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WWE’s march toward WrestleMania continued this week—and for the most part, it’s working. The stories are heating up, the stars are stepping forward, and the stakes feel real.
But there’s one baffling misstep that refuses to go away.
The biggest annoyance for this viewer has been the unwelcome return of WWE 2K ratings for each wrestler, highlighted prior to every match.
Yes, they’re fun for gamers. Yes, they spark debate. But they have no place on a live wrestling broadcast.
While I am a fan of the game and find it interesting to see how the developers ranked my favorites, these ratings serve as a reminder of the current pecking order and typically spoil match results.
The performers work hard to help you suspend disbelief in the moment and believe that either wrestler has a chance of winning. These 2K ratings work against them and undermine our enjoyment of the match.
With that complaint out of the way, let’s look at the biggest winners and losers this week in WWE.
Rising Star of the Week: Roman Reigns
For all his many faults, Vince McMahon was right about one thing: Roman Reigns is a star.
The decade-long path for him to find the perfect role was torturous at times, particularly for fans who had to endure years of his miscast babyface persona.
Reigns’s recent verbal sparring sessions with CM Punk on Raw prove what a masterful performer he has become.
Even though Punk has been at his ranting best, he pales in comparison to Reigns, who carries himself with regal poise and radiates cool.
Despite Punk’s attempts to ingratiate himself with the Boston crowd on Monday, they cheered uproariously when Reigns beat him senseless. Fan support for Reigns peaked after he powerbombed Punk through the announce table, with a vocal majority chanting “one more time!”
The babyface OTC has seemingly peaked at a fortuitous time: the build to what is by far the most hotly anticipated match at WrestleMania.
Right now, no one in wrestling feels bigger than Roman Reigns.
First Runner-up: Jade Cargill
A storm has arrived.
A faction is just what Cargill needed to elevate her value as a character. It makes her seem more important and allows her new ways to interact with her rivals. It also gives her opportunities to take shortcuts and gives fans a new reason to root against her.
Michin and B-Fab had both settled at the very bottom of the SmackDown food chain and can only benefit from a fresh role. Look for Rhea Ripley to plow through both in the coming weeks.
With any luck, the trio will show some chemistry and spark interest in their characters. While I hardly expect the second coming of The Bloodline, no one can argue that involvement in Judgment Day has done wonders for all involved parties.
Last week on Smackdown, Cargill framed herself as a celebrity with no love for professional wrestling, participating only for the money. She contrasted herself with Ripley, who truly loves professional wrestling and the fans. Casting herself in this light fits with what fans already believe about her and helps differentiate her character from the generic badass she’s been thus far.
It’s simple, effective storytelling which finally gives fans a reason to care.
Until recently, Cargill’s title reign has been terribly flat. Her presentation and performance last week suggest that her best days lie ahead.
For the first time, Jade Cargill feels less like a project—and more like a player.
Second Runner-up: IShowSpeed
IShowSpeed was great during his appearance on Monday Night Raw, putting him in the top echelon of celebrity guests. He clearly understands the product, knows what is expected of him, and is motivated in his role.
And that alone puts him ahead of most celebrity crossovers.
Fans may remember IShowSpeed as a surprise entrant in the 2025 Royal Rumble. Although some resented a non-wrestler receiving such an opportunity, IShowSpeed had no problem putting over the real wrestlers, getting destroyed and eliminated within moments.
He didn’t try to steal the spotlight—he enhanced it.
Kudos to WWE creative for the vastly improved involvement of celebrities in recent years. Bad Bunny, Jelly Roll, and Logan Paul set a high bar as legitimate stars who are excellent additions to the wrestling product.
In Paul Levesque’s WWE, celebrities aren’t distractions—they’re contributors.
It’s not clear what IShowSpeed’s role at WrestleMania will be, but unlike the great majority of celebrity appearances, I’m looking forward to it.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Falling Star of the Week: Sol Ruca
With remarkable athleticism, a great look, and a jaw-dropping finisher, Ruca is less a wrestler and more a walking highlight reel. One of WWE’s shiniest new toys, she has had featured spots in the Royal Rumble and Saturday Night’s Main Event in recent months and seems destined for a post-WrestleMania call-up to the main roster.
Everything about Sol Ruca screams “future star”—until she opens her mouth.
This past week on NXT, Ruca delivered what appeared to be her first long-form promo, calling out her partner-turned-enemy Zaria.
It was pretty rough.
Ruca’s delivery was flat and dull. The NXT audience, usually loudly supportive of babyface acts, sat on their hands listlessly. When Zaria countered with a heel promo of her own, the contrast was obvious.
Zaria was both passionate and engaging—so much so that the audience woke up and began to cheer the heel instead. It’s pretty rare that the typically compliant NXT crowd will rebel in this way, which speaks to how ineffective Ruca was.
Ruca is a unique talent who needs to be handled with care. The right pairing—especially with someone who can serve as a babyface mouthpiece or partner to bring out her personality—may be her best chance to connect with main roster audiences.
In the ring, she’s a finished product. On the mic, a work in progress.
First Runner-up: WWE’s Tag Team Championships
The main roster tag team championships—Raw, SmackDown, and Women’s—are in equally rough shape.
Raw’s division, suffering from a dearth of men’s tag teams, has been struggling for some time. The Usos have done virtually nothing with the titles since winning them in December. Recently, they seem far more concerned with CM Punk than their own titles and have not even addressed defending them at WrestleMania.
Champions who barely talk about their titles send a clear message: the titles don’t matter.
Despite enjoying a wealth of devoted tag teams, SmackDown’s tag team championship is somehow no better off. The titles spent the better part of the past year being sucked into the black hole of the never-ending feud between the Wyatt Six and the MFTs. Only last week, the titles were captured by Damian Priest and R-Truth, a team formed barely a week prior. With no clear top contenders, a dreaded multi-team match at WrestleMania seems likely.
The Women’s titles, arguably the most prestigious, are also in a rut. The past two weeks have featured champions The Irresistible Forces retaining their titles via non-finishes due to interference by a third team. It seems clear this is heading for yet another multi-team match at WrestleMania, likely involving the Bella Twins.
WWE creative has its work cut out if it intends to heat up the tag team championships heading into “The Show of Shows.”
Because right now, across all three brands, the tag division feels like an afterthought—and WrestleMania deserves better.
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