With WWE Money in the Bank only days away in New Orleans, Louisiana, the company’s two ladder matches remain the event’s most consequential unanswered questions. The Money in the Bank briefcase has long represented an immediate route to championship contention, and current creative discussions have reportedly narrowed the focus around a small group of possible winners.
For the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, Penta and Bron Breakker are viewed as the primary creative favorites. On the women’s side, Roxanne Perez and Lash Legend are the two names most strongly positioned in internal discussions. While WWE can always change direction before the show, those four wrestlers currently stand out as the leading possibilities for the 2026 contracts.
The reported outlook is particularly notable in the men’s field because Penta had already been identified as a heavy favorite in prior discussions. That description placed him at the forefront of speculation well before the final days approaching the premium live event. Bron Breakker’s emergence alongside him gives WWE two distinctly different paths: Penta as a high-profile challenger who could bring the briefcase into a major title program, and Breakker as an explosive, physically dominant threat whose possession of the contract would immediately alter the landscape around any champion.
Penta and Bron Breakker lead the men’s discussion
At present, Penta and Breakker appear to be the clearest choices for the men’s match. The significance of that distinction should not be understated. Money in the Bank winners are not merely awarded a trophy or a headline moment; they receive a contractual championship opportunity that can define WWE television for months. Selecting either man would signal a major investment in his standing on SmackDown and in the broader title picture.
For more background on this topic, read Karl Fredericks Embraces PRODUCE SKODEN Pressure After Early Hesitation About Co-Curating Event.
Penta’s reported status as a heavy favorite has made him one of the most closely watched names heading into New Orleans. If he were to leave Money in the Bank with the contract, WWE would have an immediate, highly visible challenger who could be inserted into the Undisputed WWE Championship scene whenever creative deems the timing right. The contract would also give his character a persistent presence around the championship without requiring an immediate one-on-one title match.
Breakker, meanwhile, would bring a very different energy to the role. A Money in the Bank briefcase in his hands would create a straightforward danger for any champion: an athlete capable of making a sudden championship opportunity feel credible through sheer intensity and physical force. Whether WWE would use him for a patient pursuit or a rapid cash-in scenario remains unknown, but his name being grouped among the foremost candidates shows that he is firmly in the company’s plans for the match’s biggest potential prize.
There is, however, at least one other name that has been considered for the men’s briefcase. WWE United States Champion Trick Williams was previously discussed as a potential winner. It is unclear when those discussions took place, how close that possibility came to becoming a firm plan, or whether Williams remains under active consideration in the final lead-up to the event.
Williams’ inclusion in earlier conversations is important even if Penta and Breakker are now viewed as the leading options. As United States Champion, he already holds a prominent position, and a Money in the Bank win would add another layer to that presentation. At the same time, holding a championship and the contract simultaneously would raise obvious questions about WWE’s preferred direction for him. The available information does not establish that he is still among the top choices, only that he was looked at for the role at some stage.
Why CM Punk and Kevin Owens are not expected to win
Two major names who are not considered likely to capture the men’s contract are CM Punk and Kevin Owens. Their current situations appear to be tied directly to Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn and the ongoing SmackDown storyline surrounding the title.
The creative thinking is that Punk and Owens are already positioned as top-level opponents for Zayn. Because they are established challengers without needing a briefcase to justify their places in the championship picture, WWE has reason to keep the Money in the Bank win available for someone who would add a new dimension to the story. Giving the contract to either Punk or Owens could potentially consolidate too much of the title scene around competitors who already have clear claims to challenge the champion.
Instead, the men’s briefcase could be used to expand the number of viable threats around Zayn. That approach would preserve Punk and Owens as major championship programs while allowing another wrestler to enter the mix with an automatic title opportunity. It is a creative structure that keeps multiple routes open rather than committing the division to one rivalry immediately after Money in the Bank.
This does not mean Punk and Owens are being pushed away from the title picture. The opposite is true: their existing connection to Zayn is reportedly part of the reason they do not need the contract. Both remain important potential challengers, and WWE may see greater value in ensuring Zayn has a deep pool of opponents instead of having one briefcase holder dominate the focus.
A SmackDown-centered future for the men’s briefcase?
There is also belief that the winner of the men’s Money in the Bank match could become, or remain, a regular focal point on SmackDown. The reasoning is tied to Zayn’s championship reign and the desire to add further intrigue to the blue brand’s title programs.
Having the briefcase holder closely connected to SmackDown would give WWE a reliable storytelling device around the Undisputed WWE Championship. The winner could confront Zayn directly, loom during matches involving the champion, or simply remain an unpredictable factor whenever another challenger gets an opportunity. Even without a cash-in, the presence of the contract can alter the tone of a championship rivalry because every match and every physical confrontation carries an additional possibility.
For Penta or Breakker, a SmackDown-centered role would make particular sense under that reported approach. Either wrestler could be positioned as an additional obstacle for Zayn while Punk and Owens continue to exist as established opponents. The result would be a fuller championship picture in which no single challenger has complete control of the conversation.
Of course, the eventual winner’s brand positioning and cash-in strategy have not been confirmed. The key point is that WWE is believed to be considering the men’s briefcase as a way to strengthen the SmackDown title narrative, not simply as an isolated reward for a ladder-match victory.
Roxanne Perez and Lash Legend top the women’s list
The women’s Money in the Bank match has a more concise reported shortlist. Roxanne Perez and Lash Legend are the only two names identified as creative favorites, with no additional leading candidates specified.
Perez would represent one direction for WWE’s women’s division, while Legend would represent another. The important shared element is the opportunity the briefcase provides: the winner gains instant relevance in a championship scene and can control the timing of a title challenge. That flexibility often makes Money in the Bank as valuable to a developing rivalry as it is to an eventual cash-in.
With Perez and Legend standing alone as the reported favorites, the women’s ladder match enters its final stretch with a clear internal focus but no declared outcome. WWE has not publicly confirmed a winner, and plans can shift quickly in the days before a major event. Still, the current creative indications place both women ahead of the rest of the field.
Money in the Bank in New Orleans will therefore carry consequences beyond the two ladder matches themselves. The women’s winner could instantly reshape the championship hierarchy, while the men’s winner may be positioned to intensify Sami Zayn’s SmackDown title scene alongside existing threats CM Punk and Kevin Owens. Penta, Bron Breakker, Roxanne Perez and Lash Legend are the names to watch most closely as WWE approaches one of its most strategically important events of the year.
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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.