Unlike the women’s Money In The Bank, the men’s side is a bit more cut and dry. The women’s division has a plethora of women that make sense to win the contract. When it comes to the men’s division there are only a couple of superstars that make compelling cases why they should win the briefcase at this year’s MITB PLE.
The first superstar to qualify for Money In The Bank was Jey Uso. Uso has been the face of the PLE and is the superstar of choice on the official PLE poster. Outside of Cody Rhodes, Uso is the next top babyface in all of WWE and is likely a heavily favorite to win the briefcase, but there is one superstar that also deserves it — Carmelo Hayes.
As a former NXT Champion, two-time NXT North American Champion, and Cruiserweight Champion, Hayes has accomplished a great deal during his three-year tenure in NXT. A couple of months ago, Hayes became a first-round draft pick to Friday Night Smackdown.
On the surface, Hayes has made quite a bit of enemies in his short time on Smackdown, but he has also impressed them and fans that didn’t get to watch him grow in NXT. He has already had three incredible matches since moving to the main roster. Hayes lost his first match on Smackdown to the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Rhodes, fell to Randy Orton in the King of The Ring Tournament, and most recently won a triple threat against Orton, and Tama Tonga to qualify for the Money In The Bank ladder match next weekend.
Pinning a future WWE Hall of Famer in Orton is a huge deal and definitely an accomplishment to add to Hayes’ resume. It is clear that Hayes is ready for the main event scene. He just needs some extra bragging rights to feed his ego and character even more.
While Uso deserves some singles gold, he is also already a main eventer — hence the “Main Event” Jey Uso name. Meanwhile, Hayes is a growing star that is a borderline main eventer, and just needs that little bit of elevation. The Money in The Bank briefcase creates opportunities for superstars that typically wouldn’t get those title shots outside of the guaranteed contract. What better way to make Hayes a bigger attraction than to add Money In The Bank winner to being drafted as a first-round draft pick to Smackdown in a matter of months?
It is similar to what WWE did for Lyra Valkyria in the Queen of The Ring Tournament. Advancing to the finals against Nia Jax, even though she lost, it still made her important and also made her a top babyface to fill a huge void due to Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley being out for an extended period of time.
Carrying the briefcase for a few months or possibly even longer (similar to Damian Priest) would be ideal for Hayes. It gives both Hayes some time to come out on top of a few feuds and get more wins under his belt on the main roster.
“Melo in The Bank” solidifies Hayes as a top superstar moving forward on the brand, it gives him a title match at any given time. Which will only make him more hated as a heel. But, the moment he cashes in will be an incredible moment for him as the fanbase still loves Hayes and is aware he is a future star in the company. Some people may call him a darkhorse to win the briefcase, while I believe Hayes has the best case and makes the most sense.
