WWE Money in the Bank 2016: The full rundown and why you should care

WWE’s annual ladder-climbing event, Money in the Bank, is going down on Sunday, June 19. Six competitors will vie for an opportunity to become WWE’s World Heavyweight Champion by ascending a ladder with a briefcase — and championship contract inside — at the top. That’s not all, though, as we also have a planned WWE World Heavyweight Championship match, a showdown a decade in the making between two dudes at their absolute peaks and plenty more on our first steps on the road to SummerSlam.

Money in the Bank will air at 8 p.m. ET on the WWE Network and pay-per-view, but the pre-show — which will feature analysis, video packages and two matches — will kick off at 7 p.m. ET.

What am I looking at here? The story of the formation of Golden Truth has taken months and months and been weird -- in a mostly good way -- the whole time. Goldust and R-Truth are a comedy tag team, but one that might actually win some matches. Maybe. Someday. They’re up against Tyler Breeze and Fandango -- naming them Fabreeze instead of Breezango was probably a lawsuit waiting to happen -- who might end up being the real bright spot here. Breeze and Fandango play off each other perfectly, and both are talented wrestlers who could go far in the tag division if WWE lets them. When they aren’t shaving each other’s backs and describing how their hairless-ness and muscles make them “aerogigantic,” anyway.

Why you should care: Mostly for the hope that Breeze and Fandango win and are given more time on television. With the brand split coming up, there is going to be room for this pairing to shine, and they will make the most of it if given the chance.

What am I looking at here? The Dudleyz are obsessed with putting people through tables, except they don’t want to right now because they know you want them to, and they don’t want your love anymore. The Lucha Dragons, made up of Kalisto and Sin Cara, love flips. Like, they really, really love flips. And you will probably love them if you have a similar affinity for the flips.

Why you should care: WWE hasn’t given us a whole lot of background on a feud here, as this is more just a matchup of two teams who weren’t doing anything else at the moment. It could help lead to the Lucha Dragons ending up back in the tag scene with, again, the impending RAW and SmackDown roster split coming being the driving force behind that. The downside? Fewer Kalisto singles matches. The upside? More Kalisto on your television.

What am I looking at here? Baron Corbin is the tall werewolf-obsessed one who looks like the son of one of the Sons of Anarchy. Dolph Ziggler is the one trying to steal your girl. They have already fought each other roughly 400 times since Corbin was promoted from NXT after WrestleMania -- Ziggler is contractually limited to three feuds per calendar year, and it’s only June, people.

Why you should care: The last time they faced off for real was at WWE’s Extreme Rules, where Corbin hit Ziggler right in the girlfriend stealer with the kind of extreme prejudice an event named Extreme Rules allows. Ziggler retaliated by pretending to want to defeat Corbin in a straight-up technical match, but instead, he just walloped him right in the werewolf maker instead. This showdown could be the end of this feud, so that’s one reason to care, but Corbin might also straight-up launch Ziggler into the sun to get back at him for that nut shot, and you’ll want to see that.

Even if the result of that is just Ziggler feuding with the sun for the next four months.

What am I looking at here? Apollo Crews is the short and flippy dude with an impossible number of abs. Sheamus is the one who is actually in a feud with the sun. Crews is part of the New Era of WWE superstars, and Sheamus is threatened by Apollo’s large muscles and award-winning smile. This is Crews’ first real storyline -- Sheamus beat him down backstage as a preemptive strike to keep the damn kids off his lawn, and Crews finally started to show some character on the main roster by fighting back to keep those New Era dreams alive.

Why you should care: Crews is a super talented wrestler who hasn’t been allowed to fully flourish on either WWE or NXT television just yet, but people are going to adore him once he does. Sheamus is at his best when he’s wrestling someone who he can lay into while also taking a real beating, and Crews might be just the guy for that. This will probably be the most intense Sheamus match we’ve seen since his championship feud with Roman Reigns, and for Crews, it’s the one that should help start him on the path to being made here in WWE.

What am I looking at here? Six dudes who could all be a believable WWE World Heavyweight Champion anytime between Sunday and next June, when their championship contract would expire. Chris Jericho is the cool dad turned cruel dad who is doing some of the best bad guy work in his Hall of Fame career. Alberto Del Rio is the nude-looking one, with the nudeness depending on the color of his trunks. Cesaro is the impossibly strong Swiss dude who looks like a 007, Dean Ambrose is the goofy but dangerous one in jeans and Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are the two who will punch each other in the face the entire match if no one stops them.

Why you should care: There is a fascinating story to tell almost regardless of who wins. Even Jericho, who has maybe won every WWE World Heavyweight Championship he will ever win, would make a fantastic Money in the Bank winner right now given how wonderful he’s been as a real jerk these last few months. Owens and Zayn will probably cost each other the briefcase, and that could help lead to the one-on-one showdown at a major event we’ve all been waiting for. The real key here is Ambrose, though -- the former Shield member has promised to win the briefcase and then cash it in later that night when the other two former Shield members, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, face off for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

That’s a “Why you should care” that should be in all caps with hearts drawn around it.

What am I looking at here? WWE doesn’t seem ready to start Women’s Champion Charlotte on another title feud, so instead, we get this tag match featuring Charlotte’s last challenger, Natalya, and Charlotte’s former friend, Becky Lynch, facing off against the champ and her new muscle, Dana Brooke. That is not a complaint, as any excuse to see Becky Lynch trying to break arms off is a good one.

Why you should care: You did see the part about Becky Lynch trying to break arms off, yeah? There is also possible dissension between Charlotte and Dana, as Dana might not be evil enough for her supposed mentor — will Dana turn to the light, split with Charlotte but stay her level of evil or descend to new levels of Flair-approved depravity?

What am I looking at here? Rusev has just been next-level lately, between his promos claiming that he — the Bulgarian who hates America — is a better American than everyone else, his sneak attacks on Titus O’Neil and his trying to straight-up snap dudes in half with a new and improved version of his submission finisher. O’Neil has not taken kindly to Rusev’s claims or attacks, and will challenge for the title that Rusev violently won off of Kalisto at Extreme Rules.

Why you should care: Rusev is one of a handful performers that are must-watch every time they are on screen. Whether he’s talking or crushing, Rusev is killing it, and you shouldn’t expect any less when he faces O’Neil here with the United States Championship on the line. That’s not to downplay O’Neil’s contributions, but as entertaining as he can be, the focus here is going to be on how badly Rusev can maul him. This is a good focus to have.

What am I looking at here? The most popular tag team (and stable) on the roster, the current champion New Day. The beloved newcomers, Enzo and Cass, whose previous chance at a title shot were thwarted by the Vaudevillains thanks to injury during a No. 1 contender’s tournament. Then there’s Luke Gallows and Doc Anderson, The Club, best buddies of AJ Styles. They’re back in America after a successful run in Japan, and here to try to win WWE tag gold for the first time.

Why you should care: The New Day are incredible on the mic and in the ring, but given three teams are facing off against them and they can lose without being pinned or submitted, it’s not looking good for them to retain. That’s not a bad thing, as it will give someone a chance as champion — probably Gallows and Anderson — and let the New Day refocus, maybe with Big E rising up as the first worthy challenger to the seemingly unstoppable Rusev ... while keeping his New Day buddies around, of course. This will probably also lead into Enzo and Cass feuding directly with the Vaudevillains in order to avenge the injury caused to Enzo, and anything that results in a fired-up Enzo on the mic is worth your time.

What am I looking at here? Two of the most important wrestlers of their generation, separated for their entire careers by their work in different companies, facing off for the first time with nothing on the line besides their own ego and reputations. WWE is John Cena’s company, but AJ Styles is here to make his mark, preferably on Cena’s face via forearm. This is some WrestleMania dream event stuff going on here, and we’re getting it in June.

Why you should care: Two of the most important wrestlers of their generation, separated for their entire careers by their work in different companies, facing off for the first time with nothing on the line besides their own ego and reputations. Cena vs. Styles could also be the feud that powers either RAW or SmackDown once the brand split happens a month from now, so this isn’t necessarily a one-off: it’s potentially the start of something central to the identity of WWE. What a time to be alive.

What am I looking at here? So much of the story WWE is telling is centered around the Shield’s former members -- Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose. Rollins betrayed his brothers to align himself with WWE’s authority figures two years ago, then, with help from said authority’s muscle, won 2014’s Money in the Bank match. Rollins then cashed in his contract on Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania, stealing Reigns’ first chance at WWE’s title. Rollins didn’t lose the belt, he vacated it: he tore his knee up, missed a whole lot of time and came back to a world where Reigns was champion. Now he’s got his shot to win back the championship he never actually lost, and from the guy he’s deprived of so much already.

Why you should care: In addition to the above, both of these two are super talented performers, and should put on a serious main event that will have you even more on-edge if Ambrose wins the Money in the Bank ladder match earlier in the evening. Reigns wants to prove this is his title whether he won it from Rollins or not. Rollins wants to prove he’s better than Reigns and that he would have been able to fend him off if his knee hadn’t intervened. And Ambrose will want to prove he belongs in the same conversation as his former Shieldmates, as he’s the only one of the three that WWE’s Championship has eluded. This is maybe the start of something we’ve all been waiting for since the Shield first broke up, breaking our little wrestling hearts along with it.