WWE Power Rankings: 16 August, 2014

The week before SummerSlam had a lot of expectations riding on it due to the sheer importance of the pay-per-view that it was building up to.No new matches were added to the summers big party and this was something that no one saw coming. Elsewhere, Brock Lesnar and John Cena finally got a meaningful segment together when the creative team used Hulk Hogan as a catalyst.Seth Rollins got a surprise gift on Raw while Bo Dallas seems to have reached a dead end for the push he was getting. Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella added another intriguing segment to their already impressive feud while Tag team and United States titles looks set to miss the second biggest pay-per-view of summer.It could be safe to say that the expectations were met to a certain extent and here is a look at the changes in Power Rankings before SummerSlam.

#25 Eva Marie (Previous Rank Nil)

Eva might’ve got a lot of criticism for the in ring skills that she possess but there is no question on the importance of the win she. Getting one over the Divas champion doesn’t put Eva on the title scene but she has something to show on the longer run.

#24 The Miz (Previous Rank 22)

Roman Reigns delivered a superman punch to Miz’s money maker this week and has pushed the intercontinental champion two place down in the rankings. This sort of buildup is not something that the awesome one would’ve wanted ahead of his battle against Ziggler.

#23 Stardust and Goldust (Previous Rank 20)

Stardust and Goldust were victims of the company unwillingness to let tag team division let centre stage. They failed to find a place in all four shows that the WWE brings out in a week underlining that they might also give Summerslam a miss despite having some kind of momentum.

#22 Bo Dallas (Previous Rank 19)

Some weeks back, Bo was running one of the hottest midcard angles in the company with his unbeaten streak. However, after it came to an abrupt end at the hands of R-Truth, the inspirational superstar has been failing to stay relevant and this takes him out of the top 20.

#21 Heath Slater (Previous Rank 24)

Many expected Slater to be confined to jobbing once the 3MB broke up, but the creative managed to surprise everyone by giving him a good backing. He picked up two big wins over the last couple of weeks and looks set to continue his tag team run with Titus O’Neil.

#20 Mark Henry (Previous Rank 23)

The World’s largest athlete is showing signs of coming back into relevance after he teamed up with Big Show to take out the Wyatt Family. The tag team might do wonders if provided with some good booking and hopefully, WWE won’t screw things up like they always do.

#19 Dolph Ziggler (Previous Rank 21)

Ziggler lost out to the one man band to start the week but it didn’t stop him from rising up in the rankings. The showoff is carrying a lot of momentum heading to his title match with Miz and would be looking to get another title reign under his belt on Sunday.

#18 Cesaro (Previous Rank 17)

If Slater is having a winning run, Cesaro is stuck on the opposite side. He hasn’t picked up a win after parting ways with Paul Heyman and the misery was piled up by Jack Swagger and Dean Ambrose. The Swiss Superman also couldn’t find a place in SummerSlam dropping him one place.

#17 Big E (Previous Rank 16)

The rumors of WWE scrapping the Nation 2.0 idea is stronger than ever as there are no developments whatsoever. Big E didn’t get any in ring action as well like his potential partner, Kofi Kingston which reflects in his Power Ranking for this week.

#16 Adam Rose (Previous Rank 18)

After his encounter with the oculus mirror, the exotic express came above Fandango with an impressive win. No matter how many wins he is picking up, the progress of Rose is still dead and he hasn’t moved from the position he was during his debut.

#15 Kane (Previous Rank 13)

The Big Red Monster is long gone and WWE Universe got to see the corporate Kane make his return. However, the transition only brings more questions as he is not someone who would go silently at the biggest party of the summer on Sunday.

#14 Rusev (Previous Rank 15)

Rusev’s squashing run looks to have ended as the creative team is giving him more serious booking after he got involved with the Real American, Swagger. Sunday would present the opportunity for the Bulgarian Brute to fly his flag high and he would be keen to do the same.

#13 Jack Swagger (Previous Rank -14)

Swagger’s has managed to reach his highest rank since WrestleMania thanks to the feud with Rusev. The fans are still hot on the face turn that the Real American had a month back and the writers are putting it to good use as Swagger reaches 13th in the rankings.

#12 Wyatt Family (Previous Rank 11)

Luke Harper and Erick Rowan suffered defeat at the hands of Big Show and Mark Henry on SmackDown while Bray was not involved in in ring action. The eater of the worlds however delivered a chilling segment with Jericho which sets their match well for SummerSlam.

#11 Paige (Previous Rank 12)

Paige is not having the divas title around her waist, but this is not stopping her from rising in the Power Rankings. She is knocking at the door of top ten and could crash in ahead of many male superstars if she manages to get one over AJ at SummerSlam.

#10 AJ Lee (Previous Rank 9)

Everyone had their money on AJ when she squared off against Eva Marie but the Total Divas star had a helping hand from AJ’s frenemy. The loss pushes the divas champion to the edge of top ten with SummerSlam being the stage for her to improve.

#9 Chris Jericho (Previous Rank 10)

WWE is apparently doing well in booking Jericho as they are not letting the fans realize that he is on a relaxed schedule. The face to face talk that he had with Bray stole the show and sets up the match between the two for Sunday unlike their last outing.

#8 Sheamus (Previous Rank 6)

The Celtic Warrior had a chance to knock Randy Orton out this week on Raw but failed to capitalize the opportunity. His loss against the Viper has further dropped the United States champion down the ladder and missing SummerSlam could be the final nail in the coffin.

#7 The Usos (Previous Rank 8)

Tag Team champions were limited to the Main Event and as usual delivered a solid performance there. Yet there is not date fixed for the Usos at SummerSlam and might continue the jinx of tag team titles in the pay-per-view.

#6 Seth Rollins (Previous Rank 7)

Rob Van Dam and Kofi Kingston were unlucky enough to cross paths with Mr. Money in the Bank on Raw and Main event respectively. Getting chased off by the lunatic fringe however wasn’t something that Rollins planned to do, but it adds more heat to their match.

#5 Brock Lesnar (Previous Rank 5)

The Beast came, took shots at Cena, delivered one of the best one liners of the week, made a ring full of legends sweat and showed that he means business. Lesnar also underlined his urge to win the title at the pay-per-view and put Cena into the hospital bed.

#4 Roman Reigns (Previous Rank 4)

Reigns picked up two big wins over the week with one even being a handicap match. His ascension to the top is still well received by the WWE Universe and would come under the scanner when he faces off against a former world champion in form of Randy Orton.

#3 Randy Orton (Previous Rank 3)

The Viper fended off the challenge raised by the United States champion on Raw. Though Orton was expecting to be in a World Heavyweight title match at SummerSlam, the former champion would be looking to make a statement against Reigns.

#2 Dean Ambrose (Previous Rank 2)

The Lunatic Fringe gave a big surprise to Rollins on Raw and followed up with a win over Cesaro at SmackDown. The effects of the lumberjack stipulation as still keep the fans confused and only the match could resolve the issue now for everyone.

#1 John Cena (Previous Rank 1)

The Cenation leader might’ve not had a match for the past two weeks but he wasn’t remaining silent on his opponent. He also saved a ring full of hall of famers from getting squashed by the Beast at Hulk Hogan’s birthday celebrations this week on Raw.