10 Things to Love (and Not Love) About WWE in 2023 So Far

We are just over a month short of the midway point of 2023, and WWE has provided its fans with plenty to love since January 1.

And some things not to love.

From unique on-screen pairings such as Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio, or Maxxine Dupri and Otis, to the rise of one of the industry's most beloved performers in Sami Zayn, there has been plenty to be positive about.

Then there is the current state of women's wrestling in WWE, which is not something to be quite so enthusiastic over.

As the company enters the conclusion of the first half of the year and looks forward, these are a few of the topics that have captured the attention of fans thus far...for better or worse.

Love: The Rise of Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn's main event push has been a long time coming, and 2023 has seen him finally reap the rewards his hard work and dedication have earned.

Following up on a 2022 that saw him have an infinitely better-than-expected WrestleMania 38 match with Johnny Knoxville and become the breakout star on WWE TV through his role in the Bloodline saga, Zayn has established himself as a consistent main event presence, thanks to his feud with Roman Reigns and emotional tag team title victory with longtime friend Kevin Owens at this year's Showcase of the Immortals.

Now one of the faces of the Raw brand, The Underdog From the Underground looks to make the rest of the year his as he capitalizes on his most intense popularity since his arrival in NXT in 2013.

And we are here for it, especially if it continues the run of show-stealing Match of the Year candidates we have already seen from him this year.

Not: The State of Women's Wrestling

It is curious that Triple H, who was responsible for overseeing the rise of women's wrestling during his time at the helm of NXT, has struggled so badly to consistently utilize the women on the main roster.

Some of those missing out on Raw and SmackDown are the same competitors he booked to such incredible success during his time with the developmental brand.

The inconsistent creative, a disconcerting lack of screen time and a roster devoid of any real character development outside of the top names, such as Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley, has made the women's divisions one of the few failures of The Game's creative regime.

Worst of all is the tag team division, which is made up of thrown-together tandems that often suggest any two women not currently involved in anything else more important will just partner together to chase a set of titles that are somehow more underutilized than the competitors wearing them.

That is something that must change entering the second half of 2023 because the tag division, and the women's roster as a whole, will come under louder (and deserved) scrutiny the longer it doesn't.

Love: The Bloodline Drama

There are some who will eagerly trumpet the demise of The Bloodline story in the post-WrestleMania 39 landscape, but such assertions would be greatly exaggerated.

While there remains plenty of controversy surrounding Roman Reigns' successful defense of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship over Cody Rhodes at The Show of Shows, the story has come full circle to focus on the emphasis for its existence in the first place: The Tribal Chief's oppressive rule over his own family.

We have seen him place the blame for The Bloodline's recent issues at the feet of Jimmy and Jey Uso, all while teasing that he is both intimidated and fearful of Solo Sikoa.

The family drama, which is almost certain to culminate with Jey standing up to his cousin and forcing Sikoa to take sides, should dominate the summer months and only further solidify all involved as premier players for WWE.

"High tides raise all ships," Reigns told Ariel Helwani of BT Sport during a pre-WrestleMania interview, and that has certainly been the case throughout the entire three-year story, with all involved benefiting from inclusion.

None more so than Reigns' own family. Expect The Usos to peak as top babyfaces in WWE by year's end, if not sooner. Ditto Sikoa, depending on how his eventual split from The Tribal Chief plays out.

Love: Celebrity Involvement

Two of the great performances of 2023 to this point belong not to the best wrestlers in the world but rather celebrity guests who have seized their opportunity and turned in genuine Match of the Year candidates on significant stages.

First came Logan Paul, who followed up his brilliant showing against Reigns at Crown Jewel last November with another extraordinary performance against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 39.

The match saw the social media star fully embrace a heel persona, including relying on best friend and boxer KSI, but ultimately succumbing to the Stomp as Rollins rolled to victory.

The following month, Bad Bunny returned to the ring as a central figure of Backlash in Puerto Rico. He battled former tag team partner Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight that exceeded all expectations and highlighted a new era of celebrity involvement in WWE.

No longer happy to just be involved, Paul and Bad Bunny have set the bar incredibly high for those looking to enhance their stars in WWE. Those lacking the same dedication, respect and passion as those two need not apply.

Not: The Usage of LA Knight

Let me talk to ya!

No matter how many times he loses or how underwhelming his creative may be, LA Knight remains incredibly over with fans.

So much so that the lack of push or increased involvement in significant storylines for The Megastar becomes more obvious with every passing week.

Yes, the braggadocios heel remains on television, but it is clear there is either no direction for him or he is in a holding pattern until any plan manifests itself.

For a company that understands the value of highlighting stars who get over organically, it's all the more mindboggling that Triple H and his creative team have allowed Knight to be so inconsequential to programming given the connection he clearly has with audiences.

It will be interesting to see if that continues in the second half of 2023. If so, WWE may well miss out on a guy with the charisma and in-ring ability to be a prime-time player in the here and now.

Love: The Return of The Man

The Man has come around with the reintroduction of Becky Lynch's attitudinal, rebellious persona that helped make her the industry's biggest star not so long ago.

The Irish Lass Kicker is in the middle of a feud with Trish Stratus that has reheated her character by going back to the silver-tongued promos and unabashed attitude that connected her with fans in the first place.

The result is instantly more engaging work, highlighted by the contract signing for her Night of Champions match with the WWE Hall of Famer.

The Man is the character that launched Lynch into pro wrestling superstardom and proved that any woman could be as big a name as any man in WWE and, more importantly, that fans could get her to that position.

Expect that to be the case again as she sets herself up for a return to form in 2023 following a run as Big Time Becks that was entertaining but lacked the edge fans had so appreciated before.

Not: That WrestleMania Finish and the World Heavyweight Championship

The moment was right there for WWE to seize at WrestleMania 39.

It was a moment the likes of which the company does not typically whiff on. Here was Cody Rhodes, a red-hot babyface with an emotional story, coming off a serious injury and seeking the one title that eluded his late father.

After a long, historic run from Roman Reigns, the pieces aligned for The American Nightmare to be the man to do what no other had since December 2019 and defeat The Tribal Chief.

In doing so, he would have ended the tyrannical reign of the undisputed WWE universal champion and made a main event star out of himself.

Rhodes' wife, Brandi, and young daughter were in attendance. Friend and current AEW employee Amanda Huber (wife of the late Brodie Lee) was there with her children to watch him unseat The Head of the Table. Fans from around the world filled SoFi Stadium in hopes of seeing him realize his lifelong dream.

Then, it didn't happen.

Instead, Reigns won via interference—as he usually does—and sucked the life out of the stadium, leaving fans, analysts and insiders in shock at what had just unfolded.

There are some who will still defend the outcome, claiming it was the right call and that putting the title on Rhodes right away would have been too predictable or would have turned the WWE Universe against him.

The further we get away from the outcome, though, the more obvious it is that Triple H and Co. should have gone the predictable route and booked the Rhodes victory.

So much so that, with Reigns taking on even less appearances as champion, WWE had to introduce a World Heavyweight Championship to give Superstars something to fight over in his absence.

The title feels like a consolation prize. Even AJ Styles, who faces Seth Rollins at Night of Champions on Saturday for the belt, said it is a secondary title to the prize held by Reigns.

Try as he might, it will be a tough sell for Triple H and his creative staff to change that perception, especially since everything we have seen out of The Bloodline story since then could have been accomplished with Reigns dropping the titles.

Love: Dom Dom and Mami

The relationship between the physically dominant Rhea Ripley and spoiled brat Dominik Mysterio has made for one of the best on-screen WWE pairings in recent memory.

The dynamic is fresh and unique, not unlike that of the late Eddie Guerrero and Chyna from two decades earlier, and fans feed off of it.

Little things, such as Dominik clearly hiding behind Mami in the face of confrontation, make him such a great cowardly heel and really put over the imposing nature of the SmackDown women's champion.

The on-screen relationship has elevated both, making them one of the top heel acts on Raw.

While they remain integral parts of The Judgment Day, we have seen Ripley and Mysterio break off on their own, with the latter seeing regular singles action of late while The Eradicator finds any way possible to interfere on his behalf.

Look for that to continue throughout the remainder of 2023 and for Dom Dom and Mami to continue providing amusing interactions and unforgettable moments along the way.

Not: Where on Earth is Bray Wyatt?

Triple H sent an indisputable message with the rehiring of Bray Wyatt last October.

The social media buzz and the White Rabbit marketing campaign came together to create an unforgettable moment at the conclusion of Extreme Rules that, unfortunately, everyone involved failed to build on.

The start of 2023 saw Wyatt wrestle his one televised bout since returning, a Pitch Black match against LA Knight at the Royal Rumble, before disappearing from television ahead of a scheduled match with Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania.

We have not seen Wyatt on TV since February, with no explanation whatsoever for his absence. The reported reason is an undisclosed health issue, but there has been zero effort to explain away the absence of a guy who was a regular and significant contributor to SmackDown prior to it.

It is almost insulting to fans' intelligence to have a guy so heavily involved one minute, then gone from television the next and acting as if nothing happened. Come up with something to explain away his absence rather than just letting him disappear.

That didn't happen, and the result is a cliffhanger even Sylvester Stallone would want nothing to do with.

Love: Alpha Academy, Maxxine Dupri and the Resurgence of Otis

Chad Gable and Otis made for a surprisingly great tag team long before 2023.

However, the introduction of Maxxine Dupri as a fashionista obsessed with turning the latter into a runway megastar has only enhanced the act, as she battles Gable for the attention of the big man.

Now, it appears Gable and Dupri are willing to work together, with the latter even cheering on Otis as he reintroduced the Worm to his offensive arsenal on Monday's Raw. She stood alongside the tandem, decked out in a star-studded outfit that at least tried to match their look, in further evidence that it is an on-screen pairing that may be here for the long run.

Every so often there is an act that comes from out of nowhere, really shouldn't work but does and all involved become bigger stars because of it.

Such is the case here as WWE has finally found a role for Dupri and a potential hugely over babyface run for Alpha Academy.