Ranking every female Money in the Bank winner in WWE history
Although the first Money in the Bank match occurred at WrestleMania 21, it would take 12 years before we would see a female WWE Superstar climb the ladder and grab the coveted briefcase.
Since the first Women's Money In The Bank Ladder Match in 2017, there have been six individual MITB matches, with five different winners.
To date, every female competitor who has won MITB has gone on to become champion, with two successful cash-ins on both the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championships.
Your official #MITB poster featuring Big Time @BeckyLynchWWE and @WWERollins (FRANKLIN) 😉 https://t.co/3mEvqfzzvd
With this year's Money in the Bank event only a few weeks from now, let's look back at every female MITB winner and rank them from Worst to Best.
For this list, we look at each competitor's Money in the Bank win, their cash-in, and how their title reign went.
5. Nikki A.S.H's forgettable reign as Ms. Money in the Bank
Unfortunately for WWE's resident "Almost Superhero," it's probably safe to assume that nearly everyone has forgotten Nikki A.S.H's MITB win, cash-in, or her short-lived title reign.
The former Women's Tag Team Champion won the briefcase at the 2021 Money In The Bank event in Fort Worth, Texas. This WWE's first large-scale ticketed event that wasn't WrestleMania 37 since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. By that point, Nikki A.S.H.'s character had received mixed reviews from the WWE Universe.
#NikkiASH and @WWEBigE are MONEY IN THE BANK! 🤑
#MITB @NikkiCrossWWE https://t.co/FLmBfG8k95
On the one hand, many were not in love with the new gimmick, viewing it as a stark demotion. On the other hand, some we're interested to see where it could go.
Nikki A.S.H's win came as a surprise to many, as she outlasted a field that included former champions such as Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Natalya, and Naomi.
The Almost Superhero would cash in her MITB briefcase on Monday Night RAW's July 19th, 2021 episode. Cashing-in on then RAW Women's Champion Charlotte Flair following a match with Rhea Ripley, one in which Flair intentionally lost via disqualification. A simple cross-body from the top rope was all it took to secure the former NXT star's first world title in WWE.
NIKKI A.S.H. CASHED IN HER #MITB CONTRACT TO BECOME THE NEW #WWERAW WOMEN'S CHAMPION!!!!
@NikkiCrossWWE https://t.co/4oD7K8soAi
Despite the immediate high-off surprise cash-in, Nikki A.S.H. was simply unable to keep her momentum going. Fans quickly cooled off on her, and WWE quickly decided to move on.
After only 33 days as champion, the Almost Superhero would lose her RAW Women's Championship at the 2021 SummerSlam event in a triple threat match against Flair and Ripley. With Nikki A.S.H. tapping out to Flair's figure-eight leg lock to add insult to injury.
4) Asuka didn't really have a Money in the Bank reign to speak of
We have ONE winner.
@WWEAsuka has won the Women's #MITB Ladder Match! https://t.co/ZzFFER8v2V
WWE's pandemic era will undoubtedly go down as one of the most interesting times in the company's history. Along with the rest of the professional wrestling industry, WWE had to come up with some unique ways to keep fans engaged while they were forced to stay at a safe social distance.
One of these was WWE's decision to host their Money in the Bank event at their headquarters. With superstars quite literally climbing the corporate ladder to try and grab the briefcase.
Think @NiaJaxWWE just won the food fight portion of this #MITB Ladder Match... https://t.co/HLMGs1FUKA
In this infamous chaotic match, which included male and female WWE Superstars running around Titan Tower, The Empress of Tomorrow would win her first Money in the Bank match. However, Asuka would never have the opportunity to cash-in her Money in the Bank briefcase to win a shot at the women's title.
On the following edition of Monday Night RAW, the brand's women's champion Becky Lynch announced that she was pregnant and forfeited her title. It was handed over to Asuka as Becky went on leave.
This marked the first time ever that a MITB winner did not have to cash-in their briefcase to "win" a title.
WWE have now uploaded the entire video of Becky Lynch announcing her pregnancy and relinquishing the #WWERAW Women’s Championship to Asuka via Twitter.
The video has almost 3.5 million views on YouTube in 36 hours and has been trending since its upload.
https://t.co/kNeY2aMA6w
Asuka would go on to have a decent reign as RAW Women's Champion, holding the title for three months before losing it to Sasha Banks on an episode of Monday Night RAW in July 2020. Following this, a series of events would lead to Asuka becoming a double champion and once again holding the RAW Women's Title for over 200 days, eventually losing it to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 37.
While it might seem a bit unfair to list Asuka at the second to last position on this list, it must be stressed once again that Asuka's MITB reign never really happened, as she was technically RAW Women's Champion the whole time.
No technical reign mixed with no cash-in tanks her on this list.
3) Everyone loved Alexa Bliss as Mrs. Money in the Bank unfortunately, her title reign could have been so much more
On this day in 2018, Alexa Bliss captured the Money in the Bank briefcase then cashed in an hour later on Nia Jax to win the Raw Women's Championship. https://t.co/9H1EDIExLk
Alexa Bliss is not only short when it comes to her stature but also when it comes to her reign as Mrs. Money In The Bank. After winning the briefcase at the 2018 event, Bliss would only hold onto the briefcase for 2 hours and 52 minutes, the second shortest reign for a female superstar to date.
Bliss' MITB win was exceptionally well received by the Chicago crowd, and her follow-up cash-in later in the night received an even bigger pop.
Watch @AlexaBliss_WWE’ best WWE moments, from winning Money in the Bank to her 2022 #WWERaw return. https://t.co/4Tfz6oJxpD
During the RAW Women's Championship match between Ronda Rousey and then-champion Nia Jax, Bliss would attack both competitors, causing a disqualification and ending the match. Bliss would then viciously attack both Rousey and Jax with the briefcase before finally cashing in on the wounded champ.
Little Miss Bliss would hold onto the RAW Women's Championship for a recognized 63 total days. In that time span, she would defend her title against Jax in the inaugural Women's Extreme Rules match (as dubbed by WWE) but would eventually lose the title to Ronda Rousey in a short four-minute match at SummerSlam.
.@RondaRousey wanted to FIGHT, but @AlexaBliss_WWE wanted to run... #SummerSlam https://t.co/ONFc3fWt5E
Alexa Bliss' impressive performance in her Money in the Bank match and shocking cash-in alone earned her the number three spot on this list.
2) Carmella made Money in the Bank history; in more ways than one
It's a tall task to be the first person to do anything, and this holds even more for being the first winner of the Money in the Bank match in one's division. When WWE Hall of Famer Edge won the first MITB match at WrestleMania 21, a ton of pressure was placed on him to both carry the moniker as "Mr. Money In The Bank" as well as knock the first cash-in out of the park. He did both in spades.
When it came to the self-proclaimed Most Beautiful Woman in WWE, Carmella, the pressure wasn't any less great; and the task at hand was no less daunting.
The Princess of Staten Island is technically a two-time MITB winner, hence why in six total Women's MITB matches, we only have five winners. Carmella won the briefcase the first time at the 2017 Money In The Bank event, doing so with the help of James Ellsworth.
Two days following her win, Carmella was stripped of the briefcase by then SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan. He subsequently scheduled a rematch for the briefcase on the next edition of SmackDown.
Carmella would go on to win that match as well, and would hold onto MITB for a record 287 days. The longest of any WWE Superstar in history. The former Women's Tag Team Champion would go on to complete the first successful cash-in by a female superstar on the April 10th, 2018 edition of the blue brand, cashing in on the SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair.
Despite being a heel, Carmella received a massive pop for her successful cash-in
The first female #MITB cash-in was an unforgettable moment in WWE history!
@CarmellaWWE #WomensHistoryMonth https://t.co/4b38R8nxu7
In the months to follow, Carmella went onto defend her championship against Flair and Asuka on multiple occasions. Eventually, losing her title after a 131-day reign at that year's SummerSlam in a triple threat against Becky Lynch and Flair.
Despite any negative feelings one may have against Carmella and her WWE career, her time as Ms. Money in the Bank was historic and should be respected as such.
Her memorable MITB win, consistency as Mrs. Money In The Bank, great cash-in, and decent title reign, after all, equals a pretty F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S Money In The Bank winner.
1) Bayley is arguably the best female Money in the Bank winner (so far) in WWE History
Was there any doubt that WWE's Role Model wouldn't be considered the current best female Money in the Bank Winner? While, of course, this is just one author's opinion, the strong body of evidence points to this being the case.
Bayley was the third woman in WWE history to win the briefcaso at the 2019 Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Claiming the briefcase after tossing both Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose off the top of the ladder.
HUGS ALL AROUND. #BayleyInTheBank #MITB https://t.co/NPa75kH39a
The former women's champion would eventually cash-in her MITB on SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair following her match with Becky Lynch. Big Time becks would be the victim of a two-on-one assault by Flair and Lacey Evans, with Bayley coming in to help even the odds. Bayley then saw an opportunity to cash-in, and she took it.
In total, Bayley only held the MITB briefcase for 1 hour and 25 minutes. This is the shortest period of time a female superstar has held the briefcase. The win also made Bayley the first women's Grand Slam Champion in WWE history.
One of my favorite moments of Bayley 💙
#MITB
I’m gonna miss her so much 🥺 https://t.co/fMrg3B8RS1
The California native received a massive crowd reaction to both her win in the ladder match as well as her cash-in. What's even more impressive is the success she had after her winning the belt.
In the following months, Bayley would successfully defend her championship four times, defeating the likes of Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, and Ember Moon.
Bayley 2019/2020 Takeover
- 2x Smackdown Women’s Champion
- MITB Winner
- Heel Turn
- Became a 2x Time Women’s Tag Team Champion
- First Women GrandSlam Champion
- Longest Reigning Smackdown
Champion
- Longest Reigning Women Double Champion
@itsBayleyWWE https://t.co/uXt9RtzXSw
While Bayley would eventually lose her championship after 140 days, the reign catalyzed her dramatic character shift from The Hugger to her heel, The Role Model gimmick. With this shift in focus, Bayley would eventually win back her title and hold it for 380 days. In addition, her union with Sasha Banks would eventually lead them to being double champions.
Bayley's win would not only serve as a monumental moment in her career but also help bring new life to SmackDown's women's division.
She has arguably done some of her best work in WWE following her MITB win, and one could assume she would have done even more had it not been for her torn ACL injury in 2020.