Worst WWE Money In The Bank Ladder Matches (2024)

The Money In The Bank ladder match has been a staple of WWE for nearly 20 years (which is sure to make some fans feel old). Over the course of the last two decades, WWE have hosted a huge 32 Money In The Bank ladder matches, which has seen 30 different individuals climb the ladder and win the briefcase (CM Punk and Carmella have each won two).

Despite the excitement, the spots, and the unpredictability, not every Money In The Bank ladder match has excelled. TheSportster’s rating system will determine which of these matches over the years were the weakest. These ratings will be compared to those from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Cagematch.Net.

10 Carmella Vs. Becky Lynch Vs. Tamina Vs. Natalya Vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE SmackDown 06/27/2017)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 6.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: N/A
• Cagematch.net Rating: 6.41

This was the rematch of a bout we will get to later down this list, and whilst it was better than the initial match, it wasn’t anything special. The spots were decent and the wrestlers looked focused to put to bed any doubts from the previous encounter. However, whether it be the constraints of TV or the production of the match, it did lack some pace and the result was incredibly predictable with Carmella winning for a second time.

9 John Cena Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. The Miz Vs. Big Show Vs. Kane (WWE Money In The Bank 2012)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 6.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 3.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 6.29

The concept of having only former world champions in a match which was supposed to be used to create new stars was the beginning of the slow downfall for this gimmick. This was not a bad match, but it did lack some pace given the style of wrestlers involved, with no one in position to steal the show or to have some memorable spots. There was nothing bad here, but it didn’t step into another gear. It felt like the safest Money In The Bank ladder match ever.

8 Sheamus Vs. Dolph Ziggler Vs. Roman Reigns Vs. Neville Vs. Kane Vs. Kofi Kingston Vs. Randy Orton (WWE Money In The Bank 2015)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 6.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 3.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 6.39

This match was fine - it had some decent moments and star power, but overall it was just pretty basic and bland compared to most Money In The Bank ladder matches. The really puzzling part of this match was the use of Neville, who didn’t really get the chance to do anything to excel and stand out, which made his inclusion pointless. The rest of the competitors just hit their basic moves, some ladders were involved, and Sheamus became one of the weaker winners.

7 Bayley Vs. Nikki Cross Vs. Ember Moon Vs. Dana Brooke Vs. Carmella Vs. Mandy Rose Vs. Natalya Vs. Naomi (WWE Money In The Bank 2019)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 6/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 3.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 6.48

Ember Moon’s Eclipse was a breathtaking moment, but that alone was not enough to elevate this match to the next level. The overall execution was fine, but like many others mentioned here, it fell into the category of being too bland, convoluted, and basic, with no structure of thread to carry it along from a storytelling perspective. It was nice seeing Bayley win, but it should have gone to someone else less established.

6 Men’s & Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Matches (WWE Money In The Bank 2020)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 5.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: N/A
• Cagematch.net Rating: 5.92 (Women’s) 6.51 (Men’s)

Although these are technically “two” different matches, they took place simultaneously so it feels fair to rate them at the same time. In the bizarre world of the pandemic, seeing the all-star cast of Lacey Evans, Daniel Bryan, Asuka, Rey Mysterio, Shayna Baszler, AJ Styles, Dana Brooke, Baron Corbin, Carmella, Aleister Black, Nia Jax, and Otis fight their way up Titan Towers to retrieve the briefcase on the roof of the massive building was a nice change of pace and a lot of fun. When rewatching, it is cringey, weird, unhinged, and a mess. WWE did the best with what they could at the time, but there are many faults. The lack of a crowd was combated with this unique environment, so that is taken into account.

5 Alberto Del Rio Vs. Rey Mysterio Vs. The Miz Vs. Evan Bourne Vs. R-Truth Vs. Jack Swagger Vs. Alex Riley Vs. Kofi Kingston (WWE Money In The Bank 2011)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 5.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 3.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 7.50

On the back of one of the better Money In The Bank ladder matches earlier on in the night, this match was ultimately a big disappointment. It felt like there was no structure to this match whatsoever, with spots just happening for the sake of it, convoluted moments, and a messy execution. It didn’t help that the winner was forecasted before the bell even rang too, which affected some of the tension. This match lacked logic, everything was convoluted, and despite it being a “spotfest”, there were no memorable spots.

4 Liv Morgan Vs. Shotzi Vs. Alexa Bliss Vs. Lacey Evans Vs. Asuka Vs. Vs. Becky Lynch Vs. Raquel Rodriguez (WWE Money In The Bank 2022)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 5.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 3.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 5.64

With these sorts of multi-person matches, one botch can derail the whole thing, and that is what happened here. One sloppy moment led to another, and another, and so on, leading to a match which failed to really settle and find its feet. The more seasoned veterans in this match managed to steady the ship at times, but it was a difficult job to truly make it a match which had smooth sailing. There were some fun moments, and the final stretch involving Liv Morgan and Becky Lynch was good.

3 Jack Swagger Vs. Kofi Kingston Vs. Evan Bourne Vs. Matt Hardy Vs. Christian Vs. Drew McIntyre Vs. Dolph Ziggler Vs. Kane Vs. MVP Vs. Shelton Benjamin (WWE WrestleMania 26)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 5.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 3.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 6.50

Too many cooks spoil the broth, and too many wrestlers spoil the ladder match. The final Money In The Bank match at WrestleMania was one to forget, as it was very messy and lacked any form of real storytelling due to the sheer number of wrestlers involved. This fell apart due to the time constraints too, so all those in the match had to rush through their spots. Sure, some of the spots were great such as Kofi Kingston’s stilts spot and Evan Bourne’s Shooting Star Press, but there was no time for these moments to breathe. Swagger was an awful choice of winner too.

2 Carmella Vs. Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte Flair Vs. Natalya Vs. Tamina (WWE Money In The Bank 2017)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 5.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 3 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 4.44

The first ever women’s Money In The Bank ladder match in WWE history at the 2017 show should have been historic, memorable, and star-making. It ended up being a major dud and one of the more controversial matches of the whole year. The finish of James Ellsworth winning the match for Carmella was horrendous, and it led to the storytelling in the finish taking a deep plummet. The match itself wasn’t too bad, albeit basic, but the crowd were rooting for Lynch a great deal, which provided a decent thread.

1 Nikki ASH vs. Alexa Bliss Vs. Asuka Vs. Zelina Vega Vs. Liv Morgan Vs. Naomi Vs. Natalya Vs. Tamina (WWE Money In The Bank 2021)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 5/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 2 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 3.80

Arguably the very worst Money In The Bank ladder match in WWE history came at the 2021 PPV event. Despite some strong competitors involved, there were too many in the match leading to some incoordination and sloppiness. The spots felt convoluted, the set-ups were too contrived, and it wasn’t anything fans haven’t seen before. The involvement of Alexa Bliss’ magical shenanigans took fans out of the match. The fact that this was WWE’s return to live crowds did mean the audience were invested to a certain degree, even with the lessened quality. Nikki ASH was also the wrong choice of winner in hindsight.