WWE Stock Report: Raw keeps feeding its young stars to AJ Styles

Some places do power rankings. Here at Cageside, we do a stock report.

In this weekly series, we identify three Superstars (or groups of Superstars) who are on their way up, and three that are moving in the opposite direction. After a busy week that included Baron Corbin’s poop bag promo, The Fiend attacking Daniel Bryan backstage, and Triple H offering Seth Rollins a return to NXT, a lot of fortunes were changed.

With that in mind, let’s see whose stock has increased the most this week:

Stock Up #3: New Day

Kofi Kingston and Big E once again captured tag team gold when they defeated the Revival on SmackDown. In some ways this feels like a consolation prize for Kofi Kingston after being immediately booted out of the WWE Championship story one month ago, but it’s also a reminder that New Day is the most over and entertaining tag team in WWE.

Stock Up #2: Sasha Banks

After missing a month of action due to injury, Sasha Banks returned to the ring with remixed theme music and a victory over Nikki Cross. Banks was also named the captain of SmackDown’s women’s team at Survivor Series. Sasha’s feud with Becky Lynch didn’t go her way, but she’s currently in a great position to dominate Friday nights with Bayley.

Stock Up #1: Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio beat the hell out of Brock Lesnar with a pipe on Raw and sent the Beast Incarnate limping away like a wounded animal. Mysterio then cut a fire promo explaining that this is what happens when you mess with his family. Mysterio is now lined up for a WWE Championship match against Lesnar at Survivor Series.

Now let’s see whose stock has decreased the most this week:

Stock Down #3: Asuka

It’s been rumored that Asuka will be getting a shot at Becky Lynch’s Raw women’s championship soon, but you wouldn’t be able to tell based on Asuka tapping out to Natalya’s sharpshooter on Raw. Another rumor suggests that the match finish was originally supposed to be a win for the Kabuki Warriors, but it was changed possibly because Vince McMahon didn’t want Natalya to take a loss immediately following her notable match at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. Even if there’s any truth to that rumor, it doesn’t explain why Asuka took the fall instead of Kairi Sane.

Stock Down #2: Humberto Carrillo

AJ Styles has a knack for defeating many of Raw’s rising stars.

Let’s start with Ricochet. Styles beat him on the June 24 Raw, took the United States championship from him at Extreme Rules in July, and finished Ricochet off for good at SummerSlam.

Then there’s Cedric Alexander, who Styles made quick work of on the Clash of Champions kickoff show in September. Styles proceeded to beat him again on the Sept. 16 and Sept. 30 episodes of Raw.

Enter Humberto Carrillo. Styles beat him by submission on the Oct. 28 Raw, pinned him at Crown Jewel, and scored yet another victory over him on this week’s (Nov. 4) Raw. WWE commentators can talk all they want about how great Carrillo looks in the ring, but the bottom line is that doesn’t really matter when the guy keeps losing.

I don’t think this plan of getting young stars over by having them repeatedly do the job for AJ Styles is working out.

Stock Down #1: Fire & Desire

If you count their time as members of Absolution, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville have been an established tag team in WWE for roughly two years. I can’t recall any signature championship wins or PPV victories in that time. This week (Nov. 8) on SmackDown they couldn’t even beat the makeshift tag team of Carmella and Dana Brooke, thus failing to qualify for the SmackDown women’s team at Survivor Series. It feels like Mandy and Sonya have hit their low point as a team in WWE, and maybe it’s about time they go in separate directions.

There you have it, Cagesiders. Whose stock do you think has changed the most this week?