Stock Up, Stock Down With Latest Storylines On The Road To WWE WrestleMania 39

With its Elimination Chamber pay-per-view Saturday and the hotly anticipated Raw two days later, WWE presented a number of storylines that will culminate at WrestleMania 39.

Some inspired excitement while others led to monotony or befuddlement, with their inclusion feeling like a major disappointment given the names involved.

But are they really disappointments and which of the stories should have fans anticipating The Show of Shows on April 1-2?

Find out with this stock up, stock down take on each of them.

Stock Down: Brock Lesnar vs. Omos

The optimistic fan would look at a potential Brock Lesnar vs. Omos match at WrestleMania 39 and cite two positives: A fresh matchup for The Beast Incarnate and a huge test for the young giant.

For everyone else, though, it's a contest that feels seriously underwhelming and a considerable step down for the former WWE champion.

It would be different if Omos had continued to be featured prominently on WWE over the last six months rather than slinking into obscurity and popping up only in time for a brief Royal Rumble appearance.

For as physically imposing as the 28-year-old is, he has been a nonfactor largely, and that isn't something you expect a star the magnitude of Lesnar to be associated with at the biggest show of the year.

The creative decision can be redeemed if Triple H and Co. play up Omos' relationship with manager MVP and the countless teases of a Hurt Business reunion. That group was headlined by Lesnar's rival, Bobby Lashley; and if the WWE chief content officer can tie those two pieces together, the story can at least make sense if nothing else.

Stock Up: Becky Lynch's Star Power Fuels WrestleMania Program

Becky Lynch has spent her last three WrestleMania appearances in high-profile title matches, including one that made history as the first women's main event in the show's history.

Therefore, anything other than a championship encounter on The Grandest Stage of Them All may seem like a step down.

Unlike Lesnar, the strength of Lynch's presumptive opponents and the other women surrounding her have The Man in much better shape than her fellow former 'Mania headliner.

Bayley, Iyo Sky, and Dakota Kai have been central figures on Monday nights and top heel foils for the most popular babyfaces on Raw. They have been featured regularly, won matches and titles, and they have been portrayed as threats to every top-tier competitor.

If Damage CTRL's own credibility is not enough to sell you on Lynch's star power not being diminished or underutilized in this program, the expected presence of Hall of Famers Lita and Trish Stratus at WrestleMania should.

WWE knows Lynch is a star and can carry a program with a trio of heels and two retired legends and make it feel like a 'Mania-worthy one. Does it have the prestige of a show-closing title victory? No, but moments like those should not be expected every year unless you are the undisputed top star in professional wrestling, such as Roman Reigns.

To suggest Lynch is being underserved by creative when Triple H and Co. have brought Lita and Stratus into the equation for what is, again, a presumptive match with Damage CTRL is disrespectful to those Hall of Famers and their legacies.

Lynch is fine and if you need any reassurance, listen to the reaction she gets when she steps through the curtain. Her push or star power is not threatened by this program.

If anything, those involved are poised for a higher-profile match come WrestleMania because they are working with her.

Stock Down: Finn Bálor's Biggest WrestleMania Match Comes Too Late

As the creator and original leader of Bullet Club, Finn Balor is, arguably, the most influential professional wrestler of the last two decades.

He is also one of the best, wowing audiences globally before joining WWE and then taking its NXT brand by storm. He is a multiple-time champion with that brand and made history as the first universal champion on the main roster.

It would be safe to assume that a wrestler with his resume would have had a banner WrestleMania moment to his name by now.

Except he doesn't and the expected plans for him based on creative through Monday's Raw do not inspire confidence that it's coming this year.

in the closing moments of this week's show, Bálor delivered a Coup de Grace to Edge, keeping alive a feud between The Judgment Day and The Rated-R Superstar that has outlived its usefulness.

Not only has it meandered on for the last year, but Edge also avenged the beating he and wife Beth Phoenix endured at the hands of the faction last October at Extreme Rules by beating the Irishman and Rhea Ripley in a mixed tag team match at Elimination Chamber.

Extending the feud beyond that feels like an excuse to bring two considerable stars together for the sake of one last match, mostly because WWE doesn't have anything else better for them to do. Worse yet, there is no reason to believe Balor has any chance of winning.

Make no mistake about it: Bálor vs. Edge should be good if those in charge of putting it together can resist the urge to let them unnecessarily go for 30 minutes, as has been the issue with many of the latter's matches since his return to the ring in 2020.

Still, that mixed tag match from Saturday, coupled with the fact that so much attention has been paid to the Dominik Mysterio character of late, has Bálor feeling like an also-ran in what will be his greatest exposure on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

It is a major disappointment for Bálor, who has earned better over the course of his career, not to mention a fanbase that had its fill of this feud a long time ago.

Stock Up: Kevin Owens Rejection Adds Another Layer to Best WWE Storyline in Decades

Had Kevin Owens embraced Sami Zayn on Raw, it would have unraveled months of storytelling and insulted the intelligence of the fans in the process.

After all, it was KO who told his former friend in November that he was done with him, and to go back on that would have damaged the credibility of a guy fans trust to be brutally honest, even when it hurts.

Thankfully, that did not happen.

On the heels of an Elimination Chamber PPV that saw Zayn lose to Roman Reigns in his hometown of Montreal, the follow-up was of the utmost importance.

WWE needed a segment that announced to the fans that Zayn is here to stay but, more importantly, there are layers to his story, hence why he was not tapped for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship win.

It produced just that. Owens came out only after Zayn had lost because he was not there for his former friend. He was there to kick The Bloodline's ass himself, for himself, because of the living hell it had put him through. He had no interest in helping his fellow Canadian, who stood by as he got beaten down at the Royal Rumble.

If Zayn has intentions of tearing down The Bloodline, he can ask his new friend, Jey Uso, KO told his friend.

It was a great segment of television that served as evidence of the difference between Triple H's creative prowess and whatever Vince McMahon had done over the last five or so years. Whereas the Chairman of the Board likely would have brought the two back together immediately to start the march to WrestleMania and the expected tag team title match against The Usos, Triple H stayed true to what was established months ago.

The result was a program that was logical, featured two guys talking to each other like human beings, and it played up the schism that exists in the relationship between the longtime buddies.

It only added to what is a multi-layered storyline involving Zayn and The Bloodline, enhancing its status as the best tale WWE has produced in decades.