Two WWE Money in the Bank matches with two very different star make ups

WWE

The penultimate competitors for the men’s and women’s Money in the Bank have been confirmed, with very different make ups.

Last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown saw a star added to each of the Money in the Bank ladder matches, with the names at very different points of their careers.

While the matches contain a number of newer WWE stars, one match has seen a shift in what could have defined the future of the main event spot on Raw and SmackDown:

The Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Bron Breakker, Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams and Penta all qualified for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, with all four names being newer stars to WWE. Penta, despite being the oldest of the names to qualify, signed with WWE last year, debuting on the main roster, while the others all came through NXT.

The September 25 episode of WWE SmackDown saw CM Punk qualify, securing a win over GUNTHER and Finn Balor and a shot at a world championship, should he be victorious at Money in the Bank.

For Punk, a star who is a three-time Undisputed WWE Champion and two-time modern-era World Heavyweight Champion, an opportunity to challenge for the top title would continue his rivalry with Sami Zayn, but it’s a story that could be told outside of the Money in the Bank match.

Neither of the three stars in the qualifying match are “new” to WWE and all have held title top titles. For Balor, it could have seen him erase the memory of his one-day inaugural WWE Universal Championship reign, with the star vacating the title due to a legitimate shoulder injury after SummerSlam in 2016. He may not fit the “new star” status of the first four names, but it would have freshened up the top championship picture.

The final qualifying match will see Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, and Johnny Gargano go head-to-head on this week’s WWE SmackDown

The Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

WWE SmackDown also saw Lash Legend join Sol Ruca, Lola Vice, Jacy Jayne and Roxanne Perez in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, with one more name to be decided.

For Legend, her main roster call up took place in 2025, with the star going on to team with Nia Jax as The Irresistible Forces. Legend has challenged for the Interim Women’s Championship in a ladder match at SummerSlam, with Chelsea Green winning that encounter.

The line up of the women’s Money in the Bank match has a nod to the younger and newer star mix and continues to do so as of the recent episode of WWE SmackDown, with the final qualifier seeing Tiffany Stratton, Tatum Paxley, and Candice LeRae all hoping to round out the line up.

When it comes to who should claim the final spot, Stratton or Paxley would both fit the “new stars” idea, although there would be something charming about LeRae and Gargano proceeding to Money in the Bank as husband-and-wife entrants.

Should the future be defined by Money in the Bank?

Now, there’s a conversation to be had.

Triple H has previously addressed the same stars being in the top spots in WWE, indicating that there’s a ladder to climb and it both ways, saying:

“If someone is getting over more than someone else, we move that person into the spot and move the other person down. But it’s not just ‘oh they’re getting a loud crowd reaction’. Are they going to be good in the spot? Are they going to hold up their end of the bargain? Are they going to screw up if we give it to them? All those things factor in.”

With a literal ladder involved in the Money in the Bank match, there’s an opportunity to test the popularity of any given star and whether they can, indeed, “hold up their end of the bargain”. After all, holding the briefcase only guarantees a championship match, not a guaranteed win.

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