{"id":208265,"date":"2025-12-04T12:48:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T18:48:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=208265"},"modified":"2025-12-04T12:48:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T18:48:04","slug":"wwe-rising-stars-fading-stars-wrestlemania-vegas-promo-edition-featuring-charlotte-vaquer-lesnar-breakker-tiffany-stratton-drew-mcintyre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/12\/04\/wwe-rising-stars-fading-stars-wrestlemania-vegas-promo-edition-featuring-charlotte-vaquer-lesnar-breakker-tiffany-stratton-drew-mcintyre\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE RISING STARS &#038; FADING STARS: WrestleMania Vegas Promo Edition featuring Charlotte, Vaquer, Lesnar, Breakker, Tiffany Stratton, Drew McIntyre"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-4057675561\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>With a mildly disappointing Survivor Series in the rear-view mirror, we look forward to the Royal Rumble, the unofficial start to WrestleMania season. We expect the seeds of what will become the most important wrestling feuds of the year will begin to take shape.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s fitting, then, that the first major WrestleMania video promos have been released in recent weeks, appropriately Vegas-themed and featuring several of the company\u2019s top stars in a casino setting. Although &#8220;The Showcase of the Immortals&#8221; is still over four months away, the men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s promotional videos give us a sneak peek into who WWE Creative expects to feature.<\/p>\n<p>It seems likely that the wrestlers included in these videos will participate in the main events and the highest-profile matches at WrestleMania. Just as telling are the current top-tier wrestlers who were absent from the videos, suggesting that these performers won&#8217;t be as strongly featured.<\/p>\n<p>A lot can change in four months, and we&#8217;ve seen WrestleMania plans change (just ask Daniel Bryan and Cody Rhodes), but it\u2019s fun to speculate on what these videos mean.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Rising Star of the Week: Charlotte Flair<\/h3>\n<p>Charlotte Flair has wrestled for a major singles title in five out of the last six WrestleMania\u2019s, but 2025 has seen her take an unprecedented detour from the main event scene. A rocky program with Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania 41 shone a harsh spotlight on Flair\u2019s weaknesses, and her future as a main event star seemed doubtful for the first time. Flair sojourned in the tag team division, partnering with Alexa Bliss and successfully rehabilitating her character.<\/p>\n<p>The Queen\u2019s inclusion in the Vegas promo, from which Bliss was absent, is a clear sign of her return to a high-profile singles feud \u2014 most likely a run at either the WWE Women\u2019s or World Women\u2019s Championship. Flair is responsible for some of the greatest women\u2019s matches in WWE history, so her elevation to a singles program at WrestleMania would be very good news for wrestling fans.<\/p>\n<p>All hail the queen!<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1253277616\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3>Runner-up: Brock Lesnar<\/h3>\n<p>The Beast is back!<\/p>\n<p>Brock Lesnar\u2019s participation in a major WrestleMania feud can no longer be taken for granted. He did not perform at the event in 2022 or 2025 and wrestled a completely forgettable match against Omos in 2024 (in case you\u2019d forgotten).<\/p>\n<p>The past few months have seen a rebuilding of Lesnar\u2019s character, most notably his dominant win over John Cena at WrestlePalooza, and most recently serving as the anchor for the winning men\u2019s WarGames team at Survivor Series.<\/p>\n<p>Lesnar is poised for a run at the World Heavyweight Championship. His place at the poker-table promo foreshadows a main event spot at WrestleMania, perhaps against fellow Paul Heyman guy Bron Breakker.<\/p>\n<h3>Second Runner up: Tiffany Stratton<\/h3>\n<p>Stratton\u2019s reign as WWE Women\u2019s Champion was underwhelming, to say the least. Stilted mic work sabotaged her can&#8217;t-miss look and athleticism. Her babyface character never quite clicked, and none of her feuds seemed particularly impactful.<\/p>\n<p>After dropping the title amid an apparent injury in early November, Stratton has been on hiatus, and her status as a main event act has been uncertain.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cBuff Barbie\u201d inclusion in the casino promo suggests a prominent role for her at WrestleMania. Creative likely has big plans for Stratton in the coming months.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s hope those plans include a heel turn.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2217218466\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Fading Star of the Week: Stephanie Vaquer<\/h3>\n<p>As the Women\u2019s World Champion, Vaquer is the only main roster world champion who did not appear in the WrestleMania promo. This omission may foreshadow the Dark Angel\u2019s fall from grace in the months to come.<\/p>\n<p>Vaquer\u2019s reign as champion got off to an incredible start, featuring a fantastic match with Iyo Sky. A clean win over WWE Women\u2019s Champion Stratton to become the Crown Jewel Champion framed Vaquer as the top woman wrestler in WWE.<\/p>\n<p>Since Crown Jewel, La Primera\u2019s title run is best described as b\u00e1sico. Her limited English impairs her ability to connect with the audience in promos, and consequently her storylines have been less than riveting.<\/p>\n<p>Vaquer\u2019s match with Nikki Bella, one of only four matches at Survivor Series, was poorly received. The crowd did not seem to buy into Bella as a challenger (unsurprising, as she had not won a singles match since July), and the challenger\u2019s limited ring skills prevented the match from leaving second gear. Despite a convincing win, Vaquer remains on shaky ground as champion.<\/p>\n<p>Reading the tea leaves, it seems likely that Vaquer drops her title long before WrestleMania and settles into a more secondary role.<\/p>\n<p>Some time away from the spotlight \u2014 perhaps spent on Duolingo and practicing promos \u2014 should serve her well..<\/p>\n<h3>First Runner-Up: Bron Breakker<\/h3>\n<p>WWE has gone to great lengths to put over Breakker as \u201cthe future\u201d of the company. He was a featured performer in advertisements for Survivor Series and went on to score the winning pin in the WarGames main event.<\/p>\n<p>Announcers have predicted multiple WrestleMania main events in his future. On Raw, he gave what was meant to be a signature promo, in which he challenged World Heavyweight Champion C.M. Punk.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s curious, then, that Breakker was not included in the blackjack promo video alongside C.M. Punk, Lesnar, Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns. Is the future still a ways off?<\/p>\n<p>Vision unclear.<\/p>\n<h3>Second Runner-Up: Drew McIntyre<\/h3>\n<p>McIntyre has earned critical acclaim by delivering top-tier performances time and time again throughout 2025, but the reward of a key role at WrestleMania seems unlikely.<\/p>\n<p>McIntyre\u2019s extracurricular activities are partly to blame. Cast as Angus Macleod, the brother of Henry Cavill\u2019s titular character in &#8220;Highlander,&#8221; McIntyre is expected to take time off from wrestling in early 2026. Depending on the length of his absence, The Scottish Warrior\u2019s hiatus may prevent him from participating in the build to WrestleMania.<\/p>\n<p>His absence from the Vegas video provides further evidence that the former Chosen One will play a more limited role at the Show of Shows.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to focusing on both a wrestling career and an acting career, it seems \u201cthere can only be one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (12\/1) - WWE Raw w\/Keller &amp; Cohost\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8ekI03M4Gss?start=109&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1813504224\"><div id=\"pwtor-1695026905\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>With a mildly disappointing Survivor Series in the rear-view mirror, we look forward to the Royal Rumble, the unofficial start to WrestleMania season. We expect the seeds of what will become the most important wrestling <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/12\/04\/wwe-rising-stars-fading-stars-wrestlemania-vegas-promo-edition-featuring-charlotte-vaquer-lesnar-breakker-tiffany-stratton-drew-mcintyre\/\" title=\"WWE RISING STARS &#038; FADING STARS: WrestleMania Vegas Promo Edition featuring Charlotte, Vaquer, Lesnar, Breakker, Tiffany Stratton, Drew McIntyre\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,4309,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-208265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-rising-star-fading-star","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2017\/12\/Charlotte_TeschJoel_3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208265"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208266,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208265\/revisions\/208266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}