A briefcase that grants a championship match at any time

Cultures · Published 11 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the high-stakes world of WWE, one ladder match can change a career forever. Winning the Money in the Bank briefcase provides a wrestler with a guaranteed world championship match, but the rules of engagement changed significantly in 2019, offering winners unprecedented flexibility in their pursuit of glory.

The 2019 Money in the Bank event, held on May 19 at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, marked a turning point for the annual tradition. While the 2018 ladder matches restricted winners to a championship within their own respective brands, the 2019 contracts granted winners the freedom to choose between either brand's world championship. This specific iteration was the tenth time the company had hosted the annual event. It also represented the first time the competition was held during the month of May.

The event featured twelve matches, including a Kickoff pre-show. The women's ladder match served as the opening bout, won by SmackDown's Bayley. Following her victory, she immediately 'cashed in' her contract to defeat Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship, who had just won the title from Becky Lynch. The match was notably the first bout of the evening.

The men's main event was won by an unannounced entrant, Brock Lesnar from Raw. The match featured eight wrestlers, with the field divided evenly between Raw and SmackDown. In other notable contests, Seth Rollins defended the Raw Universal Championship against AJ Styles, while Kofi Kingston retained the SmackDown WWE Championship against Kevin Owens. The field consisted of eight competitors, split equally between the SmackDown and Raw rosters. This match served as the show's final contest.

The event's results were predetermined by WWE writers across the Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brands. This scripted nature is a fundamental aspect of the professional wrestling storylines that drive the competition, transforming physical feats into long-term narrative arcs. These scripted outcomes are central to the industry's storytelling. The matches are produced through the various weekly television programmes of the promotion.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• The high-stakes gamble of a briefcase containing a championship contract
• A briefcase that guarantees a world title shot at any time
• The high-stakes briefcase that can change the course of professional wrestling
• A briefcase that grants a championship match at any time within one year
• How an unseeded underdog made Olympic history for Puerto Rico in 2016
• The high-stakes gamble of the WWE's Money in the Bank ladder match
• The American village where one woman holds every single municipal office
• How Monday Night Football Transformed From a Risky Experiment Into a Television Titan
• Montana's name is a geographic misnomer for a state defined by its vast plains
• The Momo Challenge was a global moral panic built on nothing but digital shadows
• Montana State is the only college football program to win championships at three levels.
• From a viral lyric to a Detroit staple: the story of Mom's Spaghetti

More in US culture · More in Cultures · Latest · A–Z · All topics