4 mistakes WWE must not repeat with 2023's Money In The Bank winners
WWE Money In The Bank 2023 is less than three weeks away. This year's edition emanates from the O2 Arena in London, marking the company's first Premium Live Event in the United Kingdom since Clash at the Castle. The lineups for the ladder matches are almost complete, while the rest of the matches on the card are yet to be confirmed.
Two superstars will emerge from the event with their respective divisions' contracts in hand and a golden ticket to world title glory. However, they could face the same booking mistakes that have plagued holders of the briefcase in the past. Some of these mishaps have completely destroyed the momentum of up-and-coming stars on the precipice of leaping to main event status, and must be avoided at all costs.
Here are four of the biggest mistakes that WWE must not repeat with this year's Money In The Bank winners
#4. WWE must avoid token teases with NXT champions
Over the years, WWE has intermittently flirted with the idea of treating NXT as a brand on equal footing to RAW and SmackDown. Through inter-brand matches, returns by main roster stars, and a few other promotional tactics, the Performance Center-based brand has received the occasional boost. Some Money In The Bank winners have also teased cashing-in in NXT, usually in one-off confrontations.
With the company reportedly planning to present NXT at the same level as the other two brands, WWE should desist from these token teases. If MITB contract holders are to tease NXT cash-ins, they should show up on the brand for extended interactions, similar to Royal Rumble winners like Charlotte Flair.
Flair's visit to the third brand had a much bigger effect than, say, Austin Theory's brief appearance in which he simply raised the briefcase and never returned to the show. The latter must not be repeated this year, because it helps neither the brand nor the contract holder.
#3. WWE must avoid making the Money In The Bank holders look weak
“Your daddy’s not here anymore.” - Roman Reigns to Theory
Fam.
(via @USA_Network)
https://t.co/aNrf51Y3MG
One of the biggest complaints in the recent history of Money In The Bank has been WWE's booking of the contract holders after they won it. Since the likes of Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins held it, the company has booked the holders of the case to lose often before cashing in.
It worked like a charm at first, increasing the shock factor of the eventual cash-in, but fans have seen it so many times that it no longer has the same effect. As an example, Austin Theory arguably looked weaker on the night of his cash-in than the night he won the contract.
It can be argued that his weak booking decreased his chances of a successful cash-in and subsequently contributed to his failure to capitalize on the golden ticket in his hands.
#2. WWE must allow Ms. Money In The Bank to hold the contract for more than a day
DID YOU KNOW?....
The winner of every Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match AT THE #MITB PPV, has no longer held the briefcase within 48 hours!
(Carmella's 287 day MITB run was won on a #SmackDown, she was stripped of the 1 she won at the 2017 MITB PPV)
#WWE https://t.co/tqwENZJIWF
With the exception of the first-ever Ms. Money In The Bank Carmella (287 days), the other female holders of the contract have held it for only one day or less. For five years running, the women's cash-in has taken place on the same night or the very next show after the MITB Premium Live Event, much to fans' dismay.
As great as the surprise factor of the immediate cash-in is, rushing it every year shows a lack of planning on the company's end. Additionally, it deprives the briefcase holder of some valuable character development with the contract before cashing in. If Liv Morgan had got some time to develop into a bigger threat before cashing in, maybe she would have had a better-received reign!
#1. Cashing in on a mid-card champion must be avoided at all costs
HE'S CASHING IN! HE'S CASHING IN! HE'S CASHING IN!
@_Theory1 is cashing in his #MITB contract right now on #WWERaw!!!!! https://t.co/edR2vuGTqT
WWE did something unprecedented with the Money In The Bank contract in 2022: a cash-in for a midcard championship. Austin Theory was unfortunate enough to be the man with the briefcase, aiming lower than any other holder did before him and devaluing the contract in many fans' eyes. Worse still, his cash-in was unsuccessful, putting the nail in the proverbial coffin.
An argument can be made that the cash-in elevated the United States championship, but not many fans would agree with that sentiment. Money In The Bank winners should exclusively target world champions to preserve the contract's importance. Should the company wish to add an air of unpredictability, the contract holder should target the NXT champion, at the very least.
This way, the company will not repeat one of its biggest mistakes in recent years, one which put a huge dent in the prestige of MITB.