Roundtable: Ladder match winners, bold predictions, more

Ladders and briefcases take center stage Saturday at WWE's Money in the Bank (6 p.m. ET, ESPN Unlimited) from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The premium live event will feature two ladder matches -- one men's and one women's -- featuring six superstars competing in each. The winners will walk away with the Money in the Bank briefcase and the opportunity to cash in for a WWE championship match over the next year. Which superstars will walk away with the briefcases? Roman Reigns will defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against LA Knight. The brash fan favorite has been calling for a shot at Reigns' title for two months and finally gets his opportunity to capture heavyweight gold for the first time. Also on the card, Oba Femi and The Vision's Bronson Reed will meet in a singles match for the first time. Meanwhile, Stephanie Vaquer will challenge Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan in a triple-threat Women's World Championship, a match Vaquer requested and Raw GM Adam Pearce granted. Ahead of Money in the Bank, ESPN asked professional wrestling contributors Sean Coyle, Joe Fortenbaugh and Juliana Daddio to predict their ladder match winners, LA Knight's chances of capturing gold and offer one bold take coming out of the PLE. The winner of the women's Money in the Bank ladder match will be ... Daddio: Roxanne Perez is my pick. The briefcase gives her a chance to break away from The Judgment Day, establish herself as a singles star again and become an immediate threat to teammate Liv Morgan's Women's World Championship aspirations. The constant possibility of a cash-in could create weeks or even months of suspense. Perez's ambition versus Morgan's determination would make for an exciting feud. Coyle: It's Perez's time. She has spent far too long in the background of The Judgment Day. This is the perfect chance to finally push her to the forefront of the women's division. Perez is a tremendous wrestler who has the potential to lead the division, as she did in NXT. Should Perez grab the briefcase, there could be an opportunity to turn her into a premier babyface and develop a compelling rivalry with Morgan. Fortenbaugh: Perez. The Judgment Day is one of the most underrated wrestling factions ever. Think about the stars it has helped create (Damian Priest) and the rivalries it has delivered since 2022 (Edge vs. Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley vs. Morgan). A Perez win sets the stage for palpable heat with Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, and that could lead to Perez leaving and opening a spot for a new member to emerge. Like I said, most underrated faction ever. The winner of the men's Money in the Bank ladder match will be ... Daddio: It's a toss-up between Bron Breakker and Kevin Owens. Breakker is a future main-event star, and winning Money in the Bank would place him in the championship picture with a variety of future cash-in possibilities. But Owens is one of WWE's most experienced competitors and thrives in chaotic ladder matches. A surprise Owens victory would create exciting storylines moving forward, including with Sami Zayn, who has an extensive competitive history with KO. Coyle: I will go with Penta here. No superstar on the main roster has ascended the ranks over the past couple of months more than Penta. The crowd reactions to his matches have been thunderous, and he consistently delivers in the ring. Penta is coming off a gem of a world title match with Roman Reigns in Mexico City last month, and it's time to capitalize. Should Penta win the briefcase, he'll likely chase Reigns' World Heavyweight Championship. Fortenbaugh: Breakker. Money in the Bank is all about what happens after the briefcase is unhooked, not before or during. A Breakker win would open a universe of options for him. Imagine a world in which Oba Femi defeats Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 43 in April for the World Heavyweight Championship, but he gets attacked by his newest archrival as he hoists the belt above his head for the first time. Breakker vs. Femi is the type of rivalry that could span a decade, similar to Seth Rollins vs. Reigns. And like Rollins-Reigns, Money in the Bank provides the opportunity to deliver a world-class chapter in the story. What percentage chance would you give LA Knight of defeating Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship? Daddio: I would say 25%. It would be cool to see LA Knight pull off the upset and capture the World Heavyweight Championship because of his popularity, his in-ring talent and exceptional mic skills. But I still think the odds heavily favor Reigns. Several major storylines are still to be told with Reigns, one of WWE's top stars, as champion. Though I wouldn't rule out an upset, my prediction is that Roman finds a way to retain through his experience and resilience in the ring. Coyle: It'd be fun to see Knight pull off a genuinely shocking win, but I don't see it. I'll give Knight a 5% chance here. I think Reigns remains champion up to WrestleMania 43, heading into a potential showdown with Femi. Having said that, Knight needs to remain in the main-event picture. He's among the most popular performers on the roster, cuts consistently strong promos and backs it up in the ring. I still think Knight becomes a world champ one day, I just don't think this is the spot. Fortenbaugh: 50%. That might sound crazy to some, but there's something brewing beneath the surface here. Knight is close with Solo Sikoa, who is suddenly realigning with the Bloodline, thanks to their new feud with 946. What if Knight and Solo were secretly aligned with 946, setting up a Knight heel turn at Money in the Bank, which would then set up the Survivor Series: WarGames main event in November? I'll admit there's some galaxy-brain thinking going on here, but it also creates an opportunity to give Knight a long-awaited title run while paving the way for a fresh main event at Crown Jewel, also in November. The next opponent for Oba Femi after Bronson Reed will be ... Daddio: Breakker for sure. Femi and Breakker's rivalry has the potential to become one of WWE's biggest long-term feuds. The combination of their power and intensity could lead to great future matches and establish both as major players for years to come. Coyle: The only one-on-one match between Femi and Breakker occurred last month at Sunday Night's Main event, and it ended in a disqualification. There's much more to explore between two pillars of WWE's future. Because of his battle with Reed at Money in the Bank, Femi is already heavily involved with The Vision. It makes sense to reignite the Femi-Breakker conflict next and continue to play on Paul Heyman's true allegiance. Will he choose Femi or The Vision? Fortenbaugh: Femi vs. Breakker is the feud that has staying power. I'd imagine Femi-Reigns comes together at some point (likely at WrestleMania 43), but Breakker is the Joe Frazier to Oba's Muhammad Ali. There's unfinished business. Your bold Money in the Bank prediction is ... Daddio: Owens wins the MITB ladder match and eventually cashes in on Sami Zayn. Coyle: The Perez-Morgan rivalry begins on the same night Perez wins the Money in the Bank contract. Perez won't wait long to cash in. She'll interrupt the Women's World Championship match, cash in, pin Morgan and walk out with the title. That would throw The Judgment Day into chaos and provide an opportunity for the other members to choose a side, creating plenty of intrigue along the way. Fortenbaugh: L.A. Knight turns heel and defeats Reigns with help from Sikoa and 946.