WWE RISING STARS & FADING STARS: Profits are Up, Knight Errant, EK Prospers, Danhausen Curses Raw, Lyra Breaks Bad, Tepid Tonga

It’s been an engaging week in WWE as we continue to roll toward Night of Champions (no, not the afternoon version) and look ahead to SummerSlam. As Oba Femi’s star continues to rise, who else is making the most of their TV time?

Let’s take a look.

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Rising Star of the Week: Street Profits

After years of treading water, Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins are back on top of the WWE tag team division and, for the first time in years, actually feel relevant again.

The Profits debuted on the main roster in 2019 and captured their first main roster tag team titles just before the onset of the 2020 COVID pandemic. They held those titles for months during the unfortunate ThunderDome era, but after losing them, they slowly drifted down the card. Ford & Dawkins were essentially supporting characters for the next four years, doing the same schtick, leaning on the same empty “We want the smoke!” catchphrase, and the same overused flip-dive over the turnbuckle.

A short-lived alliance with Bobby Lashley and teases of singles runs both promised change for the Profits but ultimately led nowhere. The Profits regained the SmackDown Tag Team Titles in March 2025, but that reign was largely forgettable, and they were once again lost in the shuffle amid a poorly managed tag team division.

The Profits’ return to Raw has been an unmitigated success. They seem rejuvenated, motivated, and – most importantly – creatively engaged. They’ve been woven into meaningful storylines alongside the likes of Seth Rollins and The Vision, and their performances have finally matched their potential.

For the first time in years, the Street Profits feel like more than just another tag team; they feel like players.

Capturing the tag team titles on Raw confirmed what we all sensed – a legitimate return to relevance for Ford and Dawkins. If they’re given strong material to work with, the Street Profits may finally fulfill their long-teased potential as top acts.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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Runner-up: EK Prosper

When Eli Knight (no relation to LA) was signed by WWE, he likely had little choice but to change his name. Keeping his initials in the transition makes sense, but “EK Prosper” is a tough sell on first listen.

That said, Prosper has been very impressive in his early outings on NXT. He comes across as naturally likable, and his eye-popping athleticism and high-flying moveset help him stand out in a crowded field of hungry NXT prospects.

This week, Prosper scored his first signature win on NXT, handing the dominant Keanu Carver his first loss in nearly a year. That’s not accidental booking; that’s a signal that the creative team sees something real here.

This rookie is one to watch. He already has the in-ring ability; if the character work catches up, we all might indeed see EK prosper.

Second Runner-Up: Lyra Valkyria

A strong in-ring performer who never fully connected with fans, Valkyria has been treading water for over a year. Her tag team alliance with Bayley has produced one dead end after another, with no clear direction for either character.

To quote the great Owen Hart: “Enough is enough, and it’s time for a change.”

Valkyria’s heel turn on Raw signals a much-needed reset. A natural babyface, she never played a heel in NXT or on the main roster, so this is largely uncharted territory.

Roxanne Perez was once in a similar position. Her heel turn unlocked a different dimension and elevated her to a new level. The question now: Can Valkyria do the same?

It may be time for this flightless “bird lady” to finally spread her wings.

Fading Star of the Week: LA Knight

Sometimes when you win, you really lose. Just ask LA Knight.

As regular readers know, Knight has long been over-performing his push in my estimation. He’s captivating on the mic, hard-hitting in the ring, and consistently draws strong crowd reactions. As the lone voice calling out The Bloodline, he seemed on a trajectory toward something bigger.

Then the bell rang.

Last week on Raw, Knight began climbing the Bloodline ladder by stepping on its lowest rung: Jimmy Uso.

Although an important character, Jimmy has very little singles credibility. He’s won just one singles match in the past two years – back in January 2025.

If Knight was going to look credible against the upper tier of The Bloodline, he needed to steamroll Jimmy.

Instead, the two had a competitive 13-minute match, with Knight only winning after Solo interfered by hitting Jimmy with the Samoan Spike while the referee’s back was turned.

The crowd – firmly behind Knight – was deflated. This was not the statement win he needed. It was the kind of victory that quietly undercuts momentum instead of building it.

This kind of booking doesn’t just stall a push; it raises real questions about how much faith creative actually has in Knight.

First Runner-Up: Danhausen

Danhausen’s skits have gone from questionable to actively damaging. His SmackDown material was rough enough, but on Raw, the problem has only intensified.

His cartoonish antics shatter the internal logic of the show, insult the audience’s intelligence, and reduce his opponents to punchlines.

On SmackDown, that meant dragging down lower-card acts like The Miz and Kit Wilson. On Raw, he’s now interacting with The Judgment Day – and that’s a much bigger problem.

Turning Dominik Mysterio, Liv Morgan, and JD McDonagh into props for comedy does real damage to the show’s credibility.

There is humor here, but it’s not worth the cost.

The “Curse of Danhausen” is starting to feel less like a gimmick and more like a booking problem.

Second Runner-Up: Tama Tonga

On paper, Tama Tonga looks like a can’t-miss signing: Impressive build, believable offense, a menacing presence, and a championship pedigree. As one-half of the Guerrillas of Destiny with his brother Tonga Loa, he captured the IWGP Tag Team Titles a record seven times.

In WWE, however, he’s done… very little of consequence.

After debuting in April 2024, Tonga briefly held tag team gold with JC Mateo before losing it in March as part of the ill-fated feud with the Wyatt Sicks. A new look, face paint, and the “Cut Throat” finisher seemed to signal an impending push – one that never came.

The MFTs were effectively DOA.

Tama survived this year’s roster cuts, which claimed both his brother and Mateo, but his trajectory remains unclear. Right now, he feels less like a rising threat and more like a stalled asset waiting for direction.