Damian Priest And The Top Darkhorse Picks

WWE Money in the Bank 2023 figures to be a career-defining night for a breakout star like Logan Paul or LA Knight. Then again, maybe not.

On Saturday’s pay-per-view at the O2 Arena in London, Knight and Paul will highight a field of up-and-coming stars in the men’s Money in the Bank match. Even with the addition of Paul, the wildly popular Knight has been positioned as the betting favorite to win the coveted briefcase. In addition, WWE officials are reportedly pushing for Knight to win the match and ascend to the main event.

Anyone other than Paul or Knight winning would indeed be a shocker for the ages. The women’s Money in the Bank match also has a clear frontrunner in Iyo Sky. The rising star is both the betting favorite and the top contender backstage, making her the likliest winner.

In recent years, however, there have been numerous underdogs who’ve defied the odds and won the Money in the Bank matches, a list that includes Otis in 2020 and Nikki ASH in 2021. Who might join those stars as upset winners in 2023? Here are the top darkhorse candidates to win the Money in the Bank briefcase.

MORE FROM FORBES5 Booking Changes AEW And WWE Must MakeBy Blake Oestriecher

Damian Priest

After Damian Priest’s show-stealing performance against music superstar Bad Bunny at Backlash last month, PWInsider (h/t SEScoops) reported that Priest won over WWE officials, who now view him as a “top level player” in the company.

Since then, Priest has challenged Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship and teased a huge babyface turn and feud with fellow Judgment Day member Finn Balor. In addition, just this week on Raw, he headlined the show in singles action against Cody Rhodes.

Translation: Priest, on a Raw show that’s largely lacking top heels, is primed for an extended run at the top of the card. That’s what makes him the best candidate not named Logan Paul or LA Knight to win the men’s MITB match. After all, he’s already flirting with the main event scene and is in a top stable—he’s almost there.

Zoey Stark

Zoey Stark was only called up to Raw in April’s draft, but she’s already been thrust into the main event picture thanks to an on-screen pairing with Trish Stratus.

Stark has mentioned that she believes her instant push is a result of Triple H’s faith in her, and she’s already making waves, getting significant TV time alongside top stars like Stratus and Becky Lynch. At first glance, it looks a little too early in her career for Starks to win the Money in the Bank title shot, but the briefcase could be used as a catalyst to push her to the moon. Not to mention she can hold it for an entire year.

WWE’s women’s division desperately needs new stars, and though Stark isn’t a great talker yet, she’s a very good in-ring worker in a great spot on the card. So, if WWE wants to avoid putting the women’s briefcase on an established star like Lynch or Stratus—neither of which needs it—then Stark stands out as a great option.

Ricochet

Like Zoey Stark, Ricochet has spoken highly of his relationship with Triple H and has benefitted greatly from “The Game” running WWE’s creative process. With or without tag team partner Braun Strowman, Ricochet has been getting arguably the biggest push of his main roster career, even defeating Shinsuke Nakamura on Raw just days ago.

Ricochet, who’s steadily improving on the microphone, has long been one of the world’s most elite in-ring performers. What’s more, he’s over with the crowd, consistently generating strong reactions and being showcased similarly to Rey Mysterio as a likable high-flyer.

The question is: Has WWE put Ricochet in this match just for the sake of high spots? That remains a possibility, but with WWE now boasting two separate world titles, someone like Ricochet holding a world title is much more likely than it was before WWE brought back the World Heavyweight title.

Zelina Vega

WWE may have accidentally struck gold with Zelina Vega at Backlash last month, when she faced Rhea Ripley in front of a red hot crowd in Puerto Rico. The crowd was firmly behind Vega, who has since had a much more consistent role on TV and has thrived as a charismatic babyface.

It doesn’t hurt that Vega is a member of LWO, which has consistently been a top merchandise seller for WWE and generates some of the best crowd reactions in the entire company. Vega is one of the biggest longshots in the women’s match, perhaps mostly due to the star power involved. While it’s easy to think that Lynch or Stratus will win the MITB briefcase, it’s just as easy to realize that neither of them needs it.

With Vega continuing to be a top fan favorite in the women’s division and current booking circumstances not really necessitating a win for someone like Lynch, Vega stands tall as the best option for WWE to pull an Otis or Nikki Ash-eque surprise and give the briefcase to a star who’s hardly ever been pushed.