On Smackdown, Samoa Joe defeated Daniel Bryan and Big Cass to become the last participant in the Money in the Bank ladder match. On June 17, eight men will all vie for the eponymous contract. Braun Strowman, Bobby Roode, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Rusev, The Miz, Samoa Joe, and one of the New Day will all go through hell. After it all, though, only one man will emerge victorious. Only one man will have the money.

While you can never say never (especially in WWE), these four dudes simply don’t stand a chance of winning the Money in the Bank contract. They might, but they probably won’t.

Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens, as you may or may not remember, is a former Universal Champion himself. Sure, his reign sucked more than a hyperventilating Charybdis, but Owens is one of only four men to hold the Big Red Belt. He may reclaim it eventually, but it won’t be because he wins the Money in the Bank contract.

It’s hard to pinpoint when exactly Owens was no longer the Prizefighter. Nowadays he’s a sniveling little suck up sellout full of sufferin’ succotash (son!). Perhaps it was during his abysmal Universal title reign. Perhaps it was a bit before that. Point is, Owens is not as dangerous as he used to be.

There are occasional glimpses of the violent and vicious Owens (such as headbutting an old man and then powerbombing Shane McMahon onto a ladder), but those are few and far between. It’s crazy to say, but perhaps Owens simply isn’t ready for another title run.

bobby roode

If Kevin Owens doesn’t stand a chance of winning the Money in the Bank contract, then Bobby Roode isn’t winning either. I’m probably in the minority here, but I liked Roode’s work on Smackdown. His feud with Ziggler wasn’t terrible (the 2 out of 3 falls match they had was quite good), and he had arguably the most decent United States Championship reign of 2018.

Since moving to Raw, though, Robert Bobbert Roode has been losing to the likes of Kevin Owens and Elias. With no distinguishable character other than “my word of the day is ‘glorious'”, it’s almost amazing that Roode is even in the match.

I’m not hating on the guy. I know he can do so much more than what he’s been given. But as it is right now, do you see Bobby Roode winning the Money in the Bank contract and successfully defeating Brock Lesnar? I didn’t think so.

finn balor

WWE has been dicking Finn Balor around for nearly two years now, and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon. Balor still won’t stop talking about how he “never lost his title”, but if he doesn’t get another shot anytime soon, he might as well just forget about it and just let it go.

I don’t see Balor winning the Money in the Bank ladder match due to WWE’s strange refusal to do anything meaningful with him. Was he the Iron Man in the Royal Rumble match? Have him lose to John Cena. Did he have a great match at TLC and defeat AJ Styles? Have Kane beat him up. Anytime it seems Balor is gaining momentum, he loses it.

At this point, I’m convinced we’re never going to see Finn Balor v. Brock Lesnar. If Finn ever wins back his Universal Championship, he’ll take it from some shmuck who’s not named Brock Lesnar.

rusev

As much as it pains me to admit it, I just don’t see Rusev winning the Money in the Bank ladder match. I would like him to win. I really would. If he was given a shot, I think he could do great. He’s undeniably charismatic, and he’s good in the ring. Imagine him as WWE Champion. That would be cool.

Unfortunately, WWE seems unwilling to get behind Rusev. Despite being one of the most over performers on Smackdown, Rusev’s not been doing a lot. It’s great that he’s in the Money in the Bank match. However, that’s the most noteworthy thing he’s done these last few months. Despite strong showings against some of Smackdown’s top stars, Rusev’s yet to truly make a mark.

Perhaps that all changes at Money in the Bank. It probably won’t, but it might. But right now, it’s wishful thinking to imagine Rusev winning the contract.