WWE Stock Watch: Christian, Randy Orton, Mason Ryan, Whose Stock Is Up?

Following WWE Extreme Rules and the WWE draft, all the chips seem to be falling in place and a new pecking order seems to have been established in the Fed. 

New World Champions, and new faces in new places, have warranted yet another valuation of key talent in WWE as a handful of WWE Superstars make considerable leaps and descents, up and down the proverbial ladder. 

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Stock Down: Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio is swimming in dangerous waters as he finds himself hanging out in the upper mid card.  Del Rio seems destined to once again feud with Rey Mysterio Jr., which is exactly where he started en route to a meteoric rise up the WWE ranks. 

Sure, there are reportedly plans in place for Del Rio to face Cena at SummerSlam, but ask Wade Barrett and Sheamus what came of their "projected" WrestleMania matches with the Undertaker and Triple H, respectively. 

The longer Del Rio is mired in the mid card, the higher the risk he gets burned by one of WWE's patended last-minute changes. 

Stock Up: Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger has excelled as one of the standout heels in WWE.  Being on RAW can definitely be seen as a kiss of death for some Superstars, especially heels; however, Swagger's link with Michael Cole could be his ticket back to contention for a heavyweight championship. 

With most of the top heels on RAW unlikely candidates to feud with Cena in the near future, Jack Swagger should definitely be considered as a fresh-faced opponent to challenge Cena for his WWE Championship. 

Stock Up: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes suffered a surprising loss to Rey Mysterio Jr. at Extreme Rules, yet he looked very impressive in defeat as he continues to come ever so closely to threaten for a World Title Shot.

With Mysterio out of the picture, Rhodes is on a short list of possible contenders for Christian's newly won World Championship, and it wouldn't be too much of a reach to assume that it's only a matter of time before Rhodes becomes a World Champion. 

Stock Up: R-Truth

R-Truth defines a rising stock.  Not only did Truth have the heel turn of the year to date, but should WWE continue to get behind his current push (which remains to be seen), he could be in the running for best heel. 

Impeccable facial expressions and an entertainingly delusional character have made R-Truth stand out in the sea of heels that RAW was left with following the WWE draft. 

Truth's role as a street tough liable to beat up people he doesn't like is surprisingly refreshing in its simplicity, as WWE has suddenly become crowded with too many maniacal, suit-wearing, thinking man's villains.

Truth is right up there with Jack Swagger as possible candidates for a WWE Championship shot while the wrestling world awaits a possible Cena-Del Rio feud. 

Stock Down: John Morrison

Sure, John Morrison looked great in his match against the Miz and Cena at Extreme Rules, but WWE did him no favors by under-emphasizing his involvement in the match leading up to the pay-per-view. 

The last couple of times we've seen Morrison, he's been on the receiving end of a beat down from R-Truth, and for those of you who like to read diaries, his backstage shenanigans have been well documented and will only continue to damage his sinking stock. 

With Morrison immediately entrenched in a mid card feud following his taste of the main event, expect the more intriguing R-Truth to supplant Morrison as an up-and-coming contender for the WWE Championship. 

Stock Up: Christian

This one is a no-brainer (for now), and for WWE to crown Christian with a lifetime achievement award in the form of a World Championship was something to behold at Extreme Rules.

Christian will likely drop the title within the coming months, but he has been booked as strongly as he has in years since his return from a pectoral injury. 

Christian will now look to liven up the SmackDown side of things with potentially noteworthy feuds against Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes.  

Stock Down: Dolph Ziggler

WWE castrated Dolph Ziggler, fixing what isn’t broken by giving him a generic haircut to match an already generic personality that was brilliantly disguised under the tutelage of Vickie Guerrero. 

It has been a few weeks since Ziggler received his new “do,” and I still have trouble recognizing him whenever he appears on screen.  Oftentimes, I mistake Ziggler for a nameless jobber.  Let’s hope making such a distinction remains a mistake. 

Stock Up: Mason Ryan

After Mason Ryan was pushed harder than Road Warrior Hawk off of a Titantron this past week on RAW, look for CM Punk to be an appetizer for the up-and-coming big man.

Mason Ryan has the look Vince McMahon loves in a prototypical WWE Superstar.  Since returning to TV, he has looked bigger and has been the only member of the soon-to-be-defunct Nexus that has been emphasized.  

Ryan’s destruction of Big Show and Kane this past week on RAW may have set the wheels in motion for WWE’s next big thing.  Should Ryan improve in the ring, while being protected with short matches against solid ring generals like CM Punk, his star will only shine brighter and an investment is warranted. 

Stock Up: Randy Orton

Randy Orton was the babyface equivalent of CM Punk, treading water in the upper mid card with no real direction on RAW.  Orton’s move to SmackDown has given him new life, and WWE seems determined to make him the face of that show in accordance with a blue brand rebirth. 

Stock Down: CM Punk

CM Punk’s will he or won’t he deal when it comes to his current contract with WWE has negatively affected an already lukewarm year for CM Punk. 

WWE has not seriously pushed Punk anywhere near World Title contention for months, and the longer he goes without signing the dotted line, the more likely WWE will begin expediting the phase-out process.

WWE STOCK WATCH Ticker: The Miz (DOWN) | Kofi Kingston (UP) | Drew McIntyre (DOWN) | Alex Riley (UP) | Sheamus (DOWN) | Layla El (UP)

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