Early Favorite To Win ‘Money In The Bank’ Revealed
This year, the Money in the Bank ladder match will be exclusive to the SmackDown brand. In a few weeks, AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens, and Shinsuke Nakamura will do battle to become Mr. Money in the Bank. On paper, all six men have the same opportunity to win the match, but a favorite has emerged to win the briefcase at the WWE Money in the Bank PPV in spite of all other rumors.
It’s being reported that Baron Corbin is the current favorite and has the best chance to win the Money in the Bank briefcase in roughly three weeks. As of this writing, the betting odds also favor The Lone Wolf, but the odds can alway change as the PPV inches closer. However, the Money in the Bank concept has always been a lot more useful for heels, especially emerging WWE Superstars who win their first world title as a result.
Baron Corbin has been booked as a strong heel in the upper mid-card for a while now. His rivalry with Dean Ambrose over the Intercontinental Championship gained him a lot of momentum with the WWE Universe, but a lot of people thought he should have won the IC Title. Corbin has been booked in matches against AJ Styles, and others have the past few months to continue his momentum as an emerging star on SmackDown.
There have been reports for some time about WWE officials planning a bigger push for Corbin over the rest of the year. The powers that be see him as a long-term project, and they are expecting him to be a big player in WWE for many years. Money in the Bank would be a smart way to elevate The Lone Wolf into the WWE Title picture over time. The expectation is Corbin would hold the briefcase for a long time before cashing in.
Baron Corbin may not be ready to be WWE Champion, but the more important thing is that Jinder Mahal only just became the WWE Champion. The powers that be are still trying to break into the Indian market, which means Mahal’s title reign is expected to last for some time. On paper, a rivalry between Corbin and Mahal is heel versus heel, which wouldn’t translate well to WWE television, and the fans would be confused as well.
The favorite to win the Money in the Bank ladder match this year is Baron Corbin. However, WWE officials can always pull a swerve over the next few weeks and choose another to win the match. It is fair to assume that Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens are unlikely to win the briefcase. The WWE Universe would embrace a win for Sami Zayn or AJ Styles, but the most likely babyface to win the contract is The King of Strong Style.
There have been some rumors about WWE officials choosing Shinsuke Nakamura to become Mr. Money in the Bank. It’s been quite some time since a babyface held the briefcase on WWE television, but Nakamura is emerging as a top guy on SmackDown Live. Thus far, he won a match against Ziggler on PPV and won a few tag team matches on television. WWE officials are working very hard to keep his momentum under control.
Shinsuke Nakamura winning the Money in the Bank briefcase could add a lot more depth to his character. A lot of people are expecting him to be in the WWE Title picture sooner rather than later, but a run with the briefcase would keep Nakamura on the backburner until the powers that be feel it’s the right time to pull the trigger on his push into the main event. Heading into the PPV, all eyes will be on Corbin and Nakamura.
[Featured Image by WWE]
