WWE Power Rankings: December 20, 2014

The week after TLC was supposed to be a game changer for WWE as we officially entered the road to Royal Rumble. That however didn’t happen as the week fell flat apart from a few segments here and there.A returning Brock Lesnar was indeed a big boost for everyone, but that still didn’t cover up for the mess WWE delivered elsewhere. An unexpected truce between Paul Heyman and Seth Rollins also rocked the WWE Universe as in opened up the door for a new ‘Paul Heyman’ guy.All these along with what went down at TLC made drastic changes to the Power Rankings. So here is a look at which all superstars made the jump and which all superstars suffered the drop in the final list that shaped up.

#25 Naomi (Previous Rank 24)

Naomi had the potential to be a big factor at TLC but WWE decided not to go that way. She however looks like the new No.1 Contender for the divas championship and even got a shot at Nikki Bella on SmackDown which she failed to morph into a success story.

#24 Brie Bella (Previous Rank 23)

Brie Bella’s run in the WWE still remains as a big question mark as she looks all over the place. She did have a tag team match on Raw against Natalya and Naomi but ended up on the wrong side of the result and drops down on place in the rankings because of that.

#23 Roman Reigns (Previous Rank Nil)

The Samoan Superman made a big return to WWE programing at TLC when he came out to save John Cena from the World’s Largest Athlete. He managed to carry that momentum throughout the week as well and gets a place in the Power Rankings as a result.

#22 Tyson Kidd (Previous Rank 21)

The team of Tyson Kidd and Cesaro did have a lot of potential but the creative team decided to drop the ball on them sooner than expected. The loss that Kidd took at Main event drags him back one place in the ranking but as long as Kidd is still relevant in the weekly programming, many of his fans won’t complain.

#21 Natalya (Previous Rank 25)

With AJ Lee almost taken out of the Divas Championship scenario, Natalya seems to be the prime candidate to take over. Her win on Monday Night Raw against the Bellas suggested the same while Nattie also has the leverage of the angle she is running with her husband.

#20 Kane (Previous Rank 22)

The Big Red monster might’ve fell hard at the TLC pay-per-view but he did come back strongly after that. Kane seems to have sparked a feud with Adam Rose and his Bunny at the moment and though it might not sound that good, showing off Kane’s dominance before another feud will be crucial.

#19 Erick Rowan (Previous Rank 17)

Erick Rowan’s loss against Big Show at TLC was one of the most shocking moments that came out of the pay-per-view. No one expected him to loss after the buildup he got and now that the unthinkable happened, WWE will have to spend some extra time to make Rowan look better.

#18 Paige (Previous Rank 20)

Paige and Emma have a history of putting on classic matches from their NXT days, but since the actual product is not as good as the Developmental territory, these two girls were relegated to Main event. Paige nevertheless did get a win which improves her ranking by two places.

#17 Dust Brothers (Previous Rank 15)

From being the Tag Team Champions to putting over New Day, the Dust Brother really took a big fall. They suffered a string of losses in an attempt to put the new faction over. It’s clear as sky that the former champions deserve a better booking and they will hopefully get it as well.

#16 The New Day (Previous Rank 18)

There are no hints on what WWE is planning with the new trio on the block but it definetly something bright. The stable picked up wins at TLC, Main Event and Monday Night Raw which helps them to make a two place jump in the Power Rankings for this week.

#15 Jack Swagger (Previous Rank 14)

Swagger was entitled with the impossible task of defeating the United States Champion at TLC. He did put up a great performance under the pay-per-view spotlight but that wasn’t enough to help the Real American keep his place in the Power Rankings.

#14 Luke Harper (Previous Rank 13)

Harper and Ziggler delivered a standout ladder match at TLC which set the benchmark for everything that followed. The weird guy did lose his Intercontinental Championship to the showoff but he still remains relevant in the midcard scene even if Harper deserves a better push.,

#13 The Usos (Previous Rank 12)

Usos had a shot at the Tag Team championship on Sunday but failed to capitalize their opportunity. Miz and Mizdow did take the easy route out of the clash but a loss is a loss once it’s all over. The friction between Jimmy and Naomi also made it a bad week for Usos as they drop one place in the ranking.

#12 Big Show (Previous Rank 16)

The World’s largest Athlete came out on top in the first ever stairs match in the WWE history. Show is apparently going nowhere with the win and getting punched by Reigns on the same night was the proof of that. The win however helps him to climb four places in the ranking.

#11 Ryback (Previous Rank 11)

The big guy ran through Kane at TLC but seems to have locked horns with something he can’t chew. The angle between Ryback and Rusev is clearly a big attraction for the midcard title scenario but that doesn’t mean it will end pretty for Ryback who looks set to be crushed.

#10 AJ Lee (Previous Rank 8)

AJ Lee’s dreams of capturing back the Divas Championship came to an abrupt end at TLC where Nikki came out with a win. The win was indeed a botched one thanks to help from Brie and AJ does have a case in her hand if she wants another shot at the title that belongs to her.

#9 Nikki Bella (Previous Rank 10)

TLC and the week that followed proved to be excellent days for the divas champion as she came out winning in two title defenses. The loss on Raw against Natalya and Naomi was indeed a black mark but Nikki still manages to climb further into the top ten.

#8 Miz and Mizdow (Previous Rank 9)

Miz and Mizdow didn’t have a great week to be frank as their win came in a forgettable manner. Despite this, they are still reining as the tag team champions and Mizdow being immensely over with the WWE Universe helps the team to climb one place in the ranking.

#7 Seth Rollins (Previous Rank 6)

Seth Rollins suffered a cheap loss to John Cena at TLC but got his revenge on the night that followed. His handshake with Paul Heyman has caused a lot of buzz about Rollins being the new ‘Paul Heyman’ guy. All these however weren’t good enough to keep Rollins in his place as he drops down.

#6 Rusev (Previous Rank 7)

The Bulgarian Brute dispatched his Real American opponent in style at TLC and kept his undefeated run intact. The week that followed showed a lot of promise as Ryback came up as the new challenger for Rusev. That chapter is yet to unfold but before that, Rusev sits pretty in the sixth position.

#5 Dean Ambrose (Previous Rank 3)

The Lunatic Side of Dean Ambrose was there to be seen once again at TLC when he went toe to toe with Bray Wyatt. Ambrose should’ve came out winning as well if it wasn’t for the magical television monitor under the ring and the loss costs him two places in the ranking.

#4 Bray Wyatt (Previous Rank 4)

Bray as at the verge of losing against Dean Ambrose on Sunday when the monitor came to his rescue. It was some utterly ridiculous booking from the WWE creative team to be frank but at the end of the day, it’s a win for the eater of the worlds and that keeps him rooted to the fourth spot.

#3 John Cena (Previous Rank 5)

The Cenation leader makes a big jump into the third place thanks to his win against Seth Rollins at TLC. Cena did lose out to Rollins in the steel cage match that followed but that was due to a timely interference from Brock Lesnar who made his return to the programming.

#2 Dolph Ziggler (Previous Rank 2)

Ziggler once again stood out as the real gem in a WWE pay-per-view when he defeated Luke Harper at TLC to win the Intercontinental Championship. He also got a good win against Rollins on SmackDown and all that keeps Ziggler in the second position.

#1 Brock Lesnar (Previous Rank 1)

The Beast’s much awaited return finally happened on the Raw after TLC and he made his intentions clear. Lesnar took out Chris Jericho and John Cena without much effort but buried the hatchet with Rollins which ended up being a big surprise.