10 Booking Steps Leading Finn Bálor To WWE Title
7. Money In The Bank
Money In The Bank really is an ingenious concept; although tarnished in recent years as a result of the briefcase-holder-loses-all-the-b*stard-time trope, it remains an unerring and exciting match in itself, one from which nobody emerges as a real loser. The match is so brutal-looking that it is impossible to not respect every participant involved in it.
All of which is to state that Bálor, in the face role, can withstand another loss in the eponymous match at Money In The Bank without veering too far into full-on geek territory - provided he is no bystander. Even as a babyface slowly relinquishing his morals, Bálor does not enter an anonymous performance. Much like that aforementioned trope, there is no dramatic heft whatsoever in a serial loser turning heel. It always translates as petulant lashing out, more so than a man tormented by inner conflict. Bálor, in a highlight reel moment, realises that the ladder is too far away from the briefcase to grab it, and instead delivers the Coup de Grâce to one of the bodies strewn across the ring. It's imperative that he is the man the eventual victor - Almas - snatches victory away from in a tense, climactic standoff.
Bálor must be protected in defeat.