At Money in the Bank, six of SmackDown LIVE's best competitors will battle it out in the 2017 Money in the Bank Ladder Match with the goal of climbing the dreaded rungs and claiming a prized briefcase. With the contract inside that case, the victorious Superstar will guarantee himself a WWE Championship opportunity any time they wish in the subsequent year.
SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon named the six participants on the May 23 edition of the blue brand: United States Champion Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and Shinsuke Nakamura.
No stranger to Money in the Bank, or Ladder Matches in general for that matter, the veteran Ziggler will perhaps walk into the June 18 pay-per-view with a distinct advantage. After all, he did ascend to the top of the ladder back in 2012 to capture the coveted briefcase.
Among the numerous wars Owens and Zayn have been involved in over the years, the former friends turned longstanding adversaries have also competed in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, fighting for the WWE World Heavyweight Title contract in 2016. Add to that experience the unending supply of unbridled skill and tough-as-nails nature that both brawlers possess, and you quickly realize that either one of them could be destined to take possession of the WWE Title contract sooner or later.
While Corbin, Styles and Nakamura have never competed in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match, all three should bring a considerable amount of excitement to such a chaotic environment.
Corbin is such a brutal force of nature that WWE's top brass may have traveled into the future and gotten a look at The Lone Wolf back when they were designing this type of match. To say that the cunning Superstar will not only survive, but excel amidst such chaos is an understatement. Without question, The Lone Wolf thrives in matches built on anarchy and will surely be a dangerous foe that his opponents cannot afford to take lightly.
Arguably one of the greatest competitor in WWE today, Styles has demonstrated his ability time and time again, adapting to any style or match put in front of him. Translation, he will no doubt feel right at home at Money in the Bank. This will be true whether he is utilizing one of the many ladders placed around the ring to compete on several levels or using one of them as a painful weapon of destruction.
Just the thought of what Nakamura could bring to Money in the Bank is simply astonishing. Picture WWE's Rockstar executing his precision Strong Style strikes while wielding a ladder at his adversaries at lightning speed. Can you imagine him incorporating dangerous rungs into one of his many submission maneuvers and weakening his opponents so badly that they are unable to climb anything at all? For certain, The Artist Known at Shinsuke Nakamura is ready to make the Money in the Bank Ladder Match his canvas.
See also[]
| Money in the Bank 2017 previews |
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The Hype Bros v The Colóns • Jinder Mahal v Randy Orton • WWE Championship match contract • The Usos v The New Day • SmackDown Women's Championship match contract • Naomi vs. Lana • |