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Wrestling is like a buffet – with such a variety of choices, there’s something for everyone.
All fans have some wrestlers who appeal to them and others who don’t.
Coming of age, I was fascinated by “Macho Man” Randy Savage, The Great Muta, Bret Hart, and Triple H, but I never cared for Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, or The Undertaker.
What makes us fans gravitate to one performer over another? The reasons are likely many and complex. In some cases, we simply see an aspect of our own identity reflected a wrestler. This may be our values and beliefs – a belief in fair play and morality is one of the main reasons we tend to connect with babyface acts rather than heels.
Our identification with a community may also play a role, leading us to favor a wrestler who shares our ethnicity, hometown, or nation. Sometimes the wrestler embodies traits we do not possess but aspire to: power, beauty, attitude, courage, wit, or just plain coolness. They may be the most capable of cutting an entertaining promo, or the most adept at delivering exciting wrestling matches.
Fans often respond to individual heels in an entirely different way. Their presentation may remind us of people who upset us in our personal lives: a domineering boss, a narcissistic family member, an irritating coworker, or a childhood bully. That connection makes us more invested in the villain and more likely to want to see them fail or face justice.
This week, I’m presenting my favorite performers who appeal to me personally, and my least favorite performers who I just don’t get.
Rising Star of the Week: LA Knight
My favorite main-event wrestler in decades, LA Knight is a true character and a fantastic storyteller. I admire his swagger and find myself wanting to work his “YEAH!” catchphrase into everyday conversations (much to the confusion of friends and coworkers). Knight strikes the right tone in nearly every promo, finding a way to invest me in his story. Knight elevates any story he’s involved with.
His lapses into meta concepts, such as calling Reigns a corporate creation, are thankfully rare exceptions.
Critics complain about botched moves, but an occasional stumble when leaping to the top rope does little to take me out of the moment, unlike more problematic botches like selling a blow that clearly did not connect.
In my book, Knight’s in-ring work is hard-hitting, realistic, and more than adequate to the task of putting on exciting matches.
Although I recognized that the odds were against Knight winning the World Title at Money in the Bank, he more than earned his spot at the top of the card and should continue to be framed as a main-event-level challenger.
Runner-up: Kendall Grey
An amateur wrestling standout, Kendall Grey possesses an inspiring story and has taken to professional wrestling like a fish to water.
Her lifelong love of wrestling is undeniable. In high school, Grey competed on the men’s varsity team due to a lack of female competition and earned distinction as an All-American selected for the USA National Team. Her success in college wrestling was even more impressive, winning three consecutive NAIA women’s national championships.
Much like Kurt Angle, Grey’s amateur wrestling mastery translated to mastery of professional wrestling ringwork in short order. Beginning pro wrestling training in 2023, she was wrestling televised matches in 2024, won the Evolve Championship in 2025, and was wrestling for the NXT Women’s Championship by January of this year, ultimately winning the title in June.
Grey’s title matches have been nothing short of fantastic; they are the most exciting women’s matches I’ve seen in years. Her offense convincingly incorporates Greco-Roman wrestling, judo, and MMA strikes, and her selling is top-notch. She carried Jacy Jayne, Lola Vice, and Kelani Jordan to the best matches of their respective careers.
The matches are, if anything, too hard-hitting. Her NXT Underground match with Lola Vice led to severe trauma to her right ear, which has sidelined Grey in recent months.
Grey’s weakness is her limited mic skills, but she comes off as earnest and relatable, with a palpable love of competition and wrestling – the makings of a top babyface. Grey would also benefit from a more well-defined character, a deficit recent therapy session vignettes are attempting to fill.
If Grey can stay healthy, she has the makings of a top star on the main roster.
Second Runner-up: Austin Theory
Although this may not be a popular opinion, I always look forward to seeing Austin Theory on Raw.
Theory was pushed too hard and too soon after he debuted on the main roster in 2020, clearly unprepared for the spotlight he was given. His highest-profile feud came three years later when he was pitted against John Cena at WrestleMania 39.
Rather than help him along as a performer, Cena seemed to exploit Theory’s weaknesses. Far from building Theory up as a credible opponent or future star, Cena denounced him as an incompetent phony. Although Theory ultimately won their match, his credibility as a wrestler was greatly diminished by Cena’s criticisms, a blow from which he has yet to fully recover.
With his reemergence in 2026 and alignment with The Vision, Theory has successfully reinvented himself and rehabilitated his image. Theory’s function in The Vision is analogous to that of another favorite of mine, JD McDonagh, in The Judgment Day. Theory puts on very good matches with babyface opponents, which he typically loses. He’s the first to eat a pinfall in multi-person matches, providing a layer of protection for his faction mates who are higher on the card.
A natural performer, Theory knows his role and plays it to perfection. Gifted with movie-star looks, he comes off as full of himself and overconfident, but ultimately cowardly in the mode of classic heels. More than passable in the ring as well as on the mic, his offense and selling are believable and effective. His nickname, “The Pressure,” doesn’t add much to his character, but it doesn’t detract, either.
The addition of Maxxine to his act has added a needed extra layer. It’s much easier to be jealous of a good-looking man when he has a beautiful woman on his arm, particularly if she is as infatuated with him as Maxxine seems to be with Theory. Add some extraneous public displays of affection, and we’ve got a winning package.
I believe Theory has earned a chance at a higher-profile program – one in which he is presented as a real contender instead of just the least prominent member of The Vision.
Regardless of what John Cena said, don’t discount this underrated performer!
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Fading Star of the Week: Dominik Mysterio
When Dominik Mysterio wrestles, I find my fingers drifting towards the remote’s fast-forward button.
The nepo-baby backlash that made it fun to boo Mysterio – leading to nuclear heat in late 2022 – has faded. His pairing with Rhea Ripley and later Liv Morgan were initially entertaining as well, but the chemistry of those relationships has run its course. Last year’s “cheat-at-all-costs” persona was also interesting, but lost steam over time.
Dominik does not overact, but he’s not dynamic enough to be interesting on the mic. His ring skills are barely adequate, and the quality of his matches is firmly on the lower end of those on WWE TV. His look is more suggestive of a gas station attendant than a professional athlete.
Without sufficient heat, athleticism, presence, credibility, or an engaging storyline, there’s just not much to recommend Mysterio at this point.
Some see him as a future star. I see him as more of a bathroom break.
First Runner-Up: Tiffany Stratton
Although she looks like a star, Tiffany Stratton is arguably the worst actor in all of WWE, which tends to make every segment she’s involved in seem stilted, awkward, and inauthentic. Her athleticism, which genuinely impressive, does not translate to convincing ring work.
Stratton has underperformed in relation to her push and would be better suited to a sidekick or a supporting role.
For too long, SmackDown fans have suffered from an overabundance of Tiffy Time.
Second Runner-Up: CM Punk
Punk is one of the all-time greats, a true legacy act, whose influence on wrestling cannot be overstated, nor can his enduring popularity. Among the top echelon of talkers, Punk remains a master storyteller on the mic. He has been responsible for some of 2026’s most intriguing feuds, including his disputes with Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, and Roman Reigns. The clashes of personality have led to some of the most highly anticipated PLE matches of the year.
And then the bell rang.
Punk’s conditioning has deteriorated to the point that he no longer seems viable as an in-ring competitor. He becomes visibly exhausted quickly during matches, in contrast to his opponents, who seem far better conditioned. With the notable exception of his bout against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, Punk is no longer able to deliver matches of sufficient quality, leaving an unsatisfying ending to every promising story. Unless he can improve his conditioning, Punk no longer has what it takes to perform at a main-event level in WWE.
