Money in the Bank 2018 is almost here. It will be the eight event in the Money in the Bank PPV series, and the 13th time overall that a Money in the Bank ladder match has taken place. Naturally, given that it is the main event, the ladder match will have the biggest impact on the status of the WWE, as the winner of both the male and female matches will be given a contract that they can cash in at any time to get a shot at a championship title.
Much of the excitement surrounding the contract comes from how surprising previous cash-ins have been. Wrestlers have held onto their contracts for less than a hour before cashing in, while others have played the long game and waited for the better part of a year before challenging their opponent. It all depends on what’s happening in the WWE and who is in possession of the contract.
So, with the anticipation for Money in the Bank 2018 picking up steam, we decided to look back at some of the event’s all-time streaks and records. Namely, what is the longest time a Money in the Bank winner has gone without cashing in his/her contract?
As of 2018, longest anyone has held onto their MITB contract has been 287 days.
The record was actually set very recently by Carmella, who won the inaugural female ladder match at Money in the Bank 2017. Carmella defeated Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Natalya, and Tamina; and did not cash her contract until an episode of RAW in April of this year. She used it to defeat Charlotte Flair after the latter had been attacked by The Ilconics (made up of Peyton Royce and Billie Kay). Watch the video below.
Carmella’s Money in the Bank win proved a controversial one for fans, as she did not technically retrieve briefcase containing the contract herself. It was given to her only after WWE superstar James Ellsworth retrieved it. Carmella was subsequently forced to relinquish the briefcase on the next episode of SmackDown Live by general manager Daniel Bryan (the first two days she held the contract did not count). On the same episode, Bryan scheduled a Money in the Bank rematch that relegated Ellsworth to the sidelines.
Despite all this, Carmella (with some help from the banned Ellsworth) managed to retrieve the case again, and was officially awarded the contract. When asked about the controversy surround her win, she told TalkSport:
I don’t think anyone saw me being with James Ellsworth coming, but it got people talking and its different, you really see women with a male manager. I really enjoyed the controversy around the Money In The Bank Ladder Match because everyone was so upset about, and I loved it. It’s been a lot of fun and I think we make a great team.
Her reign of 287 days breaks the record previously held by Edge, who held onto his contract for 280 days after winning it at the first Money in the Bank in 2005.
Carmella (born Leah Van Dale) actively teased the time and place of her cash-in throughout 2017. “At the moment my plan is to hold onto the contract as long as I can,” she explained, “I’m messing with Naomi right now because she has the title, but who knows how long she’ll have that and maybe I’ll cash it in soon or maybe I won’t. I like to catch whoever it will be off-guard, so I’m not going to reveal my plans just yet.”
Carmella will defend her title of WWE SmackDown Woman’s Champion against Asuka at the upcoming Money in the Bank.
