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Wrestlemania 35 is in the history books, and like all of the events that proceeded it there has been fallout.
New champions were crowned, the women main evented for the first time in history, and fans can't stop talking about major developments from the event.
Wrestlemania, however, is not just about a single night of wrestling matches, but rather a culmination of existing storylines and the beginning of some new ones. It's also a way that WWE sets the stage for what is to come for the rest of the year, leading up to Wrestlemania 36.
Given this fallout, some wrestlers walked out of WrestleMania 35 with a ton of momentum. They're being talked about by the Internet wrestling community, and the company clearly holds them in high regard.
Meanwhile, some stars had an underwhelming night at Wrestlemania--or didn't appear on the event at all.
These superstars could find themselves struggling or floundering in the coming months as they are blotted out by the brightly shining stars of those who walked out of Wrestlemania with momentum.
Here are five wrestlers who have great momentum post Wrestlemania 35, and five that might flounder or struggle in the coming months.
Has momentum #1: Tony Nese
As was to be expected, the cruiserweight championship bout between Tony Nese and Buddy Murphy was a five star affair. The two men took each other to the limit, with Nese just barely scraping by and capturing the Cruiserweight championship.
Nese has seen his star slowly rise on 205 Live, competing in a tournament to earn the right to face former ally Murphy for the title. Now Nese is the top dog on 205 Live, and could be in for a lengthy title reign if the rumors of Murphy moving to the main roster are true.
Why he has momentum: Nese's first Wrestlemania moment was a sweet one, and now fans know his name. His expansion into a more complete character is all that's holding him back from the main roster at this point.
Might be floundering #1: Brock Lesnar
The Beast Incarnate has spent most of the last two years utterly dominating the WWE. His nigh-continuous reign as Universal champion has only been interrupted once by Roman Reigns, and he has also only tasted defeat twice in as many years.
Part of this, of course, is due to Lesnar's part time schedule with the WWE, but some credit can also go to Lesnar for remaining culturally relevant and enough of a mainstream media draw to make him worth the headaches of working around his limited schedule. Lesnar makes money everywhere he goes, and that of course is good for business.
However, Lesnar will be stepping away from the WWE, which can't be good for his reputation with fans.
Why he might be floundering: Brock Lesnar's quick loss to Seth Rollins--the match was over in single digit minutes--robbed him of the 'unstoppable monster' facade he's worn for so long.
Add in that he'll be busy with UFC for at least the foreseeable future and you have a wrestling career that is nothing but stagnant.
Has momentum #2: Curt Hawkins and Zach Ryder
If you're going to break a 269 match losing streak, what better way to do it than at Wrestlemania? And if you're going to do it at Wrestlemania, why not go ahead and capture some titles while you're at it?
That's exactly what the former Major Brothers/Edge Heads team of Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder did. True, it was only Hawkins who had suffered such an ignoble losing streak, but Zack Ryder's career has been less than stellar for years.
After a hard fought victory against the Revival, the two men claimed the Raw tag team championships.
Why they have momentum: Hawkins's long losing streak was meant to humanize him, and gain sympathy from the audience, and it seems to have worked. Ryder is always a crowd favorite and has legions of internet wrestling fans behind him. Now that they are champions, it could be the start of a new phase of their careers for both men.
Might be floundering #2: Rusev
Rusev seems to have fallen into the same pit that Zack Ryder has been struggling to escape for years. Namely, he has quite a few fans and the WWE Universe loves to chant "Rusev Day" during his matches.
But, much like Ryder, Rusev can't seem to convince the WWE officials that he is worthy of the main event. Despite his blossoming popularity--completely based upon his Rusev Day gimmick that he developed himself--he's mired in the mid card, or worse, thrown into the tag team division with seemingly no long term plans for his character.
Why Rusev could flounder after Wrestlemania 35: Rusev and Nakamura almost faded into the woodwork during their fatal four way tag team match.
They failed to capture the titles from the Usos, and now Rusev is left without any clear direction. Will he remain a tag wrestler, or return to the singles division? He's likely to struggle in either case.
Has Momentum #3: The IIconics
The women's tag team division, in its brief existence, has managed to be quite entertaining.
Certainly, WWE upping the ante by having all of the brands--including the yellow brand NXT--eligible for consideration of a title shot has added to the possible match combinations, but there seems to be an old school mentality as well.
According to old school wrestling philosophy, a good match tells a story and that's just what the Wrestlemania 35 women's tag team match did.
While ostensibly heels, the IIconics enjoyed a huge swell of support from the Wrestlemania 35 audience.
Their sneaky theft of the pin and championship victory didn't raise the ire of the WWE Universe as it was expected to. Rather, the duo were greeted with cheers, which caused them to be overcome with emotion.
Why they have momentum: The IIconics became unexpected heroes of the WWE Universe, possibly because of their youth and somewhat underdog status. Look for WWE to capitalize on their sudden surge in popularity.
Might be floundering #3: Rey Mysterio
The man of mystery made his triumphant return to the WWE during the Royal Rumble, and has since become a regular Smackdown Live Superstar.
His feud with Samoa Joe was interesting for the most part because the two men had seldom faced each other even in other promotions. While their clash of styles was entertaining, Rey did come up short in his title match against Samoa Joe at Wrestlemania 35.
Given that Rey Mysterio is in his forties, and struggling with accumulated wear and tear, what does the rest of his 2019 look like following a loss at the biggest sports entertainment extravaganza of the year?
Why Rey Mysterio might be floundering: Rey Mysterio's age, small stature, and injuries past and present might conspire to keep him from escaping the mid card doldrums. Rumors of a possible faction consisting of himself and Andrade and another superstar would only mean Rey was the number three man on the team.
Has Momentum #4: John Cena
If there's one thing you have to give John Cena credit for, it's his tenacity.
What else could have kept him going year after year with all of those haters booing him from the stands? Not to mention the online wrestling critics who can't seem to give him a break no matter what he does.
Through it all he persevered, and racked up sixteen world title reigns in the process. He also went on to find mainstream media appeal as both an actor and musician.
It was the musician who returned to the WWE at Wrestlemania 35, as Cena dusted off his old Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick. The segment was well received, and could indicate that Cena is set to play an edgier character again rather than the kid friendly 'super Cena' that we've seen for many years.
Why he has momentum: John Cena did the one thing that no one was expecting, and revitalized interest in himself and his career in the process. While he will likely continue to be a part time WWE star, he could find himself in the title picture anyway just like Brock Lesnar.
Could be floundering #4: Baron Corbin
It might seem odd to see Baron Corbin on this list of those who could flounder. After all, he defeated a grand slam WWE champion and Olympic Gold Medalist at Wrestlemania 35, so he should be golden, right?
Wrong. Fans were dead in the water for the announcement of the match between Baron Corbin and Kurt Angle. They weren't much better during the match, which saw the largely unappealing Baron Corbin pick up a clean victory over the former Olympic champion.
Corbin has gone through a lot of transitions since coming to the main roster. First he was on Smackdown being groomed as the top heel of that brand, then he was moved down to the mid card. He continued to remain in the mid card when he joined the Raw brand, and then was transitioned into a largely non wrestling role.
Why he might flounder: Beating Kurt Angle wasn't the career making moment for him WWE had hoped it would be. Corbin is a decent in ring worker but seems to have little ability to connect with the WWE Universe or get them emotionally involved in his matches.
Has Momentum #5: Kofi Kingston
One of the best feel good stories to come out of Wrestlemania 35 was the championship triumph of Kofi Kingston.
The long-tenured Kingston had enjoyed many mid card and tag team title reigns, but had never won 'the big one.' In the WWE, that means either the Universal championship on Raw or the WWE Championship on Smackdown Live.
Kofi's sudden rise to the main event was predicated upon the injury of Ali, who had to bow out of the Elimination Chamber match. By design or by accident, the WWE's 'micro push' of Kofi during Smackdown Live, in which he won a gauntlet match to qualify for the Elimination Chamber event, made him the most popular superstar on the Smackdown brand.
Now he can finally heft the big belt over his head with pride, because he's won the 'big one.' Does that mean greater things ahead in the coming year?
Why he has momentum: Kofi is enjoying the biggest push of his career, and judging by the fan's reaction to it he will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Might be floundering #5: Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura might be the poster child for how not to book a pro wrestler.
When he debuted in NXT, it was to tremendous acclaim. The knowledgeable NXT audience recognized Nakamura and treated him like a national treasure.
The momentum carried over into his main roster debut. Shinsuke Nakamura had one of the best win/loss records in the WWE during his initial year on the main roster, and many expected him to capture the WWE Championship from AJ Styles at Wrestlemania 34.
Alas, that did not happen and Nakamura inexplicably turned heel. Now he has been slowly sliding down the card. He seems to have been placed in a tag team with Rusev for no particular reason, and the duo lost their shot at tag team gold at Wrestlemania 35.
Why he might flounder: Shinsuke Nakamura's career is going nowhere fast, and unless he turns face or develops a new facet to his character he could be in for a slog.
There you have it; Five WWE stars who have momentum after Wrestlemania 35 and five who might be floundering. Questions or comments? Please leave them after the article and as always thanks for reading
