4 WWE superstars whose stock has risen since SummerSlam 2018 and 3 whose stock has fallen

There has been a myriad of changes in WWE since last year's SummerSlam event. There may be some big similarities, but the landscape is pretty different from one year ago. The Wildcard rule has created quite some confusion among fans and talent alike, with the Vince McMahon-created rule piercing through the integrity of the brand split.

Hopefully, with Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff in charge of Raw and SmackDown now, the two brands will be separated after SummerSlam this year. The immense talent on the roster just keeps on improving year on year, with WWE entering possibly one of the most exciting phases in its illustrious history as the Fox deal is rapidly approaching.

The past year has been kind to some, while not so much to others. Their fortunes vary based on various factors like position on the card, TV time and overness with the fans. These are some of the changes that WWE have made in their ever-constant state of adaptation.

Here are four WWE superstars whose stock has risen since last year's SummerSlam, and three whose stock has fallen.

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#7 Becky Lynch (Risen)

The Man's rise began at SummerSlam.

Becky Lynch has become one of the biggest stars in WWE over the past year, with her rise to eternal glory actually beginning at last year's SummerSlam. She turned heel on Charlotte Flair following losing to her in a triple threat match for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Since then, whether as a heel, face or tweener, Becky Lynch has consistently been one of the most over superstars and the reactions she received were some of the most thunderous in WWE history.

The Man won the women's Royal Rumble match this year and went on to win both the Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships in the first-ever women's WrestleMania main event, against Charlotte and Ronda Rousey. Even though her run after the big main event has not been as great as what brought her to the dance, the Man is still over as hell and has landed the cover of WWE 2K20 for herself.

What started at last year's SummerSlam has eventually become a big Irish phenomenon. Becky Lynch is a megastar for life at WWE.

#6 Seth Rollins (Fallen)

The past few months haven't been kind to Rollins.

Becky Lynch's boyfriend, Seth Rollins, has not necessarily suffered a drop in terms of position on the card. However, his popularity has waned to a massive degree. One year ago, Rollins was the underdog babyface who was hell-bent on winning back his Intercontinental Championship, to defend it consistently. Rollins' character remained strong through 2018 and into 2019, powering through a mediocre feud with Dean Ambrose to win the men's Royal Rumble Match this year.

He won the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar in an exciting opening to WrestleMania 35, but his reign did not impress. After a world-class title match against AJ Styles, Rollins was stuck in an interminable rivalry with Baron Corbin. It culminated with him and Becky Lynch being paired together on WWE TV, compromising the momentum of both of them, particularly Rollins.

His Twitter comments have not helped one bit, showing him in a bad light and souring him a lot in the eyes of fans. This, along with the questionable booking of his character, has contributed to Seth Rollins' downfall since 'Mania.

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#5 B-Team (Fallen)

They have fallen so far.

When the Miz was drafted to SmackDown last year, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel seemed like they would get lost back in the shuffle without their Miztourage leader. However, they took advantage of a pretty empty Raw tag team division and carved out a fun little act that got over pretty quickly. The B-Team was born and soon later, they won the Raw Tag Team Championship.

Dallas and Axel defended the titles on last year's SummerSlam kickoff show against the Revival, before losing them a couple of weeks later to Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. B-Team had an enjoyable run, but it was never going to last that long. They quickly sank into the neglected undercard of WWE's tag team division, rarely featuring on TV.

Even with a heel turn and a move to SmackDown, their role right now is to put Heavy Machinery over every Tuesday before the show begins. A big fall from their situation last year.

#4 Bray Wyatt (Risen)

Yowie wowie.

Bray Wyatt last wrestled a televised match on the Raw before SummerSlam, a triple threat tag team match won by his younger brother, Bo Dallas and his tag team partner. He would be gone for an extended period of time, taking care of personal issues and preparing for the next step in his eventful career. The Eater of Worlds returned as the fun-loving host of the crazed 'children's TV show', the Firefly Funhouse.

Flanked by laughter tracks, Wyatt has found the perfect character for himself. One that could take him to the top of the mountain in WWE. The Fiend has already made a major impact in WWE, having taken out legends like Mick Foley and Kurt Angle. Wyatt's new alter-ego will face Finn Balor at SummerSlam, a match he should win easily.

This could be the start of something special and could not be more different from this time last year.

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#3 Kofi Kingston (Risen)

Kofi's 2019 has been wonderful.

This time last year, Kofi Kingston was looking to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship alongside his New Day brethren, Big E and Xavier Woods. They would win the belts on two nights after SummerSlam. But the best was yet to come. Kofi was booked as Mustafa Ali's replacement in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match, putting in the best performances of his life over the course of February and March this year.

He would eventually defeat Daniel Bryan to become the WWE Champion at WrestleMania, thanks to the monstrous wave of support from the WWE universe. Kofi's reign has been a decent one. He has been booked really strongly, beating the likes of AJ Styles, Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe in title matches. The dreadlocked dynamo is set to defend his title at SummerSlam against Randy Orton, in a match that brings Kofi's entire story full-circle.

The position he is in now was unthinkable a year ago, making Kofi Kingston's rise one of the most remarkable in WWE history.

#2 Braun Strowman (Fallen)

These hands have gone numb.

Braun Strowman had as dominating a SummerSlam as he ever had, squashing Kevin Owens in about a minute to retain his Money in the Bank briefcase before making a crowd-popping appearance just before the main event between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. He seemed to "save" the show by threatening to cash in on the winner, but he would be taken out by the Beast. That would become the theme for the rest of Strowman's year.

After an ill-advised heel turn, the Monster Among Men failed his Hell in a Cell cash-in against Reigns because Lesnar interfered, taking out both men. Strowman got beaten by Lesnar for Universal Championship at Crown Jewel before he was removed from the title match at Royal Rumble. He won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the WrestleMania kickoff show, but has not done much since. Strowman came back to prominence during his feud with Bobby Lashley and is delicately on the rebound.

It seems like Paul Heyman wants to push him, so the Monster might have some hope on Raw. Hopefully, it goes better than the miserable twelve months he had to endure.

#1 Kevin Owens (Risen)

The KO Show is alive and well.

As mentioned in the previous entry, Braun Strowman squashed Kevin Owens at SummerSlam. This was the culmination of a summer of torture for the former Universal Champion, who had to take some ridiculous bumps at the hands of Strowman. Shortly following this one-sided feud, Owens languished in the midcard of Raw before he got injured and required double knee surgery. The Prizefighter was due to face Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35, but the ascent of KofiMania forced WWE to alter plans.

Owens returned as a babyface before 'Mania, but he was not at the Show of Shows. He quickly turned heel to feud with Kofi, but is back to being a good guy. The promo that Owens cut on Shane McMahon about a month ago endeared the entire WWE universe toward him, proving that it just takes a couple of good nights to turn your career around. He is likely being groomed to become the "next" Stone Cold Steve Austin, especially now that he uses the Stunner.

Owens will face the 'Best in the World' at SummerSlam, where he will ideally send his boss packing for a while. The stark contrast between Kevin Owens's momentum now and twelve months ago could not be more evident. The tables have truly turned.