Final Money in the Bank Qualifiers Set for Both Men’s and Women’s Ladder Matches

WWE locked in the last two Money in the Bank qualifying matches on SmackDown on Saturday, September 26, rounding out both the men’s and women’s ladder match fields ahead of the October 10 event in New Orleans.

On the men’s side, Kevin Owens will square off against both Cody Rhodes and Johnny Gargano in a triple-threat qualifier for the sixth and final spot. The match came together after Sami Zayn revealed in a backstage segment that SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis wouldn’t grant Gargano a shot at the WWE World Championship, but did agree to insert both Gargano and Candice LeRae into the final Money in the Bank qualifiers. Owens and Rhodes were then added to the bout, giving two former world champions a shot at the briefcase alongside the returning Gargano.

That match will determine the last man in a field that already includes Je’Von Evans, Bron Breakker, PENTA, Trick Williams and CM Punk, who advanced earlier in the night by defeating GUNTHER and Finn Balor.

On the women’s side, Lash Legend punched her ticket to the ladder match by defeating Charlotte Flair and Giulia in a hard-fought qualifier, joining Jacy Jayne, Roxanne Perez, Sol Ruca and Lola Vice as confirmed entrants. The final spot in the women’s match will be decided by Tatum Paxley, Tiffany Stratton and Candice LeRae, meaning the field is guaranteed to add at least one more relative newcomer to the main roster to an already NXT-heavy lineup.

The shape of both matches gives WWE plenty of options heading into New Orleans. On the men’s side, adding a veteran like Rhodes or Owens to a group of rising stars and part-time returnees like Punk changes the calculus considerably — a Rhodes win would be especially notable given his upcoming role starring as Guile in the Street Fighter film, which hits theaters October 16, just days after Money in the Bank. Whether WWE wants to use the briefcase to fuel that rollout or continue building younger stars like PENTA, who has emerged as an early betting favorite, remains to be seen.

The women’s match tells a similar story. With Roxanne Perez seen as the favorite in some corners, a win could set up a fascinating dynamic if Liv Morgan manages to wrestle the Women’s World Championship away from Stephanie Vaquer beforehand. Either way, the heavy NXT presence in the field — Jayne, Perez, Ruca, Vice and now potentially Paxley or LeRae — signals WWE’s continued investment in recent call-ups over established main roster names like Flair.

With both fields now essentially set pending the outcome of Saturday’s qualifiers, Money in the Bank is shaping up as a showcase for WWE’s next generation, with just enough star power mixed in to keep the outcome unpredictable. Fans will find out who claims the final two spots before the ladder matches kick off in New Orleans on October 10.