Michael Cole sees Money in the Bank as far more than another stop on WWE’s Premium Live Event calendar. In his view, the annual show has developed into an event that sits just below the company’s very biggest spectacles, carrying the same kind of consequence that can permanently redirect a Superstar’s path.
Speaking ahead of this year’s event, Cole placed Money in the Bank close to the level occupied by the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series. He stopped short of putting it alongside WrestleMania and SummerSlam, but his assessment made clear that he considers the ladder-match-centered event one of WWE’s most meaningful annual attractions.
“Money in the Bank, for us, is right up there. Almost at the same level as the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series,” Cole said. “Not quite WrestleMania or SummerSlam, but it’s getting there. It’s such an important part of our calendar because it’s an opportunity for a man and a woman to change their entire career and change their lives.”
That distinction captures the central appeal of Money in the Bank. The event is built around a prize that does not simply recognize a winner on the night. It gives that winner an opening to pursue a championship opportunity whenever they choose, making the result relevant long after the final ladder has been removed from the ring.
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Why the briefcase changes the stakes
The Money in the Bank concept has been a consistent part of WWE’s schedule since 2010. For most of that period, the event has featured two Money in the Bank ladder matches, creating one major opportunity for a male competitor and another for a female competitor. The format gives WWE a clear annual showcase for performers who are trying to take a decisive next step.
As Cole explained, the objective is straightforward, even if achieving it is anything but. Competitors must climb the ladder and retrieve a briefcase suspended above the ring. Inside is a contract that can be used for a title opportunity at any time. That flexibility is what separates the prize from an ordinary victory or a scheduled championship match.
“When you climb the ladder and grab the briefcase, a contract is inside that you can cash in for a title opportunity whenever you want it,” Cole said.
The result is a story device with immediate and long-term importance. Winning the match is a major accomplishment in itself, but it also introduces a continuing question around the eventual cash-in. A briefcase holder can become a looming presence around the championship picture, with the possibility of a title challenge remaining available until the moment they decide to use it.
That is why Cole’s comparison to the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series is significant. Those events are established fixtures on WWE’s calendar, and each carries its own identity and stakes. Money in the Bank has established a similarly recognizable premise: competitors risk everything in a high-stakes ladder match for a chance to alter their place in the company.
WrestleMania and SummerSlam remain the two events Cole identified as being above Money in the Bank. Still, describing Money in the Bank as “getting there” reflects the value WWE places on the show and on the outcomes produced by its signature matches. The event has a built-in capacity to generate a pivotal moment for more than one division on the roster.
A career-defining opportunity for two winners
Cole emphasized that the appeal of the event comes from its ability to change lives and careers. The male and female winners do not merely leave with a trophy or a symbolic achievement. They leave with an opportunity that can place them directly in the championship conversation.
For established names, the ladder match offers a route back toward the top of the card. For newer talent, it can represent a chance to establish themselves in a far more prominent role. The match therefore brings together multiple motivations under the same prize: veterans pursuing another major breakthrough and rising performers looking for the moment that confirms their arrival.
That combination is central to Cole’s anticipation for this year’s field. He pointed to the mix of experience levels among those involved, suggesting that the uncertainty surrounding the outcome is part of what makes the event compelling.
“And this year’s field is so great. There’s some veterans. There’s a lot of rookies. So it’s going to be amazing to see who has an opportunity to really change their life around,” Cole said.
The presence of both veterans and rookies gives the Money in the Bank matches a particularly broad range of possible consequences. A veteran winner could use the briefcase as a fresh route to the title scene, while a rookie winner could turn a single victory into a defining professional milestone. In either case, the winner gains an advantage that can shape the direction of their career well beyond the event itself.
It also makes the matches difficult to view as isolated attractions. Ladder matches demand attention because of the physical challenge involved in climbing to the briefcase, but the stakes extend beyond the contest. The audience is not only watching to find out who can survive the match. It is watching to discover who will hold the most valuable contract attached to it.
Money in the Bank’s place on the WWE calendar
WWE’s largest events serve different purposes, and Cole’s comments outline where he believes Money in the Bank belongs within that structure. WrestleMania and SummerSlam stand at the top of his hierarchy. Directly beneath that level, he placed Money in the Bank in the same conversation as the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series.
That is a notable description because it focuses on importance rather than simply tradition. Money in the Bank has been on WWE’s schedule since 2010, but Cole’s point is that the event’s format gives it a unique impact. Its winners can emerge from the night with a contract that places them one decision away from a championship opportunity.
There is also an element of timing inherent in the prize. Because the contract can be used whenever the holder wants, the event’s influence is not limited to a single date on the calendar. The ladder match produces a winner, but the story continues through the period in which that Superstar possesses the briefcase.
For WWE, that provides an annual event with consequences that can reach into future title pictures. For the competitors, it offers an unusually direct chance to transform their standing. Cole’s choice of words was deliberate: he did not simply describe the briefcase as a reward. He described it as something capable of changing an entire career and changing a life.
That framing helps explain why the Money in the Bank matches remain so important to those who enter them. The climb to the briefcase represents a chance to secure a title opportunity, but it also represents a chance to seize momentum. A participant can enter as one name in a crowded field and leave as the person holding the power to determine when a championship challenge will occur.
Anticipation builds around this year’s ladder matches
With this year’s Premium Live Event approaching, Cole’s comments place additional focus on the competitors selected for the men’s and women’s Money in the Bank matches. He did not predict a winner, nor did he identify a particular favorite. Instead, he highlighted the depth of the field and the contrast between veteran experience and rookie ambition.
That balance should ensure that the core question remains the same throughout the night: which competitor is positioned to make the most dramatic change to their career? Every participant will be pursuing the same briefcase, but the meaning of winning it can vary considerably from one Superstar to the next.
For some, victory would be validation after years of experience. For others, it could be the first major step toward a new level of visibility. Cole’s belief that Money in the Bank now sits close to the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series reflects the scale of that possibility.
The event may not yet be in the same bracket as WrestleMania or SummerSlam in Cole’s estimation, but he believes it is closing the distance. Its formula remains clear: two ladder matches, two contracts, and two opportunities to alter the championship landscape. The question entering this year’s show is which man and which woman will descend the ladders with those opportunities in hand.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.