Kevin Owens Rounds Out Men’s Money in the Bank Field

The men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches for next weekend’s pay-per-view in New Orleans are officially set after Friday night’s SmackDown in Denver delivered the final two qualifying spots.

On the women’s side, Tiffany Stratton opened the show by outlasting Tatum Paxley and Candice LeRae in a triple-threat qualifier, securing her spot in what will be her second career Money in the Bank match. She joins Sol Ruca, Lola Vice, Jacy Jayne, Roxanne Perez and Lash Legend in the six-woman field.

The main event settled the men’s side, with Cody Rhodes, Johnny Gargano and Kevin Owens battling for the last available spot. Randy Orton inserted himself into the finish, stopping Rhodes from picking up the win, which allowed Owens to pin Gargano and punch his ticket to New Orleans. Owens now joins Bron Breakker, Je’von Evans, Trick Williams, Penta and CM Punk to complete the six-man ladder match.

Both fields lean heavily on younger and rising stars this year, a notable shift for a match historically used to elevate mid-card talent into bigger pushes. Owens and Punk stand out as the only former world champions among the twelve total competitors across both matches, which signals WWE’s continued investment in building new top stars rather than recycling proven main-eventers for the briefcase.

That approach makes the men’s match especially difficult to call. Penta’s momentum has been building steadily, particularly after his high-profile outing opposite Roman Reigns, and he’s increasingly being talked about as a legitimate threat to walk out of New Orleans with the briefcase. Bron Breakker remains the other name many expect to win, given how deliberately WWE has positioned him as a future world champion since he aligned with The Vision.

Punk’s inclusion adds an intriguing wrinkle. He’s cashed in successfully twice before, but given how the current storyline direction favors newer faces, it would be a surprise if he became the first three-time Mr. Money in the Bank. Owens, meanwhile, enters as something of a wildcard — his win came through chaos rather than clean dominance, and Orton’s interference against Rhodes suggests there’s unfinished business between those three that could spill into New Orleans or beyond.

With both ladder matches now locked in, Money in the Bank sets up as a crucial showcase for WWE’s next wave of stars. The men’s match in particular reads like a changing-of-the-guard moment, with the promotion signaling who it sees as its next tier of main-event talent. Expect Breakker and Penta to be treated as the marquee storylines heading into fight week, while Owens’ chaotic path to qualification leaves plenty of room for a continued rivalry with Rhodes and Orton once the dust settles in New Orleans.