Since its inception way back in 2005, the Money in the Bank match has become one of the most popular and highly anticipated bouts in all of WWE. It typically features top talents, high spots, memorable moments, and a winner who might become a future WWE, Universal, or Women's Champion.
When looking at the history of the match, it's interesting to consider the best ones. Is the match better when it's a lengthy marathon? Or is it ideal when they pack a bunch of action into a shorter sprint? There are greats and disappointments on both sides of the spectrum.
10 Shortest: WrestleMania 24 (13:54)
Right off the bat, it's clear that shorter Money in the Bank matches can still be great. This iteration from WrestleMania XXIV remains one of the best. The concept was still fresh at this point, as this was only the fourth time it took place.
The combatants were Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho, United States Champion MVP, Carlito, Mr. Kennedy, Shelton Benjamin, John Morrison, and CM Punk. Jeff Hardy was rumored to win but a Wellness Program violation kept him off the show. Punk won an excellent match filled with huge spots and a ton of action, leading him to his first World Title.
9 Longest: Smackdown Money in the Bank 2011 (24:27)
Money in the Bank 2011 is widely considered to be the best pay-per-view WWE put on during the 2010s. It's one of the greatest in history, as well. It helped that the event started with a bang.
A World Heavyweight Title shot was on the line in the show's opener. Daniel Bryan overcame Cody Rhodes, Sin Cara, Sheamus, Kane, Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, and Heath Slater in a pretty great bout. Most people expected Barrett to win and regain momentum, so Bryan's victory came as a shock. It led to his first major push.
8 Shortest: Women's Money in the Bank 2019 (13:51)
Ever since the ladies of WWE have been given the opportunity to compete in Money in the Bank matches, they've found ways to steal the show. That was the case in 2019 when they kicked off the night with a high-octane outing.
The participants were Dana Brooke, Ember Moon, Mandy Rose, Bayley, Nikki Cross, Natalya, Carmella, and Naomi. This featured some great moments including Sonya Deville climbing the ladder with Mandy on her shoulders. In the end, Bayley pulled down the briefcase and then won the title later that night.
7 Longest: Smackdown Money in the Bank 2010 (26:18)
2010 marked the inaugural Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Similar to the following year, it was the stars of Smackdown who were in the opening contest. It made sense given the talent involved as they could start the show in a hot way.
Everyone involved was either a former top champion or became one later on. Kane got the win over Christian, Cody Rhodes, Matt Hardy, Big Show, Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, and Kofi Kingston. While the match was solid, it wasn't very memorable, though Kane cashing in later that night was notable.
6 Shortest: WrestleMania 26 (13:38)
In terms of sheer size, this was the largest Money in the Bank outing ever. As the years went on, it seemed like WWE was interested in adding more and more participants. That peaked in this 2010 installment, which featured a whopping ten Superstars.
This bout is telling of how loaded WWE's midcard was at the time. Christian, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Kane, MVP, Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, and Evan Bourne rounded out the field. With so many moving parts and so little time, the match felt rushed and nothing memorable happened. Even Swagger's win was forgettable.
5 Longest: Men's Money in the Bank 2020 (27:15)
The most unique installment happened this year. Instead of a traditional ladder match in a ring, this took place at WWE Headquarters. The men and women also competed at the same time in a wild cinematic race of sorts.
It's hard to fully judge this on its own since it was two bouts at once. Still, this was filled with wacky spots and plenty of fun. Surprisingly, Otis overcame Aleister Black, Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, King Corbin, and Daniel Bryan to win on the roof of the building. Asuka won the women's side of it several minutes earlier, which is why the men's side lasted longer.
4 Shortest: Women's Money in the Bank 2017 (13:16)
Regardless of how long this match lasted, it was historic. This marked the first time that the women took part in a Money in the Bank match. It was exclusive to the Smackdown brand, featuring Natalya, Charlotte Flair, Carmella, Tamina, and Becky Lynch.
The bout itself was strong but not one of the best in history. It was marred by controversy as James Ellsworth brought down the briefcase and dropped it into Carmella's hand for the win. That led to a much longer rematch being booked a few weeks later on Smackdown, which Carmella again won.
3 Longest: All-Stars Money in the Bank 2013 (28:31)
If you're going to call something an "All-Stars" match, then it needs to be packed with talent. WWE delivered on that promise with this 2013 main event. They more than lived up to the hype.
With a roster including CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Rob Van Dam, and Christian, there was no weak link. Everyone was a legitimate threat. The time given made it feel like the epic it needed to be. From the big spots to Paul Heyman turning on Punk to Orton sneaking out the win over the favored Daniel Bryan, this was tremendous.
2 Shortest: WrestleMania 22 (12:21)
The first Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 21 proved to be a huge success. The match itself was a phenomenal one and the victory by Edge propelled him to main event status. The follow-up in 2006 had a lot to live up to but it had roadblocks.
For starters, the cast of Bobby Lashley, Ric Flair, Finlay, Matt Hardy, Rob Van Dam, and Shelton Benjamin was a mixed bag as some guys weren't ideal for ladder matches. Also, it was only given 12 minutes, which wasn't a lot of time to fully develop. It was good but certainly not among the best in match history. At least Rob Van Dam was a good choice for a winner.
1 Longest: Men's Money in the Bank 2017 (29:50)
The longest Money in the Bank match clocked in at right around half an hour. Focusing on the Smackdown brand, this boasted a stellar blend of established top stars (AJ Styles, Kevin Owens), guys on the rise (Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura), and also Dolph Ziggler.
Many pegged Nakamura as the winner but he was almost immediately taken out by Corbin before the bell. That took some fans out of it but the remaining talents put on a heck of a show with huge spots. Nakamura returned and had an epic staredown with AJ Styles ahead of their disappointing feud the next year. Alas, Corbin pulled down the briefcase to win.