WWE Stock Report: It makes all the sense in the world to push Mustafa Ali

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 Extreme Rules 2020, Randy Orton punting the Big Show, and Gran Metalik earning a shot at the Intercontinental championship, a lot of fortunes were changed.

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

Stock Down #3: Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio lost the Eye for an Eye match during The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, which meant he had to hold a fake eye to his head while Seth Rollins was busy vomiting.

Stock Down #2: Aleister Black

Aleister Black wins almost every match, but he rarely gets his own dedicated storyline. This week (July 20) on Raw he tried to get revenge on behalf of eyeless Rey Mysterio, and he paid for it in the form of taking a loss to Seth Rollins, and then getting his hand destroyed afterwards. This might normally be a sign that Seth and Aleister are about to have a heated feud, but given Aleister’s constant support/sidekick role, he’s probably the stepping stone on Seth’s path to a different opponent at SummerSlam 2020.

Stock Down #1: Andrade & Angel Garza

Andrade and Garza got their asses kicked on Raw before and during their tag team match against the Street Profits. Before this happened, it looked like Garza and Andrade might be headed to a tag team championship match against Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins at SummerSlam 2020. And that could still be the plan, which is why this booking was a head-scratcher.

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

Stock Up #3: Jeff Hardy

Possessed Jeff Hardy beat the hell out of Sheamus in a Bar Fight on SmackDown this week (July 24), most likely bringing that feud to an end. Looking ahead to SummerSlam 2020, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if a top babyface like Hardy is moved into a storyline with AJ Styles.

Stock Up #2: Mustafa Ali

Mustafa Ali returned to WWE television this week on Raw as a surprise partner for Cedric Alexander and Ricochet, where he went on to pin MVP with his finisher. Given that Apollo Crews is unavailable at the moment, Ali could very well take his spot in a rivalry against the Hurt Business.

It’s worth recalling that Ali debuted on SmackDown in late 2018 with a win over Daniel Bryan, and he even challenged for the WWE championship on pay-per-view in early 2019, so it’s not a lock that he’s just a placeholder until Crews returns.

Raw is desperate for new stars. Ali is a tremendous babyface with impressive skills on the mic and in the ring, so it makes all the sense in the world to push him.

Stock Up #1: Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura

Cesaro & Nakamura received a push in the aftermath of the Forgotten Sons’ removal from television, and it paid off at Extreme Rules 2020 when they defeated New Day for the SmackDown tag titles. With the Usos and New Day sidelined for now, it looks like Lucha House Party and Heavy Machinery are the only available babyface tag teams on the blue brand. That means Cesaro & Nakamura might be holding on to the gold for a while.

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