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Out of sight, out of mind.
In the world of professional wrestling, the only way to become and stay relevant is to have significant exposure and maximize its impact. Performers who are on our TV every week have a chance to capture our imagination. Those who are left off TV are quickly forgotten.
This week in wrestling has seen one wrestler thrust onto a grand stage for the first time, another thrive past expectations, while yet others seem to fade away.
As ever, we start with stories of success.
Rising Star of the Week: Ricky Saints
After making his name in AEW, Saints debuted in NXT with much fanfare in February. After signing his contract Saints boldly declared, “The Revolution has begun.” His 2025 run in NXT has thus far been a mild disappointment. He’s failed to make the kind of impact fans had hoped for.
That’s why many were stunned when Saints pinned Oba Femi to become the new NXT Champion at No Mercy. Saints lacked the type of momentum that would typically signal such an important title change, and his former reign as United States Champion had not been particularly successful.
It’s not that Saints lacks talent. He has undeniable star presence, has the wrestling ability one would expect from an AEW veteran, and delivers promos with confidence and conviction.
However, something about his presentation hasn’t quite clicked. Who exactly is Ricky Saints? What is the Revolution, and why should we care?
While these questions have yet to be answered, we did get some hints in the past week in the form of a video documenting Saints’s youth in New Orleans. Saints described being haunted by a childhood of poverty and obscurity and vowed that he would do anything to succeed in wrestling as a means to avoid going back to it. This video did more to humanize Saints and make him stand out than anything in his first six months in NXT.
As NXT champion, Saints finally has the spotlight – an opportunity to prove he is a star. If booking can feature him correctly, he has a real chance to be just that. Capitalizing on the idea of a man working tirelessly to raise himself out of poverty to achieve stardom might be just the vehicle he needs to connect with the fans.
Does Saints have what it takes to carry a division? Will the Revolution be a remarkable innovation or just revolting? We’re about to find out.
First Runner up: Dominick Mysterio
Some experts believe that Mysterio has the potential to be a perennial main eventer. I don’t see it.
Ironically, it was his LACK of charisma, wrestling ability, or a compelling look which got him over as a heel. When Mysterio held tag team gold with his father, fans perceived correctly that he was pushed beyond his value by nepotism and responded with genuine disdain. WWE creative realigned him as a heel, and the result was extraordinary heat. Although Mysterio has improved dramatically in the ring and on the mic, he still doesn’t rate better than average in either capacity.
Regardless, what he’s doing right now is working. While he’s hardly dynamic in his backstage skits with the Judgement Day, the never-ending dissensionz between faction members helps define the personality of each. Dom is a perfect fit for his current role: a competitor who simply cannot compete physically but succeeds regardless by using every shortcut and “Dirty” trick.
Mysterio’s heel vs. heel match with Rusev shouldn’t have worked as well as it did. Fans gravitated towards Dom as the de facto babyface and cheered him in spite of the fact that he was clearly no match for Rusev physically. Mysterio failed in several attempts to take unfair advantage of Rusev before finding success with a mule kick to the groin behind the referee’s back.
As a result, the match reinforced both wrestlers’ gimmicks: Rusev’s nigh-unstoppable monster and Mysterio’s consummate cheater. Mysterio’s booking has aligned perfectly with his strengths and weaknesses, and the result is a compelling character.
“Dirty” Dom proves that while talent is an important ingredient in the recipe for success, it’s NOT a necessary one.
Second Runner-up: Jordynne Grace
Grace left it all in the ring at No Mercy: her blood, her sweat, her tears… even her hair.
A weaponized cage match is something of a silly proposition — even more so when the weapons are all pink and bear the likeness of her opponent Blake Monroe. However, the two made lemons into lemonade by putting on a dramatic, compelling contest, a perfect capstone to a memorable feud.
The best wrestling feuds often represent a stark contrast in styles. In the case of Grace vs. Monroe, its been that of an awkward misfit against the beautiful mean girl bully. The fact that that misfit happens to be a jacked powerlifter made the rivalry a physical contrast as well, making the match-up even more intriguing.
Their bout featured no lack of drama, which peaked when Monroe sadistically cut the hair off a handcuffed Grace. The Juggernaut’s resulting rage was earned, and viewers reveled in her well-earned vengeance, which embodied the PLE’s moniker No Mercy. It was the best performance of either’s NXT run and proved both women could hold up their end of a main event-worthy match-up.
Jordynne Grace is a finished product, more than ready for a call-up to the main roster.
Smackdown, what are you waiting for?
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Fading Star of the Week: Jasmyn Nyx
A former professional soccer player, Nyx transitioned to professional wrestling when she signed with the WWE in late 2022. After a year of training, she debuted in NXT as a part of the Chase University faction. Aligning herself with Jacey Jayne, the two turned against Chase U and formed Fatal Influence along with Fallon Henley in March. The three have been inseparable ever since.
Nyx immediately turned heads with her stunning beauty, but her inexperience was obvious during televised matches. A natural athlete, her ringwork would steadily improve. However, she was never strong on the mic, and her personality never truly revealed itself. Despite developing adequate wrestling skills, Nyx really never stood out and remained Fatal Influence’s third wheel.
Nyx reportedly was unhappy with the meager salary WWE offered, and decided against resigning in recent weeks. She was written off television unceremoniously, rejected with a shrug by Jayne and Henley after being attacked backstage. This continues the WWE tradition of departing wrestlers simply fading away, and failing to capitalize on the situation in storyline.
In her nine months of NXT, Nyx failed to establish herself as a star and won’t be greatly missed. Her prospects of success in another wrestling company are not particularly high. Still, her improvement in such a short time will leave fans wondering what she could have been, if Jasmyn hadn’t been Nyx’ed.
Runner-Up: Bianca Belair
Following a phenomenal performance in the best match of WrestleMania 40 weekend, Belair has been largely left off TV. Reportedly, Belair’s hand was crushed underneath Rhea Ripley during a complex German suplex, resulting in a fractured finger. Unable to wrestle, Belair has been on an extended hiatus from WWE TV.
Belair injury was a figurative K.O.D. for Smackdown’s women’s division, which now lacks an effective centerpiece star. Any hopes that Tiffany Stratton or Jade Cargill would rise to the occasion by filling that role proved to be sadly unfounded.
Belair had previously been expected to recover enough to be cleared to wrestle by late August. Many expected a return following Summerslam, but a month later we are still left waiting.
Smackdown is in desperate need of the type of star power that only Belair can provide.
Here’s hoping the EST’s return is swift and triumphant.
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