Some places do power rankings. Here at Cageside, we do a stock report.
In this weekly series, we identify three Superstars (or groups of Superstars) who are on their way up, and three that are moving in the opposite direction. After a busy week that included second round matches in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments, a lot of fortunes were changed.
With that in mind, let’s see whose stock decreased the most this week:
Stock Down #3: Tiffany Stratton
Stratton’s losses this month in the Queen of the Ring tournament and the WWE women’s title match at Backlash show that it’s not quite Tiffy Time yet in WWE, and she may need to take a step back in the short-term. What’s much worse than some kayfabe losses is all the negative attention that Stratton received this week due to her controversial social media post. It’s understandable why so many people were offended by , and even though the latest reporting indicates it won’t affect her WWE push, that remains to be seen.
Stock Down #2: Legado del Fantasma
The LWO and Legado del Fantasma were separated in the WWE Draft, and Santos Escobar’s group has yet to find a new direction without their main rivals on the same show as them. Santos was bounced out of the first round of the King of the Ring tournament in a match that wasn’t even televised, and his lackeys Berto and Angel were putting over DIY on last night’s episode of SmackDown.
Stock Down #1: Ivar
Ivar was written off TV with an injury this week. He later revealed on social media that he has a “very serious” injury and is weighing his options on what to do about it. Ivar’s wording makes it sound like it will be a long time before we see him back in a WWE ring.
Now let’s see whose stock increased the most this week:
Stock Up #3: Otis
Otis has been an afterthought for a while in his current role as a member of Alpha Academy, but that could be changing after Chad Gable slapped him in the face on Raw. It looks like Gable’s heel turn will eventually lead to Otis’ exit from the group, and Dozer is going to get a huge pop when he finally has enough of Chad’s shit and hits him back.
Stock Up #2: Bianca Belair & Lyra Valkyria
Things are going well for all eight wrestlers who are still alive in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments, but Belair and Valkyria stand out for a couple of reasons.
First impressions are important, and Lyra Valkyria is starting out on the WWE main roster by making a deep run in the tournament as a babyface underdog while also associating herself with the top star on Raw, Becky Lynch. That’s a pretty good way to introduce yourself to the Raw audience.
Then there is Bianca Belair, who now looks like the favorite to win the Queen of the Ring tournament because her tag team partner Jade Cargill is eliminated. Belair is persevering and winning matches on a compromised knee (in kayfabe), and that injury could end up being her downfall in the tournament, However, Belair is basically the John Cena of the women’s division, so I don’t think too many people will be surprised if she keeps finding a way to win.
Stock Up #1: Damian Priest
Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre had a promo battle on this week’s Raw to lay the foundation for a future world title match, which could very well be the main event of next month’s WWE Clash at the Castle event in Glasgow, Scotland. And even though that match could spell the end of Damian’s world title run, the champ cut a hell of a promo while shutting down every one of Drew’s whiny talking points. Priest has become one of the best promos on Raw and is doing everything he can to prove why he belongs in the main event picture going forward.
There you have it, Cagesiders. Whose stock do you think changed the most this week?
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