WWE Power Rankings: 26 July, 2014

The week after Battleground showed several new developments to the WWE landscape and the company have changed gears to deliver a great SummerSlam.Brock Lesnar made his much awaited return and made it clear that Cena has a big target painted on his back. Friction was at its epitome between Randy Orton and Roman Reigns on the other side while Dean Ambrose was out to run rampage on everything thrown at him.Midcard remained silent apart from the teased stable consisting of Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods. Paiges heel turn was another big headline from the week and has given new life for the divas division. WWE fans got their money worth this week so here is a look at the Power Rankings to see how the superstars faired.

#25 Zack Ryder (Previous Rank Nil)

Ryder was not able to capitalize on the opportunity he had at Battleground but came back into winning ways at Raw where he defeated Fandango. It’s not every day that you see Ryder get a spot in the Power Rankings which speaks out how important this is for him.

#24 Dolph Ziggler (Previous Rank 23)

Ziggler had a great performance at Battleground and ended up being the runner up in the battle royal. Though he picked up an impressive win on Raw against the new intercontinental champion, falling short on Sunday drags the show off one place back in the rankings.

#23 Rybaxel (Previous Rank 21)

It wasn’t a great week for the duo as they showed cracks in their well bonded relationship. There was a some moments to cheer as well when they picked up a win against Big E and Kingston, but apart from that it was a week to forget for Ryback and Curtis Axel.

#22 Jack Swagger (Previous Rank 22)

The Real American exceeded expectations at Battleground when he pushed the Bulgarian brute to his limit. The rematch ended in favor of Swagger which was encouraging for his future run and keeps him rooted to his previous ranking.

#21 The Miz (Previous Rank 25)

Just when the WWE universe was starting to think that Miz’s return is going to end up embarrassing him, the creative team decided to make him the Intercontinental champion. The same writers gave him a loss at Raw but this didn’t stop the awesome one from progressing in the Power Rankings.

#20 Rob Van Dam (Previous Rank 15)

Van Dam looked all set to have one final championship run at Battleground but was knocked out before the match started due to an injury he picked up. This has cost him big time in the Power Rankings where he dropped five places all the way to 20th.

#19 Stardust and Goldust (Previous Rank 17)

There was nothing to cherish this week for the creepy duo despite their characters being over with the fans. WWE should think about pushing these two back into the title mix as Usos are having a dilemma on the choice of their next opponents.

#18 Bo Dallas (Previous Rank 18)

Bo Dallas extended his unbeaten streak at the expense of Damien Sandow and Dolph Ziggler this week which has helped him to stay put in the Rankings. However, the inspirational one wouldn’t be happy about the opportunity he wasted on Sunday to become a champion.

#17 Chris Jericho (Previous Rank 20)

Jericho was back under pay-per-view spotlight this Sunday and showed that he hasn’t missed a beat when he defeated Bray Wyatt. The match however got a lot of criticism for not living up to the expectations which is something he should look into if he has to climb further.

#16 Adam Rose (Previous Rank 16)

Rose might not be getting a bit push in terms of storylines, but he is picking up wins over the course. This week, the party animal had two wins to show after coming over Fandango and Heath Slater which has kept him in the 16th place.

#15 Rusev (Previous Rank 13)

Rusev edged out Swagger at Battleground in an intriguing match which the real American almost won. It didn’t turn out well for the Bulgarian brute at Main event also and this drops Rusev for the first time since he made his main roster debut.

#14 Paige (Previous Rank 14)

Paige was on the winning side twice this week but it was her heel turn which stole the headlines. Paige also took time to mock AJ to an extent which further fuels the friction between the two heading into their potential title match at SummerSlam.

#13 Big E (Previous Rank 12)

Big E looks all set to be introduced into a big storyline after failing to win the Intercontinental championship on Sunday. Future looks bright for Big E if the company goes ahead with the stable plans but till then he has to do something if he is to improve his weekend ranking.

#12 Cesaro (Previous Rank 11)

The Swiss Superman seems to have ended his association with Paul Heyman and it certainly is not doing him any good. He was the favorite to win the Intercontinental title but expectations were not converted to result as Cesaro crashed out of the battle royal.

#11 Kane (Previous Rank 9)

The Big red monster fell short of winning the WWE championship at Battleground but had his say against all three men involved in the match. Kane still remains as a big question in front of the authority who doesn’t know what to do with him at this moment.

#10 Brock Lesnar (Previous Rank Nil)

Sunday saw AJ returning to pay-per-view after almost three months and he ended the night on a winning note. However, her friend turning against her wasn’t something that AJ might’ve expected to happen. She now has a score to settle with Paige after that which plays foundation for a great feud.

#9 AJ Lee (Previous Rank 10)

Sunday saw AJ returning to pay-per-view after almost three months and he ended the night on a winning note. However, her friend turning against her wasn’t something that AJ might’ve expected to happen. She now has a score to settle with Paige after that which plays foundation for a great feud.

#8 Wyatt family (Previous Rank 7)

The trio looked to be carrying a lot of momentum heading into Battleground but was caught out when the situation arrived. To be frank, the Wyatt Family might be slipping out of relevance after repeatedly taking losses and this reflects in the ranking as well.

#7 Usos (Previous Rank 8)

Usos showed on Sunday why they are considered the best team in the Tag team division when they dispatched Wyatt Family in style. Another win against Rybaxel in the middle of the week helps Usos to edge closer to the top five which have been teasing them for a long time now.

#6 Randy Orton (Previous Rank 4)

Despite having all the backing from the Authority, Orton couldn’t get the title from Cena at Battleground. He also was on the receiving side of a nasty attack from Roman Reigns who looks set to take out the viper, most probably at SummerSlam.

#5 Sheamus (Previous Rank 3)

The Hopes of Sheamus to holding both the midcard title at the same time didn’t turn into reality at Battleground. This loss take the Celtic warrior out of the top three spots but with the United states title in his hands, it is a ranking that he could get back soon.

#4 Dean Ambrose (Previous Rank 6)

Ambrose was denied the right to compete at Battleground after a Screwjob from the Authority but it didn’t stop him from making a statement. He picked up a big win against Cesaro in the week and has improved his previous ranking while preparing to take out Rollins.

#3 Seth Rollins (Previous Rank 5)

Rollins got a cheap win on Sunday over Dean Ambrose and remained low on the week that followed. Holding the briefcase still projects the architect as a big thing in the roster and it would only be a matter of time before he lives up to that tag.

#2 Roman Reigns (Previous Rank 2)

Reigns proved to the WWE Universe that he deserves the current push that he is receiving from the creative team at Battleground. He didn’t win the WWE championship but delivered a big match performance against three experienced veterans which is something he could be proud of.

#1 John Cena (Previous Rank 1)

The Cenation leader had the odds stacked against him at Battleground but came out with the titles as expected. After the big win, Cena will now have to look forward to facing the beast once again. Unlike the last outing, Lesnar is coming in with a lot of momentum which is more than enough for Cena to be concerned.