Roman Reigns is untouchable thanks to The Rock

[Liz]

Some places do power rankings. Here at Cageside, we do a stock report.

In this weekly series, we identify three Superstars (or groups of Superstars) who are on their way up, and three that are moving in the opposite direction. After a busy week that included Clash at the Castle, Kurt Angle appearing on Raw, and a Viking Rules match, a lot of fortunes were changed.

With that in mind, let's see whose stock decreased the most this week:

Stock Down #3: Drew McIntyre

If Drew McIntyre was ever going to defeat Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal title, it was going to happen in the United Kingdom at Clash at the Castle. But Drew lost the match despite having the homefield advantage, and then he had to awkwardly stand there and listen to Tyson Fury sing in his face after being pinned by Reigns.

WWE tried to protect Drew in defeat, but the point remains that this was his best shot to win the gold, he failed, and he later admitted that he should have better anticipated shenanigans from The Bloodline. If Drew couldn't win the belt under these special circumstances as the main hero on WWE's major UK stadium show, he sure as hell won't win any potential championship rematches down the line with Roman. That means Drew is done as a serious title contender, and will be waiting quite a long time before he ever has that WWE championship around his waist again.

Stock Down #2: Finn Balor & Damian Priest

The Judgment Day can win matches against mid-carders like Dolph Ziggler, but they come up short when it matters the most. More specifically, Edge appears to have their number. After defeating Damian Priest on Raw a couple weeks ago, Edge pinned Finn Balor in a tag team match at Clash at the Castle. The most talked about heel coming out of that match was Dominik Mysterio, with Balor & Priest being something of an afterthought.

Stock Down #1: Maximum Male Models

Maximum Male Models finally got in the ring for a televised wrestling match when they fought against Hit Row on the Sept. 2 episode of SmackDown. Judging from the way it played out, it looks like Max Dupri's group is quickly approaching jobber status and everyone there is stuck in a dead end gimmick.

Now let's see whose stock increased the most this week:

Stock Up #3: Ronda Rousey

This past week on SmackDown, Ronda Rousey beat up Adam Pearce after her indefinite suspension was officially lifted by WWE. Rousey's current anti-authority tendencies are garnering a lot of cheers. It doesn't really matter if she is supposed to be a babyface or a heel, this version of Rousey is Ronda at her best - a no nonsense ass kicker who doesn't give a shit about your stupid .

Stock Up #2: Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah

Rodriguez and Aliyah pulled off a shocking upset on the Aug. 29 episode of Raw when they defeated IYO SKY and Dakota Kai to win the vacated Women's tag team titles. Their strategy for winning is heavily dependent on Raquel being super woman and fighting a large portion of the match by herself. It might not be sustainable for long, but there's nothing inherently wrong with a surprise finish in this tournament. WWE is clearly high on Rodriguez, and Aliyah should ride her coattails for as long as she can.

Stock Up #1: Roman Reigns

Now that Roman Reigns survived the challenge of Drew McIntyre in the United Kingdom at Clash at the Castle, it's hard to see any scenario where Roman loses championship gold before WrestleMania 39, barring injury. Whether it's Karrion Kross, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, McIntyre, or that idiot Austin Theory, whoever comes after Roman next doesn't stand a chance as long as The Rock is open to a match with Reigns at WrestleMania 39.