WWE Money in the Bank: How much does it elevate a superstar's career?

** Mr. Kennedy might have become the best MITB briefcase holder of all time in 2007, however injury and further troubles leading to his parting ways with WWE never saw him achieve full potential in that role. Rob Van Dam falls into a similar category as Mr. Kennedy. His first WWE championship win came from cashing in the contract against John Cena at One Night Stand 2006. He held the title for only a month, losing to Edge on Raw (as well as his ECW title in the same time frame). Drug troubles caused him to sit on the sidelines and lose a lot of momentum, and further personal and family issues led to his to parting ways with WWE in 2007.

** Certainly, not every briefcase holder has only left short-term gain. The contract fit Edge's “ultimate opportunist” character perfectly, and as the first Money in the Bank briefcase holder, the intrigue was even higher. The fact that it also led to his first WWE title after several months of him chasing the title adds to the elevation. You can directly claim MITB as a major moment that led to Edge being consistently in the title picture.

However, Edge is an outlier. The majority of the time, winning a Money in the Bank match leads a short-term spurt in your career, followed by a decline or a major moment that preserves a superstar's main-event status perception. The factors might vary, but the outcome remains consistent.

So how does this school of thought affect the matches this Sunday? In the case of the WWE title MITB, all are former WWE champions so it will be simple a rejuvenation for whoever wins. On the World Heavyweight side of things, it's for this reason that I favor a Dolph Ziggler or Cody Rhodes – someone who we think is already ready for the main event but would benefit from 2-3 months of holding the briefcase. The true test will come, however, when that winner, after having cashed in and won the title (assuming that happens), then loses the title. Where will your perception of their career level be then?

Arda Ocal is an on-air personality for theScore Television Network in Canada. Follow him on Twitter here and find his video interviews with current and past WWE superstars here.