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WWE always have a tendency to deliver big on the weeks prior to a pay-per-view. And though many expected the same to happen this time around also, it quite didnt add up to make something ground breaking.The top storylines saw some momentum gaining process as Evolution and Bray Wyatt managed to send a strong message to their opponents on Sunday.Mid-card titles didnt have the big buildup which the other matches had but WWE did manage to throw in some random matches to compensate. Adam Rose, Bo Dallas and Usos failing to make it in the Payback card while El Torito and Hornswoggle did were disappointing to say the least.With the landscape of WWE bound to change after Payback, here is a look at the pre-PPV edition of the Power Rankings.
#25 Eva Marie (Previous Rank- Nil)
Eva took some time off from the Total Divas to step in between the ropes and it paid off when she defeated Summer Rae. Though it was because of the distraction from Layla and Fandango, the win gets the Total Divas star a place in the Power Rankings for the time being.
#24 Bo Dallas (Previous Rank- 25)
Bo continued his impressive start with a win over Sin Cara on Raw. He also looked impressive on the microphone and the WWE Universe might just be thinking about becoming a Bo-Liever soon. He might get a credible feud after Sunday which could take him further in the rankings.
#23 Jack Swagger (Previous Rank- 22)
Jack Swagger and Adam Rose were bound to clash at one stage or the other and the WWE fans didn’t have to wait long. It didn’t end up good for Swagger however as he ended up on the losing side which costs him one place in the Power Rankings.
#22 Adam Rose (Previous Rank- Nil)
After weeks of just goofing around, Rose made his in ring debut with a win over Damien Sandow. He also carried the momentum to beat Jack Swagger and the pair of wins help Rose’s Exotic Express to dance themselves into the 22nd spot in the Rankings.
#21 Tamina (Previous Rank- 19)
Tamina returned to the WWE after a short absence and went right after Paige in SmackDown. The Divas champion managed to come out on top this time also which drags Tamina out of the top twenty. With Alicia Fox challenging for the title, Tamina will have to wait for another title shot which is not a good news.
#20 Rybaxel (Previous Rank- 20)
Most of the tag teams in the division have the dream of getting their hands on the Tag Team titles and Rybaxel is showing no signs of that desire whatsoever. However, a win and a loss from the week was enough to keep them rooted to the 20th spot.
#19 Alicia Fox (Previous Rank- 21)
A rejuvenated Alicia Fox overshadowed the numbers with her antics this week and managed to cover up some ground in the rankings despite suffering a loss to Emma. Alicia will now have the Divas Champion at her mercy on Sunday and she will be ready to do anything to seize the gold.
#18 Dolph Ziggler (Previous Rank- 18)
Last week Ziggler ended up being just a whisker way from becoming the No. 1 contender for the Intercontinental title. but this week the show off decided to take some time off from the ring which keeps him in the 18th place.
#17 Big Show (Previous Rank- 17)
For one reason or the other, Big Show has been restricted to occasional appearance in WWE and this is stopping him from making a good surge up in the Rankings. Payback will be the second consecutive PPV that Big Show will miss and he might not be able to keep hold of this place after that.
#16 Brock Lesnar (Previous Rank- 13)
Lesnar continues his hopeless drop down the rankings after not appearing on shows for another week. His momentum after breaking the streak must’ve dried out by now and WWE will have to give a good backup story for his absence.
#15 Los Matadores (Previous Rank- 16)
El Torito managed to pick up a good win over the former Chosen one on Raw which helped the Matadores to rise in the Rankings. El Torito now has a big test on Sunday when he will face Hornswoggle with his mask and Hornswoggle’s hair on the line.
#14 Rusev (Previous Rank- 15)
Rusev continued his squashing run this week when WWE decided to play the patriotic card. however on Sunday, it will be the first real test for Rusev as he will go head to head with Big E Langston who has the support of all patriotic Americans behind him.
#13 Kane (Previous Rank- 14)
The big red monster lost a good opponent in form of Daniel Bryan but still managed to haunt the people in WWE. It was Brad Maddox that got some taste of how vicious Kane could be and this showing helps Kane to go up the rankings.
#12 The Usos (Previous Rank- 10)
It was a disappointing week for the tag team champions who slip out of the top ten. Jimmy Uso took the worst beating at the hands of Bray Wyatt on SmackDown, along with that the duo also failed to find a spot in the Payback which wraps up the bad week.
#11 Paige (Previous Rank- 12)
Paige continued her impressive run in the main roster after picking up another win against Tamina in SmackDown. She now has a twisted Alicia Fox in her hands which is going to be an acid test for the Divas champion.
#10 Big E (Previous Rank-11)
The former Intercontinental champion found his way back into the top ten after picking up a couple of wins against Titus O’Neil. He also stood up against Rusev and Lana which ended up in him getting a match at Payback.
#9 Rob Van Dam (Previous Rank- 8)
Rob Van Dam fell against Cesaro on Raw this week but the presence of Bad News Barrett is clearly one thing to blame for that. Van Dam will now have to pick up his momentum if he has to win the title on Sunday in Chicago.
#8 Bad News Barrett (Previous Rank- 7)
The Intercontinental champion haunted Rob Van Dam on Raw, but the tables turned in SmackDown when he faced Sheamus. It was a great match between the two, but Barrett will not be happy with the loss he picked up.
#7 Sheamus (Previous Rank- 9)
The Celtic Warrior has another great week under his belt which saw him pick up two wins. He now will be looking to keep his title intact at Payback where he will be going up against Paul Heyman’s client, Cesaro. Sheamus heads into the match with a lot of momentum but he has to make sure that he doesn’t get complacent.
#6 Cesaro (Previous Rank- 6)
The Swiss Superman had a great momentum boost this week after he got wins against Rob Van Dam and Kofi Kingston. Paul Heyman will be certainly happy with his client after those performances and Cesaro might get bigger things at Payback when he faces Sheamus.
#5 Daniel Bryan (Previous Rank- 5)
Daniel Bryan refused to surrender his title to Stephanie McMahon but ended up in an awkward situation when Stephanie decided to pull one back. He now has a big decision to make at Payback where he will have to either give up his title or see his wife getting fired.
#4 John Cena (Previous Rank- 3)
Bray Wyatt was bound to send a strong message to Cena by taking out Jerry Lawler on Raw. However, with some help from the tag team champions Cena managed to save his friend and it will be time to settle the scores for the Cenation leader in Sunday.
#3 Wyatt Family (Previous Rank- 4)
Bray Wyatt failed to get the upper hand over Cena in Raw but he made up for that in SmackDown where he destroyed Jimmy Uso in a last man standing match. the magnitude of the same stipulated match will be a lot higher on Sunday when the eater of the world squares off against Cena.
#2 Shield (Previous Rank- 1)
The Hounds of Justice would’ve loved to go into Payback with the upper hand but was hit by a resilient Evolution. Though the Shield is undefeated against Hunter’s pack, they will clearly have a handful in Payback which promises to give the fans a treat.
#1 Evolution (Previous Rank- 2)
The introduction of Hunter’s sledgehammer proved to be an instrumental thing for Evolution this week as they took out the Shield in style. Now the faction has a chance to prove that experience ranks over everything else in Chicago where they will be desperate to settle the scores with Shield.
