Whose Stock Is Rising the Most on the Road to WWE WrestleMania 38?

The Road to WrestleMania 38 has had its fair share of bumps, twists and turns, but several WWE Superstars seem to be higher on the totem pole than ever before.

Some have been given a big boost by winning an important No. 1 Contender's match to give them momentum heading into the April 2-3 weekend. Others have the responsibility of walking into AT&T Stadium with the title on their shoulders or have been tasked to create something amazing out of nothing.

This is the biggest show of the year where WWE shows its cards and tells the audience which Superstars are the most important by giving them the lion's share of the spotlight.

Which wrestlers are rising the ranks and getting huge surges to their value? Let's take a look.

The World Champions and Their Contenders

Credit: WWE.com

Only two people can say they're in the biggest WrestleMania match of all time.

More than any other year in the modern era, WWE has been heavily selling WrestleMania 38 on the strength of the six Superstars vying for the top four world titles.

Even when their feuds have been lackluster, such as Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey, WWE has made it clear their name value is the key marketing tactic.

The company has gone above and beyond to hammer home the point that Flair, Rousey, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair are in a league of their own, giving each of them as much recognition and clout possible.

Lesnar won the WWE Championship twice in two months to even out Reigns' lengthy run as universal champion, while Rousey won the women's Royal Rumble match to give her a boost.

Belair won the Elimination Chamber to get her shot. And it shouldn't be overlooked that her match with Lynch is between the only two women to have won a main event of WrestleMania.

Kevin Owens

Despite so much attention being put on the main events, the person with the next greatest increase in value from the past few weeks is Kevin Owens, whose storyline has revolved around struggling to find a spot on the card.

Of course, the biggest boost for KO came when it was announced he will have a segment with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who is arguably the most popular Superstar in the history of professional wrestling.

Whether it's technically a match or just a talking segment, Owens will still go down in the record books as having one of the rare interactions with The Texas Rattlesnake from the past 19 years.

The Prizefighter could have easily tagged with Seth Rollins to be a fourth team challenging for the Raw Tag Team Championships. Instead, he'll be standing in the ring with a legend.

If WWE doesn't follow that with a serious push for Owens, it will be beyond baffling.

Pat McAfee and Austin Theory

Much of this year's build has been focused around the sheer lust for having a spot on the card, no matter in what capacity.

So, how noteworthy and important must you be if you're granted a match without having earned it in any capacity?

Now imagine the person who gives you this match is Vince McMahon just because he wants to see you wrestle, even though you're a commentator.

That's the position Pat McAfee finds himself in for WrestleMania 38, which is mind-boggling in many ways.

Some on the roster have been there over a decade and are unlikely to be booked to appear, but the former NFL player will step away from the announce table to get between the ropes.

The same goes for Austin Theory. He's a relative rookie who was granted a spot at his first WrestleMania two years ago due to the pandemic. Now, after a stint in NXT, he's in one of the more spotlighted matches.

All this goes to show McMahon must hold McAfee in high regard and see Theory as a legitimate top prospect for the future. Otherwise, why would so many resources and time be wasted on something like this?

Edge

Edge's career is so packed with accolades that it's amazing he found a way to squeeze another addition to his resume.

This came about when he bypassed all the hungry Superstars struggling for a spot on the card and spoke a sobering truth: "As much as I need WrestleMania, WrestleMania needs Edge."

What makes this so impactful is that it is entirely true. His participation is vital to the star power of this year's event after the release of so much talent from WWE.

Edge's stock is at an all-time high to the point that just his presence means we should be grateful he is on the card.

Ricochet

Credit: WWE.com

It's odd to put Ricochet on this list when he isn't involved in a feud and was an afterthought several weeks ago.

But how could anyone ignore the fact that he has gone from losing tag team matches against Sheamus and Ridge Holland every week to winning the Intercontinental Championship?

Even if the title doesn't mean as much as it used to and there are no plans to highlight it at WrestleMania, that's still a huge boost.

Ricochet has become the No. 2 babyface on SmackDown behind McIntyre with his championship victory. It means WWE likes him and wants to refurbish his career after keeping him on the sidelines for so long.

It remains to be seen just how Ricochet will be used for WrestleMania Weekend, but holding the intercontinental title at this point in the year is a huge deal and a great sign he may finally be on his way up the ladder.

Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.