WWE had already finalized Tiffany Stratton as the winner of the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match well before the show went to air, according to a new backstage report. Fightful Select reports that “there were no major changes to Tiffany Stratton’s Money in the Bank win in the weeks prior to the show,” indicating the creative team had settled on the plan early and stuck with it through to the event itself.
According to the report, the competitors in the match were not kept in the dark until the last possible moment. Fightful Select states the winner was revealed to those involved in the match on the Thursday of Money in the Bank week, giving Stratton and her fellow participants advance notice of how the match would conclude rather than finding out on the day of the show.
The detail is notable within WWE’s typically tight-lipped production process, where finishes and briefcase winners are often considered closely guarded information even among the talent scheduled to compete. The fact that there were no changes in the weeks leading up to the show suggests WWE was confident in Stratton as the direction for the women’s Money in the Bank briefcase well in advance, rather than making a late call based on crowd reaction, injury concerns, or shifting creative priorities elsewhere on the card.
Winning Money in the Bank has historically been one of the most significant booking decisions WWE makes in a given year, since the briefcase holder carries a guaranteed, time-limited opportunity to cash in for a championship match of their choosing. Stratton’s win places her in that position, with WWE’s reported long-term planning around her suggesting the company views her as a central figure in the women’s division going forward.
The reports covering this story, from Fightful, Wrestling Headlines, and Ringside News, each cite Fightful Select as the origin of the backstage information. Beyond confirming the timeline of when the decision was communicated and that it remained unchanged heading into the show, the available reporting does not detail any specific plans for when or against whom Stratton might eventually cash in her Money in the Bank contract. WWE has not issued independent public comment on the internal planning process described in these reports.
