Every Time The Wrong Match Main Evented Money In The Bank

Ending a PPV/PLE in the right way can sometimes make or break a WWE event. Ever since 2010, WWE has hosted the Money In The Bank, offering up an array of thrilling main events in the process, whether that be singles matches or the Money In The Bank ladder match itself. However, there have been instances in which WWE selected the wrong main event for Money In The Bank.

Whether it be matches that fell way short of expectations (due to poor booking decisions or a bad match), or whether something else would have been far better suited to closing out the Money In The Bank show, there have been quite a few instances of this being the case.

5

Money In The Bank 2010

• Sheamus & John Cena had a dull Steel Cage match.
• The Nexus ruined the main event of Money In The Bank
• WWE should have ended the night with Kane’s Money In The Bank cash-in.

At the first ever Money In The Bank ladder match, WWE selected Sheamus vs. John Cena inside a Steel Cage for the WWE Championship to close out the show. On paper, this didn’t seem like a bad idea. However, their resulting match ended up being a slow, plodding, lackluster matchup, ruined by the arrival of The Nexus, who cost Cena the match and allowed Sheamus to escape with the gold.

A better option for the first Money In The Bank event would have been Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger for the World Heavyweight Championship – but only because of the post-match instance of Kane cashing in the Money In The Bank briefcase, becoming the first man to do so on the same night. Ending the inaugural Money In The Bank PPV with a historic moment would have been a far better ending.

4

Money In The Bank 2012

• John Cena won the Money In The Bank ladder match.
• The main event in 2012 was a lackluster PPV headliner.
• CM Punk & Daniel Bryan deserved the main event as they battled for the WWE Title.

The RAW Money In The Bank ladder match in 2012 featured several former world champions in John Cena, The Miz, Chris Jericho, Big Show and Kane… but one look at the field will tell you why this was one of the weakest and least interesting Money In The Bank matches ever. Cena’s win was a poor creative choice, making it even more apparent that a different match should have ended the night.

Elsewhere on the card, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan had another clinic for the WWE Championship, this time in a No Disqualification match with AJ Lee as the special guest referee. Punk’s reign as WWE Champion was full of nights in which Cena was handed the main event over him, with this being yet another example of him getting shunned from the top spot.

3

Money In The Bank 2018

• AJ Styles rarely headlined WWE PPVs.
• Styles vs. Nakamura at Money In The Bank was the best match of their feud.
• Braun Strowman won the Money In The Bank ladder match.

Ending the Money In The Bank event with a ladder match is always a solid choice, but a different route should’ve been explored in 2018. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, on the back of an admittedly poor rivalry, ended their feud with a Last Man Standing match – and it turned out to be the match of the night! With the WWE Championship on the line, this would have been a nice way to close out Money In The Bank.

The men’s ladder match itself was pretty good, but the choice of winner in Braun Strowman ultimately proved to be a dud of an option in the grand scheme of things, as he failed to cash-in his briefcase successfully.

2

Money In The Bank 2024

• Money In The Bank 2024 had a boring main event.
• WWE should have had the women in the main event this year.
• Tiffany Stratton won the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match.

The main event of Money In The Bank 2024 saw WWE Champion Cody Rhodes team up with Randy Orton and Kevin Owens to take on Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, and Tama Tonga of The “New” Bloodline… and it was pretty dull for the most part. The final minutes of the match provided some excitement and positive moments, most in part thanks to the impressive debuting Fatu, but it was far from the quality of a main event match for a major PLE.

Instead, WWE should have put the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match in the headline spot for the first time ever (it is crazy to think that this has never happened!). This was a pretty good match won by Tiffany Stratton, and it was certainly more deserving of a show closer than what WWE actually picked.

1

Money In The Bank 2025

• Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso vs. John Cena & Logan Paul was bland.
• R-Truth’s return led to nothing in hindsight.
• The men’s Money In The Bank ladder match should’ve headlined this show.

Outside of R-Truth’s surprise return at Money In The Bank 2025, the main event which saw WWE Champion John Cena & Logan Paul take on Cody Rhodes & World Heavyweight ChampionJey Uso was plain bad. It lacked energy, storytelling, and failed to capture fans until the latter stages. This tag team match felt like nothing more than a glorified house show main event given that it had absolutely zero stakes attached to it, even though it had both WWE Champion Cena and World Heavyweight Champion Uso in the mix.

A far superior pick to main event Money In The Bank was the men’s ladder match, which was a star-studded and exciting affair won by Seth Rollins. Not every ladder match is necessarily a hit at this event, but this one was very strong and was deserving of the spot.