The top stars in pro wrestling are often only as good as the ability to cover up a major flaw.
It applies to WWE, All Elite Wrestling and beyond. When John Cena was running wild on WWE, one of the biggest issues was his lack of opponents and taking down everyone in sight. That backfired, hurting the show week-by-week and how it is viewed in hindsight.
In AEW, the "Hangman" Adam Page story was epic for years but after the big payoff title win, it felt like there wasn't a plan or direction once he hit the peak. He's still trying to get right.
Sometimes, a flaw is a fault of booking or character direction. Sometimes, it's company direction and the long-term plan. Oftentimes, it's a complex issue combining many factors.
However, it's hardly ever impossible to fix. Here's a look at some big flaws plaguing notable top stars in WWE and AEW right now and if and how they might rebound by fixing them.
Seth Rollins continues to do some of the best work of his career.
So what's the flaw?
The man just doesn't have that much in the way of interesting things to do, at least compared to where he should be.
While Rollins is technically top dog on Raw and fights for its top title often, the fact remains he's still stuck in feuds for midcard titles at best. And it's hard to get too engaged when he's bouncing around feuds so much, sparring with Austin Theory one week and Bobby Lashley or Matt Riddle the next.
This isn't a hard thing to fix, of course. Give him a bigger title to chase, especially considering his connections to a certain unified champion. Or get him in an Edge-type feud with a major headliner ahead of WrestleMania 39.
Given the quality of Rollins' work and the fact that WWE should just straight-up reward him, it has almost felt like he's in a tag-team-purgatory sort of state lately, which is disappointing.
Ronda Rousey is never going to escape being a divisive star no matter where she goes.
However, The Baddest Woman on the Planet is far removed from that better-than-expected rookie who took WWE by storm with surprising performances and a dedication to the craft unheard of from supposed outsiders at the time.
Rousey's act has grown a bit stale at this point, and there doesn't seem to have been a committed long-term push to correct it. She put over Liv Morgan in a title match but again has the SmackDown women's belt. It feels like things are just in a holding pattern until another headlining feud with a returning Charlotte Flair or similar, which is disappointing, too.
Tack on the fact that the former UFC fighter's in-ring performances earn more critique than most Superstars, and only a dramatic character overhaul would win over the biggest naysayers (think, pairing her with Paul Heyman or something).
The anointing of MJF as top dog in AEW was inevitable, but the actual unfolding of it wasn't exactly what most probably imagined.
MJF has been a little divisive with fans ever since his alleged walking-out and weird end to the Wardlow feud that wasn't really a win for either guy.
Fast forward to now, he's champion but doesn't have a ton of momentum and his promos constantly talk about AEW's main competition, WWE.
Granted, there's some sense in dragging the competition into the chatter right now given the supposed bidding war that will happen if he becomes a free agent. But the quick turn on William Regal felt rushed and unplanned, which is becoming a concerning theme for him since the big return.
But everything feels a little rushed and not must-see material right now. Some of that isn't AEW's fault given the drama that unfolded recently, but this isn't what most envisioned for the MJF win and aftermath.
And the whole thing could now struggle to get momentum at a critical time for the promotion as it tries to usher in a new era.
WWE is in a serious bind with Roman Reigns right now.
Sure, it seems all good in the moment right now because of how Sami Zayn has breathed new life into the whole Bloodline storyline.
But it's going to feel really bad when The Honorary Uce gets shoved aside for somebody else.
We could point to other issues like Reigns' inconsistent title defenses or the fact that him holding both men's top titles hurts Raw. Zayn, though, is the big red flag of it all. There's a serious chance for enough momentum that he's hot enough to put as The Tribal Chief's opponent at WrestleMania 39 for those unified titles.
There's no easy way out for WWE, either. Just giving the match and possible 'Mania win to Cody Rhodes would feel inauthentic at this point, no matter how over the pre-injury American Nightmare seemed for a moment.
Giving it to The Rock, despite the family connections, would feel very part-timer-ish in a bad way, plus there's no good booking outcome. The Great One isn't coming back full-time, and Reigns wouldn't have many opponents left.
WWE could avoid many of these issues with some creative booking over both nights of the two-night WrestleMania. But while the company has shown more openness to trying new things lately, it's just as easy to think it remains stuck in the old ways for this.
That casts a shroud of doubt over whether the Reigns saga will actually have a satisfying ending for as many fans as possible.
