It is going to be an eventful weekend for WWE thanks to Backlash. The first brand-specific pay-per-view of the latest brand split era comes along with high expectations. WWE has done a good job so far in building up the pay-per-view and need to deliver on Sunday as well. Heading into the show, some superstars have momentum on their back while others are desperate to get the same.
While the superstar from Monday Night Raw does not have the pay-per-view pressure, they still have a big week coming up thanks to the buildup for Clash of Champions. After the action that went down this past week, here is the WWE Power Rankings ahead of Backlash.
10. Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks made a triumphant return to WWE programming this week and that gets her a place in this week’s Power Rankings. Sasha teased a retirement announcement which caused an emotional surge among the WWE Universe. The announcement of Sasha, however, turned out to be a pleasant surprise for everyone.
Not only did Sasha make an impact with her return, but she also got the better of Dana Brooke during the segment. The former Women’s champion made her intentions clear and it would only be a matter of time before she goes after the championship again.
9. Heath Slater and Rhyno
The story of Heath Slater and Rhyno took yet another interesting turn this week on SmackDown. The team faced off against the Hype Bros at this week’s SmackDown and came away with a huge win. They now have a chance to be crowned SmackDown’s Tag team champions.
Slater and Rhyno will face either The Usos or the Hype Bros in the final and no matter who their opponents are; the fans will be rooting for the underdog duo. A win would complete the change in fortunes of these two while a loss will keep the ‘free agent’ gimmick going. No matter what happens, it’s a win-win situation for these two.
8. The Miz
The Miz got a big push thanks to his segment with Daniel Bryan on Talking Smack. WWE deviated the heat into a feud with Dolph Ziggler and now, the fans have themselves an Intercontinental championship match at Backlash. Miz is indeed the favorite heading to the pay-per-view on Sunday Night.
This week around, Miz got a good win over Apollo Crews on SmackDown and will be looking to get one over Ziggler as well. Miz has really found a new path after the reintroduction of Maryse and the path ahead also seems promising for the champion.
7. Sheamus
While the entire limelight of Monday Night Raw went to the WWE Universal championship and the other titles on the brand, Sheamus was slowly building up his momentum. Sheamus once again impressed during his seven-match series against Cesaro and it was yet another win for the Celtic Warrior.
With this, Sheamus is now up 3-1 in the series after Cesaro pulled one back at a recent live event. The Celtic Warrior is just one win away from wrapping up the entire thing. Doing so would be a huge leap forward for the former WWE champion as he could then make a claim for the main event championship as well.
Sheamus is someone worth watching next week around and this is why he gets a spot in the rankings.
6. Roman Reigns
After an uneventful stay in the United States Championship scene with Rusev, Roman Reigns is once again in the main event scene. He looks to book his place in the Clash of Champions main event on RAW when he goes up against Kevin Owens with an opportunity of getting a title shot at the upcoming PPV. Though Reigns did not get much action this past week, he did end the week strongly.
He took out Chris Jericho and delivered a strong message to Owens. It would be interesting to see how WWE takes things forward from this point and how Reigns will be booked in the championship feud.
5. Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins saw Triple H turn on him and this week, it was all about making a statement for the Architect. He started off the week by crashing the Championship celebration of Kevin Owens and then later went on to get an impressive win over Chris Jericho. These two segments helped Rollins to rank higher in this list.
As mentioned earlier, he will be featuring in the Clash of Champions main event alongside Reigns and Owens. Rollins has an opportunity to get the gold back and his booking is bound to experience a positive path from this point.
4. AJ Styles
AJ Styles has been enjoying a strong booking lately. He got a huge win over John Cena at SummerSlam and afterward, WWE decided to let him into the WWE Championship picture. Styles will have a chance to get hold of the Gold at Backlash when he goes up against Ambrose.
AJ stood tall near a fallen Ambrose during the show and this sets up the tone perfectly if WWE is going to crown a new champion. Either way, AJ has great momentum heading into Sunday night and WWE should think about protecting the same.
3. Charlotte
Charlotte takes a drop in this week’s rankings due to her loss against Bayley. After what happened with Sasha Banks, Charlotte needed a new challenge and Bayley’s debut came at the right time. Charlotte and Bayley were bound to cross paths at one point or the other. It happened this week and Bayley came out on the top.
A championship match might come at Clash of Champions and if that is the case, WWE will have to rebuild the momentum of Charlotte as the same is apparently in the lower levels due to what happened this week on Monday Night Raw.
2. Dean Ambrose
The lunatic fringe is all set to defend his WWE championship against AJ Styles at Backlash. While SmackDown did not end in the way Ambrose would’ve wanted, he still comes in as a favorite to retain the championship. The Ambrose – AJ Styles buildup did not live up to the potential that it had, but Backlash could change things for sure.
The rumors suggest that there is heat on Ambrose due to what he said during the podcast with Steve Austin, and if that is the case, we might see the crowning of a new champion at the pay-per-view on Sunday.
1. Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens got his big moment a couple of weeks back. His title win was aided by Triple H, but that does not take way any credit from Owens. This week, it was about welcoming the new champion. The whole limelight was on Owens for the occasion and he made great use of it. Owens stamped the start of his championship reign with an impressive win over long-time rival Sami Zayn on Raw.
Any match involving Zayn and Owens is bound to be exciting and so was this one. The win helps Owens to carry forward his good run and at Clash of Champions, he will have the odds stacked against him as the title defense could happen in a triple threat if Reigns beats him on the upcoming episode of RAW.
