8 WWE Stars Who Need a Reset
The end of SummerSlam season provides WWE with an overdue opportunity to reshuffle the deck and generate genuine excitement in the immediate aftermath of the event.
In the last week alone, a welcome mix of fresh and familiar faces have shaken up the Raw and SmackDown landscapes, most notably the returning Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. Both of them are already important players in the Undisputed WWE Championship scene and will go a long way in adding excitement to the blue brand.
Trick Williams and The Bella Twins are also set for significant character changes with Williams losing the United States Championship to Baron Corbin at SummerSlam and Nikki and Brie betraying Paige.
For as much of an effect as WWE's subpar creative has had on many members of the roster this year, sometimes all it takes is the right booking to get them back on track.
These eight Superstars in particular find themselves at a career crossroads at the moment and are in the most need of a reset post-SummerSlam.
Bron Breakker
1 of 8
The booking of Bron Breakker in 2026 can't be considered anything other than egregious given where he was on the WWE totem pole at the end of last year.
The second-generation star spent his 2025 holding the Intercontinental Championship, being recruited into The Vision, exiling Seth Rollins from the group and pinning then-World Heavyweight champion CM Punk in WarGames.
Granted, a severe hernia sidelined him for the entire road to WrestleMania, but WWE could have easily heated him up again upon his return and simply neglected to do so. Instead, he's been relegated to tag team duty with Austin Theory, who has been positioned as a much bigger star in his story with Maxxine Dupri and Alpha Academy.
Thankfully, a rivalry between Breakker and Oba Femi was teased on Monday's Raw, and although there's virtually no chance of Breakker coming out on the winning end of that, it's a much better use of him than being saddled with the meaningless tag titles.
Ultimately, Breakker should break away from The Vision, potentially reunite with Paul Heyman and get back to being a one-man wrecking crew with his sights set on world championship gold.
Giulia
2 of 8
WWE seemed to have the right idea with Giulia in the first few months of her main roster run, but her momentum has gradually gone downhill since she first won the Women's United States Championship over a year ago.
Unremarkable feuds with B-Fab and Michin as well as an unsuccessful alliance with Kiana James killed any aura she had coming up from NXT. Although she'd later regain the star-spangled prize, she rarely defended it and managed to have an even worse reign the second time around.
Her recent babyface turn and split from James was an encouraging sign for her future, at least until she was swiftly squashed by Lash Legend in a SummerSlam qualifier a day prior to the premium live event. That all but confirmed that her days in the company are numbered unless they start from scratch from her.
Her best shot at salvaging her career in WWE is to move over to Monday nights and start anew. There, she'd have a fresh batch of opponents to work with and ideally not be as lost in the shuffle as she is on SmackDown.
Damian Priest
3 of 8
Despite being a former World Heavyweight champion and one-half of the reigning WWE Tag Team champions, Damian Priest has never felt colder in his time on WWE's main roster than he does these days.
His long-running rivalry with Aleister Black, which ran from last summer to the beginning of 2026, amounted to nothing. Priest was left off the WrestleMania 42 card while Black was released from the company soon after the event.
He and R-Truth have held SmackDown's tag titles for several months but haven't had any memorable title defenses due to the lack of depth in the division. Even once they drop the belts to another team, there's no guarantee Priest will be made to feel important again.
SmackDown is stockpiled with star power at the top of the card right now, so similar to Giulia, he'd be better off on Raw where he could attempt to get something going for himself. A heel turn could be what makes him interesting again, depending on who he gets paired off with and what he's doing exactly.
.jpg?w=2560)
Becky Lynch
4 of 8
Coming off one of the most well-rounded years of her entire career, Becky Lynch randomly disappeared from WWE programming not long after losing the Women's Intercontinental Championship for the third time.
Raw's women's division has been in dire straits since at least WrestleMania 42, so leaving Lynch off the show for the summer unless she was injured or given time off was certainly questionable. Her absence was felt, which is why it was a relief to have her back on last Monday's Raw.
She wasted no time in confronting Liv Morgan and shifting her focus from the Women's Intercontinental title to the Women's World Championship, a belt she briefly held in the spring of 2024 before dropping it to Morgan of all people. She never reclaimed it as she subsequently took a year off from the company.
Lynch doesn't necessarily have to be back in babyface mode going forward, but she definitely does need to be a permanent fixture in the top title picture. She hasn't been involved in that mix for a few years and thus it's something slightly different, specifically if she were to be working with Stephanie Vaquer for the first time and not rekindling her rivalry with Morgan.
Ilja Dragunov
5 of 8
Where art thou, Ilja Dragunov?
The former NXT United Kingdom and NXT champion returned in epic fashion last October when he answered Sami Zayn's United States Championship open challenge, clinched the title and embarked on an excellent reign as champ.
He fought valiantly to regain the gold en route to WrestleMania 42 but lost his rematch with Carmelo Hayes and was omitted from 'Mania. Hayes has at least appeared on and off since then, but Dragunov hasn't been featured on SmackDown whatsoever.
The exact reason for his absence is unknown, but if it's creative related, then WWE is obviously incompetent at booking a competitor the caliber of Dragunov and should allow him to take his talents elsewhere. There's no reason for him to be intentionally sitting on the sidelines for months on end.
He has a ready-made rivalry with Gunther waiting for him right there on SmackDown. That would put him in a prominent role right out of the gate and ensure he isn't completely directionless.
Jordynne Grace
6 of 8
Jordynne Grace's whereabouts are as equally puzzling as Ilja Dragunov's in that she too hasn't been seen on SmackDown in many months.
She arrived on the blue brand with a decent amount of fanfare at the onset of 2026 and was portrayed as a legitimate threat to Jade Cargill's WWE Women's Championship. Their SmackDown match in mid-February was enjoyable, but after Grace ate defeat, she was seldom featured on the show.
Although an ankle sprain did derail her road to WrestleMania, it's not as if they've had anything of note for her in the time she's been back. In fact, she was dusted off for a quick loss to Tiffany Stratton right before 'Mania and has been largely been in Main Event purgatory since then.
Grace will never be mistaken with being the most dynamic on the mic, but what she's capable of in the ring is nothing short of impressive. She hasn't been given a true chance to connect with the audience or establish any sort of an identity for herself, but bringing her back as a dominant heel on either Raw or SmackDown would be an appropriate repackaging for her.
She'd be a perfect fit in either the Women's Intercontinental Championship or Women's United States Championship scenes, but she can't contribute until she's actually utilized on television.
Matt Cardona
7 of 8
Zack Ryder could have faded off into obscurity like so many others upon getting released by WWE in 2020 but instead used that as an opportunity to reinvent himself as Matt Cardona and light it up on the independent scene.
From TNA to NWA to GCW, Cardona made an impact everywhere he went and won gold. It always felt like it was more a matter of when and not if he'd be back in WWE, and sure enough, he returned as a full-time Superstar on the first SmackDown of 2026 with a win over Kit Wilson.
That was the peak of his "push," however, as he's lost virtually every televised match he's had since then in addition to enduring countless beatdowns. That hasn't stopped him from giving every appearance his all and maximizing his minutes to the best of his ability.
The biggest problems he's been plagued with during this second stint with the company is that he hasn't been given anything to sink his teeth into. That should change on SmackDown soon, as he'd benefit greatly from being given some sort of underdog story or even being paired with his real life wife Chelsea Green.
Cardona doesn't need to be the stepping stone he's always been when he has the potential to be much more than that.
Dominik Mysterio
8 of 8
It isn't just fans who are frustrated with the current booking of Dominik Mysterio, as a recent report from False Finish indicated that the AAA Mega champion isn't thrilled with the way he's been booked as of late, either.
Truth be told, it isn't difficult to see why.
He pinned John Cena to regain the Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series less than a year ago but has been cooled off considerably since then. He's treated like a total star over in AAA but has been an afterthought on Raw for the entire year.
His second run with the Intercontinental title was forgettable, he failed in his feud with Finn Bálor and his "Human Monies on a Pole" match ended with him losing to Danhausen. Mind you, he's still in possession of the AAA Mega title, for whatever that's worth at this point.
Mysterio doesn't necessarily need to be wearing world title gold tomorrow, but he should be significantly higher on the card than he is, especially seeing as how he was so beloved coming out of WrestleMania 41. WWE did nothing to capitalize on that organic surge in popularity, forcing him to continue treading water in The Judgment Day.
Regardless of whether he ditches the comedy or Judgment Day all together, Mysterio must be a much bigger priority for WWE in the weeks and months ahead.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
.jpg?w=2560 "Commanders' Tunsil Tore Triceps")
.jpg?w=2560 "Scuffle at Browns Training Camp")
.jpg?w=2560 "Active Players Destined for HOF 🤩")
.jpg?w=2560 "Football HOF Ceremony Recap 🤩")