The greatest Money in the Bank cash-ins have done more than crown new champions. They have stolen celebrations, settled grudges, and turned WWE’s biggest matches upside down.
- 10. Dolph Ziggler – Raw After WrestleMania 29 (April 8, 2013)
- 9. Tiffany Stratton – SmackDown (January 3, 2025)
- 8. Big E – Raw (September 13, 2021)
- 7. The Miz – Raw (November 22, 2010)
- 6. Alexa Bliss – Money in the Bank 2018 (June 17, 2018)
- 5. Dean Ambrose – Money in the Bank 2016 (June 19, 2016)
- 4. CM Punk – Extreme Rules 2009 (June 7, 2009)
- 3. Edge – New Year’s Revolution 2006 (January 8, 2006)
- 2. Naomi – Evolution II (July 13, 2025)
- 1. Seth Rollins – WrestleMania 31 (March 29, 2015)
Since its introduction at WrestleMania 21 in 2005, the briefcase has given rising stars and established names a championship opportunity to use when the moment is right. But winning it is only half the story. Choosing when to cash in can define a career.
From unexpected betrayals to long-awaited breakthroughs, these 10 cash-ins stand out for their surprise, emotional payoff, and impact on WWE’s biggest storylines.
10. Dolph Ziggler – Raw After WrestleMania 29 (April 8, 2013)
Dolph Ziggler’s Money in the Bank cash-in had been a long time coming. ‘The Showoff’ won the 2012 Money in the Bank ladder match to secure the contract, then spent the next nine months teasing, attempting, and surviving with the briefcase.
By the time April 8, 2013 rolled around, Ziggler had become one of the most anticipated potential cash-ins in WWE history. On the Raw after WrestleMania 29, Alberto Del Rio had already been beaten down and vulnerable from his World Heavyweight Championship bout with Jack Swagger – then Ziggler’s music hit.
Flanked by AJ Lee and Big E, ‘The Showoff’ sprinted to the ring, handed over the briefcase, and made the most of the opportunity at hand. The moment was iconic because it released nine months’ worth of anticipation, culminating in Ziggler becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion.
It was the moment Ziggler went from perennial almost-man to a legitimate WWE main eventer.
9. Tiffany Stratton – SmackDown (January 3, 2025)
Tiffany Stratton‘s cash-in is one of the cleverest examples of WWE manipulating an audience’s expectations. She had won the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match in 2024, defeating Naomi, IYO SKY, Chelsea Green, Lyra Valkyria, and Zoey Stark.
She held the briefcase for six months before finally exploiting an opportunity on the January 3, 2025 episode of SmackDown. Except she didn’t cash in immediately.
Nia Jax was defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Naomi when Stratton appeared with a referee, seemingly ready to cash in on her frenemy. Instead, she attacked the official and used the briefcase to help Jax defeat Naomi.
For a moment, it appeared that Stratton had chosen Jax over herself – then that changed. Stratton attacked Candace LeRae, Jax, Bianca Belair, and officially cashed in. All that was left was to hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever and pin Jax to become the new WWE Women’s Champion.
It was a double swerve of note. First, Stratton made everyone think she was cashing in. Then she made everyone think she wasn’t. Then she cashed in for real. This was the beginning of the ‘Tiffy Time’ era, and it established Stratton as a major WWE star.
8. Big E – Raw (September 13, 2021)
Some Money in the Bank cash-ins are about shocking the audience. Others are about making the audience incredibly happy. Big E’s cash-in belongs firmly in the latter category.
At Money in the Bank 2021, Big E defeated Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Matt Riddle, Ricochet, John Morrison, and Shinsuke Nakamura to win the Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match. Almost two months later, Big E finally pulled the trigger.
On the September 13 edition of Raw, WWE Champion Bobby Lashley had just defeated Randy Orton when Big E appeared with the briefcase. Lashley did try to protect his title with a spear, but Big E, being the fresher one of the two, overpowered him and hit the Big Ending to become WWE Champion for the first time.
Big E’s New Day teammates Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods joined him in celebration, creating an incredibly emotional moment. What makes this cash-in special isn’t simply that Big E won the WWE Championship – it was the payoff.
After years of being one of the most beloved and entertaining performers in the WWE, Big E finally got his moment at the top of the mountain.
7. The Miz – Raw (November 22, 2010)
The Miz’s 2010 cash-in is one of the best examples of Money in the Bank doing exactly what it was designed to do. That is turning an unlikely contender into a world champion.
The Miz won the Raw Money in the Bank ladder match in 2010, defeating Randy Orton, R-Truth, Ted DiBiase, John Morrison, Chris Jericho, Evan Bourne, and Edge. Four months later, on the November 22 episode of Raw, The Miz finally found his opening.
Randy Orton had just survived a WWE Championship defense against Wade Barrett after The Nexus had attacked him. Then The Miz came out with Alex Riley in tow. The Miz demanded that the referee start the match, despite Orton nursing a knee injury.
The Viper fought back, came within inches of hitting the RKO, and seriously made The Miz work for every second of his championship opportunity. Ultimately, The Miz countered the RKO attempt to hit the Skull-Crushing Finale and become WWE Champion for the first time in his career.
The moment was even immortalised by the reaction of one young fan in the crowd – the now-iconic “Miz Girl”. But the real reason this cash-in remains so good is that The Miz didn’t simply find an unconscious champion and pin him. Instead, he exploited an opening, challenged a vulnerable champion, and survived the fight to claim the gold.
The Superstar that many fans had spent years dismissing had just become WWE Champion – and he did it with the Money in the Bank briefcase.
6. Alexa Bliss – Money in the Bank 2018 (June 17, 2018)
Alexa Bliss barely let the “Ms. Money in the Bank” title settle before she became champion. She won the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match in 2018, defeating Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Ember Moon, Naomi, Natalya, and Lana.
Later that same night, Nia Jax was defending the Raw Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey when Bliss attacked Rousey with the briefcase, causing the match to end via disqualification. But Bliss was not finished.
She attacked Rousey again, then turned her attention to Jax, using the briefcase to brutalise the champion’s arm. This wasn’t an early warning from Bliss – this was the cash-in.
Bliss inflicted her offense, then pinned Jax to become the new Raw Women’s Champion. The brilliance of the moment is that Bliss didn’t simply cash in the contract. She weaponised it.
It was the perfect expression of Alexa Bliss‘ character at the time: crafty, opportunistic, and completely willing to exploit the rules. And she did all of that less than two hours after winning the briefcase. Talk about wasting no time.
5. Dean Ambrose – Money in the Bank 2016 (June 19, 2016)
If there has ever been a Money in the Bank cash-in that felt like yet another piece of an intriguing puzzle falling into place, it was Dean Ambrose’s. ‘The Lunatic Fringe’ won the ladder match and contract at Money in the Bank 2016, defeating Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Kevin Owens, Alberto Del Rio, and Chris Jericho.
Later that same night, Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Rollins had barely begun celebrating defeating one Shield brother when Ambrose (his other Shield brother) decided to pounce.
Ambrose attacked Rollins from behind with the briefcase, cashed in immediately, and hit Dirty Deeds to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. And that was the beauty of the moment.
For years, WWE had been telling the story of three former Shield brothers who had gone their separate ways after dominating the promotion together once upon a time. Now, in the space of a few minutes, all three members of The Shield had held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the same night.
This added a dramatic chapter to one of WWE’s most compelling modern stories.
4. CM Punk – Extreme Rules 2009 (June 7, 2009)
CM Punk‘s 2009 cash-in is what happens when Money in the Bank doesn’t just steal a championship, but also steals a celebration.
Punk won the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 25, becoming the first Superstar to win the contract twice. Two months later, at Extreme Rules, Jeff Hardy finally defeated Edge in a brutal ladder match to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
Hardy had spent months chasing the championship and had just survived one of the most physically demanding matches imaginable. But just as the crowd celebrated with him, Punk stole the moment. Punk cashed in and defeated Hardy to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.
What makes the moment so memorable is the emotional whiplash of it all. One second, the audience is celebrating Jeff Hardy reaching the mountaintop in astounding fashion. The next, the celebration is ripped away.
Punk didn’t simply win the title. He became the villain standing between Jeff Hardy and the moment the audience desperately wanted him to have.
Few cash-ins have ever made the audience feel quite so robbed.
3. Edge – New Year’s Revolution 2006 (January 8, 2006)
Edge made history by winning the very first Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21 in 2005. He then waited 280 days before finally cashing in the contract, and that moment came at New Year’s Revolution in 2006.
John Cena had just survived the Elimination Chamber and successfully retained the WWE Championship. He was exhausted, battered, and then Vince McMahon came out and announced that Edge would be cashing in his contract right then and there.
Cena barely had time to comprehend what was happening before Edge hit him with two Spears and pinned him in under two minutes to become WWE Champion. But the significance of this moment cannot be overstated.
There was no established blueprint for what a Money in the Bank cash-in was supposed to look like. Edge showed everyone exactly what it could be and how much power the briefcase could give its holder.
Most importantly, Edge defined “The Ultimate Opportunist”. Every cash-in that followed existed in the shadow of what Edge did that night. He didn’t just execute the first great Money in the Bank cash-in. He established the DNA of the concept itself.
2. Naomi – Evolution II (July 13, 2025)
Naomi’s 2025 cash-in might be the greatest example of WWE making the audience forget someone exists before bringing them back at precisely the right moment.
She had won the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match in 2025, defeating Rhea Ripley, Roxanne Perez, Alexa Bliss, Giulia, and Stephanie Vaquer. But her cash-in came more than a month later at Evolution II, and it was under circumstances that made it almost impossible to predict.
At Evolution II, Naomi had already competed earlier in the night against Jade Cargill in a brutal No Holds Barred match. Cargill defeated her after an ugly, weapons-heavy clash. By the time IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley were battling for the Women’s World Championship in the main event, Naomi was nowhere near the audience’s immediate equation – and that’s exactly what made it work.
The championship match was already unfolding and had the live crowd watching with bated breath when Naomi suddenly appeared. She cashed in mid-match. What had been a one-on-one championship bout between SKY and Ripley became a triple threat.
She then capitalized on the chaos and confusion to defeat both SKY and Ripley and become the new Women’s World Champion.
Naomi used the briefcase to hijack the main event after her earlier loss appeared to have ended her night. She left Evolution II as Women’s World Champion, turning a night of defeat into one of her career’s biggest victories.
1. Seth Rollins – WrestleMania 31 (March 29, 2015)
Seth Rollins’ WrestleMania 31 cash-in takes the top spot for turning WWE’s biggest main event into an unforgettable heist.
He won the Money in the Bank ladder match in 2014, defeating Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, and Rob Van Dam. He then waited nine months for the perfect opportunity – and that came at WrestleMania 31.
Brock Lesnar was defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns in the main event. For much of the match, it looked like the story that WWE had been building toward was finally going to reach its conclusion. Then Rollins’ music hit.
Rollins didn’t wait for the match to end. He didn’t wait for Lesnar to retain or Reigns to claim the gold. He sprinted to the ring in the middle of the WrestleMania main event.
Rollins’ cash-in transformed Lesnar vs. Reigns into a triple threat match. He effectively hijacked WrestleMania’s main event, caused chaos, and became the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
What puts this cash-in at the top of the list is its timing. Rollins turned the biggest match of the year into his own championship opportunity before either man could finish it.
For 10 years, Money in the Bank had established a formula. Win the briefcase, wait for the champion to become vulnerable, and cash in. Rollins threw the formula out of the window at WrestleMania 31.
The moment also perfectly suited Rollins’ character. He was not the hero of WrestleMania, or even supposed to be the chosen one. He was just the man willing to wait and steal the spotlight for himself when the moment was right.
It was the greatest heist in wrestling history. A complete rewriting of the main event in real time. And it produced one of the most audacious and unforgettable moments in WrestleMania history.
The Money in the Bank briefcase was designed to give its holder an opportunity. Seth Rollins used his to take an opportunity away from everyone else.
