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It was a decent week on Raw and SmackDown, and with Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash in Italy on the way, there’s a lot to look forward to.
One of the most exciting parts of watching WWE these days is all the new faces. Between NXT call-ups, returning stars, AEW defectors, and celebrity contributors, both rosters are completely refreshed.
Who’s thriving in this new landscape, and who’s flailing?
As always, we’ll start with WWE’s successes.
Rising Star of the Week: Austin Theory
Against the expectations of many fans, Austin Theory has been successfully rebranded as “The Pressure” of the Vision. Theory has come a long way from the hapless loser who was verbally buried by John Cena and found little success with Grayson Waller as A-Town Down Under.
In The Vision, Theory has reinvented himself as a coldblooded thug, and his intense character work has been convincing. In the ring, he’s shown a fire we hadn’t seen before, his offense is crisp and stiff, and he can sell with the best of them.
Theory’s excellent match with Seth Rollins marked his first main event in years and served as a showcase for how far Theory has come.
Although some see Theory as little more than the fall guy for the Vision, he’s been quietly building up credibility. He looks like he belongs next to two of wrestling’s hottest young talents in Bron Breakker and Logan Paul and its finest promo in Paul Heyman.
Bronson Reed was able to parlay essentially the same spot into heights none predicted as “The Tribal Thief.” Can Theory do the same?
He’s off to a good start.
Runner-up: Ethan Page
“All Ego” is a natural fit for the main roster. His heel work is second to none. Ethan plays his role to perfection. His sit-down interview with Michael Cole helped get across his character: a smarmy, cowardly narcissist who revels in the idea that he’s superior to everyone around him.
Ethan’s only stumble was when Cole questioned his ego. Rather than embrace his moniker and say that he has a great ego because he’s a great man, Page inexplicably responded “It’s not ego. It is pure confidence.”
If that’s what he believes, he should call himself “All Confidence.”
Other than that, Ethan was spot on. He’s just the sort of jerk whom fans love to see get punched in the face. His title match with Penta on Saturday Night’s Main Event marks his first high-profile match on the main roster.
Look for Ethan to get another ego boost on Saturday.
Second Runner up: Royce Keys
His incorporation into WWE programming has come with little fanfare, but over the past few weeks Keys has found his place on SmackDown, giving the show the “Powerhouse” it desperately needed.
Although he’s no Oba Femi, Keys’ size, build, and intensity give him instant credibility as a tough guy. He’s serviceable on the mic and in the ring.
Keys impressed in his match against Gunther on SmackDown. Gunther has had been precious to a few opponents who made him look small, and I can’t recall seeing anyone manhandle him like Keys did.
Wrestling always has a place for someone with Keys’ juggernaut build. He’ll make for a nice clash of styles with the majority of SmackDown’s male wrestlers who are relatively small and agile.
Handled correctly, Royce could be a “key” part of the Smackdown roster.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Fading Star of the Week: Lil Yachty
It’s easy to forget watching him on SmackDown, but Yachty is kind of a big deal. With multiple top ten hits and Grammy nominations, he’s a legitimate pop star.
In WWE, however, he’s just sort of there.
With the annual wave of celebrity guests occurring around WrestleMania season, most fans assumed Yachty would stick around for a few months at max and then depart along with Jelly Roll and IShowSpeed. However, WrestleMania has come and gone, and Yachty’s still here.
Beyond his celebrity status, Yachty hasn’t brought all that much to the table. He certainly seems to know his role as a manager and doesn’t steal the spotlight from Trick Williams. However, he doesn’t add much, either.
His inexperience is painfully obvious. He lacks the charisma of IShowSpeed or the relatability of Jelly Roll. Yachty has failed to impress with his promo work, and his poem battle with Kit Wilson on SmackDown was embarrassing.
Yachty has a lot to learn if he’s going to make a real impact in WWE.
First Runner-Up: Paige
Paige’s surprise return at WrestleMania was one of the event’s highlights. She was welcomed back with open arms by fans in attendance, clearly nostalgic for her unique blend of wrestling skill and charisma.
It’s been all downhill from there.
Teaming Paige with Brie Bella was a mistake. Brie gets no fan reaction and has sapped away fan interest in Paige. Although we’re told that they are longtime friends, this doesn’t match Paige’s WWE storyline history. It seems completely out of character for the “Anti-Diva” Paige to align herself with the prototypical Divas in the Bella Twins. Even worse, Paige and Brie have little to no chemistry. Both are a step slower than their opponents, and have performed competently in the ring, but barely so. Promos from the two have been generic and uninspired at best, laughable at worst (e.g., Brie cluelessly referring to her opponents as “the Judgements Day”.)
Despite their status as tag team champions, the duo has failed to generate any interest. In fact, fan enthusiasm for Paige appears to be dropping like a stone. After yelling her signature phrase “this is my house” mid-match on Raw, you could hear a pin drop.
If Paige is going to find real success in her WWE return, she’ll need to cut ties with Brie and go alone. For her sake, lets hope the Irresistible Forces take back their titles on Saturday.
Second Runner-Up: The Creed Brothers, a/k/a Los Americanos Hermanos
The Americanos saga has become a black hole of wrestling talent: squandering the talent of any performer unlucky enough to enter its orbit. The latest victims have been the Creed Brothers, who made their masked redebut on Raw as Los Americanos Hermanos.
The Creeds join a group of talented wrestlers mired in a lame duck storyline.
Their six-man tornado tag team match on Raw featured the kind of looney tunes silly antics that fans have come to expect from the Grande Americanos. The goofy action resembles a Three Stooges act more than a competitive sporting event. These spots are often genuinely funny, and entertaining in isolation. However, the come with a high price.
The lack of believability inherent in these comedy matches, like those of Mr. Iguana or Danhausen, really takes wrestling fans out of the moment. It breaks our suspension of disbelief, an unwelcome reminder that professional wrestling is just an show. This makes it harder to buy into the more serious matches that follow and hurts our enjoyment of the entire program.
Let’s hope that the AAA event Noche de Los Grandes puts to rest this whole embarrassing angle.
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