WWE Money in the Bank 2017: Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match full match preview

Ladder match for the Money in the Bank briefcase

Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Natalya, and Tamina vie to make history.

The road to Money in the Bank

Hometown heroine Naomi recaptured the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the main card of WrestleMania 33, forcing then-champion Alexa Bliss to tap out. It has been anything but straightforward for the champion since then, and indeed the introduction of the Money in the Bank briefcase is yet another wrench thrown in her title reign.

Post-WrestleMania, the division was shook up by additions—Charlotte Flair and Tamina—and subtractions—Bliss and Mickie James. Charlotte’s arrival initially seemed to be a seismic event for Tuesday nights, as she defeated Naomi in her second week on the brand and thus earned a title opportunity.

In her championship match the following week Charlotte seemed to have bit off more than she could chew, as Naomi was on the verge of successfully retaining her title. Unfortunately for both, the match would not get any conclusion, as “The Welcoming Committee” of Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina hit the ring to assault both stars.

For a brief period of time there was an intriguing “Who is the real Becky Lynch?” mystery developing, but her righteousness quickly proved forthcoming as she faked joining the heels before attacking the trio on May 2.

But still The Welcoming Committee continued to come out on top, as their cohesiveness combined with serial miscommunication between Naomi and Charlotte tipped the scales in their favor—including in a six-woman tag match at Backlash on May 21.

Despite remaining nominally aligned, all of Carmella, Natalya, and Tamina started showing interest in Naomi’s championship, with Carmella recording two pinfall victories over the champ in tag team matches and Tamina also winning a contest thanks to interference.

With no clear number one contender, SmackDown Live prepared to run a Fatal Five-Way on May 30 to determine who would get the next shot at Naomi. But tensions boiled over before the match could even start, with all five women engaged in a massive brawl that eventually saw Natalya powerbombed through the announce table by Charlotte.

In the midst of all this chaos, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon appeared and announced that because there was not going to be a clear number one contender, that instead at Money in the Bank those five would compete in the first ever Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.

Over the last few weeks, the superstars continued to battle among themselves, but no one comes into the match with any particular momentum.

It should be noted that typically Money in the Bank matches have six contestants, and this one only has five. There are rumors swirling that a surprise sixth entrant could be involved, but nothing is confirmed.

What’s at stake?

The Money in the Bank briefcase and the guaranteed championship match contract contained within, a career accolade as the first ever winner of the women’s briefcase, and an almost certain reign as SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Depending on where this match and the women’s championship match are on the card, there’s a chance the briefcase holder will have the opportunity tonight to make a potential cash in. Don’t be surprised, however, to see the briefcase instead used as a valuable storyline device in an attempt to keep someone outside the Charlotte-Becky-Naomi trio relevant for many months.

Tune in to the WWE Network tonight to see who’ll become Ms. Money in the Bank.