Punk, Balor and GUNTHER Set for Money in the Bank Qualifier

WWE has set a stacked triple threat to determine one of the final Money in the Bank qualifiers, with CM Punk, Finn Balor and GUNTHER confirmed to battle for a spot in the ladder match on the September 18 episode of SmackDown. The winner will join Bron Breakker, Je’Von Evans and Trick Williams, who have already punched their tickets to the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match on October 10 in New Orleans.

The qualifier arrives with plenty of baggage attached. Punk is fresh off a failed Undisputed WWE Championship challenge against Sami Zayn on the same show, a match that ended with Zayn retaining after Punk swung the title belt at Kevin Owens ringside. That shot at Owens all but guarantees ‘The Prizefighter’ will be looking for payback, and given his history of inserting himself into other people’s business, there’s every reason to think Owens could factor into the qualifier itself rather than sit it out.

Balor, meanwhile, has his own issue with Owens. The two had a tense backstage exchange after Balor voiced his frustration that Owens keeps getting championship opportunities handed to him. Balor has made clear he wants to earn his own shot at Zayn’s title by winning Money in the Bank outright, but if Owens does show up looking to settle the score with Punk, Balor could easily become collateral damage in the crossfire — whether by design or by accident.

That leaves GUNTHER as the man best positioned to walk away with the qualification. ‘The Ring General’ built one of the most fearsome runs in recent WWE memory with his ‘Career Killer’ streak, retiring the likes of Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles within a seven-month stretch. Since moving to the mix on the blue brand, though, he’s come up short in several marquee opportunities, including chances at the world title. A Money in the Bank berth — and potentially a cash-in down the line — would be an easy way for WWE to restore some of that aura and remind fans why he was booked as unbeatable for so long.

There’s an obvious story-driven logic here: Punk has too many moving parts pulling his focus away from a clean run through the match, Balor’s redemption arc feels more suited to a valiant near-miss than an immediate payoff, and GUNTHER is exactly the kind of dominant presence WWE tends to fast-track back into the title picture. None of that guarantees an outcome, but it does explain why so many eyes will be on this particular three-way heading into the show.

Whoever wins slots into a Money in the Bank field that already includes three of WWE’s brightest rising stars in Breakker, Evans and Williams, setting up a ladder match with a genuinely intriguing mix of youth and established championship pedigree. With the Owens-Punk-Zayn triangle still simmering, the fallout from this qualifier could shape the build to New Orleans just as much as the match itself.