{"id":215063,"date":"2026-04-16T21:44:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T02:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=215063"},"modified":"2026-04-16T21:44:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T02:44:14","slug":"wwe-rising-stars-fading-stars-wrestlemania-build-edition-a-ruler-ascends-breakker-benched-tricks-a-treat-the-best-promo-in-the-world-rhodes-to-nowhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/04\/16\/wwe-rising-stars-fading-stars-wrestlemania-build-edition-a-ruler-ascends-breakker-benched-tricks-a-treat-the-best-promo-in-the-world-rhodes-to-nowhere\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE RISING STARS &#038; FADING STARS \u2013 WrestleMania Build Edition: A Ruler Ascends, Breakker Benched, Trick\u2019s a Treat, The Best (Promo) in the World, Rhodes to Nowhere"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-4074866163\" 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>The WrestleMania build is where WWE does its most important storytelling of the year. It is the stretch that can elevate talent into main-event fixtures for life\u2014or expose the limits of others already on that trajectory.<\/p>\n<p>WrestleMania 42 is no exception.<\/p>\n<p>Which stars have risen since the Royal Rumble? Who has lost momentum when it mattered most? And who has been quietly sidelined or outright undermined in the final stretch to the \u201cShow of Shows\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>As always, we start with the winners.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>RISING STAR OF THE WRESTLEMANIA BUILD: OBA FEMI<\/h3>\n<p>From unknown to undeniable in record time<\/p>\n<p>Oba Femi didn\u2019t just debut at the Royal Rumble\u2014he detonated onto the main roster.<\/p>\n<p>Eliminating five opponents, including Bron Breakker and Brock Lesnar, Femi immediately positioned himself as a physical force unlike anything else in WWE. The following night on Raw, he single-handedly dismantled the War Raiders. Weeks later, he added a win over Rusev to his growing r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n<p>The message has been unmistakable: The Ruler has arrived.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2199754191\" 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<p>The escalation continued when Femi answered Brock Lesnar\u2019s WrestleMania challenge. Across two physical confrontations, he has done what few ever have\u2014stand toe-to-toe with, and physically dominate, The Beast Incarnate.<\/p>\n<p>Paul Heyman and the Raw broadcast team have fully embraced the rise, framing Femi as \u201cthe next big thing.\u201d The audience has followed suit, with \u201cOba\u201d chants echoing louder than any other reaction on Monday nights.<\/p>\n<p>Then came the breakthrough moment: his first real main-roster promo.<\/p>\n<p>Femi didn\u2019t flinch. He didn\u2019t hesitate. He declared himself the man who would end The Beast\u2014and sold it with total conviction. It was the performance of someone not just arriving, but taking ownership of the main event scene.<\/p>\n<p>In a matter of months, Femi has leapfrogged the so-called \u201cfuture of WWE,\u201d Bron Breakker, and established himself as a franchise-caliber presence.<\/p>\n<p>Win or lose on Sunday, the message is clear: a new pillar has been built.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RUNNER-UP: TRICK WILLIAMS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The heel WWE can\u2019t get fans to boo<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3669448705\" 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<p>Like Femi, Trick Williams has transitioned from NXT to the main roster spotlight with remarkable speed.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike most call-ups, however, WWE has a problem: the fans refuse to boo him.<\/p>\n<p>Despite being positioned as a heel\u2014complete with cheating, arrogance, and the introduction of obnoxious mouthpiece rapper Lil Yachty\u2014Williams remains overwhelmingly embraced by the audience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhoop that Trick\u201d has become a guaranteed reaction, not a manufactured one.<\/p>\n<p>When he confronted Sami Zayn, the dynamic flipped entirely\u2014audiences turning on The Honorary Uce for the first time in years.<\/p>\n<p>WWE has clearly been swimming upstream in trying to shape Trick into a traditional villain. At this point, a double-turn at WrestleMania may be the most logical outcome.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of alignment, the WrestleMania build has achieved one thing: Trick Williams is a featured player.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s moved from prospect to midcard anchor\u2014and looks increasingly destined for the main-event orbit in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SECOND RUNNER-UP: CM PUNK<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Still the master of making it matter<\/p>\n<p>Skeptics, including Roman Reigns, have spent the build reminding everyone that CM Punk is too old, too broken down, and too controversial to belong at the top of WWE.<\/p>\n<p>The problem? The audience doesn\u2019t agree.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty years after his debut, Punk has achieved his long-held goal: a singles main-event at WrestleMania.<\/p>\n<p>And he has maximized every second of it.<\/p>\n<p>With Reigns frequently absent from Raw, Punk has carried much of the feud on his own shoulders\u2014and turned it into one of the most compelling programs of the year.<\/p>\n<p>Week after week, he\u2019s done what he does best: cutting emotionally charged, razor-sharp promos that blur reality and storyline just enough to matter.<\/p>\n<p>His final pre-WrestleMania address may have been his best yet\u2014reflecting on his journey, his obsession with wrestling, and the improbable road that led him here.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, questions remain about whether he can physically hold up in the ring.<\/p>\n<p>But in terms of investment, emotion, and audience connection, Punk has already delivered.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to building anticipation for a grudge match, he remains exactly what he has always claimed to be: the Best in the World.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Podcast weekly Tuesday Flagship: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/new-flagship-keller-powell-talk-wrestlemania-build-pat-mcafee-jericho-dynasty-tna-rebellion-nxt-aew-comparisons-espn-free-hours--71330917\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cwade Keller\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NEW FLAGSHIP: Keller &amp; Powell talk WrestleMania build, Pat McAfee, Jericho, Dynasty, TNA Rebellion, NXT-AEW comparisons, ESPN free hours\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=71330917&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>FADING STAR OF THE WRESTLEMANIA BUILD: BRON BREAKKER<\/h3>\n<p>The collapse of \u201cThe Future\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Timing is everything\u2014and for Bron Breakker, the timing couldn\u2019t have been worse.<\/p>\n<p>Long protected and heavily promoted as \u201cThe Future of WWE,\u201d Breakker had been positioned as the next dominant force on Raw. His rise from Seth Rollins\u2019 enforcer within The Vision to its eventual leader seemed to signal a clear path to a WrestleMania breakthrough.<\/p>\n<p>World title contention felt inevitable. A clash with Brock Lesnar felt even more so.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, everything unraveled.<\/p>\n<p>After being embarrassed by Oba Femi at the Royal Rumble, Breakker reportedly suffered an injury shortly thereafter and has not appeared on Raw since. His momentum vanished instantly, along with his WrestleMania trajectory.<\/p>\n<p>Those expected marquee opportunities\u2014world title contention, a Lesnar showdown\u2014have all gone elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>What should have been Breakker\u2019s defining WrestleMania moment has instead become a complete absence.<\/p>\n<p>The Future, it seems, has been paused.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FIRST RUNNER-UP: CHARLOTTE FLAIR<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From centerpiece to afterthought<\/p>\n<p>Charlotte Flair has built a WrestleMania r\u00e9sum\u00e9 unmatched in modern WWE history. Nearly every year since 2015 has featured her in a championship match or marquee spotlight.<\/p>\n<p>If anyone has earned the title \u201cMs. WrestleMania,\u201d it is her.<\/p>\n<p>And yet this year tells a very different story.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of a marquee singles spotlight, Flair has been folded into a crowded tag team scenario with minimal differentiation and even less momentum. Her previous high-profile program with Tiffany Stratton may have contributed to a noticeable creative step back.<\/p>\n<p>For a performer widely regarded as one of the most consistent big-match workers in the division, the current direction feels underwhelming.<\/p>\n<p>Even opportunities that could have stood out\u2014like her singles match with Lyra Valkyria\u2014have been sacrificed to distraction finishes and multi-layered booking clutter.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of a defining WrestleMania presence, Flair enters as part of the ensemble.<\/p>\n<p>The Queen, for now, is sharing the throne.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SECOND RUNNER-UP: CODY RHODES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A missed opportunity in plain sight<\/p>\n<p>On paper, Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton had everything: history, emotional weight, and a built-in narrative stretching back nearly two decades.<\/p>\n<p>On screen, none of it materialized.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than lean into their shared past, WWE layered the program with distracting commentary and outside noise that diluted the core story.<\/p>\n<p>The result is a feud that never found its center of gravity.<\/p>\n<p>While the match itself was never expected to be a technical classic, the build had the potential to elevate it into something memorable\u2014something on the level of the strongest WrestleMania programs.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, it has drifted into inconsistency and missed beats, falling short of expectations set not only by this year\u2019s standards, but even last year\u2019s uneven efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Cody Rhodes deserves better than this.<\/p>\n<p>Far better.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (4\/13) - WWE Raw w\/Keller &amp; Weigle\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ho1XPdizWGg?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-56980657\"><div id=\"pwtor-3675858883\"><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>The WrestleMania build is where WWE does its most important storytelling of the year. It is the stretch that can elevate talent into main-event fixtures for life\u2014or expose the limits of others already on that <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/04\/16\/wwe-rising-stars-fading-stars-wrestlemania-build-edition-a-ruler-ascends-breakker-benched-tricks-a-treat-the-best-promo-in-the-world-rhodes-to-nowhere\/\" title=\"WWE RISING STARS &#038; FADING STARS \u2013 WrestleMania Build Edition: A Ruler Ascends, Breakker Benched, Trick\u2019s a Treat, The Best (Promo) in the World, Rhodes to Nowhere\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":215066,"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-215063","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\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-16-at-9.42.43-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215063","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=215063"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":215067,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215063\/revisions\/215067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}