5 Stars Trending Up, 5 Trending Down in WWE and AEW Right Now
Pro wrestling is red-hot as the summer of 2025 arrives, with WWE continuing to build on its success and All Elite Wrestling rediscovering the creative momentum it needed to rejuvenate the product.
As such, some names are feeling the benefit, trending upward as they find their roles on television expanded. Others are not so lucky, heading downward amid puzzling creative and baffling usage.
Ahead of what figures to be a critical period for both companies, these are the stars who are trending up and down in WWE and AEW right now.
Trending Up: LA Knight
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Following a year in which he was arguably underutilized despite two reigns as United States champion, LA Knight has returned to prominence, thanks to a budding rivalry with Seth Rollins' stable.
The Megastar has set out to avenge his loss in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match and made powerful enemies along the way.
WWE has upped his profile, with Knight getting the opening segment on the June 20 episode of SmackDown and a match with Bronson Reed. That may have ended with him suffering several Tsunamis courtesy of the big man, but it builds on the idea he will oppose Rollins and Co. at some point in a high-profile match.
That is enough for The Megastar to be considered, arguably, the most noteworthy WWE Superstar trending upward.
Trending Down: Carmelo Hayes
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Carmelo Hayes is not just trending downward at this point, he is also heading in the direction of the dreaded "what may have been."
The former NXT champion suffered through a creatively disjointed first year on the main roster, competing in a series of show-stealers with Andrade before becoming cannon fodder for the rest of the roster.
A win in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal felt like the make-good that he needed to finally build momentum, but he has been inconsistently booked since then.
A talented wrestler whose aura is obvious and whose abilities have never been in question, he just needs an opportunity to showcase what he can do when there is the slightest amount of effort put into him and his character.
Unfortunately, it does not appear to be on its way as of this writing.
Trending Up: Kazuchika Okada
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It seems rather absurd that a star the caliber of Kazuchika Okada, responsible for so many instant classics as the centerpiece of New Japan Pro-Wrestling for the last decade, could be considered someone trending upward.
But considering his first year or so with AEW, that is the case.
Okada spent so much time working midcard matches and serving as part of an Elite that paled in comparison to its original form that some wondered if that was all Tony Khan and Co. had in store for The Rainmaker.
Then came the feud with Kenny Omega and the revelation they will battle at All In in a Winner Takes All match, in which the international and continental titles will be unified.
Suddenly, Okada took on greater meaning than he has at any point in his AEW run, as if everything that came before it was a warm-up for the feud that fans were desperate to see.
Whatever the case, Okada instantly became a bigger deal and heading into the match with Omega, is trending upward amid the most significant creative in AEW he has experienced to date.
Trending Down: Daniel Garcia
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Daniel Garcia is one of the most interesting, and frustrating, cases in AEW.
A talented technical wrestler who got over on the strength of his in-ring ability and a simple dance move that elicits reactions, he has repeatedly proved himself in the company and against the brightest stars it has to offer.
Yet, despite the showing out every time he gets an opportunity, his pushes have been inconsistent and disjointed, leading to a young star with a world of potential but no sustained momentum.
Case in point, his return to the company.
Garcia defeated Jack Perry to win the TNT Championship. He was one of the saviors of the company, dethroning the entitled "Scapegoat" and rescuing the title from The Elite.
Except, he did not get to do much with it. He feuded with Adam Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom for what felt like an eternity before dropping the title to Cole at Dynasty and has done nothing of note since then.
It is a frustrating pattern for a guy who has most of the tools necessary to be a star of the present and future but can never seem to keep the interest of the creative team long enough to firmly establish his place.
Trending Up: Roxanne Perez
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Roxanne Perez was the runner-up in the women's Royal Rumble match in February, and though her main roster run started off with more losses than she should have endured at that point, she is finding her spot as one of the young stars of the company thanks to her involvement in the disintegration of The Judgment Day.
Perez and Finn Bálor have been scheming of late, presumably to boot Liv Morgan out of the group and manipulate intercontinental champion Dominik Mysterio. In doing so, she has made an enemy of Morgan and hinted at coming onto Dirty Dom in backstage vignettes.
She has also proved herself between the ropes, though, appearing in the recent women's Money in the Bank match and cashing her ticket to the semifinals of the Queen of the Ring.
One of the pillars of NXT during her stint there, Perez is quickly proving why she was one of the focal points of the brand and someone who is destined for big things on the main roster for years to come.
Trending Down: Lyra Valkyria
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Lyra Valkyria spent the late spring feuding with Becky Lynch over the Women's Intercontinental Championship, so it is understandable if her status as "trending down" is somewhat confusing.
It's not a status earned for the feud itself, or the fact that she lost the title to The Man, but rather the lack of follow-up on the part of WWE Creative.
Valkyria turned in two of the best performances of her career in the matches with Lynch, carried the IC title with poise and helped establish its significance. When called upon, she proved she could hang with The Man on the mic, too.
So, why was she cast aside when the feud appeared to write its final chapter?
Not only did Valkyria end up an afterthought amid the return of Bayley, but she also wasn't even considered for a spot in the Queen of the Ring tournament, which she was the runner-up in a year ago.
Though it has only been a few weeks, one cannot help but be disappointed and frustrated with her lack of usage in any significant manner since dropping the title to Lynch at Money in the Bank.
Trending Up: Dominik Mysterio
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Dominik Mysterio is such an unlikable villain that it was only a matter of time before the fans expressed their appreciation for his chicanery. And they did, in a big way, at WrestleMania 41.
His Intercontinental Championship victory was met with a thunderous roar from fans who appreciated the work and dedication he had put into his craft. He was a legitimate heel who was not afraid to make himself look foolish when the time came and relished in the opportunity to infuriate audiences.
The 28-year-old's commitment to the character endeared him to fans, who celebrated his ascent to singles gold with him on the grand stage.
Since then, he has been at the center of mounting tension within The Judgment Day, as a jealous Bálor seeks to scheme his way into winning Mysterio's IC title.
Dirty Dom appears, at times, completely aware of what his teammate is doing but has also seen his judgment clouded by the introduction of Roxanne Perez.
It remains to be seen if WWE turns Mysterio babyface in the near future, but what is a certainty is that the second-generation star is trending upward and that does not appear to be ending any time soon.
Trending Down: MJF
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MJF is an incredibly entertaining professional wrestler. He has bags of charisma, carries himself like the star he is, can out-talk anyone on the microphone and is as skilled an in-ring competitor as anyone on the AEW roster.
Since his reign as world champion ended, though, he has struggled to return to the heights he did when he was the centerpiece of the promotion.
The creative has been all over the place, his status on the show has taken a hit, and he has been working far too many midcard programs for someone of his caliber.
For example, the ongoing Hurt Syndicate story.
While he is making the most of it, this feels like a step down for a guy who has worked with every major star in AEW and proved himself in the highest-profile spots on the card.
The wrestling is still great, the mic skills are undeniable, and while he can get just about anything over, he does seem to have hit a bit of a wall creatively, which is a major disappointment because he should be a multi-time world champion.
This is a slight downward trend because MJF still enjoys considerable TV time. It just comes at the expense of better use of him elsewhere on the show.
Trending Up: Alexa Bliss
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Alexa Bliss returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble and quickly disappeared from television, with no real rhyme or reason.
The Goddess missed WrestleMania 41 and did not return until the late spring, with an injury to Bo Dallas halting plans for her involvement with The Wyatt Sicks storyline, per Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select.
Now back on television, Bliss has built some strong momentum for herself amid a bidding rivalry with Charlotte Flair.
The 33-year-old cashed her ticket to the women's Money in the Bank ladder match, and bested Flair, Alba Fyre and Candice LeRae in a Fatal 4-Way to advance to the semifinals of the Queen of the Ring tournament.
While she lost to Asuka on Friday's SmackDown, she came to the aid of Flair and stared her down in a tease of a reluctant partnership.
Regardless of whether Bliss and The Queen stand side-by-side or across the ring from each other, she has seen her screen time increase exponentially and should be in or around championship contention for the foreseeable future.
Trending Down: Athena
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No professional wrestler has been more dominant for their brand over the last two years than Athena has in Ring of Honor.
The reigning ROH women's world champion, she has defeated all-comers while consistently proving to be one of the most gifted in-ring performers in any women's division.
Still, despite always showing up and performing to the loftiest of expectations, she has been relegated to Honor Club. When she did make appearances on AEW television earlier this year, it was to set up a dream match of sorts with Mercedes Moné.
What should have been a pay-per-view headliner was blown off on free television, with Moné earning the win and sending Athena back to the obscurity of ROH.
It was baffling treatment of a performer who has been a standard-bearer for women's wrestling over the last two years and someone who should be factored heavily into plans for All In on July 12.
That's especially true since she did considerable work with media in promoting the company's annual extravaganza in her home state.
Instead, Athena appears poised to miss out on the biggest show of the year, where family and friends could have watched her defend her title or challenge for another, on the biggest stage known to AEW.
