SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
With WrestleMania fast approaching, WWE kicks into high gear. Talent are upping their game in an attempt to impress fans and management. Who’s killing it, and who’s falling flat in WWE including Raw, Smackdown, and NXT? Let’s take a look.
Rising Star of the Week: Lyra Valkyria
Lacking a powerful ring presence, a standout look, or exceptional microphone skills, Lyra initially failed to make a significant impact following her debut on Monday Night Raw in May of last year. However, she has been given adequate time to wrestle competitive and technically sound matches against a variety of face and heel opponents, week after week.
Her matches have been good, and crowds are slowly taking notice. This week’s match against the veteran Bayley was the best so far, and the audience was right there with them, rewarding the duo with a “This is awesome!” chant.
I cannot recall another female wrestler who has gotten over primarily on the basis of ringwork in the manner Lyra is doing right now. It remains to be seen whether Lyra will make the WrestleMania card, but tagging with Bayley to go after the tag teach champions seems to be a good bet.
1st runner up: Seth Rollins
In the ongoing build for his triple threat match against Roman Reigns and C.M. Punk, Seth has been practically a fifth wheel. Unlike Punk and Reigns, Seth has not been a true main eventer since he lost the World Heavyweight Title at last year’s WrestleMania and he seems the least likely winner.
His bizarre fashion sense, off-putting laugh, frequent losses, and uneven character have kept him from clicking fully in any real capacity, in spite of his peerless ring skill, top-notch conditioning, and an entrance theme that crowds can’t get enough of.
During last Friday’s contract signing on Smackdown, his presence seemed entirely superfluous amid the engaging drama between Reigns, Punk, and Paul Heyman. Just when Seth seemed almost entirely irrelevant, he delivered the goods on Monday Night Raw, questioning Heyman’s loyalties before tormenting him to lure Punk to come to his rescue.
Rollins’s outfit was unusually tasteful and his tone unusually serious, which helped make this one of his best promos of the year. Punk initially got the better of Rollins, but Seth craftily turned the tables to KO his rival, coming across as a legitimate threat in the processes. Where has this version of Seth Rollins been?
2nd runner up: Jada Parker
As regular NXT viewers know, Jada has improved in leaps and bounds in recent months, both on the mic and in the ring. Despite her relative inexperience, she has more than earned her spot in Stand & Deliver’s Fatal Four-way Match against phenomenal veterans Stephanie Vauer, Giulia, and Jordynne Grace. Her matches are hard-hitting, her offense is credible, her selling believable, and she holds herself like a big deal and a legitimate badass. The sky’s the limit for Ms. Parker.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Fading Star of the Week: Charlotte Flair
No one in WWE had a tougher week than Charlotte. Destined for the Hall of Fame, Charlotte is an undeniable talent. She carries herself like a true star, knows her character, takes herself seriously, regularly updates her look, and consistently ups her ring work to deliver great matches when it counts the most.
However, this week’s debate with Tiffany Stratton revealed her greatest weakness: Charlotte the performer cannot accept rejection by the crowd even as she plays a heel character. She appears desperate for affirmation from the audience in contrast with her role.
In their interview Charlotte started off making heel comments: belittling Tiffany as desperate and describing their WrestleMania match as “charity work.” When the crowd predictable disapproved, Charlotte shifted inexplicably to acting like a babyface, referring to the Chicago audience as the “smartest wrestling fans in the world.” It didn’t work.
Subsequent comments were drown out by a torrent of boos which clearly rattled Charlotte, who was repeatedly unwilling or unable to talk over the audience to continue the promo. This tremendous heel heat was enough to make Dominick Mysterio jealous, but rather than work with it, Charlotte seemed stunned, mortified, and speechless. She ultimately gave up and simply threw to Tiffany to close the uncomfortable, ineffective segment.
Charlotte must learn not to take audience rejection personally, but embrace it just as her father and every successful heel wrestler has done.
1st Runner up: Braun Strowman
In the years leading up to the pandemic, Braun was a main event act, regularly challenging for world championships and featured in extensive storylines. In recent years his role has progressively diminished.
Braun maintains much of his appeal with the fans, his ring work has improved, but he continues to slip down the card to the role of gatekeeper. His clean loss to Jacob Fatu in their Last Man Standing Match on Smackdown was undoubtedly the right call, but it leaves Strowman solidly out of the WrestleMania card.
He’ll likely relegated to the Andre of the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which he seems unlikely to win.
2nd Runner up: Trick Williams
Only a few short months ago, Trick Williams was the centerpiece act of NXT. His undeniable charisma, unwavering crowd support, and excellent ring work made him the ideal NXT Champion for the start of the CW era and much of 2024.
Since losing the title in January, Trick seems increasingly directionless, ineffective, and irrelevant. His character has transformed from an enormously popular babyface to a muddled tweener for unclear reasons, with a resultant dwindling of fan reaction.
Even as he prepares to challenge Oba Femi and Je’Von Evans for the NXT Championship at Stand & Deliver, Trick is the odd man out in their feud. He is neither the exciting up-and-comer represented by Evans nor the conquering standard bearer which Femi represents.
Like Roxanne Perez, Trick is likely spinning his wheels and preparing to “do the favors” of putting over other talent as he exits NXT for the main roster following WrestleMania. If so, his fortunes should change dramatically.
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