Knight’s dismantling of White was right on the money

Some places do strength ratings. Here at Cageside, we do an inventory report.

In this weekly series, we identify three superstars (or groups of superstars) who are on their way up, and three who are moving in the opposite direction. After a busy week that included Alexa Bliss receiving a future title shot, Xia Li attacking Tegan Knox in disguise, and The Miz admitting that he was receiving Maryse’s allowance, many fortunes changed.

With that in mind, let’s see which stock fell the most this week:

Stock #3: Bray Wyatt

The main positive that stands out in the current feud between L.A. Knight and Bray Wyatt is that Knight is very skilled with the microphone. On last night’s (December 16th) episode of The SmackDown He said the following about White:

But let’s go ahead and set the record straight. Bray Wyatt, you’re a former WWE Champion. You’re one of the biggest WWE Superstars ever. And if I’m being honest, your recent comeback, is one of the most talked about comebacks of all time. However, all you’ve done since your return is dress up like a fucking circus freak. You’ve whined and cried with your victim complex. You said a bunch of gobbledygook that never gets to the point.”

Knight is the heel in this story, but it’s hard to argue with his point here. Wyatt made an impressive return to WWE a couple of months ago but hasn’t done much since.

This week’s angle revealed that Uncle Howdy and Bray Wyatt are two different people. The awkward way it was played was a bit of a disappointment, as Howdy laughed on stage for a long time while Wyatt remained seated in the corner of the ring after Knight stomped on him.

Could this all lead to a pitch black match in Royal Rumble? This event is still six weeks away, so Wyatt’s story may continue to move at a slow pace.

Stock #2: Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley lost a number one contender’s match against Seth Rollins on This Week (December 12) raw. He was then knocked out by Adam Pearce within 24 hours. This last part was somewhat confusing, so it’s not really clear what’s going on here.

Stock Down #1: Hit Row, Viking Raiders, Legado del Fantasma

Heat Row defeated both teams in the SmackDown to earn a tag team title against The Usos. The main problem here is that Hit Row had a pretty bad match, with Top Dolla in particular looking like he didn’t belong on WWE’s main roster. Other teams after that also look like little players when they lose to a mediocre team. There was a recent rumor about Triple H being dumped by some wrestlers he recently brought back to WWE, and it’s tempting to assume that Hit Row ranks high on that disappointing list.

Now let’s see who has gained the most this week:

Stock #3: Rhea Ripley and Dominic Mysterio

Ripley and Dominic picked up pin fall victories this week over Asuka and Akira Tozawa, respectively, cementing their existing push as part of Judgment Day.

The fun part came after Asuka spit her green mist into Dom’s eyes. Dominic screamed for Mamie’s help backstage while taunting a WWE official as he tried to administer eye drops. Ripley was very protective of her pet while Damien Priest could only offer unhelpful words of encouragement. This type of comedic scene may seem secondary, but it helps the audience form a stronger relationship with the wrestlers.

Stock #2: John Cena and Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens has had a good week. He kicked it off with a renewed indignation about the whole Elias/Ezekiel identity drama earlier this year, before saving Elias from The Bloodline and confronting this alleged lie.

Owens ended the week by choosing John Cena as his tag team partner to face Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn on the December 30 episode of SmackDown. It will be amplified like the biggest WWE TV match of 2022.

Stocking #1: Gunther & Ricochet

Vince McMahon could never figure out that the best way to get rid of Ricochet was to send him out there to show off his amazing moves and put on great matches. Ricochet has been doing a lot of that lately, including last night SmackDown IN EXCITING TOURNAMENT BATTLE AGAINST GUNTHER. Meanwhile, GUNTHER is doing exactly what he set out to do, which is to restore credibility to the Intercontinental Championship and take control of WWE.

There you have it, Cagesiders. Who do you think changed the most this week?