyway, able to insert himself into the championship conversation at a moment’s notice - it’s part of the fun of the gimmick.

Have the man with the briefcase able to travel between brands: it allows for that extra little unpredictability again. You never know when he might turn up.