SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Whether it’s a shocking title change, a veteran upping his game, or a nostalgic legend overstaying his welcome, WWE’s landscape continues to evolve in unexpected ways. Let’s dive in.
Rising Star of the Week: Jacy Jayne
In case you hadn’t heard, Jacy Jayne pinned Stephanie Vaquer to win the NXT Women’s Championship. No, that’s not a typo.
In the biggest upset of the year, Jacy Jayne pinned Stephanie Vaquer to win the NXT Women’s Championship.
Regular NXT viewers understand how unlikely this title victory is.
In her four years on NXT, Jayne has been given several prominent roles, particularly in heel stables Toxic Attraction and later Fatal Influence. During this time, her ring work has progressed to passable, and she has competently portrayed an annoying heel.
However, she hasn’t particularly excelled in any of these roles, lost most of her matches in 2025, and seemed to be running out of chances to stand out. I considered Jayne very lucky to avoid the most recent round of roster cuts.
If you had asked me to list top 10 contenders to win Vaquer’s title, Jayne would not have been among them.
It’s great that WWE throws curve balls like this occasionally, to keep the product from getting too predictable. I was very surprised when Iyo Sky won the WWE Women’s Championship from Rhea Ripley in March, and even more surprised by how successful Sky’s title run has been.
Jayne has never had this type of opportunity before. It remains to be seen whether she can rise to the occasion. How she handles the main event spotlight in the next few weeks seems likely to make or break her career. I can’t wait to see how she performs.
First Runner-up: Bronson Reed
A mighty bruiser whose athleticism belies his oversized frame, Reed wrestles in a hard-hitting believable manner. Perhaps his only weakness as a performer is his two-dimensional bully persona.
Underutilized in NXT, Reed made a big splash literally and metaphorically upon debuting on Raw in December of 2023. In 2024 he would go on to have memorable feuds with Bron Strowman and Seth “Freaking” Rollins, but never quite broke into the main event scene. His closest brush was in the WarGames Match at the Survivor Series, where Reed suffered a foot injury which would sideline him for 6 months.
At Saturday Night’s Main Event tag team match with C.M. Punk & Sami Zayn vs. Rollins & Bron Breakker, Reed made a shocking return. Attacking Punk at a crucial moment in the match led to an easy victory for Rollins & Breakker. A welcoming hug from Rollins confirmed that Reed is the newest member of his stable.
Being selected for such an exclusive group is the surest sign yet of WWE management’s faith in Reed, and ensures close proximity to main event storylines. Like Jayne, this is the highest-profile position Reed has ever had.
It seems assured he will perform well in the ring, but how will he fit into a group which already has an enforcer in Breakker? How will his interactions with others in his stable bring out elements of his personality which facilitate an emotional connection with fans?
Second Runner-up: R-Truth
Even 25 years after his WWE debut, R-Truth showed us a fresh aspect of his performance. A competent in-ring performer with infectious charisma, Truth looks decades younger than his 53 years. I would never have guessed his age if Pat McAffee hadn’t pointlessly revealed it up on a Raw broadcast. Truth projects youth and innocence, so effectively he can nearly get away with calling John Cena his “childhood hero” despite being seven years Cena’s senior.
Truth hasn’t been a main event contender in over a decade and has been increasingly irrelevant as a bit player. Truth has excelled in his role as a clueless, lovable loser who finds a way to misinterpret every situation in which he finds himself. Despite his considerable comedic chops, the resulting programs been a mixed bag. I loved his affiliation with The Judgement Day (“As we always say in The Judgment Day, ‘live, laugh, and love.’”), but hated his tag team championship reign with the Miz (“The Awesome Truth”).
That’s why I was stunned to discover that Truth would be facing John Cena at Saturday Night’s main event. In his last year in the WWE, Cena has wrestled precious few matches, reserved for high profile, main event performers. Noone predicted Cena’s only in-ring opponent in the calendar month would be a lower mid-card comedy wrestler with limited in-ring ability.
However, Truth’s promo on Smackdown really surprised me. He was (mostly) serious when he called out Cena on his hypocrisy, did a great job reminding fans why we should boo this fallen hero. Truth was compelling and almost credible when he vowed to ‘beat some hustle, loyalty and respect” into Cena. Truth was able to sell a match which seemed unsellable.
Enter his match with Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Truth appeared dressed like his “childhood hero” wearing a “Ron Cena” T-shirt, mimicking Cena’s famous entrance to “My Time is Now.” This was a fun moment which the audience embraced. The ensuing match was no ring classic but ended up being more enjoyable than Cena’s WrestleMania bout with Cody Rhodes. The crowd sided with Truth, rallying for his offense, especially his Attitude Adjustment on Cena and subsequent pin attempt. Against all reason, the crowd bout into the possibility that Truth could win.
Truth joins Naomi, Domenick, and Nia Jax in a growing list of WWE veterans who have recently proven they are capable of more than we gave them credit for. Truth’s unlikely success opens the doors for future opportunities.
Honorable Mention: Sol Ruca
The NXT women’s North American champion, Ruca, is an athletic stand out. Her acrobatic ability and precision, our second to none, allowing for her arsenal of diving and somersaulting maneuvers to look unusually credible. Her seemingly limitless cardio, which allows her to continue to nail precise acrobatic maneuvers well into longer matches while still seeming fresh, is reminiscent of Seth Rollins. Ruca’s greatest strength is her finishing maneuver. The Sol Snatcher is the most impressive new finisher I’ve seen in years and simply must be seen to be believed.
She also has weaknesses to overcome. The name Sol Ruca is a little ridiculous. Her ring presence doesn’t necessarily exude star power, and her promos, while confident, are hardly dynamic. Ruca’s gimmick as a surfer girl is limiting, befitting a lower-card act.
As of late, Ruca has been paired with the powerhouse Zaria, whose presentation is somewhere between a Road Warriors and Bull Nakano. Together, the two form an odd, whose interactions have worked well to bring out the personality of both.
The opening match of NXT battleground saw Ruca wrestle Kelani Jordan in her first high-profile singles defense. She did not disappoint. The match was excellent, highlighting the ring skills and amazing athleticism of both women. Ruca proved she can perform in an exciting, extended one-on-one championship match. Full props to Jordan, who more than held up her end of the bargain. The match ended with a jaw-dropping Sol Snatcher delivered from the top rope.
If she can learn to more effectively convey more personality in her nonverbal and promos, the sky’s the limit for this rising star.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of “PWT Talks NXT” with Kelly Wells and Nate Lindberg, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
FADING STAR OF THE WEEK: Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura is one of the all-time greats in color commentary. His quick wit and irreverent persona was an ideal counter to Vince McMahon’s wooden straight man, making the two a perfect team for Saturday Night’s Main Event and pay-per-views in the late ’80s. That same charisma would go on to win him an election to become the governor of Minnesota ten years later.
Tapping into the nostalgia vibe for the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event in late 2024 was a winning idea, and bringing back Jesse to co-host and assist in color commentary seemed like a natural fit.
The reality of the situation, however, is somewhat different. Jesse looks every bit of his 73 years, and his sense of humor has not aged well. He seems completely out of touch with current storylines, leading him to double down on points that undermine the story being told. This requires his co-host and co-commentators to constantly work to correct and redirect him.
His commentary during the Damien Priest-Drew McIntyre cage match was a glaring example. When Priest won by exiting the cage door, Ventura was incensed, ranting about what a tainted victory it was, rather than putting over Priest’s dominant win over his bitter rival. “Why didn’t he call up the limo driver and have him drive up and open the cage door, too?” he asked.
A commentator’s job is to sell the drama of what fans are seeing. Instead, Ventura mocked the match with a sarcastic, “Well, that was exciting.”
Chaos and controversy can be fun and humorous. Ventura’s commentary has been more awkward and embarrassing.
WWE must be considering limiting Ventura’s role in future broadcasts
Runner-up: Zelina Vega
In her role managing Andrade in NXT from 2017-2019, Vega truly excelled. She was the perfect mouthpiece for Andrade, delivering effective promos dripping with disdain and malice. Vega also became physically involved, delivering a hurricanrana outside the ring to Andrade’s opponents when the referee’s back was turned.
After debuting on the main roster, Vega was inexplicably shifted from the role of heel manager, in which she shined, to that of a single’s wrestler, in which she fizzled. Vega’s trademark attitude made her a natural heel, but this was undermined by her undersized stature. Aside from her huracanrana, her move-set was limited and in-ring acumen was so-so.
Despite being given opportunities as a heel (as Queen Zelina) and a babyface (in the Latino World Order), Vega has struggled to stand out in any capacity.
That’s why it’s puzzling that Vega was chosen to unseat the vastly entertaining Chelsea Green as Women’s United States Champion, and even more surprising she retained her title against Green at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Vega failed to garner any real fan enthusiasm in her match with Green, and her botched 619 attempt somehow managed to bloody Green’s nose even as it looked ineffective.
Her current presentation isn’t working. Vega’s will need to make a radical change for her championship reign to be considered a success.
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