Stock Up, Stock Down For Seth Rollins and WWE's Biggest Stars

As WWE embarks on its annual road to WrestleMania, the stock of several of the company's top stars are of great importance.

The ones with the highest stock are almost certainly guaranteed something of meaning to do at The Show of Shows on April 19-20, while those on the opposite end of the spectrum face uncertainty about their status for the big show or, worse, how well the audience will embrace them en route.

As WWE prepares for Elimination Chamber on March 1, this is the stock watch on four of its top Superstars.

Stock Down: Damian Priest

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Last year was a breakout one for Damian Priest.

As the centerpiece of the Raw brand and a consistent main eventer, he also enjoyed a four-month reign as world heavyweight champion that began with an unforgettable Money in the Bank cash-in at WrestleMania 40.

Even after losing the title, The Archer of Infamy remained prominent as one-half of The Terror Twins alongside Rhea Ripley.

Since moving to SmackDown in January in the "transfer window," his momentum has stalled to the point where he feels like anyone else on the show instead of a top-tier former champion.

The fact that new reports suggest a planned program with Drew McIntyre heading into The Showcase of the Immortals may be off the table only adds to the lack of optimism surrounding Priest’s stock on the road to WrestleMania 41.

There is still plenty of time for something significant to emerge that suits Priest, considering how vital he was to the flagship show in 2024.

However, unless a compelling storyline develops with someone of McIntyre’s stature or a rivalry with Jacob Fatu or Solo Sikoa, it will feel underwhelming compared to all he accomplished last year.

Stock Up: Seth Rollins

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A return to the WrestleMania main event is unlikely for Seth Rollins, as is a championship match. 

However, that by no means suggests his stock is anything except sky-high.

If anything, we are witnessing a change in character that has resulted in The Visionary becoming one of the most interesting characters in WWE today.

First, he lost an ego--shattering match to CM Punk on the debut episode of Raw on Netflix.

Then, he allowed his obsession with ending Roman Reigns to distract and cost him the men's Royal Rumble.

We saw the outburst that followed, which saw him brutally attack his rivals, but it is what has happened since then that has made him one of the most thought-provoking characters in WWE.

He has preached from his soap box that Punk and Reigns are a danger to everything he has helped build in WWE. And he has, directly and not, attempted to recruit others to his cause, imploring them to see the risk in both men that he does.

The question, though, is whether he is acting for the good of the company or clearing a path for himself back to the top of the business by attempting to turn the locker room and fans on two of his greatest threats.

The answer to that, coupled with Rollins’ gradual descent into obsession as his failures add up, make him a must-see Superstar with stock firmly heading upward.

Stock Down: Charlotte Flair

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Yes, Charlotte Flair won the women's Rumble match, completing a triumphant return to the squared circle and punching her ticket back to WrestleMania.

And yes, she will challenge for championship gold, and her history indicates she has a greater chance of winning it than not.

Yet, as the first post-Rumble appearance proved, the WWE Universe is not sold on The Queen's inspirational comeback.

The jeers directed at her as she relived the grueling year-long journey back to professional wrestling were reflective not of an unsympathetic audience but a fanbase that has watched the same story repeat itself over and over since her main roster debut in 2016.

In the decade since she debuted, she has left, returned, immediately won and then sat on the throne as champion. The Queen character has remained mostly unchanged, and her on-screen persona has yet to evolve in any measurable way.

The Charlotte Flair character is the same person she was nearly a decade ago, just older and at the best she has ever been from an in-ring perspective.

At a time when WWE is hotter than ever thanks to the multi-layered stories at the forefront of its programming, leaning on a one-dimensional character that feels stale compared to others is not the surest way to convince fans to invest in her latest title quest.

Until that character evolves or outright changes, expect more of the same from fans long bored by what they have spent nearly 10 years watching, as well as stock that can never truly reach its peak again.

This, of course, is through little fault of the performer herself. Flair is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best wrestlers in any division within WWE. 

Stock Up: CM Punk

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One of the best parts of CM Punk’s march to WrestleMania 41 is that we have no idea exactly what awaits him at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

At first, he laid the groundwork for a program with world champion Gunther in September. Then, all signs pointed to a long-awaited grudge match with Rollins. After the events of the Royal Rumble, some believed a Triple Threat with The Visionary and Roman Reigns may be on-tap.

A pre-Rumble confrontation with Cody Rhodes teased that contest, and Punk has repeatedly called out John Cena in interviews and press conferences, jockeying for a match with the 16-time world champion as part of his retirement tour in 2025.

There are so many story-rich directions Punk can go in entering WrestleMania season that fans will almost certainly be engrossed in any of them. That he is an extraordinary talker and in-ring storyteller strengthens that idea.

Furthermore, like Rhodes last year, Punk has his own unfinished story: He has never main-evented The Showcase of the Immortals. With that thread also available to the creative team, WWE has plenty to work with for The Second City Saint.

A performer who can do it all, and is in as many ongoing rivalries as he is, will always have something of substance to do. That always lends itself to sustained upward-pointing stock.