WWE had a golden opportunity to turn Roxanne Perez into one of its biggest rising stars. Instead, Tiffany Stratton walked away with the briefcase, leaving fans to wonder what could have been.
The Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match is about more than climbing a ladder and retrieving a briefcase. It is about creating a star, building suspense, and giving a talented performer a storyline that can transform their career overnight.
At Money in the Bank 2026, WWE had the perfect opportunity to accomplish all three with Roxanne Perez.
Instead, Tiffany Stratton emerged victorious, defeating Perez, Sol Ruca, Jacy Jayne, Lash Legend, and Lola Vice to become a two-time Money in the Bank contract holder. While Stratton’s victory was a significant moment in its own right, Perez arguably offered a more intriguing option for the future.
Perez did not simply need a briefcase to prove her talent. She needed a defining storyline, an opportunity to step out of the background, and a reason for WWE audiences to invest in her as a future world champion.
The ingredients were already there. Her involvement with Judgment Day, her complicated relationships with Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, and her reputation as one of WWE’s most promising young performers created a natural foundation for a compelling Money in the Bank story.
WWE could have done something special with Roxanne Perez. Here is why she should have won.
1. Roxanne Perez Was Ready for a Career-Defining Moment
Perez has spent years establishing herself as a talented and accomplished wrestler. Before becoming a regular presence on WWE’s main roster, she made her name in NXT, where her technical ability, determination, and willingness to take risks helped her develop into a standout performer.
Her nickname, “The Prodigy,” reflects the expectations that have followed her throughout her career. But being a promising prospect and becoming a genuine main-event player are two very different things.
Money in the Bank offered the perfect bridge between those stages.
Winning the briefcase would have immediately elevated Perez into the championship conversation. Instead of waiting for opportunities to come her way, she would have possessed the power to choose when, where, and against whom she wanted to challenge for a women’s world championship.
That is precisely the kind of advantage a rising star needs.
Perez had already demonstrated that she could compete with established WWE names. She qualified for the 2026 ladder match by defeating IYO SKY and La Catalina on the September 21 episode of Raw. <Cite refs={[“turn581956search1”]}/>
That victory helped establish her credentials before the premium live event even began.
Giving Perez the briefcase would have taken the next logical step. It would have sent a clear message that WWE was ready to move beyond treating her as a promising supporting character and begin presenting her as a potential centerpiece of its women’s division.
A wrestler can spend years proving that they belong. Sometimes, the most important decision a promotion can make is finally rewarding that work with a major opportunity.
Money in the Bank was that opportunity for Perez.
2. The Judgment Day Storyline Was Too Good to Ignore
Perhaps the strongest argument for Perez winning Money in the Bank had little to do with the ladder match itself. It was what WWE could have done with the briefcase afterward.
Perez’s position within Judgment Day offered an unusually rich storytelling opportunity. With Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez holding championship gold at the time, Perez could have found herself in the uncomfortable position of deciding whether to cash in on her own stablemates. <Cite refs={[“turn361246view0”]}/>
Imagine the possibilities.
Perez wins the briefcase and celebrates with Judgment Day, insisting that she is loyal to the group. Morgan congratulates her, but there is an unmistakable hint of concern in her expression. Rodriguez questions whether Perez can be trusted. Dominik Mysterio attempts to keep the peace while secretly worrying that the group’s internal tensions could destroy everything.
Suddenly, every Judgment Day segment becomes more interesting.
When Perez approaches Morgan, viewers would wonder whether she is there to offer support or study the champion’s weaknesses. When Morgan loses a match, fans would question whether Perez is considering a cash-in. Even a seemingly innocent conversation between the two could carry championship implications.
The beauty of this storyline is that WWE would not have needed to rush into a betrayal.
Instead, the company could have spent months building tension, allowing Perez to struggle between loyalty and ambition. She could insist that she has no intention of cashing in on Morgan, only for doubt to grow as Judgment Day’s internal relationships deteriorate.
Eventually, Perez would have to make a choice: remain loyal to her friends or seize the opportunity to become a world champion.
Either decision could have produced a memorable moment.
If she betrayed Morgan, WWE would have created a major rivalry rooted in months of emotional storytelling. If she refused to cash in on her stablemate and instead pursued another champion, Perez could have established herself as an ambitious competitor who was not willing to sacrifice her relationships for immediate success.
That is the sort of layered character development that makes professional wrestling memorable.
3. She Could Have Brought Something New to the Money in the Bank Briefcase
Money in the Bank winners are often judged by what they do with the contract. Some cash in immediately, some wait for the perfect moment, and others use the briefcase to create weeks of suspense.
Perez could have offered a different approach.
As a younger competitor still establishing her identity on the main roster, she could have treated the contract as both an opportunity and a burden. She would possess the power to become champion at any moment, but using it could permanently change her relationships with the people around her.
That conflict would have suited her character perfectly.
Rather than portraying Perez as a wrestler who simply wanted championship gold, WWE could have explored what she was willing to sacrifice to obtain it. Would she betray someone who had supported her? Would she wait for a fair opportunity? Would she ultimately decide that she had to put herself first?
The briefcase would become a character-development tool rather than just a prop.
There was also a practical advantage to choosing Perez: it would have introduced a fresh face into the annual conversation surrounding potential cash-ins. Tiffany Stratton had already won the contract in 2024 and successfully cashed in to capture the Women’s Championship later that year. Her 2026 victory gives her another opportunity to tell that story, but Perez would have brought a different perspective to the role. <Cite refs={[“turn581956news9″,”turn581956search2”]}/>
Stratton’s victory is not without merit. She is an established performer with the experience to make a second run with the briefcase meaningful. But Perez’s situation presented a particularly interesting combination of personal stakes, faction drama, and championship ambition.
WWE had the opportunity to explore that combination. It chose a different direction.
4. Winning Would Have Rewarded Her Growth Without Rushing Her Rise
One possible argument against Perez winning is that she is still young and has plenty of time to become a world champion.
That is true, but it misses the point of Money in the Bank.
The briefcase does not require an immediate title victory. In fact, its greatest value often comes from the anticipation surrounding the cash-in.
Perez could have won the contract without becoming champion the following week. WWE could have allowed her to learn how to navigate the pressure of being a target, develop her character, and gradually become more confident in her ability to compete at the highest level.
The victory would have established her as a future threat without forcing the company to rush her into a lengthy title reign.
It also would have rewarded the progress she had already made. Perez had qualified for the ladder match by defeating IYO SKY and La Catalina, a result that placed her alongside five other competitors who had earned their opportunities.
Winning the contract would have been the logical continuation of that progress.
There is a difference between pushing a wrestler too quickly and giving a talented performer a meaningful opportunity to grow. A Money in the Bank victory can accomplish the latter, especially when the story focuses on the challenges that follow rather than treating the win as the end of the journey.
For Perez, the briefcase could have been the beginning of her next chapter.
5. Tiffany Stratton’s Victory Was Understandable, but Perez Offered the Fresher Story
To make the case for Perez, it is important to acknowledge why WWE might have selected Stratton.
Stratton has the athleticism, personality, and championship experience to make a Money in the Bank victory feel credible. Her previous success with the contract demonstrated that she could turn the opportunity into a major championship moment.
Giving her another briefcase also creates the possibility of a redemption story. A second victory could allow her to rebuild momentum, establish herself as a threat to the women’s champions, and pursue another defining title run.
Those are legitimate reasons for the decision.
However, the challenge is making a repeat victory feel different from the first. WWE now needs to give Stratton a compelling new direction so that her second Money in the Bank run does not simply repeat familiar beats.
Perez, by contrast, offered a story that was ready to develop in a new direction.
Her relationship with Judgment Day created immediate emotional stakes. Her position as a rising singles competitor gave the company a chance to elevate a young star. And her uncertainty about where her loyalties would ultimately lie could have sustained a long-running storyline.
The issue is not that Stratton was an undeserving winner. It is that Perez’s victory might have created more new possibilities at a time when her character needed a major breakthrough.
Sometimes, the best booking decision is not necessarily to select the most established performer. It is to recognize which wrestler has the most compelling story waiting to be told.
For many fans, Perez was that wrestler.
Final Verdict: Roxanne Perez Was the Missed Opportunity of Money in the Bank 2026
Tiffany Stratton winning the Women’s Money in the Bank contract was a defensible creative decision. She has the experience and ability to make another run with the briefcase worthwhile.
But Roxanne Perez offered something WWE should have taken seriously: the opportunity to create a new main-event star while strengthening one of its most prominent faction storylines.
Her potential conflict with Liv Morgan could have delivered months of suspense. Her association with Judgment Day could have made every possible cash-in feel personal. And her rise from an accomplished NXT performer to a credible world championship contender could have given WWE a compelling long-term story.
Most importantly, Perez did not need to win the world championship immediately. She simply needed the opportunity to prove that she belonged in the conversation.
Money in the Bank could have provided that opportunity in a single night.
Instead, Stratton climbed the ladder, retrieved the briefcase, and secured her second contract victory.
Now WWE has a decision to make. It can treat Perez as a talented competitor who came up short, or it can use this moment to build the next phase of her career.
The ingredients for a major star are already there. Perez has the ability, the character, and the storyline potential to become a central figure in WWE’s women’s division.
She should have won the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match because her victory would have opened the door to a fresh, emotionally driven story with consequences for several major characters.
Sometimes, the best choice is the one that creates the most possibilities.
In 2026, Roxanne Perez was that choice.
What do you think? Any comments, questions, or concerns? Reach out to me on Twitter, X, at @Scott44Mitchell.
Until next time,
Scott Mitchell
