People have always said, “It’s not the title that makes the man, but the man that makes the title.” This saying has always stood tall in WWE, although when discussing the Money in the Bank briefcase, the saying can go both ways.
Yes, the superstar who holds the briefcase adds more history to the WWE and previous MITB winners. But every superstar’s demeanor changes once they win the briefcase. The briefcase becomes part of their character.
They make sure to make it known that anytime and anywhere, they can cash in for a championship match. The winner of MITB quickly becomes a chip on the shoulder for the champions.
A handful of MITB winners, especially recently, have been finding a way to make their MITB runs more unique. The briefcases have been customized to the superstar who holds them. This adds an extra element to their character and shows they will keep the briefcase longer than a few weeks.
The briefcase embodies the wrestler’s gimmick, so if you look at it, you know who it belongs to. Let’s look at some of the most decorated Money in the Bank winners, their briefcases, and how they became part of their persona.
Damian Priest
Damian Priest has grown tremendously in the company in the last two years. The creation of The Judgement Day helped push him to the top star status he is now. During these past two years, Priest was able to win the MITB match and successfully cash in to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Priest is now the longest holder of the MITB briefcase, holding it for 281 days until he successfully cashed in on Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 40. While holding the briefcase, he customized it so everyone knew it belonged to him.
The briefcase went from green to purple, representing The Judgement Day colors. It now says “Señor Money in the Bank,” showing that it belongs to him, relating to his Latino background.
This briefcase adds to his gimmick and represents The Judgement Day and Priest as a character. The coloring shows his devotion to The Judgement Day. It also hinted that the stable would be together longer than many anticipated, which it did.
The Judgement Day lasted from 2022 to 2024, with “no leader.” However, Priest became one of the most dominant members of the faction.
As Priest is of Puerto Rican descent, adding “Señor” to the briefcase helps show the audience that he is still in touch with his Latino roots. Through his work in the ring, it cannot be easy to realize his nationality or that he is in touch with it.
Seeing “Señor” on the briefcase, he reaches out and makes his connection with the members of the Hispanic audience.
Tiffany Stratton
You can’t have a Barbie without her accessories. Tiffany Stratton took only a short time to find her accessory in the MITB briefcase, and she treats it as such. Some may think this is not good, but having this briefcase fits and enhances her character perfectly.
She tied the briefcase perfectly into her character as the WWE Barbie. The briefcase is now pink and sparkly, with a crossbody strap attached. Because of how her gear matches it, it could be part of her ring gear.
Winning the MITB match created many possibilities for Stratton among storylines and opponents. The storyline between WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton is currently one of the most enticing stories in the women’s division.
They became best friends, but there is tension between them, which takes the form of the MITB briefcase.
Stratton will likely cash in on Jax because she knows her well now. It’s just a matter of when she will seize her opportunity.
In the meantime, since Stratton won the MITB match, she has flourished on TV. Through participating in matches and segments every week, Stratton has arguably become the most entertaining female MITB winner.
Stratton carries around a sense of entitlement as a heel on the roster and just with her character. Now that she is Ms. MITB, she can bring her entitlement.
Having the MITB briefcase shows that she earned and fought for it, and now she is entitled to a championship match.
Seth Rollins
I know Seth Rollins didn’t have a personalized briefcase, but throughout his time with it, he customized it in a way that corresponded with his character at the time. When Rollins won the briefcase, it was gold and intact. By the time he cashed it in at WrestleMania 31, some of the paint was chipping off, and the front was smashed at various times.
Even though his briefcase isn’t considered personalized, looking at it, his damaging it was the personalization. Rollins would curb-stomp the head of his opponents into his briefcase or use it as a weapon in his matches, resulting in how it ended up.
Anytime anyone looks at it, they are presented with the dents that represent each superstar Rollins encountered. The final visual of the beaten-up briefcase represents the prime of his heel run until he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Rollins was arguably one of the most entertaining MITB winners. He was the epitome of Mr. MITB because once he won that briefcase, it became a large part of his character. This was during the peak of Rollins’s heel run in 2014, where he was aligned with The Authority.
He never traveled alone, almost always cheated to win, and would let his mouth write a check that his body couldn’t cash—all characteristics of a perfect heel. He always followed up with phenomenal matches, cheating to win like a heel would. Many times, that consisted of using the MITB briefcase.
No, Seth Rollins didn’t ever get a personalized briefcase, but he customized it himself by using it against his opponents.
Damien Sandow
The Intellectual Savior, Damien Sandow, also had a personalized briefcase after his win at Money in the Bank 2013. It turned from the classic blue MITB briefcase to what appears to be a brown wooden briefcase holding his championship contract.
The new briefcase’s visual perfectly matched his character. It looked more professional and like a business briefcase, going along with his intellectual gimmick. This is due to his former friend and tag team partner, Cody Rhodes, tossing the original MITB briefcase into a river.
Sandow has always been an entertaining character, from The Intellectual Savior to Mizdow. Carrying around this briefcase only enhanced his character. He had an extra sense of entitlement, although he was one of the few to fail to cash in the briefcase.
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