WWE Stock Report: Drew McIntyre is Superman

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 Bobby Lashley flipping a tire, Triple H’s 25 year celebration, and more qualifying matches for Money in the Bank, a lot of fortunes were changed.

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

Stock Down #3: The Miz & John Morrison

First they lost their tag titles, and this week on SmackDown (Apr. 24) they couldn’t even beat Lucha House Party. Will Morrison and Miz be the vulnerable tag team that the mystery hacker says is about to implode?

Stock Down #2: Angel Garza, Austin Theory, Andrade

One might argue that all three of these men are doing very well right now considering how much time they are getting on Raw. And I don’t necessarily disagree with that. But they were all just instantly fed to Drew McIntyre, who simultaneously dominated them with ease during a match against Garza on Raw.

Any time one man kicks the crap out of three other guys, those three guys are going to come off looking very bad, that’s just how it is. The blow would have been softened if WWE first took the time to establish this trio as a force to be reckoned with, but that step was skipped, so instead they just look like three guys who don’t belong in the upper card of WWE.

Stock Down #1: Viking Raiders

The Viking Raiders have been on the main roster for about a year and have received very little character development in that time. For the most part they appeared to be two dudes primarily motivated by championship gold and whooping ass.

This week we learned that Erik and Ivar also enjoy happily singing together and eating meat off the bone while driving. They seemed particularly thrilled with chanting their team name over and over again while boasting about all of their Viking traits. Oh and they keep their Viking helmets on while they drive.

I don’t know where this is going yet, but this Viking experience was still bad enough to top the list. What the hell was that segment? It was the most baffling thing on WWE television this week.

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

Stock Up #3: Liv Morgan

Liv Morgan beat Natalya at WrestleMania, and this week (Apr. 20) on Raw she picked up another win over her former teammate and friend, Ruby Riott. With Sarah Logan released by WWE and Ruby Riott struggling to win matches, Liv Morgan stands out as the member of the Riott Squad with the brightest future in WWE.

Stock Up #2: Apollo Crews

One month ago, Apollo Crews was a jobber on SmackDown. He couldn’t even beat Sheamus with the numbers advantage in a 2-on-1 handicap match.

Now Crews is on Raw, and he’s already qualified for the Money in the Bank corporate ladder match. That puts him just a couple steps away from being a top champion in WWE.

Stock Up#1: Drew McIntyre

McIntyre’s rise to the WWE championship happened rather quickly, so they are still trying to establish him as the kind of babyface who has a devastating finisher and can kick anyone’s ass whenever he feels like it. Whether it’s Brock Lesnar, Big Show, or three mid-card heels at once, Drew McIntyre is Claymore kicking his way towards Superman status.

This is how WWE likes to book its top babyfaces, and it’s very effective for a guy like Drew who has not worn out his welcome by doing the same tired thing year after year. Drew is a fresh new babyface champion who is going to Claymore kick any foolish heel who crosses his path, and that’s exactly how he should be booked to make this push work.

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