I don’t know about you, but is it possible to imagine WWE’s major rivalries and events in 2025 without John Cena’s retirement tour or Roman Reigns’ long-awaited returns? At least for me, a different scenario simply doesn’t exist.
WWE’s difficulty in developing new top stars for the future is increasingly clear. All it took was an injury to Seth Rollins, which may indeed be another mistake by the creative team, for the main plans for SummerSlam to be altered, and an imminent return of Roman Reigns was necessary to mitigate the damage.
Although names like Jey Uso, Bron Breakker, Gunther and Rhea Ripley emerge as possible occupants of WWE’s prominent roles in the near future, the fluctuation in their bookings, with unnecessary losses and choices still based on past stars who are still active, raises doubts as to whether the plan will actually work.
Inconsistency
If we stop and think about it, was it necessary for Gunther to lose to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41 to regain the title just three months later? It’s worth remembering that both men had the same match in January, in a mere Saturday Night’s Main Event, with the Austrian proving dominant, a stark contrast to what was seen at the biggest event of the year.
Jey Uso himself, currently still one of WWE’s biggest rising stars, has been plagued since 2024 with unexpected losses and confusing scripts, resembling a foosball, making it clear that the company has yet to map out a long-term plan for him.
Women’s Division
In the women’s division, the path is a bit smoother, as the current stars can easily be considered the greatest in history, especially considering the division’s rise since 2017.
However, there’s a clear dependence on names like Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch. Current prospects, like Lyra Valkyria and Tiffany Stratton, seem to have a promising future, but the mistakes made in the men’s division are also recurring here.
Valkyria, for example, is already a source of disapproval for much of the audience, given the forced booking of recent months. Her victory over Bayley on the last RAW was the final straw.
The Verdict
Issues like the desperation caused by Seth Rollins’ injury, inconsistent booking, and the push to elevate stars at any cost clearly demonstrate WWE’s reliance on legacy names and a clear lack of ability to create new, iconic characters in the long term.
There’s still time, of course, but 2026 will need to be very different from 2025 for the company to see a brighter future.