WWE Money in the Bank is less than two months away, as WWE hits Las Vegas for their next big stadium show.
Taking place from Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada on 2 July, the annual show will give another two superstars the chance to win a contract that guarantee’s them a world title shot for whenever they may choose.
Yesterday we looked at five front-runners for the men’s Money in the Bank match, however who is in contention for the females?
GiveMeSport looks at five possible contenders for this year’s women’s Money in the Bank match.
Raquel Rodriguez
With Sasha Banks busy with Naomi in the tag ranks, SmackDown is crying out for another big babyface in the women’s division, and they don’t come much more on brand than Big Mami Cool. Now that Charlotte Flair will be off our screens for the foreseeable, WWE would be wise to turn Ronda Rousey heel and create a list of credible faces for her to go up against – with Rodriguez first in line.
To get her there though, and to build up some credibility on the blue brand for those fans who haven’t seen her excellent body of work on NXT, having Raquel dominate a Money in the Bank match and then win the briefcase would be a solid way of doing so. Given the right story too, possibly once they heat-up women’s champ Rousey again, her cash-in wouldn’t have to be the ‘noble’ match request we often see from faces who win the match. Rodriguez is enough of a bad ass to cash-in the traditional way and still stay true to her character.
Lacey Evans
Freshly moved to Monday Night Raw and positioned somewhat surprisingly as heel, Lacey adds something fresh to the women’s division – especially with her new persona. Having ditched the Southern Belle look and traded it for a more realistic character that plays on her upbringing and time with the marines, this Lacey Evans looks like she could finally reach the top of the tree in WWE and that could begin with a victory in the women’s Money in the Bank match.
WWE have a mega babyface star in Bianca Belair as champion, so a new heel with a chip on her shoulder and a briefcase under her arm would be something The EST of WWE hasn’t yet faced in her championship reigns. It means Evans could continue to establish herself in feuds away from the title, and then when the time is right and she’s finally ready to claim championship gold, there’s a ready-made rivalry and match waiting for both stars.
Liv Morgan
There’s seems to be a lot of stock in Liv Morgan, who’s rarely misses TV time on Raw, but she’s yet to get her hands on that title. What’s she’s almost become by default is the women’s division’s underdog, who seems to be constantly thwarted in her attempts to claim championship gold in WWE. Her bid for the Women’s Tag Team Titles ended when her partner, Rhea Ripley turned on her after WrestleMania, and it’s the latest in a series of setbacks for a star that fans and peers alike believe is destined to be champion.
We saw at last year’s event that a underdog winner can be a popular choice, and Morgan already holds more weight with fans than Nikki A.S.H.’s short-lived run as Raw champion, and it would give her character a new edge that it’s possibly lacked in the past. Or to really spice the division up, would a Liv win see her cash-in on the night and really throw a blue-eyed spanner in the works for Raw’s female heavyweight stars.
Alexa Bliss
Back in the WWE fold and back looking almost like her old self. We’re not quite clear what version of Alexa we’ve now got on our hands, but there’s more ‘Goddess’ Bliss in the presentation than we’ve seen for a long time. What we definitely haven’t seen for a long time – too long in fact – is Miss Bliss in the mix for world championships.
Alexa was the first female star to win both Raw and SmackDown titles and it’s about time we saw her lifting some gold behind her head again, like only she can. She’s already tasted victory in a Money in the Bank match previously, cashing-in on the night to upset Ronda Rousey’s first run in WWE and another win, and longer run with the case would add another layer to somebody who’s all about character.
Rhea Ripley
Like her new stablemate Damian Priest, Ripley has somebody in her corner who knows all about winning a Money in the Bank match, with Edge the inaugural winner of the concept in 2005. Now as leader of The Judgement Day, what better way for the new faction to dominate Monday Night Raw than to have both their members hold the Money in the Bank briefcases. It would add element of real danger to the group and it’s something that hasn’t been done with the Money in the Bank concept previously – often a problem after over fifteen years of the annual match.
For Ripley too, it quickly gets her back in the world title picture, having been moved into a tag team gig pretty much ever since she dropped the Raw Women’s Championship to Charlotte Flair at last year’s MITB show. For too long Raw has lacked a formidable faction and what’s more formidable than a group led by a Hall of Famer who at any point can change the landscape of the brand by cashing-in a new world champ.