10 Leading Contenders To Win 2021 WWE Money In The Bank Ladder Matches
Aleister Black, Sonya Deville, and others who deserve a run with WWE's briefcases.
While WrestleMania is often viewed as a new starting point for WWE, the same could be said - if not, more - for the Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
An annual staple on WWE's calendar since Edge won the first bout of its kind at WrestleMania 21 in 2005, the stipulation has brought some genuinely deserving winners. Dolph Ziggler, Seth Rollins, and Daniel Bryan immediately spring to mind when you think of memorable successful cash-ins, but they're just the tip of the iceberg.
A combined twenty-five different individuals have held the briefcase since its inception; Otis and Asuka joined the list last year, although neither actually cashed in their case at all. Less of that this year, regardless of if Asuka's run over the past year has been tremendous.
WWE have a legitimate opportunity to create two new main event players going forward, stars who could perhaps be the ones to lead the company into the era of crowds being back full-time. It means they have to pick wisely, i.e. anyone but Braun p*ssing Strowman again.
Post-'Mania 37 has seen the company already execute some juicy stories; Cesaro standing toe to toe with Roman Reigns made your writer a tad overly gleeful. It shouldn't stop there, though...
10. Nikki Cross
To say WWE's treatment of Nikki Cross has been harsh would be the grandest understatement of them all; it's been criminal.
The former Nikki Storm has the credibility to succeed immensely in a high position on WWE's main roster. She's nailed her character down to a tee and is a joy to watch in-ring. The partnership with Alexa Bliss is what she needed to get her main roster properly started, but since going off on her own, she's suffered enormously.
As is often the case each year, the Money in the Bank Ladder Match is the place to change that. Cross competed in the 2019 incarnation of the bout, and was a much-needed bundle of energy throughout the contest. She was never going to win the damn thing, but her inclusion warranted hope for her post-NXT. Hope that she's yet to find.
A victory in this year's version of the contest is exactly what's needed for Nikki; her WWE career shouldn't just have two Women's Tag Team Championships reigns on it. Cross has barely appeared on television since the culmination of her feud vs. Alexa Bliss. Her last match was held on the 1 February episode of Raw.
That's what makes her the perfect candidate. Not a single soul would be expecting it.