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 opening round matches in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments, a lot of fortunes were changed.
With that in mind, let’s see whose stock decreased the most this week:
Stock Down #3: Jacob Fatu
Following his loss in Tribal Combat, Jacob Fatu showed up on Raw and kept
his job by dropping down to his knee to acknowledge Roman Reigns as his Tribal Chief. It made Michael Cole’s line at Clash In Italy about Fatu being neutered ring true. Solo Sikoa later referred to Fatu as a dog being leashed, rather than a Samoan Werewolf.
There’s a chance this could turn out to be a good thing for Jacob if WWE has the proper long-term story in place, but in the short term it takes Fatu out of the main event and world title chase, as he’ll be playing the role of Roman’s subservient henchmen going forward. Some folks may also interpret it as a sign that WWE is being too conservative in clinging to the past, rather than elevating a star who has clearly shown he’s ready to become one of the hottest acts in the company.
Stock Down #2: Damian Priest
WWE Tag Team Champion Damian Priest has been on the losing end of his last three SmackDown matches, which includes being pinned by Dominik Mysterio, Solo Sikoa, and Talla Tonga. He comes off like a mid card guy who is there to put over whatever heels WWE is trying to get over, rather than a champion who WWE is planning to push.
Stock Down #1: Bron Breakker
Bron Breakker had a rough week, which began when he did the job for Seth Rollins on Raw by knocking himself out on a spear (and also accidentally spearing Paul Heyman through a barricade). This once again felt like an example of WWE clinging to the past at the expense of elevating a talent who many believe could have been a Royal Rumble winner and WrestleMania headliner in 2026. At the very least, it’s 50/50 booking that essentially negates Bron’s win over Seth at Backlash.
Some fans thought maybe Breakker would later get his revenge on Rollins in the King of the Ring tournament, but then he was eliminated from that tournament in his opening round match. Ouch.
Now let’s see whose stock increased the most this week.
Stock Up #3: Chad Gable & War Raiders
Gable and the War Raiders both returned to WWE programming this week, and even though they only appeared in brief backstage segments, there is good reason for optimism. Erik and Ivar teased that a Title vs. Title match is in the works that involves their AAA world tag team championship and the WWE tag team championship, while Gable kicked off what looks like a babyface redemption arc after losing his El Grande Americano mask. The live fans in Italy popped huge when Chad showed up on screen, and the WWE commentators talked him up like a big deal, which bodes well for his future.
Stock Up #2: Seth Rollins
Seth’s victory over Bron Breakker in the main event of Raw suggests that WWE has something bigger planned for Rollins soon, which could be a victory in the King of the Ring tournament and/or title match against World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns.
Stock Up #1: Judgment Day
Nearly everyone in this faction was featured in a meaningful way on WWE programming this week. Raquel Rodriguez and Dirty Dom won their opening round matches in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments. Meanwhile, Liv Morgan played a key role in Dominik’s victory, and she also created some tension with her other stablemates, Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez. It seems like WWE finally has a plan for The Judgment Day going forward, which includes a lot of the KOTR and QOTR tournaments centering around this faction.
There you have it, Cagesiders. Whose stock do you think changed the most this week?
