In the theater of professional wrestling, where ambition is measured in ladder rungs and briefcases, the final pieces of a high-stakes puzzle fell into place on a Friday night in SmackDown. Kevin Owens and Tiffany Stratton earned their entries into the 2026 Money in the Bank ladder matches — events where a single climb can rewrite a career's trajectory. The full fields are now set for New Orleans, where twelve wrestlers will chase a guaranteed championship opportunity that belongs to whoever is willing to reach highest.
Owens, Stratton Complete 2026 Money in the Bank Ladder Match Fields
Climb the ladder, grab the briefcase, own a title shot
Mark
So Kevin Owens gets in because of Randy Orton's interference—that feels like it sets up a story between those three, doesn't it?
Mimi
It does. Orton cost Rhodes the match, which means there's unfinished business there. But Owens also benefited from it, so the dynamics are layered. That's how WWE builds these things.
Luke
But we should be clear: Owens won the match cleanly by pinning Gargano. The interference didn't directly cause his victory—it just removed Rhodes from being able to stop it. Those are different things.
Mark
Right. And Stratton has already won this match before. Does that make her the favorite?
Mimi
She has the experience, and she's proven she can cash in successfully. But Money in the Bank is unpredictable by design. Six wrestlers, one briefcase, ladders everywhere. Any of them could win.
Luke
We don't have odds or predictions from WWE itself in this report, so calling her a favorite is speculation. What we know is she's won it before and she's young with that experience already under her belt.
Mark
When is the event?
Mimi
New Orleans, at the Smoothie King Center. It starts at 6 p.m. ET and streams on ESPN Unlimited.
Luke
And we have the full rosters now, so fans can start thinking about matchups and storylines heading into it.
Mark
Is there anything else we should know about these qualifiers?
Mimi
The interference angle with Orton and Rhodes is the main story coming out of the men's side. On the women's side, it was straightforward—Stratton won her match cleanly.
Luke
Which is worth noting. One qualifier had external drama, the other didn't. That's a difference in how these stories are being told.
Der Puls
- Randy Orton's deliberate interference robbed Cody Rhodes of a near-certain qualifying victory, holding his legs down during a pin and handing Kevin Owens the opening he needed.
- Owens capitalized on the manufactured chaos, pinning Johnny Gargano to claim the final men's spot — a win built as much on opportunism as on in-ring performance.
- Tiffany Stratton, already a two-time Money in the Bank winner with a championship cash-in on her résumé, dispatched Tatum Paxley and Candice LeRae to cement herself as the women's field's most dangerous entrant.
- The complete men's field — Bron Breakker, Je'Von Evans, Trick Williams, Penta, CM Punk, and Owens — and women's field — Sol Ruca, Lola Vice, Jacy Jayne, Roxanne Perez, Lash Legend, and Stratton — are now locked in.
- All roads lead to the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on ESPN Unlimited, where the only question left is who will be willing to climb the highest.
In the theater of professional wrestling, where ambition is measured in ladder rungs and briefcases, the final pieces of a high-stakes puzzle fell into place on a Friday night in SmackDown. Kevin Owens and Tiffany Stratton earned their entries into the 2026 Money in the Bank ladder matches — events where a single climb can rewrite a career's trajectory. The full fields are now set for New Orleans, where twelve wrestlers will chase a guaranteed championship opportunity that belongs to whoever is willing to reach highest.
Money in the Bank occupies a singular place on the wrestling calendar — a match built on a brutally simple premise: climb the ladder, grab the briefcase, and hold a guaranteed title shot in your pocket for whenever the moment is right. On Friday's SmackDown, the final two qualifying spots were decided, completing both the men's and women's fields for the New Orleans event.
The men's qualifier unraveled in a moment of deliberate chaos. Cody Rhodes appeared positioned to advance from a triple-threat match also featuring Kevin Owens and Johnny Gargano — until Randy Orton appeared at ringside. With Rhodes on the verge of breaking up a pin, Orton grabbed his legs and held him in place. Owens seized the opening, pinned Gargano, and punched his ticket to the ladder match. Rhodes was left to process a strong performance undone not by an opponent, but by an old rival's interference.
On the women's side, Tiffany Stratton made her case efficiently, defeating both Tatum Paxley and Candice LeRae in her qualifier. Stratton is no stranger to this match — she won the briefcase in 2024 and cashed it in against Nia Jax to capture the WWE Women's Championship. That history makes her the field's most credible threat before the event even begins.
The full men's lineup now reads: Bron Breakker, Je'Von Evans, Trick Williams, Penta, CM Punk, and Kevin Owens. The women's field features Sol Ruca, Lola Vice, Jacy Jayne, Roxanne Perez, Lash Legend, and Tiffany Stratton. The Smoothie King Center in New Orleans will host the event, streaming on ESPN Unlimited. The rosters are set. The ladders are waiting.
WWE's Money in the Bank ladder matches have always held a particular kind of electricity on the wrestling calendar—the kind that draws casual fans back to the sport. The premise is simple and brutal: climb the ladder, grab the briefcase, and you own a guaranteed title shot against any champion, anywhere, anytime. On Friday night's episode of SmackDown, the final two wrestlers punched their tickets to the event, and the full rosters for both matches were locked in.
Kevin Owens secured the last men's spot in a triple-threat qualifier that also featured Cody Rhodes and Johnny Gargano. The match turned on a moment of chaos: Randy Orton, who has his own complicated history with Rhodes, interfered at a critical juncture. As Rhodes attempted to capitalize on what looked like a winning position, Orton grabbed his legs and held him down, preventing him from breaking up the pin. Owens capitalized on the distraction, pinning Gargano to claim his place in the ladder match. Rhodes, momentarily distracted by Orton's involvement, found himself on the outside looking in—a bitter end to what had been a strong performance.
On the women's side, Tiffany Stratton emerged from her qualifier by defeating both Tatum Paxley and Candice LeRae. Stratton brings particular weight to this match. She has won Money in the Bank before—in 2024, she claimed the briefcase and later cashed it in against Nia Jax to capture the WWE Women's Championship. At her age, she already carries the kind of experience in this specific match type that most wrestlers take years to accumulate. Her presence in the 2026 field makes her an immediate contender for the win.
With both qualifiers complete, the full lineups are now set. The men's ladder match will feature Bron Breakker, Je'Von Evans, Trick Williams, Penta, CM Punk, and Kevin Owens. The women's match will include Sol Ruca, Lola Vice, Jacy Jayne, Roxanne Perez, Lash Legend, and Tiffany Stratton. The event itself will take place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, beginning at 6 p.m. ET and streaming on ESPN Unlimited. The stage is built. The wrestlers are set. What remains is the climb.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Stratton has won Money in the Bank before and cashed in successfully, giving her particular experience in this match type— Reporting from the event
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