WWE Storylines That Matter Most Right Now, Ranked
WWE has completed its WrestleMania season, and with the end of the biggest show of the year, the company typically needs time to reset.
However, with Backlash right around the corner on May 9, WWE did not retool but used 'Mania to build stories forward into future premium live events.
This has left the company with multiple big stories and more than a few angles in need of a reset.
While new top champions like Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch are in need of a fresh direction, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Liv Morgan and others have clearer stories already in progress.
Beyond the title picture, WWE is relying heavily on fresh stars such as Oba Femi and Bron Breakker to make the product exciting.
These are the WWE storylines with real focus right now on the road to Backlash, ranked by their impact, relevance and potential.
8. The Struggle of Sami Zayn
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Sami Zayn has heroically tried over the years to be the underdog who can rise to the challenge and become a world champion.
However, time and again, he has fallen short, and it is eating away at the moral fiber of The Ultimate Underdog.
After taking the United States Championship from Carmelo Hayes just to get a WrestleMania spot, Zayn lost that title to Trick Williams, who was cheered over him despite his disrespectful behavior.
For the first time in a long time, The Ultimate Underdog is leaning heel, which could be a great path for him to find success.
Unfortunately, WWE has shown no strong belief in Zayn that gives any hope this will get him to his long-awaited world title run.
If anything, it comes off as another chance to spin the wheels, as The Ultimate Underdog has not found reliable success as a heel in the past.
7. Seth Rollins' Crusade Against The Vision
2 of 8Once the hottest story in WWE, The Vision has struggled to keep momentum due to a series of unfortunate injuries.
Both Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker are back, though, and WWE is trying to quickly heat this story back up.
If any two men can make this feud something special, it is The Visionary and The Badass, especially with Paul Heyman behind it all.
Until they heat this story up, though, Rollins vs. Breakker does not feel like the big story it should be, especially with a premium live event collision on the horizon.
6. The Fatal Influence Takeover
3 of 8WWE has only begun to reveal what role the newest NXT call-ups will play on Raw and SmackDown, but one team certainly made an immediate splash: Fatal Influence.
Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid attacked multiple top women's tag teams and stepped up to Rhea Ripley herself to make their mission statement clear.
This is a group looking to take over, and it may have the talent and heat to do just that.
All of Fatal Influence drew massive heat in their first night out, and if they can carry that forward, this is a trio that can genuinely challenge and dethrone the top women on SmackDown.
In particular, Jayne has proved what she can do as NXT women's champion and could use a major rub working with The Eradicator.
Meanwhile, Henley and Reid have a chance to change the complexion of the women's tag division, possibly even dethroning Brie Bella and Paige quickly.
5. Iyo Sky vs. Asuka
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When Kairi Sane first turned against Iyo Sky in 2025 at the behest of the ruthless Asuka, the stage was set for one of WWE's best slow-burn stories on the road to WrestleMania 42.
However, WWE did not pay that story off at The Show of Shows and then released its most important element: The Pirate Princess.
While The Genius of the Sky and The Empress of Tomorrow still have plenty of history built over the years, this story was all about Sane.
She was an abused student of Asuka, finally starting to see the light. Sky was helping her friend to break free and become her own woman again.
However, Sane was released on April 24 and is unlikely to be seen on WWE television again.
This leaves a story without a heart or a hook. While Sky and Asuka will have a great match, there may never be a satisfying payoff.
4. The Judgment Day Drama
5 of 8Since its inception, The Judgment Day has been defined by interpersonal drama. But WWE has been slow to play off the tension.
While the story advanced on the road to WrestleMania 42 as "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio led a rebellion against Finn Bálor, the angle is slowing back down.
The Demon reemerged to help Bálor defeat Mysterio, but Dirty Dom is still looking more like the man on the rise.
Meanwhile, Liv Morgan dethroned Stephanie Vaquer to capture the Women's World Championship and is without a challenger while La Primera recovers.
The next tease is a question of where Roxanne Perez's allegiances lie. Bálor has warned The Prodigy about trusting The Judgment Day, but this might not pay off for months or even years.
For that reason, this story is intriguing but lacks a clear direction.
3. Randy Orton's Struggle with the Darkness
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Randy Orton turned heel for the first time in a while on the road to WrestleMania 42, setting the stage for a dramatic battle with former protege Cody Rhodes.
Unfortunately, a poorly devised Pat McAfee appearance slowed that story down, and an injury to The American Nightmare may have slowed it down even further.
However, McAfee is gone, and Rhodes will hopefully be cleared soon.
When that happens, Orton can continue to tell his story as a new brutal heel, unafraid to put The American Nightmare through hell to get the Undisputed WWE Championship back.
It is a shame that Orton does not have any obvious allies anymore, though, especially after the release of Aleister Black, who seemed to be positioned as the devil on The Viper's shoulder.
There is serious potential here that has yet to be tapped into on a SmackDown that needs more memorable stories.
2. The Rise of Oba Femi
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Oba Femi was the biggest monster in NXT, but no one could have predicted how quickly he would become the biggest monster on Raw as well.
After stepping up to Cody Rhodes without fear at Saturday Night's Main Event, The Ruler has shown time and again that no one can intimidate him.
Femi ran through Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42, seemingly sending him into retirement.
The Ruler has now set up an open challenge for anyone brave enough to face him, and it is hard to imagine many are willing to do so.
It feels like Femi is on a meteoric rise that will set him in direct conflict with Roman Reigns later in the summer.
Until then, he has every WWE fan enthralled by his presence and confidence.
1. Roman Reigns' New Reign of Terror
8 of 8Roman Reigns is a world champion again and is reuniting The Bloodline around him like it's 2020 all over again.
While WWE does not need to completely lean into The Bloodline drama again, The Usos work better at The Tribal Chief's side.
Moreover, Reigns has a fresh reason to lean into his family history as Jacob Fatu has stepped up to challenge him for the World Heavyweight Championship.
This feud could be a one-off, or it could be the beginning of The Samoan Werewolf working directly with The OTC into the future.
Either way, the intrigue is building each week for what Reigns will do next, and nothing else is matching that hype.
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