This year’s second-ever women’s Money in the Bank match has a lot of intrigue going in due to the unpredictability of the match. In comparison with the men’s match, the women’s contest is perhaps even more of a wild card.
With all of the big names in this year’s match, a solid argument could be made for nearly all of them to walk away with the briefcase. However, when it comes down to it, there’s one name who ranks just above the rest of the pack: Little Miss Bliss herself, Alexa Bliss.
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Examining the history of the Money in the Bank gimmick forces us to look at the men’s side almost exclusively, with Carmella being the only former women’s holder of the contract. Among the women in this year’s bout, Bliss is perhaps the most natural fit when it comes to looking at the common characteristics of the past and most successful Money in the Bank champions.
Fire and foremost, carrying around the Money in the Bank briefcase is a heel gimmick. It’s heels who have proved to be most successful (and entertaining) while carrying the briefcase. In fact, most of the winners have been heels over the years, probably due to the fact that cashing-in the briefcase and winning a world title after the champion has already fought a long and excruciating contest is a cheap move consistent with the characteristics of a heel persona.
So when one considers this fact, there’s nobody better than Bliss to be 2018’s Ms. Money in the Bank. She’s arguably the best all around female heel performer in the company and would thrive as the Money in the Bank contract holder.
There’s also the issue of giving Bliss something important to do while she’s on the outside of the RAW title picture looking in. With Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax feuding over the belt currently (and with Rousey looking to be a focal point in that title picture moving forward), Bliss needs something to do that keeps her in the spotlight while no longer serving as champion.
Winning the Money in the Bank match would keep her front and center in the women’s division, even without the title belt. In spite of who carries the championship on RAW, Bliss would consistently be lurking in the background of that title picture.
There’s also the believability factor in Bliss winning the title back from two performers who are giants in the women’s division, in stature and in fighting capacity. Whether it is Rousey or Jax that comes out of their feud as the RAW women’s champion, it’s going to be hard for fans to consider Bliss a legitimate threat given the aforementioned size disparity against Jax and the fact that almost nobody in WWE‘s women’s division seems to pose a threat to Rousey, an accomplished real-life fighter. But using an impromptu cash-in when Rousey or Jax is weakened after a match is a believable way for Bliss to regain the title one day.
The decision makers at WWE are clearly big fans of Bliss, as they should be. It’s hard to imagine they don’t continue to push her as one of the major pieces of the women’s division. For that reason, Alexa Bliss will very likely emerge from Money in the Bank with briefcase in hand.
