Multi-time former champs, a rising star - 5 early candidates to win the Women's Money in the Bank match
Qualifying matches for the 2023 Money in the Bank event will start on next Monday's RAW. With the WWE Draft over, it could set the stage for a few new faces to appear in the annual ladder match.
The field is always filled with a mix of veterans and newer stars. Last year, winner Liv Morgan cashed in her briefcase on the same night she won it. In 2021, Nikki A.S.H. won the briefcase and cashed in the next night on RAW. In 2020, Asuka was awarded the RAW Women's Championship due to Becky Lynch's pregnancy.
With three-straight cash-ins within 24 hours of the event, WWE needs to carefully lay out who wins and when they cash in. It must be handled differently, and with Triple H in charge now, that will hopefully change.
As for the actual ladder match, there are a few names that stand out as potential winners. Here are five frontrunners for the Women's Money in the Bank ladder match.
#5. Chelsea Green could continue to be annoying with the briefcase
The best use of a Money in the Bank briefcase is when a heel has it. Despite minimal victories, Chelsea Green has done a fantastic job with her character. She's always looking to speak to a manager regardless of the situation.
Those annoying types of heels are the best stars to hold briefcases. If she did win, she'd likely want to change how the case looks and/or the rules about cashing in.
Green winning is a possibility, but the cash-in probably wouldn't be successful. Fans would likely boo her due to her annoying character, but that means she's doing her job well.
#4 Bayley could get a reboot with a win
Bayley has already won a Money in the Bank match, but her character has floundered recently. She decisively lost in her feuds with Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair.
At the same time, Damage CTRL has started to unravel each week. Dakota Kai is out with a torn ACL and Iyo Sky hasn't enjoyed it when Bayley has said things without asking her opinion.
The former Hugger needs some rehabbing, and becoming a two-time Money in the Bank winner would help. Bianca Belair should be losing her title any time now due to having a run of over a year. This would be a perfect moment of redemption for Bayley after numerous losses to The EST of WWE.
#3. Raquel Rodriguez is a former NXT Women's Champion
With Liv Morgan's injury, it might be time for Rodriguez to again branch out on her own. She's been heavily protected since her debut last year. Recently, she's been staving off challenges from Sonya Deville, Green, Bayley, and Dakota Kai.
Her physicality makes her a serious threat due to her being larger than most of the other women on the roster.
She has done well in her first year on the main roster, so a briefcase win wouldn't be out of the question. It could also be the impetus for a much-needed heel turn since she smiles and shows her back too much.
#2. Iyo Sky is a future Women's Champion
Sky has easily been the breakout star of Damage CTRL. Her work was already top-notch in NXT, but she's taken to the main roster like a future champion. Sky is a threat to either titleholder, and fans wouldn't exactly mind another showdown with Bianca Belair.
A potential battle with fellow former NXT Women's Champion Asuka is also an enticing prospect should the Empress of Tomorrow end Belair's reign. Damage CTRL is breaking up soon, so pushing Sky to the moon would be a smart move.
SmackDown in particular needs a reshuffling of its hierarchy instead of always relying on Flair and Belair. It could start with a well-deserved win at Money in the Bank.
#1. Becky Lynch could add a Money in the Bank win to her resume
Unlike Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch does well outside of title programs. She did it against Damage CTRL and is currently doing the same against Trish Stratus. In terms of her career, the one thing that isn't on her resume is winning Money in the Bank.
Lynch would make sense as a challenger to Belair or Rhea Ripley. There were a few teases over the last year of a potential feud between The Man and Ripley. While it would make sense logically due to her star power, it would again be an example of WWE being unwilling to push a newer star.
Winning the briefcase, however, would also allow Lynch to switch brands. SmackDown has the same problem at the top that it has always had - little chance of advancement, this time due to the presence of Flair and Belair.