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The WWE creative had apparently one big job in their hand which was to inject back some credibility into the product which drew a wide range of criticism in the week that went by. Going head to head with Monday night football wasn’t making the situation any better but somehow, the company came out looking solid.Night of Champions saw two huge new matches being added to the card while most of the wrestlers were left wondering about their role in the next pay-per-view outing.The NXT superstars were the real winners to be frank as first they got a spot in Raw which was followed by a critically acclaimed NXT Takeover. With just one week to go for the NOC, here is a look at how the Power Rankings shaped up.
#25 Kane (Previous Rank 25)
The Big red monster served the authority to the core once again this week as he helped Rollins and Orton to take out Roman Reigns. However, the character is looking more than stale at this moment and the writers should start thinking about giving Kane something different to do than what he is doing now.
#24 The Miz (Previous Rank 23)
Miz might’ve still has a title shot secured in his pocket but his personal photos weren’t that secure enough. It was an embarrassing week for the Awesome one who along with his stunt double is making an interesting pairing in the main roster even if it sounds a bit idiotic.
#23 Naomi (Previous Rank Nil)
The Total Divas are back in action and Naomi is the first one to get the benefits. She was in a match against Summer Rae this week on superstars and came out with a win which gets her back into the power rankings. Getting further up is a different story as she might not get even a match next week.
#22 Adam Rose (Previous Rank 22)
Rose has had nothing more than doing his finisher in recent times and this was the same story on Raw. The party animal got another win under his belt at the expense of Titus O’Neil and yet the show was stolen by his Bunny who has a much more interesting feud with Heath Slater.
#21 Bo Dallas (Previous Rank 21)
Bo’s new mission of making a Jack Swagger a Boliever continued this time around but the desired outcome wasn’t achieved. On the other side, he also picked up a good win against Justin Gabriel which helps the inspirational superstar to stay rooter to his previous ranking.
#20 Nikki Bella (Previous Rank 20)
There has been a lot of criticism on the way the Bellas are being pushed by the creative. Jerry Springer was in the scene due to the same but could sort out the sibling war. Next chapter of the story would be interesting as WWE is yet to book Brie Bella for Night of Champions while Nikki will be going for the title,
#19 Jack Swagger (Previous Rank 16)
Things haven’t been going good for the Real American after he lost out to Rusev at SummerSlam. He is constantly being irritated by the not so inspirational Bo Dallas while the results are making matters worse. This week’s lose against Seth Rollins drags Swagger three places down in the rankings.
#18 Big Show (Previous Rank 19)
Big Show was playing the role of a good tag team once again as his team continued their impressive run. Alongside Mark Henry, Show seems near impossible to defeat which will be something that the Usos needs to note if they manage to successfully walk out of Night of Champions with their titles.
#17 Goldust and Stardust (Previous Rank 17)
The weird brothers split a win and loss this week as they continued their journey in search of the cosmic key. Despite the loss, Rhodes Brothers are arguably on their best run since losing the tag titles and would be looking to cash in on the opportunity that they have at NOC.
#16 Cesaro (Previous Rank 18)
It was all about getting the upper hand over Sheamus for Cesaro and he did just that before heading into the title match. A dominant display on Raw was followed by a good win over Zack Ryder and this helps the Swiss Superman to climb two places in the rankings.
#15 Dean Ambrose (Previous Rank 10)
Dean Ambrose’s absence still remains as a mystery after the lunatic fringe no showed for another week. Rollins seems to have moved on to other things during the time but when Ambrose returns, it will be back to square one for the duo without any doubt.
#14 Wyatt Family (Previous Rank 15)
After being booked poorly for weeks, the Wyatt Family finally got a credible win when Bray dispatched Chris Jericho inside the steel cage. This win has helped the creepy guys to climb one place in the rankings but the future of Wyatt family is still pretty much up in the air.
#13 Rusev (Previous Rank 13)
The segment that had Lana and Rusev turned out to be one of the weak points of this week’s Raw while SmackDown wasn’t any good for the Bulgarian Brute. Rusev has a date set with Mark Henry at Night of Champions which looks set to be his biggest challenge till now.
#12 Mark Henry (Previous Rank 14)
The World Strongest Man is getting a surprisingly strong push right now as he was all over the WWE programming this week. And every time, Henry came out on top which makes him look like a credible challenge for the Bulgarian Brute at Night of Champions.
#11 AJ Lee (Previous Rank 12)
AJ’s mind games with Paige continued this time around while the second contender for the title, Nikki was nowhere to be seen. it was a dominant win for AJ and Paige on Raw and this helps the former champion to edge closer towards the top ten where she once belonged.
#10 Chris Jericho (Previous Rank 11)
Jericho’s feud with Bray ended on a high note as the duo gave a solid steel cage match on Raw. Jericho stood out despite the loss and has found a new foe in the form of Randy Orton whose motivation for the attack is something that puzzles the WWE Universe.
#9 Sheamus (Previous Rank 7)
Sheamus locked horns with the Mr. Money in the bank on Raw but couldn’t find a way across because of Cesaro. Getting laid out by Cesaro wasn’t what the Celtic warrior would’ve wanted but now that it has happened, he will be eager to settle the scores at the earliest.
#8 Paige (Previous Rank 8)
Paige is clearly going to be the most vulnerable champion at Night of Champions. She will be defending against both AJ Lee and Nikki Bella but Nikki seems to be in no mood for the title. AJ on the other hand haunts the champion at every turn forming a well layered battle.
#7 The Usos (Previous Rank 9)
The injury that the team picked up recently has been sidelined for the good as Usos came out strong at SmackDown. Being back in the momentum road was just what the champions wanted as they are in preparations to get another one over Goldust and Stardust at NOC.
#6 Dolph Ziggler (Previous Rank 6)
Ziggler is definetly enjoying his stay as the intercontinental champion. From leaking the private pictures of Miz to defeating his stunt double, it was a good week for the Showoff and this helps him to keep hold of his sixth position in the Power Rankings.
#5 Randy Orton (Previous Rank 4)
The Viper changed his target and has brushed up an old rivalry. It was a good decision to end the Reigns feud early as Jericho provides a better option for Orton. This also keeps the former world champion busy for Night of Champions rather than being sidelined without a match.
#4 Seth Rollins (Previous Rank 5)
Rollins picked up two wins across the week at the expense of Sheamus and Jack Swagger on Raw and Main Event respectively. A dominant display against Reigns at Raw however wasn’t carried all the way to SmackDown but Rollins will be looking to replicate the same under pay-per-view spotlight.
#3 John Cena (Previous Rank 3)
The Cenation leader had harsh words for Paul Heyman and his client. Heyman got out his best efforts to turn Cena against the fans but Cena held his ground firm. He has issued an open challenge to the champion for next weak almost guaranteeing a head on collision between the two.
#2 Roman Reigns (Previous Rank 2)
Reigns had revenge on his mind when he locked horns with Randy Orton this week on Raw, but the Authority had other things in mind. SmackDown however was a whole different story when Reigns he picked up a win against Rollins and Orton which helps him to stay in the second position.
#1 Brock Lesnar (Previous Rank 1)
Lesnar might not be in television every now and then but as long as Paul Heyman is there to cover up, WWE will be successfully able to mask his absence. Lesnar has been challenged by Cena to be at the show next week, and knowing the beast, the chances of him backing down from that are nil.
