Every year, when Money in the Bank rolls along, I end up pondering so many “what if” scenarios with just the number of briefcases and the stipulations on who can challenge who, that inevitably, one of those that comes to my mind is always what would happen if NXT got into the mix.
Keep in mind that this is not only not happening this year, but it’s unlikely to ever happen, particularly with the recent arrival of the North American Championship functioning as a secondary prize on the brand.
Instead, this is just a fun little exercise in taking a theoretical concept and trying to apply it to the current roster, without factoring in things like the plans for TakeOver: Chicago getting in the way.
As such, I present to you my breakdown of how I personally think this would play out, and I invite you to do the same in the comments below!
Let’s get started with the men’s division.
Technically speaking, even if we don’t count the live event crew and potential outsiders, there are over 30 men on the NXT roster that could be picked from.
However, it makes no sense to have Aleister Black in the match while he holds the NXT Championship, nor The Undisputed Era or Pete Dunne as they have titles, too. Also, you’d have to assume certain people just wouldn’t make the cut no matter what, as they aren’t priorities, and others would be left out of the mix because they’re part of a tag team unit and it would seem weird for only one of them to qualify—even though that seems to be the case this year with The Bar or The New Day.
When factoring all this in, I think we can narrow it down to just a handful of participants who make the most sense, while also limiting myself to the number of 8 competitors like what this year’s lineup seems to be:
With that being the field of competitors in the match, which one of them would more than likely walk out with the briefcase?
Immediately, I’d say we could rule out Kassius Ohno. He’s never a priority and it’s doubtful he ever will be.
For the reasoning of being too fresh on the roster and not getting as big of a push as some of the other talent, I’d eliminate Cezar Bononi and Kona Reeves from the running, too. Maybe next year.
Lars Sullivan—if he were even in the match—doesn’t strike me as the type of guy to walk around carrying a briefcase under any circumstances, even if they’re trying to give him this “educated freak” gimmick.
For the most part, I would think Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano would get in each other’s ways, which would help explain why neither of them would win the match. They would be so focused on each other that they’d take themselves out of the equation, as their blood feud would distract them too much.
That leaves EC3, Ricochet and The Velveteen Dream, and since Aleister Black is a babyface champion (assuming he wouldn’t just drop it to someone like Sullivan), I think that mostly rules out Ricochet, too, leaving us with EC3 and The Velveteen Dream.
Between those two, I’d lean more towards EC3 getting the briefcase, if not just for how his gimmick plays into it so well. He is exactly the type of person who could carry that briefcase around and not look foolish, while talking about how he’s in the top 1% and with Money in the Bank, he’s proven that.
Also, being a heel, he would be supremely positioned to cash in on a beaten down Black to steal the NXT Championship. Whether that would come about when Black would face Sullivan, or, if that were too soon, WWE could always book some kind of Triple Threat match between Black, Gargano and Ciampa at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV where the deed could be done, as that would be a No Disqualification bout that lends itself to the use of weapons and being totally spent by the end of it. After retaining the title and going through hell, being cashed in on is the worst thing to happen to a babyface champion, but the best thing to happen to someone like Mr. Money in the Bank, EC3.
Those are my thoughts on the issue, but how would you imagine WWE would do this if it were to happen? Tell us your fantasy booking scenario in the comments section below!