Photo credit: WWE.com.

WWE WrestleMania 38: Rising Stars Who Deserve Major Push for Next Year's PPV

Mike Chiari

WrestleMania 37 featured several star-making moments, and it is already incumbent upon WWE to begin positioning some of its Superstars for similar pushes leading into next year's WrestleMania 38.

At this year's Show of Shows, Bianca Belair was the biggest beneficiary, as she beat Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women's Championship in the main event of Night 1. Also, Rhea Ripley defeated Asuka for the Raw women's title, and Cesaro got the biggest win of his career when he beat Seth Rollins.

All of the aforementioned stars could and should play a big role at WrestleMania 38, but WWE could benefit from using the show as a launching pad for even more performers.

Here is a closer look at three Superstars who deserve to be built up for a big spot on next year's 'Mania card at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

         

Big E

Big E has long been viewed as a potential singles megastar in WWE, and building him up to the point where he competes in one of the top matches at WrestleMania 38 would be an ideal way to position him in that manner.

After a somewhat ill-fated singles run that featured a nondescript Intercontinental Championship reign, Big E truly became a star as part of The New Day. Eventually, it became clear that it was time for a new challenge, which is why WWE broke up the group as part of the draft last year.

That decision paid dividends for Big E, who went on an impressive run that included beating Sheamus in a memorable Falls Count Anywhere match and defeating Sami Zayn for the intercontinental title.

He dropped the IC title to Apollo Crews at WrestleMania 37 in a Nigerian Drum Fight on Sunday due to interference from Commander Azeez (previously known as Dabba-Kato), but that should do little to halt his momentum toward the top.

The reaction for Big E and his entrance, featuring a live performance from Wale, said a lot about how the bulk of WWE fans view him.

That coupled with his size, strength, in-ring ability and charisma should be more than enough to convince WWE that he should be a world title contender.

Recently, Big E had a compelling exchange with Paul Heyman on Talking Smack, and it generated excitement regarding the possibility of an eventual Universal Championship program between the former New Day man and Roman Reigns.

If WWE commits to The Tribal Chief holding the title all the way until WrestleMania 38 and has Big E win the men's Royal Rumble match to become his challenger, it would create one of the biggest rivalries and matches in recent WWE history.

The WWE Universe is ready for Big E to be in a top spot, and WWE has a golden opportunity to put him there at WrestleMania 38.

        

Sonya Deville

It has been nearly eight months since Sonya Deville last competed in a match, but of any woman in WWE who has yet to win a singles title, she has the greatest potential.

Deville is currently an assistant to WWE official Adam Pearce on SmackDown, and she has done an excellent job in that regard, but her future is still as an in-ring competitor.

Her last match was at SummerSlam last August when she lost to former best friend Mandy Rose in a No Disqualification Loser Leaves Town match. It was originally supposed to be a Hair vs. Hair match, but a change was made due to external circumstances.

Deville was the victim of a home invasion and attempted kidnapping shortly before the SummerSlam match, and since she needed to take some time away to deal with the case, the Loser Leaves Town stipulation was put in place.

Before that happened, she was in the middle of the best run of her young career. In addition to her convincing in-ring work thanks to her MMA background, she was shining in terms of character development.

Playing a heartless and ruthless heel, Deville turned on Rose and cut some of the best promos of the year, which proved she had the potential to become one of the faces of the women's division.

One can only assume that Deville will return to wrestling in 2021, and if that is the case, WWE would be wise to build the 27-year-old up in a big way and possibly make her a threat to win the women's Royal Rumble.

Many of the top female Superstars in WWE have already faced each other, but Deville would be a fresh opponent who has showcased the ability to be a main event-caliber heel already.

        

Damian Priest

Grammy-winning musician Bad Bunny was one of the stars of WrestleMania, but it is his tag team partner, Damian Priest, who could benefit most from the performance over the long haul.

At WrestleMania 37, the singer far exceeded expectations, resulting in Bad Bunny and Priest vs. The Miz and John Morrison being considered one of the best matches of the entire weekend.

While the match was meant to be a spectacle, it was undoubtedly also meant to get The Archer of Infamy over in a big way and build him up for a big run as a singles star.

Priest enjoyed a lot of success in NXT, including winning the North American Championship, and he possesses all the tools needed to do well on the main roster as well.

The Archer of Infamy has ideal size and a great look, plus he is as good of an in-ring worker as any big man in the entire company.

The 38-year-old has done a great job as a babyface so far, but his gimmick is one that works in the heel realm as well, so WWE will have no shortage of options regarding how to handle him.

Competing for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania next year may be a bit ambitious, but the company can find a way to make him a key part of the marquee PPV even if he isn't competing for a title.

Randy Orton and The Fiend both stand out as potential opponents, and since anything those two do is important in WWE, Priest would be in a featured match by proxy if he faces either one of them.

For now, The Archer of Infamy is completing his rivalry with The Miz and Morrison, but the foundation has been laid for him to accomplish some huge things over the next year.

        

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

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