WWE Stock Report: The Miz has been sacrificed to get Shane McMahon over

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 Money in the Bank 2019, Mick Foley unveiling the 24/7 championship, and Dolph Ziggler returning to attack Kofi Kingston, a lot of fortunes were changed.

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

Stock Down #3: Sami Zayn

Things were looking pretty good for Sami Zayn just one week ago, but all of that momentum crashed hard this week. The fall began when Zayn was removed from the Money in the Bank ladder match and his spot was given to Brock Lesnar. Zayn then gave his win back to Braun Strowman the next night (May 20) on Raw, which showed that Zayn’s win the week before over Braun was more about setting up the Lesnar story than actually helping Sami get over. Zayn followed up the loss to Strowman on Raw with a loss against Kofi Kingston on SmackDown.

Stock Down #2: Ricochet

In what is becoming a weekly occurrence, Ricochet was pinned on Raw yet again, this time by Cesaro. I love Cesaro, but he’s rarely ever been presented as a major star as a singles wrestler in WWE. It doesn’t matter that Ricochet was selling injuries suffered the night before at Money in the Bank; taking a pin fall loss to a mid card guy like Cesaro is a really really bad look for a relatively new guy trying to get over as a big deal on the main roster.

Stock Down #1: The Miz

Most people figured that the Miz would get his win back on Shane McMahon at Money in the Bank, but that’s not what happened. Shane’s victory made it clear that their feud is primarily about getting Shane over, while also establishing that babyface Miz is only a mid-card act. The results at the pay-per-view (PPV) showed that Miz and Elias have essentially been playing the supporting actor role behind the real stars, Roman Reigns and Shane McMahon. That’s fine for Elias, but it’s a step down for Miz considering how he was usually booked as a very important heel during the brand split era.

Miz went on to lose a match against Drew McIntyre on Raw. This means that Miz has now lost 5 of his last 6 matches on TV or PPV going back to his initial loss to McMahon at WrestleMania 35. How are fans supposed to get behind a babyface who loses this often?

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

Stock Up #3: R-Truth

With apologies to Dolph Ziggler, it’s really hard to pass up Truth for this spot. After a shaky initial roll out of the new 24/7 championship, R-Truth (with help from Carmella) is turning it into one of the most entertaining storylines in the company. Truth is showing how this title can allow some less featured superstars to express their creativity and find a way to connect with the audience primarily through backstage segments.

Stock Up #2: Brock Lesnar

Seven different superstars destroyed their bodies for 19 minutes during the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, only for Brock Lesnar to come out during the final minute of the match and climb the ladder to victory. In case anybody forgot, it’s great to be Brock Lesnar. He epitomizes the idea of minimizing input while maximizing output, and there’s no better example of that than his victory in this match. Lesnar now has the Money in the Bank contract and is a clear threat to regain a top title, and perhaps hold it hostage for another two years.

Stock Up #1: Bayley

Bayley hit the jackpot this week at Money in the Bank 2019 when she won the titular contract and later cashed it in on Charlotte Flair to win the SmackDown women’s championship. Bayley has had a chip on her shoulder ever since she moved over to SmackDown Live during the Superstar Shakeup, and it’s already leading to great things for The Hugger.

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