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Another WrestleMania has come and gone. Fans have been on an emotional roller coaster: weeks of building anticipation, the disappointment of Night 1, and the joy of Night 2. We can’t help but feel let down afterwards. And then comes the crash.
Of course, the story doesn’t end here. The Raw and Smackdown following ‘Mania quickly turn the page — introducing new stars, establishing novel storylines, and promising fresh matchups.
Even as fans struggle with wrestling burnout, we can’t help but wonder about these possibilities.
As with every April, we ask ourselves the same questions: Who’s about to break out—and who just peaked?
Rising Star of the Week: Roman Reigns
Practice makes perfect, and Reigns’s 14th WrestleMania outing was damn near flawless. The OTC carried CM Punk to his best match since his return, and one of the top WrestleMania main events in recent memory.
Instead of attempting to cover up Punk’s limited conditioning, the two incorporated it the story. Reigns didn’t come off as a more skilled wrestler than Punk, he simply outlasted the veteran.
Despite Punk’s tenacious refusal to give in and willingness to break the rules to gain an advantage, in the end Roman put him down clean, center ring, no excuses.
I watched WrestleMania with a friend, a non-fan watching for the first in in decades. Out of everyone on the card, Reigns stood out to him the most: “that guy looks like a real badass.”
Reigns isn’t just a star—he’s the star, still operating at a level above everyone else.
His reunion with Jimmy and Jey and confrontation with Jacob Fatu promise a sequel to the beloved Bloodline storyline. Sequels are rarely as good as the original, but we love them just the same.
Another reign by Roman isn’t just nostalgia, its necessity.
Raw needs Roman.
Runner-up: Oba Femi
No one left WrestleMania with more momentum than Oba Femi.
Femi’s WrestleMania bout with Brock Lesnar, and the build that preceded it, couldn’t possibly have put over The Ruler any stronger. Femi handily bested Lesnar in every encounter, and left him laying at the end, handing him a string of defeats as no wrestler has done before.
Lesnar put Femi over even after the match ended by leaving his boots in the ring. Not subtle. Not ambiguous. A legend was finished—and Femi was the reason.
Soaking up the adulation of the Raw audience was a simple, effective way to emphasize his greatest victory. Femi is instantly catapulted to the main event level.
Barring injury, it’s not a question of if Femi headlines SummerSlam—it’s who’s unlucky enough to stand across from him.
Second Runner-up: Paige
The “surprise return wins the match” trope is beyond tired. WWE goes back to it constantly, and more often than not, it kills suspense instead of creating it.
But sometimes the reaction justifies the decision—and Paige was one of those times.
Four years removed from WWE, the response wasn’t polite—it was explosive. Fans didn’t just welcome her back, they erupted.
Paige has a shot at a true career resurgence. She seems to be in great physical condition and has the wrestling ability and experience to create magic in the ring.
“This is my house!” For the first time in years, it actually feels true.
Welcome home.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Fading Star of the Week: Pat McAfee
McAfee’s contributions to WWE have been a mixed bag. His celebrity cache added greatly to his credibility, earning him opportunities beyond what his abilities would warrant.
His love of wrestling was evident in his first run as an announcer on SmackDown, and more than compensated for his lack of discipline and his fixation on toilet humor. McAfee’s stint as an announcer on Monday Night Raw was less successful. He seemed less excited to be a part of the show and less knowledgeable about the product in general. Like many, I was happy to see him depart the Raw broadcast booth early in June.
McAfee’s return to WWE as Randy Orton’s mysterious partner has been a disaster.
Universally reviled, his short stint as Orton’s manager completely derailed what could have been a great WrestleMania feud with Cody Rhodes.
It was a relief to see WWE change course, by minimizing his role in the main event, and having Orton ultimately dump him.
Now comes the retirement announcement. No sadness, no disappointment — just relief.
McAfee’s tenure in WWE will forever be marred by this final run. Credit to the man, at least, for going out on his back.
First Runner-Up: Sami Zayn
Zayn has gone from beloved underdog to whiny irritant in a few short months. He had the misfortune of being thrust into a program where he as the babyface is pitted against an enormously popular miscast heel in Trick Williams.
As audiences began to take Williams’s side, Zayn whined about his lack of support and insisted that a portion of the fanbase remains loyal to him. They aren’t.
However, that hasn’t happened, and their WrestleMania bout did nothing to resolve the situation.
Trick continued to wrestle as a heel, but Zayn began incorporating heelish tactics as well.
A double turn feels inevitable—but the longer it drags, the more heat the story loses.
For a “Master Strategist,” this could have been planned out far better.
Second Runner-Up: Cody Rhodes
Fans can’t seem to decide how to feel about Cody Rhodes.
When Orton turned heel after the Royal Rumble, there was increased interest in seeing the Viper return to his former glory. Fans increasingly sided with Orton, at least until he revealed his mysterious benefactor was Pat McAfee, who arrived on SmackDown to spout nonsense and ruin the narrative.
During the ill-fated WrestleMania night one main event, McAfee was quickly written off, incapacitated by Rhodes and Jellyroll.
Rhodes and Orton are expert storytellers, but neither is able to provide the movement, athleticism, or technical skills required to make for a great match in 2026. Both are better paired against an opponent who possesses these attributes. Together, their match was slow and plodding.
A 22-minute main event never felt longer.
With McAfee out of the picture and Rhodes displaying heelish tactics, many fans voiced support for Orton once again. Most were quiet, not knowing who to root for. It almost seemed as if a double turn was in the making.
The finish saw Orton turn on a returning McAfee to the delight of the fans, and Rhodes taking advantage of Orton’s distraction by putting him away. This cheap shot on the man who had just earned the fans’ gratitude only further muddled the situation and muted any remaining enthusiasm for Rhodes’ win.
Orton’s post-match beatdown didn’t clarify anything—it just highlighted how unclear Cody’s role has become.
If anyone could use a refresh, it’s the American Nightmare. Right now, he’s stuck in the middle—the worst place a top star can be.
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