WWE's Biggest Winners and Losers from 2023 WrestleMania Season

WWE's WrestleMania 39 and the sprint of days and months leading up to the biggest annual pro wrestling event provided big wins for some Superstars and flops for others.

There was a certain give and take to the two-night event itself, too. Night 1 was a near-all-timer classic from top to bottom and understandably, many of the big winners participated on Saturday night's card.

Likewise, Night 2 had a big problem even matching its predecessor and featured a host of polarizing results, highlighted by Roman Reigns' upset of Cody Rhodes to retain his unified titles.

With WrestleMania season complete and the Raw after 'Mania signifying the beginning of a new "season," here's a look at the biggest winners and losers from that stretch.

Winner: Dominik Mysterio

WrestleMania season cemented Dominik Mysterio as one of the next big things in the sport.

That's not an insignificant development, either. For all the talk of young prospects like MJF in pro wrestling, it's a little easy to forget Dominik is only 25 years old.

And yet there he was on the build to 'Mania, putting an unforgettable feud together with his father, Rey Mysterio, capped off by an unforgettable entrance and match.

Easily one of the more detestable villains in pro wrestling already, which will only endear him more to fans as a babyface in time, few Superstars came out of 'Mania season looking better.

Loser: Finn Bálor

Going into WrestleMania 39, it sure felt like this new Triple H-led creative was primed to dramatically rehab the reputation of Finn Bálor and more importantly, the image of his Demon alter ego.

Or not.

Bálor's Demon, most prominently last seen losing to a turnbuckle when given a shot at Reigns, went down hard to Edge on Night 2 in a rather ho-hum Hell in a Cell match.

The match wasn't terrible, but this wasn't the case for a Superstar benefitting from a loss. There was a time the Demon felt special and unstoppable, just as there was a time Bálor was the next big thing in WWE before an untimely injury.

It turns out all 'Mania season did was reinforce growing concerns about his spot.

Winner: Rhea Ripley

It doesn't get much bigger for a woman Superstar than convincingly looking the part and taking down Charlotte Flair on the biggest of stages.

That's just what Rhea Ripley accomplished though, working a nice feud with Flair on the run-up to 'Mania. It was a retread, just like the match itself was, but still did the job of getting Ripley that big moment and win.

One could make the argument, too, that the Ripley-Flair showdown was the best match of the entire two-night event. Some of that was Flair, of course, but the new champion is easily one of the best in the world.

On a night of proverbial torch passing, arguably nobody benefited more from the big stage than Ripley.

Loser: Women's Divison

Besides Ripley, the women's division had a tough go of it during 'Mania season.

Becky Lynch was sidelined slightly in a six-woman tag match without titles at stake. That match featured the promising group Damage CTRL taking a loss, once again giving fans little reason to care about or invest in the Bayley-led group despite its huge potential.

Ronda Rousey was largely sidelined due to injury. The Bianca Belair-Asuka match for the former's Raw women's title felt like a retread. Names like Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross didn't appear.

This isn't even bemoaning Ripley-Flair not being the main event on Night 1. That's a legit gripe, but just unfortunate timing next to one of the best storylines ever in Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. The Usos.

But it's clear from 'Mania season that WWE needs to do better with and for its women's division in 2023.

Winner: Sami Zayn

Who else?

Zayn was the centerpiece of the Bloodline saga on the run to 'Mania, and rightfully so after being the almost-random element that entered the fray and breathed new life into a storyline fans were tiring of quickly.

Besides the numerous unforgettable moments and nearly toppling Reigns' empire on his lonesome to win the unified titles, Zayn was the best thing going in his and Owens' tag match against The Usos.

The heartfelt storytelling, emotion and psychology that went into the match from Zayn will see its footage taught to prospects for a long, long time.

Whereas Owens had more than proved himself in the past by being trusted in key situations, highlighted most of all by his match with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin one year ago, Zayn finally ascended the mountain himself this year and became one of the undeniable "top guys" for the rest of his career at the apex of the sport.

Loser: Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt went from one of the greatest returns in the sport's history to polarizing results pretty quickly.

Fast forward to 'Mania season, Wyatt appeared to have multiple feuds start and then simply stop.

The most prominent and recent was the groundwork laid for a feud with Bobby Lashley, who won the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the SmackDown before 'Mania.

Except the feud never materialized into something meaningful and Wyatt didn't appear at 'Mania. For fans who have wanted to see less promo work from Wyatt and more in-ring action, his absence was a notable one.

Winner: Bloodline and Cody Rhodes

Rhodes losing to Reigns in the main event wasn't exactly what most fans had come to expect from the buildup during 'Mania season.

After entering the Royal Rumble 30th, winning it and cutting some heartfelt promos looping in his father and otherwise, it seemed Rhodes was inevitably chosen one to take down Reigns.

But that was too simple.

Rhodes might have lost, but he and everyone else—fans included—win big from the result.

Rather than have Rhodes just turn into the babyface who accepts all challengers, he gets to remain wickedly over with fans while in chase mode as the underdog who took his lump and has to do it the hard away.

And Reigns? He gets to keep marching toward that 1,000-day mark. The idea The Rock could come back as the final piece to the family-based epic remains on the table. So too does the chance Jey Uso or even Solo Sikoa ends up taking Reigns down in time, if not another loose connection in the form of Seth Rollins.

With so many stories worth telling still, it's no wonder, once the immediate reactions have cooled, why WWE went with this route. And the new Triple H-led creative has earned some trust from fans given its stellar performance so far, which has to be a comforting thought for fans not vibing with the main event's result.

Even if it doesn't feel like it right now, Mania season and the two main event's results feature big payoffs and wins down the road for all involved.