Some places do power rankings. Here at Cageside, we do a stock report.
In this weekly series, we identify three Superstars (or groups of Superstars) who are on their way up, and three that are moving in the opposite direction. After a busy week that included WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, a lot of fortunes were changed.
With that in mind, let’s see whose stock decreased the most this week:
Stock Down #3: Randy Orton
Randy Orton keeps talking about how he needs to win his 15th world title ASAP and he’ll do anything to make it happen.
The one thing he apparently can’t do is win a key match to force the issue, as he once again lost against Cody Rhodes on PLE. The match itself was nothing special, which doesn’t help his case.
With so many contenders lining up for a shot at Sami Zayn’s WWE championship right now, it looks to me like Orton should fall to the back of the line. There’s also the part where getting punted is supposed to cause a devastating injury that puts the victim on the shelf for a while. That could mean it’s time for Randy to go on hiatus again, even though he seemed just fine while having fun with the fans in Saudi Arabia right after the match was over.
Stock Down #2: The Vision
After winning the world tag team championship in July, Bron Breakker and Austin Theory went four months with zero title defenses on Raw and PLE before dropping the belts at Crown Jewel. It’s one of those strange things where they had one of longest world tag team title reigns since the start of 2025, but it did absolutely nothing to help them.
The way they lost put a stamp on their futility, with Oba Femi taking the time to do part of his entrance during his run-in before tossing Bronson Reed off the stage like a jabroni. It’s an impressive feat for The Ruler, but a rough way to end the night for the last guy who scored a pin fall over Roman Reigns (last year at Crown Jewel 2025).
As for the rest of The Vision, well, if WWE still sees Bron Breakker as a potential main event star for years to come, it might be time to break up this group and get him far away from this stench as soon as possible.
Stock Down #1: Fraxiom
Damian Priest defeated Nathan Frazer via referee stoppage on SmackDown this week, and then El Malo beat up Axiom after the match was over, because why not? This comes right after Fraxiom just lost against The Miz and Kit Wilson on WWE’s C-show to end The Miz’s 40+ match losing streak. These guys are going nowhere in WWE, despite the fact that the tag team division is as thin as it gets.
Now let’s see whose stock increased the most this week:
Stock Up #3: Je’Von Evans & Penta
Penta and Evans won the world tag team championship at Crown Jewel. Penta is one of WWE’s hottest stars and probably won’t be cashing in his Money in the Bank contract for a while, so this is a good way to shine him up with championship gold in the meantime. It’s also a great spot for Evans to be in, as not only is this the first time he’s ever won a championship in WWE, but he can piggyback off Penta’s hot streak to get the fans more invested in him as well.
Stock Up #2: Kevin Owens & Cody Rhodes
Owens could be next in line for a WWE championship match after defeating CM Punk in a great No Holds Barred match on SmackDown. Cody Rhodes can also make that claim after defeating Randy Orton in Last Man Standing at Crown Jewel.
It’s worth pointing out that Rhodes was booed in Saudi Arabia, and his punt on Orton was part of a very anti-climactic finish to their match that the fans didn’t seem to care much about. But even though there are obvious signs of Cody Fatigue among the fans, WWE clearly isn’t taking its foot off the gas with Cody’s babyface push. Rhodes’ post-match promo suggests he’s getting away from leaning into the dark side. On top of that, WWE already has him booked in the Team USA vs. Team Mexico match at Survivor Series, as well as naming him as the first entrant in next month’s John Cena Classic.
Stock Up #1: Roman Reigns & Sami Zayn
Roman Reigns shit all over the WWE championship leading into his match at Crown Jewel against the man holding that belt, Sami Zayn. Reigns and Zayn went on to have the best match of the show, where Reigns backed up his trash talk by pinning Zayn and winning the Crown Jewel championship. Roman is undefeated so far in 2026, and things could very well stay that way if the idea is to keep him as strong as possible for a SaudiMania showdown with Oba Femi next year.
I thought Zayn came out of this match looking very good as well, even though his championship is now definitely the secondary belt in WWE. He actually scored a visual pin on Reigns after a ref bump in their match, and then the Tribal Chief acknowledged Sami with a big endorsement and hug after the match was over. It opens the door for Sami Uso to reunite with The Bloodline at the appropriate time down the line, and makes Sami look like a wrestler whose kayfabe skills are very close to Roman’s level in the ring.
There you have it, Cagesiders. Whose stock do you think changed the most this week?
