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WWE Stars Who Should Be Much Bigger by WrestleMania 43

Donald Wood
Sep 3, 2026

The prospect of WrestleMania 43 emanating from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is still a sore subject for the WWE Universe, but that doesn't mean the company shouldn't be setting the stage for its biggest show of the year.

One way to ensure the premium live event reaches its full potential would be to properly book Superstars on the cusp of becoming main event players.

With proper character development and storyline continuity, Triple H and WWE Creative still have enough time to build up fresh faces.

Here are the Superstars who should be much bigger by the time WrestleMania 43 comes around next spring.

Carmelo Hayes

Despite WWE's massive group of writers and producers, the company has missed on the slam dunk that was Carmelo Hayes after he came up from NXT.

He already has exceptional athleticism, a strong character and confidence on the microphone, all of which the company needs on Raw and SmackDown.

Triple H already knows Hayes can wrestle, but the company needs to showcase why he belongs in important matches. In the months before the Road to WrestleMania, WWE Creative needs to give Hayes a meaningful singles title run, at least one high-profile rivalry, and more time on PLEs.

By the time WrestleMania 43 arrives next year, Hayes should be an established main-event contender, ideally with a major singles feud in the works as a focal point between Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.

Despite the porous booking, Hayes has too much natural star power not to be booked toward the top of the card.

Lyra Valkyria

Despite previous booking failures that have left Lyra Valkyria looking foolish against big names such as Becky Lynch and Bayley, the WWE Universe has already seen that she possesses elite in-ring ability, making her a credible threat in either women's division.

To keep her from getting lost among the many talented women on the roster, Triple H and WWE Creative need to give her competitive rivalries against established stars while also letting her develop her own identity.

WWE should emphasize the need for multiple generations of stars, with Valkyria serving as a figurehead for the next wave. By April 2027, she should be a former women's world champion and a WrestleMania-level performer.

For the company, the ultimate goal is for wrestling fans to view Valkyria as one of the women the creative team builds major programs around, rather than just another talented member of the roster.

Austin Theory

At just 29 years old, Austin Theory is one of the company's brightest stars, but a failed run toward the top of the card looks to have made Triple H and WWE Creative hesitant to give him another opportunity at main event-level booking.

The problem the first time around was that his momentum wasn't translated into sustained storytelling or proper character development. This time around, though, Theory has been booked as a top heel in The Vision and is poised to break from the group in epic fashion.

The key is booking him a serious singles run away from comedy or tag team distractions. With a new trajectory and Maxxine Dupri by his side, Theory should be an established upper-card singles star by the time WrestleMania 43 arrives next year.

To get there with the proper momentum, he should hold another major singles title and be in the conversation to challenge for a world championship.

Rather than trying to position him as the next John Cena, WWE should capitalize on the version of Theory it previously saw as a future top star.

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