Any woman’s game

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Tonight eight women will enter the Money in the Bank ladder match in the hopes of climbing their way to a championship opportunity. Asuka, Naomi, Nikki A.S.H, and Alexa Bliss represent the red brand, while Tamina, Natalya, Zelina Vega, and Liv Morgan fly the blue banner. The field of competitors is...let’s say interesting...which really means that tonight, it truly is anyone’s match to win.

Who will win?

The entire point (in theory) of a MITB match is to give a deserving superstar a chance to prove themselves worthy of a championship run. These matches always have established stars and often previous champions, but ideally, a fresh face wins the briefcase and earns the opportunity of a lifetime.

Let’s rank tonight’s competitors from least likely to win to most:

At the bottom is Tamina. Not only is she a last-minute addition to the match, but - let’s be real here - Tamina is never going to be a women’s champion. Frankly, it’s still kind of shocking that she is a tag team champion. She’s been on the roster for a really long time, and although she has the experience to back up a championship run, she doesn’t have the charisma.

Natalya certainly has the in-ring acumen to be a fighting champion, but she’s too busy carrying the women’s tag titles to also be carrying a MITB briefcase. Nattie was a great champion, but I think it’s safe to say that her time in the main event spotlight has passed.

Asuka won the briefcase last year but never really got the opportunity to exist with the contract. Instead of lording it around and becoming a constant threat on the roster, she was handed the Raw women’s championship when Becky left on maternity leave. So, in theory, they could give it to Asuka again and allow her to have a traditional briefcase run, but it’s unlikely.

Zelina Vega shocked the WWE Universe when she returned to SmackDown. After she was unceremoniously released due to the great Twitch debacle, many assumed she would follow her former client, Andrade El Idolo, to AEW. These rumors all but solidified when her husband, Aleister Black, was also released. But Zelina is a wily one and loves to keep us on our toes, so she’s back in WWE and looking to reestablish herself. That being said, it doesn’t feel like now is the right time for her to win the briefcase. On the one hand, we all know she would be an amazing heel briefcase holder and would cut excellent promos, but on the other, well, she did lose her very first match back and didn’t really even wrestle that much before she was released. We need to see more of her in-ring before she gets an opportunity like the briefcase.

Naomi has been struggling to reestablish herself as a main event player for a while. After a revolving door of tag team partners, it’s time for Naomi to remind everyone that she was an excellent champion and that she’s capable of doing it again. A briefcase win here would be just the thing to help push her out of the midcard and back into the main event.

Out of all the competitors in this match that have been champions previously, Alexa Bliss is the most likely to win. Sure, she has won it before, but evil, twisted, dark Alexa hasn’t. They are endless mind games she could play if she combined her magic with the threat of a cash in. Just pray that Lilly doesn’t come back and hide herself inside.

If we look at her recent win/loss record Nikki A.S.H. is on a roll. Despite the terrible name and the even worse costume, Nikki is somehow making it work! The briefcase could be her ticket to SUPERstardom, knocking that A right off her moniker.

Ok, I’m a little biased. Liv Morgan wasn’t even supposed to be in this match and was a last-minute replacement, but if anyone deserves a big push in the women’s division, it’s Liv. She has consistently stepped up to the plate and has done an excellent job navigating all the landmines WWE creative has thrown at her. Not to mention the fact that her in-ring acumen has steadily improved, resulting in her being an absolute delight to watch. She lost both her besties due to untimely releases, had an awkwardly forced lesbian storyline with Lana, and had to cut promos from a bubble bath. This woman has paid her dues tenfold. Give her the damn briefcase!

Find out who wins by tuning into Money in the Bank and keeping it right here at Cageside Seats!