WWE News: The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Mark Henry, Whose Stock Is Up?

On the heels of yet another crow-eating WWE investor's conference, the time has once again come for me to put on my investor cap and break down the crop of potentially money drawing talent housed under the WWE umbrella. 

As is always the case with these stock watches, performed on a whenever-the-heck-I-feel-like-it basis, this is quite the mixed bag that tells a story of surges and slumping.  Given some of the names whose brands have shown signs of erosion, let's hope these downward trends are only that: trends.

Stock Up: Alberto Del Rio

...but you already knew that.  The new WWE Champion has all the momentum in the world coming off yet another hot-shot title change at SummerSlam, yet be cautious about buying his stock initially. 

As indicated in my latest B/R video entry, WWE has shown a propensity to be hesitant in making first time heel champions come off strong, and their negative history of non-finishes in world title matches with a new guy holding the strap doesn't bode well for Del Rio. 

Stock Down: Christian

Christian's fall from grace may be permanent this time around, but it wasn't without a lack of effort.

After a show-stealing match against Randy Orton at SummerSlam, Christian will likely go back to toiling around the upper-mid card while he continues to find his comfort zone as a heel. 

Stock Up: Mark Henry

This one is a no brainer, and if you haven't already considered loading up on Mark Henry's stock, forget about it because the price is currently too high. 

Henry has been a beast on the last two pay-per-views, taking out the Big Show and then following that up with about as impressive a count-out victory as one can have. 

Henry has laid waste to both Kane and the Big show as part of a take no prisoners, anti-Be a STAR approach to going about his business, and he seems to be the most likely challenger for Randy Orton's World Championship. 

Stock Down: Alex Riley

Sell, sell, SELL!  Yeah, I said he was a future world champion back in his developmental days, and I still do believe that, but his sloppiness in the ring has now become a story in and of itself. 

That episode he had with Jack Swagger on RAW may have been the last straw for Riley, as whispers about him being green have now turned into screams louder than Kerney Thomas. 

Stock Up: Dolph Ziggler

This is a moderate upgrade for Ziggler, who seems like he may be in line for yet another huge opportunity to make people care. 

The most boringly charismatic superstar in recent memory has been effectively treading water, but a likely split with Vickie Guerrero may mean a Ziggler face turn.  This would be good for the heel Ziggler, whose in ring work far outshines anything he's ever said or done as a heel .

Stock Down: Jim Ross

It kills me to do this, but Ross' stock has to be upgraded after his continual struggles to acclimate himself as the "third man" in the booth.  Ross has never been "third man" material, as this Hall of Fame WWE announcer is widely considered the greatest of all time. 

Ross seemed to greatly improve in his role last week, but after being kept off SummerSlam and having to deal with a noisy booth Monday, which peaked (or bottomed out) with the Dolph-Vickie nonsense, Ross may be in line for to be written off TV in yet another publicly embarrassing fashion. 

It's worth mentioning that Vince McMahon's Michael Cole's insistence on micro-commenting on everything Ross has to say certainly isn't helping the cause. 

Stock Up: John Morrison

My favorite wrestler in the world may be back on the up tick, as WWE did its best job of erasing fans' memory of him doing a job last week to R-Truth by saying he's been waiting for this match since he got injured.  

Morrison's coordinated victory over Truth with assistance from a chair, preceded by a promo so wooden that Pinocchio may now sue for gimmick infringement, could mean that WWE is ready to start taking him seriously given the shortage of elite babyfaces currently on RAW. 

Stock Down: Miz

The Miz, quite frankly, has officially been lost in the shuffle on RAW.  With CM Punk and John Cena both locked up in top-flight angles, Miz is left holding his can and doing Subway commercials.

Sure he's a glorified promoter, with his mainstream media appearances far outshining his pro wrestling resume, but WWE certainly doesn't have to book him that way on TV.   

With Rey Mysterio likely on the shelf with injury, Miz's next feud may be with John Morrison in a rehash of the "Marty Jannetty" feud we've seen so many times in the past.  

Stock Up: WWE Tag Team Wrestling

WWE tag team wrestling is making a comeback; believe it!  There have been talks of the Kings of Wrestling coming aboard, Beer Money may be on the move and Otunga and McGillicutty recently faced Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne in a very entertaining tag team contest. 

Throw the Usos into the mix, and WWE could build up a very viable tag team division with just these aforementioned names alone. 

Watch Big Nasty count down the top 10 current wrestlers on B/R Video, then follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty to tell him how good he looks in that suit.