In a pleasant surprise, WWE television has been pretty good lately. After a wild Money in the Bank PPV, and with the Great Balls of Fire PPV coming up this weekend, our Rankings have taken on quite a different look.
An influx of women Superstars has reflected on our rankings with some fresh faces that haven’t been featured before, present in this list. With several marquee matchups coming at GBOF, we have some interesting names climbing the Power Rankings.
Before we reveal which Superstars have performed well enough recently to earn a spot in our Rankings, let’s take a look at the Superstars or tag teams that just missed out on making the top 10 this week:
Roman Reigns – Since losing the Fatal 5 Way match at Extreme Rules, “The Big Dog” had been on a bit of a roll on Monday nights. That all changed a few weeks ago when “The Monster Among Men” Braun Strowman made his return and set his sights on exacting revenge on the man that put him out of action for a couple months.
Strowman returned on June 19th to cost Reigns his match against Samoa Joe, and then came into the ring and destroyed his rival while also challenging him to an Ambulance Match at the Great Balls of Fire PPV, which Reigns gladly accepted.
This past week on Raw, Reigns got revenge on Strowman by popping out of an ambulance (a trick he learned from his rival) and eventually speared the monster off the stage and through multiple tables. Even after standing tall this week, most expect “The Big Dog” to fall to Strowman at GBOF, which would keep Roman on the outside looking in at our Rankings.
The Miz – The Miz won the Intercontinental title back from Dean Ambrose at Extreme Rules, and since then, “The Lunatic Fringe” has made life miserable for “The A-Lister” and his wife, Maryse.
However, recently The Miz turned the tables of this rivalry. He took full control of the feud a couple weeks ago when he lured Ambrose to the ring, to unveil his new “Entourage” consisting of Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel, who were dressed in bear costumes, and laid out the former IC champ. While his relationship with his wife is on the rocks, The Miz has solidified a new partnership that may just keep the Intercontinental title around his waist for a long time.
Carmella – “The Princess of Staten Island” walked out of the Money in the Bank PPV as the first ever Ms. Money in the Bank. However, the following Tuesday night on Smackdown Live, returning General Manager Daniel Bryan decided to strip Carmella of the briefcase, due to James Ellsworth being the one to actually retrieve the briefcase, and an MITB rematch was announced for the next week’s Smackdown Live.
The next week, Carmella was able to prove that the first win was no fluke as she pulled off the biggest win of her career (again), becoming the first-ever Ms. Money in the Bank. There is little doubt that Carmella has impressed and improved lately and it’s no secret that the MITB contract holder is almost certain to become Champion when they choose to cash-in.
However, if she plans on cashing in during the next 30 days, she’ll have to do so without the help of her “friend”, James Ellsworth, who got suspended by Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan this past week.
#10 Sasha Banks (#1 Contender to Raw Women’s Title)
“The Boss” had been missing from Raw’s Women’s title picture over the past few months. She was even relegated to a program on 205 Live and a less than engaging feud with Alicia Fox last month.
However, her time out of the limelight ended a couple weeks ago when she outlasted Nia Jax in the first ever Women’s Gauntlet Match on Raw. “The Legit Boss” became the #1 contender to Alexa Bliss and her Raw Women’s title and will face the champ at the Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view this Sunday.
This past week on Raw, she teamed with her bestie, Bayley, to take on Bliss and Jax. However, Bayley was injured early in the match and “The Boss” was left on the wrong end of an unfair 2-on-1 disadvantage. However, she took out Jax and her injured knee first, then the challenger for the title match this Sunday forced the champ to tap to the Banks Statement and picked up some huge momentum heading into Great Balls of Fire.
Although Banks went through a recent rough patch on Raw, she has remained the most popular women’s superstar in the company. With a win on Sunday, “The Legit Boss” could become a four-time Raw Women’s champ and cement her spot as one of the elite women in the world of professional wrestling.
#9 Naomi (Smackdown Women’s Champion)
Naomi won the Smackdown Women’s Title back at Wrestlemania 33 in April, and ever since, she has been determined to prove her worth in Smackdown’s crowded women’s division. And boy, has she done just that.
After defending her title pretty convincingly against Lana the past three weeks (once at MITB and twice on SD Live’s), the Smackdown Women’s Champ is now the longest reigning champ in the history of the title. Over the past 94 days, Naomi has made the entire division “Feel the Glow” and has proved that she deserves the title that glows around her waist.
With Lana in her rearview, the next challenger for Naomi’s title is up in the air. The champ mentioned on Talking Smack this week that she’s interested in defending her title against the woman most people already consider the greatest Women’s wrestler ever, Charlotte. Naomi also must worry about Carmella, who, a few weeks ago, became the first ever Ms. Money in the Bank and can cash-in her briefcase at any time for a shot at the champ.
Regardless of who Naomi’s next feud will be with, one thing is for sure: she has earned her spot in our Rankings by relentlessly defending her title over the past few months against most of the blue brand’s women’s division. Mixing her new babyface character with a high-flying offence that has been more than impressive, Naomi has finally proved she belongs with the best that WWE has to offer and should stay a major player in the women’s division for years to come.
#8 Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens has done a marvellous job of elevating the United States title he held so dearly since he won it back from Chris Jericho back in May. The way John Cena elevated the very same title by having a great match after great match in his Open Challenge days, Owens has done the same for the belt in a different way.
KO has become the heel we’ve all yearned for over the past year. He’s given us more of the type of champion we got when he debuted rather than the goofy Universal Champ he had become on Raw. Also, much like Cena did for the belt, “The Prizefighter” has elevated the title to such a point that it can be argued that the United States Championship is the most high-profile title on Smackdown Live.
Owens, for weeks, has lobbied that “The Phenomenal One” shouldn’t be given another chance at his title, considering KO beat Styles via countout a few months ago at Backlash. However, Styles won a #1 contender’s Independence Day Battle Royal this past week to solidify his spot as KO’s next challenger. Then, inexplicably really, Owens dropped the title to AJ at a house show in Madison Square Garden this past Friday night.
Hopefully, the reasoning behind Owens dropping the title isn’t because of an injury because Owens was on a roll as US Champion. With wins recently over Styles and Chad Gable and putting his body on the line at the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Owens has done more than enough to hold strong in our Rankings.
The job he did with the US title alone makes him worthy of this spot, and if he can defeat Styles once again, this time via pinfall or submission, and win his title back, Owens could catapult himself into our top 5 for the first time since being Universal Champion.
#7 The Usos (Smackdown Tag Team Champions)
In a company that is loaded with tag team talent, The Usos have managed to stand out from the pack since turning heel and becoming Smackdown Tag Team Champs late last year. However, recently the champs have had their hands full with their newest (and possibly oldest?) rival, The New Day.
At Money in the Bank, the challengers had the champs on the ropes and were extremely close to winning their first titles since being moved to Smackdown Live. After hitting their finisher on Jey Uso, The New Day looked to have the titles won, but Jimmy pulled his brother from the ring, handed him their titles, and they walked out on the match. The Usos would fall to their rivals but were able to hang on to their belts due to the countout loss.
Obviously feeling cheated, The New Day requested and were granted a rematch with Jimmy and Jey at Battleground, again for the Smackdown Tag Team titles, a little later this month. This past week on SD Live, the two teams met in a rap battle that was hosted by rap artist (and biased The New Day fan) Wale, who awarded the rap battle victory to The New Day, even after it was blatantly obvious The Usos had won.
Having been the tag champs of the blue brand for over three months now, The Usos have clearly staked claim to the Smackdown tag division. They’ve defended their titles against the best teams on Tuesday nights during their reign.
If the brothers fend off the longest reigning tag champs in WWE history once again, they may be in for a historic title reign themselves. Regardless of the outcome at Battleground, The Usos have done an amazing job of reinventing and re-establishing themselves as one of, if not the premiere tag team in all of WWE.
#6 AJ Styles (United States Champion)
After putting his body on the line several times and still coming up short in the Money in the Bank Ladder match last month, AJ Styles turned his attention back to an old rival, Kevin Owens.
“The Phenomenal One” has spent the past few weeks lobbying for another shot at Owens and his United States Title after losing via countout at Backlash back in May, but when an Independence Day Battle Royal was announced at this past week’s Smackdown Live, KO tried to convince SD General Manager Daniel Bryan that Styles should not be allowed to enter the match, since he’s already defeated him.
Instead, Bryan made a qualifying match pitting Styles against another former defeated challenger to KO’s title, Chad Gable, with the winner moving on to the Battle Royal later in the night. After a fantastic one-on-one contest between the two, Styles picked up the win with a Phenomenal Forearm and was allowed to enter the #1 contender Battle Royal.
Picking his spots after a gruelling match earlier in the night, Styles outlasted fourteen other superstars to earn a shot at Kevin Owens and the title he holds so dearly. And Friday night at Madison Square Garden, “The Phenomenal One” got his shot and did not disappoint. After a gruelling match, Styles connected with a Phenomenal Forearm to finally get revenge on Owens and become the new United States champion!
While continuing to be part of the best matches on any show he’s featured, AJ Styles had come up short in his last two big matches before this week. However, after picking up two of his biggest wins of the year this past Tuesday night and the biggest of the year by winning the US Title at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, AJ deservingly climbed back into our Rankings. “The Phenomenal One” now has the chance to reiterate to the WWE Universe why Smackdown Live is known as “The House that AJ Styles Built”.
#5 Baron Corbin (Mr. Money In the Bank)
Baron Corbin had been very close to breaking out over the course of the past year. Corbin won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal last year in Dallas and then spent the next few months making a name for himself in the company. Although it may have taken a bit longer than expected, all of his hard work over the past year and a half has finally paid off in one of the biggest ways possible, as Baron Corbin is now Mr. Money in the Bank and could become the WWE Champion whenever he chooses to cash-in.
Over the past few weeks, however, Corbin has had his hands full with his newest challenge, Shinsuke Nakamura. Corbin jumped “The King of Strong Style” before the MITB Ladder match that “The Lone Wolf” eventually won, and Nakamura has not forgotten about it.
Nakamura has openly insinuated on multiple occasions that he feels Mr. MITB is afraid of him and should be afraid of him. Obviously not feeling the same, Corbin jumped Shinsuke this past week on Smackdown Live during a backstage interview. As Corbin went to rub the beating in Nakamura’s face, “The King of Strong Style” turned the tables and got a few shots in on Baron before the encounter was broken up by officials.
It seems we are heading for a showdown between these two at Battleground, and personally, I couldn’t be more excited about it. Corbin is a legit star in the making while Nakamura is arguably the biggest star on Smackdown right now, so a match between the two should elevate both men and be one heck of a physical encounter. There’s no doubt that with the MITB briefcase in his possession, Baron Corbin is the most dangerous person on the blue brand and will have the hardware to prove it, sooner rather than later.
#4 Braun Strowman
“The Monster Among Men” returned a couple of weeks ago and picked up right where he left off. Strowman emerged from the back of an ambulance, came to the ring, destroyed Reigns, and challenged “The Big Dog” to an Ambulance Match at the Great Balls of Fire PPV this Sunday. Reigns gladly accepted, and the two seem destined to finally put an end to this fantastic feud that many consider a contender for “Feud of the Year” for 2017.
This past week on Raw, Strowman demanded competition leading up to his match with Roman at GBOF. Titus O’ Neil was happy to oblige The Monster Among Men , and sent Apollo Crews to the ring to challenge Braun in the main event of Raw.
Strowman made quick work of Crews (also giving us the GIF of the year when by kicking Apollo half way across the ring when Crews went for a standing moonsault). He even destroyed Titus after the match, making it clear he was more than ready to take on Reigns this Sunday.
Since returning, Strowman has tormented Reigns at the expense of an ambulance, using the ambulance as a major weapon and tossing Roman at, into, and onto it every chance he gets. However, the man who claims that WWE is his yard now finally gained a little momentum this week when he popped out of an ambulance himself and eventually speared the monster off the stage and through several tables.
No matter what happens at GBOF, Strowman has become a bonafide main eventer on Raw. No superstar has taken the leaps that he has over the past year and there is no question he is ready for a shot at the WWE Universal title, and will probably get his shot with a win over Reigns this Sunday.
#3 Samoa Joe (#1 Contender to WWE Universal Title)
In the previous Power Rankings, I’ve talked about how Samoa Joe was close to breaking out on Monday Night Raw, and “The Destroyer” has done so in a huge way ever since becoming the #1 contender to the Universal Title at Extreme Rules. Not only has he proved that he belongs among Raw’s elite, but he’s also proved he’s not afraid of the one man most people on Raw are afraid of, the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
A few weeks ago, Joe and Lesnar were involved in a pull-apart brawl that took the entire locker room to defuse. Two weeks ago, Joe jumped Lesnar from behind and laid him out on the stage thanks to his Coquina Clutch. Therefore, it was no surprise that this week, the Raw top brass did their best to keep the two men separated by conducting a split screen interview.
Samoa Joe, however, was having none of it, and halfway through the interview, decided to go find Brock himself and did so successfully. While being held back by officials, Joe screamed at the champ like a mad man, promising the destruction of “The Beast Incarnate” this Sunday, while Lesnar just laughed off his challenger’s words and antics.
Joe and Lesnar have combined to give us the big-time Universal title feud we’ve been waiting for since the belt was introduced last Summer. And there is really no doubt that Samoa Joe has done the bulk of the work in the build up to this match, and has solidified himself as a main event talent on Raw moving forward.
Standing toe to toe with Lesnar is no easy feat, and doing it three weeks in a row is a huge deal for a guy that some thought would never make it out of NXT. Even with an impending loss coming Sunday, Joe has proved he has all the tools to carry that belt someday in the future.
#2 Brock Lesnar (WWE Universal Champion)
Brock Lesnar finally returned to WWE television a month ago and seemed determined to make a statement to his opponent at Great Balls of Fire, Samoa Joe. However, unlike most in WWE, Joe was unfazed by standing nose to nose with “The Beast Incarnate”.
After several weeks of encounters between the two men, a backstage interview was scheduled for this week, with both competitors in different places where a fight could not break out between them. However, half way through, the challenger did his best to find Lesnar and did, while being held back by officials.
But the champion was less than pleased by the challenger’s theatrics and even laughed in the face of his opponent this Sunday. Lesnar also spoke during the interview extensively, reminding us all of the champion he could be.
It is very clear that Samoa Joe does not fear Brock Lesnar one bit. Hopefully, this leads to an all-time great brawl at Great Balls of Fire, and quite honestly, is the first Lesnar match I’ve looked forward to since his match with Dean Ambrose at last year’s Wrestlemania (and we all know how that went).
However, it seems that Lesnar and Joe are destined to live up to the hype. Hopefully, this feud has brought out the best in Lesnar and forces him to realise the Universal champ he can be, instead of the one he has been.
#1 Jinder Mahal (WWE World Champion)
Jinder Mahal was given a second chance at WWE superstardom a few months back when he won a #1 Contender’s Six-Pack Challenge, and “The Modern Day Maharaja” has not disappointed one bit. After winning the WWE title in shocking fashion at Backlash, Mahal has gone on somewhat of a tear through the blue brand, defeating the likes of AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, and Luke Harper, in between his two wins against Randy Orton.
With so much going right for Mahal, Battleground is where it could all come crashing down for the WWE Champion. Mahal and Orton are set to square off again, this time in a Punjabi Prison Match. The stipulation was made by Jinder a few weeks ago on Smackdown after being given his choice of match to choose by Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon.
While Mahal was allowed to pick the stipulation, it is still a very dangerous match that honestly takes away the champ’s biggest strengths, the Singh Brothers. A win at Battleground would do wonders for the already soaring WWE Champ, as another win over Orton would be a huge deal. Also, doing it without the help of his cronies would legitimise his title run, even more than his work over the past few months has already done.
While still not the strongest in-ring performer, “The Modern Day Maharaja” has proven he has the character and mic skills to carry the WWE Title. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Mahal’s abilities since becoming Champ and am looking forward to seeing him feud with someone else besides Orton after Battleground.
