Who's on the Up, Who's Stalling and Who's Sinking?

[Headlesspete]

Pretty, simple, 3 different categories. Who's 3 people / teams who are really impressing you right now, who's three people who seem to be running on the spot and who's three people who seem to be falling down the rankings.

-----Up-----

Braun Strowman
- A year ago i would never have given this guy a 2nd thought in terms of being someone I'd come to like, but a lot can change in a year and Strowman has become one of, if not the best part of Raw for some time now. After the loss to Reigns a few months back and then a meaningless spot at Mania, Strowman has used the past few weeks to regain the momentum lost, only this time that momentum looks to send him victories over Reins this Sunday and onto the path of Lesnar.

And if i were WWE, i'd have Strowman defeat Lesnar at SummerSlam. WWE love having a big monster who they can push, and Strowman for once actually has the ability and talent to be pushed without it feelings undeserved or forced. He could be used as WWE next biggest star for years to come if they can get this right, and Strowman could become the "Next Big Thing" if WWE finally see its him, not Reigns, that could be their biggest money maker.


Sheamus and Cesaro
- Just like Strowman, I've never been a fan of Sheamus. Even when these two started teaming together, it felt odd and forced, and i just couldn't get behind it. And then i remember there was a promo with Foley leaving, where he seemed to make it more clear how much these two had grown together. And since then, i can't look past how brilliant they are together. They both bring a rough brute force to each match, but with individual strengths too.

I personally hope these two regain the Raw Tag Titles this Sunday. I think the Hardys current form (retro form) is already wearing thin, and its time to split and freshen them up. I think Sheamus and Cesaro could be the team of 2017 if WWE push them as a unit that still has issues, but can win together too.

Charlotte
Simply put, no one can touch Charlotte when it comes to the Woman of both Raw and Smackdown. In the ring, on the microphone, character development...she's become almost held back being so big and yet having so little to work with.

Her and Naomi seemed a little off the first time, but that's gonna become more natural as they work together. But the fact is JBL wasn't bullshitting when he called Charlotte "The biggest acquisition in the Superstar Shakeup". She's a star that can lift the entire division up, and if she can rub some of that star power onto her Smackdown counterparts, It'll really help elevate everyone involved.


-----Stalled-----

The Miz
- Poor Miz, all he did was make himself invaluable to Smackdown, bringing out the best in every feud he had for the past 9 months, reinventing himself to become Smackdown's M.V.P. His reward? A lousy loss to Cena followed by being traded to Raw and being punked out multiple times.

I can only hope Miz can regain his place on the pecking order because he really become a must see part of Smackdown and it seems Raw has no idea how to let him shine. He's one of WWE's best heels, never failing to get a reaction from the crowd, but if WWE continue with how they're using him at the moment, it won't be long before Miz is back to meaningless pre-show fodder and useless feuds.

Kevin Owens
Admittedly i questioned this one, but i can't help think Owens is at a crossroads right now and could go either way as he moves forward. The feud with Jericho has admittedly been great TV, and the match at Payback should be a great final match in the rivalry. But this is not the same Kevin Owens that beat John Cena in his first night, or who came across as a killer in his blood war with Sami.

The Universal title run has seemingly weakened Owens, repeated losses to Reigns and Rollins followed by the loss to Goldburg has really hurt the image of Owens, and his victory's over Jericho can only repair so much damage. I'm hopeful Smackdown can use a forthcoming feud with AJ to repair Owens, and bring him back to his rightful main event spotlight.

Mickie James
Poor Mickie, has there ever been a return so mangled by creative? Her return at NXT got one of the biggest pops in womans history. A stellar match with Auska and i was so pumped for her imminent return to the main roster. A botched return and silly heel run 2 months later, and Micki gets no reaction aymore. Such a waste.

Everything i wrote about Charlotte and what she brings to Smackdown, is easily the same as what Micki could bring to Raw. WWE need to figure out what they want Micki to be, and run with it, because right now neither i nor the WWE crowd seem to know who or what she's about. A feud with Emma would be my recommendation. Both woman have a point to prove and i think given time and decent reason to fight, they could both shine and become a bigger part of the woman's roster.

-----Sinking ------

Finn Balor
- Speaking of mangled returns....

I love Balor. His NXT run was brilliant, and although a little over pushed, his Raw debut was magnificent. But for some reason his latest return seems to not be clicking at all. He's being pushed as this huge main event player returning, but the crowd look bored and uninterested. I understand WWE waiting to show his "demon" side so soon, but i think until the WWE crowd see that side of Finn again, he'll simply come across as generic wrestler.

I can see WWE pushing a Wyatt/Balor feud which I'm seriously worried about. Balor has zero momentum at the moment, and Bray is even worse off. Speaking of..

Bray Wyatt
I love the idea of Wyatt, and these so much potential for what he can become, and how he could be a huge asset for WWE. but the rambling promo's have really made me lose almost all interest in him, and the feud with Orton is so cold that any interest i had in Bray has disappeared.

Its been said so many times, but the biggest pet peeve with Bray Wyatt is he's a cult leader, with no cult. Its such a stupid thing that WWE haven't fixed. Bryat should be taking over the roster one member at a time, starting with a few jobbers before snagging one big star and a tag team. Bray should be leading a hostile takeover of Raw and threatening to run the WWE the way he sees it, instead he's boring everyone to tears.

Tyler Breeze
I feel so bad for Breeze, I was gonna include Fandango too as he's just as big a waste of talent, but he's been around for years and admittedly, it may be too late to fix his issues. But with Breeze, he's proven from NXT how much of a golden touch he has. He should be a great mid-card act and be flirting with the main event, and yet he's horribly mis-used and lost on Smackdown.

If anyone watched Breaking Ground, Breeze had such a feel good story and it looked so promising, and yet i would't be surprised if Breeze did a Cody Rhodes and walked out pretty soon, because he's got nothing going for him at the moment. Smackdown has taken a lot of mis-used talent and turned them around, but Breeze aint one of them.

[DBSoT]

I agree with most of your post, except for the following:

Mickie James isn't stalling. She is sinking hard. WWE tried to capitalize on a big time returning star and then they forgot that she was once the most over female babyface on the roster. Her going heel was an awful decision.

Owens could be considered as stalling, but he will be facing Jericho and Styles in his next two PPV matches. Those are the two most over babyfaces on the roster. So, I want to see how he does in those matches.

Before last night, I would have agreed that Breeze and Fandango were sinking. However, they became #1 contenders to the SD Tag Titles. Hopefully, they get mic time to build them up a bit. I could also see them having a pretty damn good match with the Usos. I also realize that SD's tag team booking has been horrible. This is a wait and see situation.