The Money in the Bank pay-per-view is the one event each year where history is sure to be made. With guaranteed title opportunities at stake, young stars tend to break out and make names for themselves in the annual Ladder matches. After all, securing that briefcase all but ensures a Superstar a run with the top prize in the industry.
This year, however, there is the added bonus of a WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder match, necessitated by the injury to Daniel Bryan. Eight men will compete for the right to leave Boston with the gold in their possession. For three of them, it would be their first chance to hold the most prestigious championship in WWE. For one of them, it would be one step closer to immortality.
With four championships at stake, as well as a future title shot, Money in the Bank will feature a number of bouts with historical implications. Which of those have the biggest?
Take a look.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match
Sunday night will see the WWE World Heavyweight Championship put up for grabs in a Ladder match for the first time ever.
Back in December 2013, the WWE and World Heavyweight titles were unified in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match between Randy Orton and John Cena, but never before have the top two belts in professional wrestling been strung up 15 feet above the ring for one man to retrieve in a traditional Ladder match.
For Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt and Cesaro, the match could be their crowning moment. Not one of those three men has ever worn the WWE World Heavyweight Championships, nor have they been as close to doing so as they will be Sunday night.
Reigns looks to have all of the momentum heading into the show but one should never underestimate the cerebral nature of someone like Wyatt or the unadulterated strength of the "Swiss Superman" Cesaro. A win for one of those three competitors would position them as leaders of the next generation of WWE Superstars.
A championship victory for John Cena would put him one step closer to Ric Flair's legendary 16 title reigns. The win would put Cena at 15, and with plenty of time left in his career, it appears inevitable that he would eventually break the mark. That may not be popular or smart, but it looks like something WWE is determined to have Cena do, as if breaking Flair's record will somehow legitimize what is already a Hall of Fame, all-time great career.
United States champion Sheamus could make history Sunday by becoming the first Superstar in WWE history to hold both the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the U.S. title at the same time. The closest anyone has come to accomplishing that feat was Booker T, who held the WCW and U.S. titles simultaneously back in 2001.
And then there is the potential that Money in the Bank could be cashed in on whoever escapes the main event with the gold. Just because one of the eight men involved in the title bout wins the contest does not mean they will exit Boston's TD Garden with gold.
Money in the Bank Contract Match
The central conflict of Sunday's traditional Money in the Bank match is the feud between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins.
The former Shield members have received the most television time of the competitors in the match and are in positions significantly higher on the card than anyone else in the bout. A win for either would put them in position to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in their careers.
Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger or Rob Van Dam could become only the second Superstar after CM Punk to win two Money in the Bank matches. All three of those men successfully cashed in their previous title opportunities to become WWE or World Heavyweight champion.
Neither Kofi Kingston nor Bad News Barrett have won a Money in the Bank match despite competing in several of them. Winning the briefcase would instantly elevate them. For Kingston, it would take him to heights in his career he has never seen.
Speaking of Kingston, a breathtaking spot is almost guaranteed. A great one would cement his legacy as the most dynamic Ladder match performer ever.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Luke Harper and Erick Rowan are a team that many expected to win WWE Tag Team Championship gold sometime shortly after their debut last July. That did not happen as they seemed happy enough to serve leader Bray Wyatt on a weekly basis, all the while beating up teams such as the Rhodes Brothers for fun. Only recently have they begun targeting the gold, currently held by twin brothers Jimmy and Jey Uso.
Sunday night, Harper and Rowan's rise through the ranks of World Wrestling Entertainment could culminate with a championship victory. If that happens, it could be the start of a dominant reign or, perhaps, even a dynasty.
As the top heel team in sports-entertainment, they could easily reign atop the division for months, even a year, before another team knocks them off. With that said, the Usos are incredibly over and have shown that they can mix it up with top talent when given the chance.
At the very least, a title victory for Harper and Rowan would intensify a rivalry with the Usos that, if handled correctly, could ignite a new era of tag team wrestling in WWE.
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