Ranking WWE's 10 Biggest Winners and Losers Since WrestleMania 42

It has been a whirlwind of a year for WWE, with several Superstars breaking out and ascending to new levels of super stardom.

While the week-to-week product hasn't been consistently strong throughout 2026, that hasn't stopped some from putting forth their best work both in the ring and on the mic. It's also been a banner year in terms of fresh faces rising in the ranks and establishing themselves as future world champs.

The booking hasn't been kind to everyone on the roster, however, as others have struggled to either make gains or have fallen far from where they once were. The vast number of injuries WWE has had this year hasn't helped, nor have the questionable decisions made by those in charge.

It's especially astounding to see where certain competitors were around WrestleMania 42 time and the string of setbacks they've suffered since then. Wins and losses go beyond match outcomes; it's all about how prominently they're featured, their direction and how highly officials view them.

These are WWE's biggest winners and losers since 'Mania, ranked.

10. Winner: Danhausen, Loser: Chelsea Green

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Danhausen and Chelsea Green will never be mistaken for being masters of the squared circle, but as entertaining characters, they are both invaluable assets to WWE TV.

Danhausen has been one of WWE's smartest hires all year. He isn't an in-ring regular nor should he be, but in addition to being a self-marketing machine, he's made the most of everything he's been involved in, and is a prime example of why variety in wrestling is so important.

His matches haven't been anything to write home about, but it is worth noting that he has remained undefeated in one-on-one competition, including racking up a victory over Dominik Mysterio at SummerSlam. He's also been at war with Gunther in recent months.

Green loses more often than she wins yet is one of WWE's biggest overachievers of all-time. This year alone, she's held both the Women's United States Championship and the WWE Women's Championship.

Unfortunately, it was clear from how she was portrayed during her three-month title reign that she was never intended to be the face of SmackDown's women's division, resulting in a run that will be looked back on as being lackluster. Whether she'll ultimately be elevated and stay in that spot is unknown, but time will tell.

9. Winner: Royce Keys, Loser: Carmelo Hayes

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Fresh off his departure from AEW, Royce Keys made an immediate impact in his Royal Rumble debut and went on to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He was practically nonexistent on WWE TV prior to WrestleMania 42 but has been a regular on Raw and SmackDown since then.

His run-ins with The Bloodline led to him creating his own group in The 946 and enlisting the likes of OTM, Jaida Parker, Carmelo Hayes and Cruz Montana. His matches might be far and few between, but they've been firmly established as the most dominant force on the flagship show, with a WarGames match against The Bloodline obviously on the horizon.

Speaking of Hayes, although he's been back on the right track as part of The 946, his 2026 as a whole hasn't been stellar, particularly post-WrestleMania 42. He ripped it up on Friday nights as United States champion for the first three months of the year before disappearing entirely after dropping the belt right before 'Mania.

He was then M.I.A. for almost the entire summer on SmackDown outside of an unsuccessful United States title bout with Baron Corbin in August. Again, his stock has since recovered now that he's in the top heel faction on Raw, but it was mostly a waste of a year for him prior to that point.

8. Winner: Liv Morgan, Loser: Jacob Fatu

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Liv Morgan emerged as one of the anchors of WWE's women's division in 2024 and has yet to be usurped from that spot.

WrestleMania 42 marked her return to the top of the mountain when she kicked off her second reign with the Women's World Championship. It's been well documented that she barely defended the title in the months that followed, but she was an important part of the program, nonetheless.

She scored a big win over Iyo Sky at SummerSlam before losing the belt back to Stephanie Vaquer a Chile live event. Morgan shockingly regained the gold mere weeks later at Money in the Bank and should remain at the helm of Raw's women's scene for the foreseeable future.

Jacob Fatu also finds himself in a prominent position on Raw right now, but he's lost a considerable amount of momentum since WrestleMania when he was a one-man wrecking machine in his rivalry with Drew McIntyre.

Fatu should have won a world title in the wake of WrestleMania but was instead relegated to losing to Roman Reigns twice and then having to rejoin The Bloodline. Perhaps he will break away from the faction in the coming months, but there was no reason to interrupt his hot streak in the first place.

7. Winner: Chad Gable, Loser: Gunther

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Following an injury layoff, Chad Gable resurfaced in the Royal Rumble with his El Grande Americano gimmick and kicked off a feud with the new Americano that felt like it'd never end, at least on the main roster.

That said, the grand blow-off to their feud exceeded all expectations and was one of the best bouts in WWE all year. The company wisely capitalized on that momentum for Gable by having him revert to his original moniker and enter Intercontinental Championship contention.

Upon winning the title from Penta at SummerSlam, he was determined to be a fighting champ and did not disappoint. His three-month reign saw him have weekly bangers with the red brand's midcard and showcase his skills in a way he never has before on his own in WWE.

Gunther should be having similar quality matches, but he's largely been spinning his wheels this year and failing to be a part of anything remotely memorable. His short-lived storyline with Nick Aldis during SummerSlam season was superb, but everything he's done (or not done) has been terribly unimpressive for a former world champion.

The Ring General can be a main event player again in no time, but his booking this year has left a lot to be desired, and has been especially underwhelming considering he retired John Cena last December and AJ Styles not long after.

6. Winner: Trick Williams, Loser: Jey Uso

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There can be no question that WWE has nailed Trick Williams' main roster call-up, and that he's well on his way toward winning a world championship.

His United States Championship victory at WrestleMania 42 led him to knocking off everyone who stepped up to challenge him including Sami Zayn, Ricky Saints and The Miz. Baron Corbin briefly put a pause to his reign before it resumed at Sunday Night's Main Event in early September.

He's recently rekindled his rivalry with Zayn, this time over the Undisputed WWE title. He's still improving in the ring, but he's already over with the audience and is rightfully being booked as the star he is.

Jey Uso once found himself in a similar spot with fans a year or two ago, whereas now he's a glorified tag team wrestler and a Bloodline lackey at best.

The Usos have been sidekicks for Roman Reigns since WrestleMania 42. Although Jey advanced all the way to the finals of the King of the Ring tournament, nothing else he's done during this stretch would make you think that he was once the World Heavyweight champion.

5. Winner: CM Punk, Loser: LA Knight

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Say what you will about CM Punk not being quite as crisp in the ring as he used to be, but even at age 48, the guy can still very much go and is one of the most must-see aspects of SmackDown each week.

He left WrestleMania 42 without the World Heavyweight Championship but instantly captured the Undisputed WWE Championship on returning on Raw in Chicago this past July. He proceeded to have a terrific two-month reign that featured title defenses against Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Johnny Gargano.

Punk lost the belt to Sami Zayn in September, but his unrelenting rivalry with Owens and their pursuit of the prestigious prize has kept them busy. He's won his fair share of matches while putting over a number of others simultaneously.

LA Knight challenged for a world title this year, too, but unlike The Second City Saint, Knight lost when it mattered most at Money in the Bank. WWE was doing a perfectly fine job with him between WrestleMania and SummerSlam, but his constant high-profile losses have hurt whatever shred of credibility he had left.

A heel turn might be the only way Knight can be salvaged at this point, because there really isn't anywhere for him to go from here but down if he doesn't.

4. Winner: Penta, Loser: Ricky Saints

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Penta's 2025 was all about him establishing a connection with the WWE audience and getting fans familiar with what he can do. In 2026, he's worked his way up the ladder and has won a few titles along the way.

Penta spent the WrestleMania 42 to SummerSlam stretch holding the Intercontinental Championship and having a standout reign. WWE wasted no time in elevating him to the next level as soon as he dropped that title, as he then had an instant classic with Roman Reigns in Mexico for the belt.

Within weeks of that night, he became Mr. Money in the Bank to guarantee himself another opportunity at a world title in the future and won the World Tag Team Championship with Je'Von Evans.

Ricky Saints has had the opposite luck in that he can't seem to buy a victory since joining SmackDown earlier this year.

He's a natural fit for the blue brand, but he was quickly eliminated from United States Championship contention and has lost against Rey Fenix at every turn as of late. It isn't impossible for him to rebound, but he'll need to be supported by the booking for sure.

3. Winner: Sami Zayn, Loser: Jade Cargill

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Everything about Sami Zayn's character this year has been so beautifully organic that it's truly brought the best out of him as a performer.

That wasn't the case just prior to WrestleMania 42 when fans were booing him winning back the United States Championship. His loss of the title to Trick Williams was the catalyst for his descent into madness and not only earned him a long-deserved spot in SmackDown's main event scene but also a run with the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Although it only lasted nine days, he refused to stay down for long and eventually regained the prestigious prize in September. Zayn has found a way to win in a majority of his matches, and while he once again fell short against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel, he was endorsed and "acknowledged" by The Tribal Chief afterward.

Jade Cargill's television time has hardly been curtailed his year, but she's not as feared of a force as she was when she was WWE Women's champion going into WrestleMania 42.

She lost championship rematches with Rhea Ripley and Tiffany Stratton in the subsequent months and hasn't been able to get the better of Charlotte Flair. She's won her fair share of inconsequential matches but hasn't been able to get anything going in some time.

This is the least special Cargill has felt since signing with WWE three years ago. Her feud with Flair has been as basic as can be, so WWE needs to figure something out fast as far as what can be done to make her an attraction again.

2. Winner: Oba Femi, Loser: Bron Breakker

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Bron Breakker and Oba Femi are the future faces of WWE, but they're both in drastically different positions because of how they've been booked in 2026.

Much like Trick Williams, Femi has been a can't-miss prospect for WWE since being called up to the main roster at the onset of the year. It was evident that greatness was in store for him as soon as he scored that swift win over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42, and he hasn't slowed down since then.

From becoming King of the Ring to retiring Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell at SummerSlam, WWE has practically done everything right with Femi other than have him challenge for and win the World Heavyweight Championship. He's also systematically taken down The Vision to keep himself busy.

The Vision's demise should be a positive sign for Breakker, who outgrew the group when he betrayed Seth Rollins and set his sights on the world title. An injury sidelined him from this year's Road to WrestleMania, but other than that, his lack of luck has completely been the fault of WWE Creative.

Breakker has been an afterthought in the worst way possible this year and desperately needs to get back to what made him a hot commodity at this time a year ago.

1. Winner: Roman Reigns, Loser: Dominik Mysterio

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Roman Reigns being considered WWE's biggest winner of 2026 shouldn't be shocking in the slightest, but to his credit, he has stepped up his game this year to a significant degree and has been on fire as World Heavyweight champion.

The concern with Reigns from fans at this stage of his career is whether he can appear enough to justify holding the gold. Amazingly, he's been around much more this year and has so far totaled five title defenses and a Men's Crown Jewel Championship win over Sami Zayn.

The Bloodline being back in full form has played a pivotal in his resurgence this year, but at least the stable hasn't factored into many if any of Reigns' matches since WrestleMania 42.

Dominik Mysterio, on the other hand, couldn't be further from being considered a world championship-caliber competitor, at least based on how he's been booked throughout 2026.

His loss of the Intercontinental Championship prior to WrestleMania was merely the tip of the iceberg, as he went on to suffer from a lack of direction for many months before losing to Danhausen at SummerSlam. Dropping the AAA Mega Championship in September should have freed him up for bigger and better things, but being omitted from the men's Money in the Bank Ladder match wasn't a positive indicator of where he was headed.

He's mostly been left to wither away in the midcard until the WWE brass wake up and realize the potential they've been wasting with Mysterio in 2026. He has his entire career ahead of him at 29, but it's unnecessary for him to have to wait any longer to get his just due.

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.