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While WWE has undergone several changes over the past year, it seems pretty much the same. SummerSlam 2019 was a pretty eventful show, a definite high point amidst a challenging period for the company. The Wildcard Rule was still in force, as WWE was preparing for the beginning of their deal with FOX.
Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff were brought in to redesign RAW and SmackDown respectively, with neither of them remaining in the role right now. Both shows had lots to offer, particularly on the Road to WrestleMania 36. But the COVID-19 pandemic has stifled a lot of WWE's likely creative ambitions for the summer.
And now, it seems like they are back to that struggle from a year ago. However, the talent at the forefront of the carnage is not the exact same. A lot of them are in different positions within the roster.
Some of the more prominent names a year ago are hardly on WWE programming anymore, while some of today's top stars did not even make the SummerSlam card last year. These Superstars are just pieces of WWE's ever-changing state, with no guarantee that they will remain in the same position when SummerSlam 2021 rolls around.
Here are three WWE Superstars whose stock has risen since last year's SummerSlam, and three whose stock has fallen.
#6 Ricochet (Fallen)
Back when Paul Heyman was getting started in his role as the executive director of RAW, Ricochet was one of the Superstars earmarked to be getting a push. He had held the United States Championship and was in a feud with AJ Styles for the title, culminating at SummerSlam. And while he lost, it seemed like there were big things in store for Ricochet.
The former NXT North American Champion still remained prominent post-SummerSlam. Ricochet had a strong showing in the King of the Ring tournament, where he lost in the semi-finals. After that, he was still in the upper mid-card scene, as part of a solid group of stars on RAW being groomed by Paul Heyman.
And Ricochet got his big opportunity at Super ShowDown, where he challenged Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. While it was no surprise that he lost, the manner in which it happened was disheartening. The former Lucha Underground star was absolutely squashed by Lesnar.
Nearly six months on, Ricochet hasn't truly recovered from that moment. He lost clean to Riddick Moss shortly after and is now merely a semi-regular presence on RAW alongside his tag team partner, Cedric Alexander.
#5 Asuka (Risen)
One of the likely headline matches for this year's SummerSlam is Asuka's challenge of the RAW Women's Championship, especially after the way Sasha Banks and Bayley have wronged her. Bayley took out the departing Kairi Sane backstage, which led to Banks winning the RAW Women's Title from Asuka by count-out.
The SummerSlam match between the two will be excellent, similar to their encounters so far but, hopefully, with a proper finish. This is vastly different from the position Asuka was in one year ago. She, along with Sane, failed to capture the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.
And as a result, the Kabuki Warriors were left off the SummerSlam card. Their fortunes completely changed a couple of months later, following a subtle heel turn from the duo. Asuka and Sane did a great job as Tag Team Champions, eventually losing the belts to the team they beat, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, at WrestleMania 36.
Since then, the Empress of Tomorrow has gone from strength to strength. She won the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, which was actually for the RAW Women's Championship. Asuka's reign may not have been the greatest, but she remains in a prominent spot heading into SummerSlam. Do not be surprised if she regains the title in the near future.
#4 Kevin Owens (Fallen)
While he remains one of the most entertaining parts of WWE's weekly programming, Kevin Owens has not exactly had the most stellar year of his career. Sure, he's had his moments, particularly at WrestleMania, where he defeated Seth Rollins after diving onto him from a giant sign. But overall, KO has regressed quite a bit since SummerSlam 2019.
Last year, Owens was calling Shane McMahon out and cutting shoot promos all over the place. He was getting massively over as the relatable babyface, who stood up to his evil boss. KO also had the Stunner as a finisher. He defeated Shane O'Mac at SummerSlam, but WWE failed to move his momentum forward.
Owens was struck with fines and firings from Shane following SummerSlam, and while he finally ousted him from WWE during SmackDown's premiere on FOX, his main event value had slowly dwindled away. The former Universal Champion did make a hair-raising appearance at NXT TakeOver: War Games, proving he is still a top star.
However, following his feud with Rollins, WWE has merely used him as a vehicle for other Superstars and angles to get over, through his talk show, 'KO Show'. It is a responsibility only given to some of the best talkers in WWE, but one cannot help but feel that Kevin Owens can be so much more right now. He doesn't even have a proper feud heading into SummerSlam.
#3 Bayley (Risen)
One year ago, Bayley was still a babyface. She was coasting as the SmackDown Women's Champion, not exactly setting the world alight. Her SummerSlam program with Ember Moon was extremely forgettable, with the match being a disappointment on an otherwise stacked SummerSlam pay-per-view.
Just a couple of weeks later, Bayley joined forces with the returning Sasha Banks and turned heel. She would lose and regain the SmackDown Women's Title, further altering her aesthetic. Bayley embraced her dark side as 2019 came to a close, fully blossoming as a villain around WrestleMania season.
Together, Bayley and Banks are one of the greatest female acts in WWE history. They have been carrying RAW and SmackDown for the past couple of months, holding all the gold in the process. This is a vast improvement over a babyface Bayley way past her expiration date. She has been one of the stars of WWE's 'Empty Arena Era'.
Heading into SummerSlam with no particular challenger set in stone, Bayley's reign as the Blue brand's dominant female will likely continue way past the 300-day mark it just crossed. Little did we know that one of the competitors in the worst match at SummerSlam 2019 would be one of the hottest stars heading into this year's summertime special.
#2 Kofi Kingston (Fallen)
One year ago, Kofi Kingston was heading into the biggest match of his WWE Championship reign, at SummerSlam. It was a full-circle moment for him, with Randy Orton being the main reason he lost his push 10 years ago. The rivalry between Kingston and Orton at SummerSlam was possibly the hottest at the time, even if it did lead to a disappointing non-finish.
The New Day member remained as the top guy on SmackDown for about two months after SummerSlam, soundly defeating Orton to end their storyline before getting squashed by Brock Lesnar in a matter of seconds on SmackDown's premiere on FOX. The following week, Kingston was back to his former self.
There was little to no reference to his WWE Championship defeat, as Kofi Kingston simply went back to being a jolly member of the New Day. He has won multiple SmackDown Tag Team Championships since then, but it is evidently a step down from being the WWE Champion.
Kingston is currently spending some time on the sidelines and has given Big E his blessing to go on a run as a singles star. It is hard to imagine that he was the top guy one year ago and hopefully, Big E's singles run can be more sustainable and memorable than Kofi Kingston's recent run with the gold.
#1 Drew McIntyre (Risen)
There might be no improvement in position over the past year, from SummerSlam to SummerSlam, than Drew McIntyre's rise. The summer of 2019 was pretty rough for the Scotsman, as he was fighting as Shane McMahon's bodyguard and getting beaten by his main rivals. McIntyre even got pinned by Cedric Alexander at one point.
The Scottish Terminator was not even on the SummerSlam card. He lost to Ricochet in the first round of the King of the Ring tournament and was without much direction as a heel in the following months. However, as 2019 became 2020, McIntyre turned face and constantly got more and more over with the fans.
He won the Royal Rumble Match and main-evented WrestleMania 36, where he defeated Brock Lesnar to become the WWE Champion. The moment may have been spoiled by COVID-19, but McIntyre still stands strong as the WWE Champion. His reign has been pretty good so far, despite the unfortunate circumstances we are currently in.
Drew McIntyre has had great title matches against Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, and Dolph Ziggler so far. He is set to have another belter at SummerSlam, with Randy Orton stepping up to the plate. He is on top of the world, very clearly hailing as the biggest face WWE has right now.
The fact that he went from not being on the SummerSlam card last year to headlining the pay-per-view 12 months later highlights the immense progress Drew McIntyre has had.
