- Roman Reigns (Grade: A) The Tribal Chief reclaimed his throne in the first half of 2026, winning the Royal Rumble and then defeating CM Punk in the main event of WrestleMania 42 to capture the World Heavyweight Championship. Since then, he has reformed The Bloodline and defeated Jacob Fatu in two straight premium live event matches, forcing The Samoan Werewolf to acknowledge him and fall in line. Reigns has worked a full-time schedule, appearing on WWE Raw with regularity as the Bloodline saga takes hold of the company as its overarching primary storyline. Add in truly stellar in-ring performances, and Reigns is a Superstar who could have coasted on name and recognition but has tackled the start of the year like a megastar with a point to prove.
- Cody Rhodes (Positive Grade) The American Nightmare is the toughest star to grade, largely because the majority of the struggles he has endured in 2026 are not of his own creation. Treated very much like the secondary champion despite being the face of the company and its QB1, he has faced creative tampering from TKO officials, disjointed storylines, a lack of clear direction, and booking that has fans booing him in some arenas around the globe. There was the messy road to WrestleMania that implied one direction and then went in a completely different one, the interjection of Pat McAfee in a feud with Randy Orton that absolutely did not need it, and a program with Gunther that came out of nowhere and featured a finish at Clash in Italy that felt awfully repetitive. Throw in a WrestleMania 42 main event with The Viper, still one of the most confusing, nonsensical match layouts in recent WWE history, and Rhodes has been through it in the first half of the year. That he remains one of the hardest workers in the room, gets enormous reactions, and has the innate ability to make the audience feel gives him just enough of a shove to warrant a positive grade. That, and his involvement in the Sami Zayn story, which is quickly developing into one of the most engaging in the entire company.
- CM Punk The Best in the World silenced plenty of doubters in 2026, entering the year as world heavyweight champion and going on a run of excellent matches, storytelling, and promo work. He started with a fantastic main event against Bron Breakker on the January 5 episode of Raw, followed by stealing the show with Finn Balor in Ireland and again at Elimination Chamber. From there, he almost single-handedly carried the rivalry with Roman Reigns heading into their WrestleMania 42 main event, regularly appearing on Raw and cutting promos to keep the story in front of the audience while The OTC worked his part-time schedule. The pipebomb promo on the April 6 episode, in particular, went a long way to reinject excitement and anticipation into the match after a few weeks of creative complacency. That marquee bout, Punk's first real dance as the undisputed, weekend-closing main event of wrestling's biggest show was a true Match of the Year contender. Punk turned back the clock, reminded the world of why he calls himself the Best in the World, and delivered an instant classic, even in defeat. While he has not been seen since, he planted the seeds for a rivalry with Cody Rhodes and a potential heel turn on his way out, setting the stage for a return.
- Rhea Ripley Some may argue with Ripley's inclusion on a list of stars of this magnitude, but anyone who has their own Hot Topic merchandise line, the social media followers that she does, and is as recognizable away from professional wrestling as she is belongs in the same conversation as Reigns, Rhodes, and Punk. The Eradicator returned to form in 2026, capturing tag team gold with Iyo Sky to kick off the year. When she lost those titles, she quickly rebounded with a win inside Elimination Chamber, outlasting Tiffany Stratton to cash her ticket to WrestleMania 42 and a match with Jade Cargill for the WWE Women's Championship. That match far exceeded expectations, with Ripley exhibiting outstanding in-ring chemistry with the champion and helping her achieve her best match to date. A jump to SmackDown and a logical story in which she had to set aside her issues with longtime rival Charlotte Flair to combat Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab, as well as the debuting Fatal Influence, kept her busy post-WrestleMania. She wrapped up the first six months of the year with a big win over Cargill in a rematch at Clash in Italy. Hopefully, a knee injury suffered in that match does not keep her out of action for too long, as Ripley enjoyed her best start to a year since 2023.
- Brock Lesnar (Grade: B+, only because of that unnecessary win at Clash) The Beast Incarnate delivered his most meaningful six months in years to start 2026, thanks to his efforts to create a new star in Oba Femi. The build to their highly anticipated WrestleMania 42 match saw him bump around the ring to establish Femi as an unstoppable force, even directing the young performer on what to do in their first interaction to really put over his physical superiority. Then, on the grandest stage in wrestling, Lesnar put Femi over strongly, losing in just over four minutes before seemingly retiring. Had the year ended there, Lesnar would have earned a clear A+ grade. Instead, he returned, attacked Femi, and beat him at Clash in Italy. Even then, though, he did so in a way that still made Femi look like an unstoppable machine as Femi endured seven F-5s, including one through the announce table, before having his shoulders pinned to the mat. While a third match is inevitable, Lesnar put in a ton of work to make fans believe in Femi as his equal, and that cannot be understated. It has been his best and most important stretch in a decade, and for that, he has earned his grade.
Fan poll
Who would win: CM Punk vs Cody Rhodes?
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Fan poll
Who would win: Brock Lesnar vs Oba Femi?
One vote per reader. Same poll may appear on other articles covering this matchup.
