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| Will Mandy Rose be standing victorious over Ember Moon and others on Sunday? Photo Credit: WWE.com |
The Field - 1000/1
This includes anyone who isn't already in the match except for one, whom I will cover later. I don't see WWE coming with an out-of-leftfield choice, not even Shayna Baszler, who really should lose the NXT World Women's Championship at Takeover: Bridgeport. The winner will come from the announced, or from a more prominent position.
Dana Brooke - 75/1
God bless Dana Brooke, but no matter how spunky her character gets or how much she improves, I don't see her getting the briefcase, at least not yet. She wouldn't be the worst choice though, but just not this year.
Becky Lynch - 50/1
Lynch is defending each one of her titles in separate matches, so the odds that she loses one are good. She has a precedent, crashing the party at the Royal Rumble after failing to capture the Smackdown Women's Championship from Asuka, so if she loses one or both of her titles, I would expect she has a shot to do the same here and win. It's a greater shot than anyone else not already in the match, but I still don't think it's an incredibly good one. That being said, I think if she loses the Smackdown title to Charlotte Flair, her odds are slightly better than if she loses the RAW title to Lacey Evans. God, that felt dirty to write. Lacey Evans as a Champion in WWE already. God.
Natalya - 25/1
Nattie is where the field starts to get a little spicy. She feels like she has an outside shot to win because WWE does this every once in awhile, having a seemingly unviable veteran win to kickstart a nostalgia run. Kane and Big Show are two prime examples of this. While Natalya doesn't feel like a real good shot to win the briefcase, well, I can't completely count her out.
Carmella - 15/1
The first ever Women's Money in the Bank winner could win again because she's young enough to be given another shot with the ball, and she's been so far out of focus in the narrative that her winning would come off as a legitimate shock. That being said, now that Smackdown belongs to Flair, I don't see them running that mini-program back. But she's not the most out-there candidate to win.
Naomi - 10/1
On one hand, I feel like Naomi is considered "past her prime" by the office, someone who is kept around to tick diversity quota boxes and as a familiar, fan-friendly face. On the other, WWE does like familiar, and Naomi has never really had a true run on top despite being the one person WWE could push to the top of its women's division that would get Stephanie McMahon all the fucking great PR she wants. So I think she has a decent shot of winning, if still outside.
Ember Moon - 8/1
Moon is a tremendous talent, but unless she turns heel, I can't slot her any higher than maybe the fourth-best odds to win. Of course, a heel turn is always in the cards for anyone not named Roman Reigns and possibly Lynch right now, and she fits the mold for a briefcase winner. She's young, hungry, and positioned to be special, the biggest sign of which is they gave her a really awful nickname that came from either Vince McMahon or Paul Levesque. That is unless Mauro Ranallo came up with the name "Shenom" all by himself, which I can't totally discount. Anyway, while I feel like Moon's first title win will come clean, in the middle of the ring in a match she was announced for beforehand with her boss finisher, I'll refrain from making her an all-in favorite.
Bayley - 5/1
I don't think WWE has given up on Bayley completely, even if her linked-by-career life mate Sasha Banks has one gilded foot out the door. I also cannot rule out the asinine idea of a heel turn when her babyface studio space on the main roster has only been explored by opening the door and stepping into the foyer. I don't feel really good about these odds, but if Bayley's in a career-changing match where she could be refitted for a fresh run, I can't put her any lower than third on the list.
Alexa Bliss - 2/1
Whatever anyone says Reigns is in WWE booking is exactly what Bliss is. It's not that she's bad; though she's not the best worker, she has the best handle on character chops. WWE needs women on top that can do things like "get heel heat" and "cut promos." That doesn't necessarily mean that she should win. But because she, along with Flair, is one of Vince McMahon's favored daughters in the division, I can see her snaking a second straight win. In fact, my fatalistic Spidey Sense with WWE booking almost dictates that she will win.
Mandy Rose - 1/1
Rose ticks so many boxes for WWE's ideal woman wrestler it's not even funny. They tried making Eva Marie a thing even though she couldn't wrestle her way out of a wet paper bag. Well, Rose has a similar look, but she can actually wrestle competently. Just because WWE is pushing a women's revolution that says it doesn't matter how you look doesn't mean they're not lying. They still want someone insanely hot and insanely White to be at the top of the division. Rose is just that. My fatalism with WWE booking may still expect Bliss to win, but common sense seems to dictate that since WWE trends "newer" with the women's winner (and believe me, though Bliss already had a few reigns for her win, she was still comparatively "new"), Rose has to be the play.
I'll be back tomorrow with the men's handicap!
