Ranking WWE Superstars of the week (August 31 - September 7)

SummerSlam appears long in the rear view mirror now. The company is racing to Hell in a Cell at breakneck speed, with only about a week left to go until the show. With most of the matches having already been made for the event, this week was comparatively quiet in some divisions, though in others, there were a few seismic changes.

Which division saw the most shakeup in the standings this week?

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Raw Men's Division

Strowman

got some measure of payback this week, even if it was oddly booked.

#1 Universal Champion Roman Reigns (NC)

#2 Braun Strowman (No.1 contender, Mr. Money in the Bank - NC)

#3 Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins (NC)

#4 Dolph Ziggler (NC)

#5 Drew McIntyre (NC)

#6 Dean Ambrose (NC)

#7 Bobby Lashley (NC)

#8 Kevin Owens (NC)

#9 Acting GM Baron Corbin (NC)

#10 Finn Balor (NC)

Summary

Despite an eventful week on Raw with a faction war seeming to brew between the Shield and every heel on the red brand's roster, the standings in the Raw men's singles division were unchanged from last week. Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler made a splash elsewhere, but as singles competitors, their standing remains the same.

Kevin Owens, meanwhile, didn't exactly have a hot return, which is something that should surprise no one. Instead, it looks like he'll be put in a feud with Bobby Lashley that does nothing for either man. Neither of their prospects looks bright at the moment.

Finn Balor's role as the jobber to the bigger players in the division also remained unchanged after taking a loss to Braun Strowman.

The Raw men's division looks like it will be static for the foreseeable future, though Seth Rollins' open challenge format might eventually change this. There's always the chance that there could be a surprise Intercontinental title change on an episode of Raw that has flagging viewership.

Raw Women's Divison

They're really gonna do this, aren't they?

#1 Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey (NC)

#2 Alexa Bliss (No.1 contender - NC)

#3 Nikki and Brie Bella (+7)

#4 Natalya (-1)

#5 Sasha Banks (-1)

#6 Bayley (-1)

#7 Ember Moon (-1)

#8 Dana Brooke (NC)

#9 Ruby Riott (-2)

#10 Mickie James (-1)

Summary

The return of the Bellas promptly sent a lot more people toward the back of the line. The Riott Squad bore the brunt of their return in a botch filled match on Monday. Expect Nikki to break away from her sister soon.

Dana Brooke remains ranked eighth, if only because she may be breaking free from Titus Worldwide and have something else lined up for her.

Further up the card, Alexa Bliss submitted Natalya, who was used as a plot device to further her feud with Ronda Rousey. Perhaps Natalya won't turn on her friend after all.

With no feasible challenger to Ronda Rousey at the moment, the Raw women's division still looks messy.

Raw Tag Team Division

This was long overdue.

#1 Raw Tag Team Champions Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler (+5)

#2 The B-Team (-1)

#3 The Revival (-1)

#4 The Authors of Pain (-1)

#5 Titus Worldwide (-1)

#6 Bobby Roode and Chad Gable (+2)

#7 The Ascension (-1)

Summary

By far, the division that got shaken up the most this week was the Raw tag team division. It looks like the company finally became aware that the red brand's doubles division was the weakest on any show and that something needed to be done about it. Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre became a proper tag team and dismantled the B-Team in a way that was long overdue.

Beyond the new champions, though, we got a new team in the form of Bobby Roode and Chad Gable, who scored a quick win over The Ascension. Since neither was going anywhere as singles competitors, the pairing, even if random, makes sense and will help strengthen the doubles division.

The company also seemed to realize the mistake it made with the Authors Of Pain and gave them Drake Maverick as their hype man. That should be a shot in the arm for them.

The Shield might also be entering the fray soon, which will only strengthen things further. We must give credit to the company for turning things around so dramatically and all in the course of one show.

SmackDown Men's Division

Let them fight!

#1 WWE Champion AJ Styles (NC)

#2 Samoa Joe (No.1 contender - NC)

#3 The Miz (NC)

#4 Daniel Bryan (NC)

#5 Jeff Hardy (NC)

#6 Randy Orton (NC)

#7 United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura (NC)

#8 Andrade "Cien" Almas (NC)

#9 R-Truth (+2)

#10 Rusev (-1)

Summary

Things were mostly quiet in SmackDown's men's division this week, though Andrade "Cien" Almas had a horrible Tuesday night. R-Truth somehow made the main event, which boosts him into the top 10 for now, though don't be surprised if he drops out of the standings next week.

Rusev and Aiden English started functioning as a tag team again, so don't expect them to rise in singles status anytime soon.

SmackDown Women's Division

Well, she needed to start somewhere.

#1 SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair (NC)

#2 Becky Lynch (No.1 contender - NC)

#3 Carmella (NC)

#4 Asuka (NC)

#5 Peyton Royce and Billie Kay (NC)

#7 Zelina Vega (NC)

#8 Lana (NC)

#9 Naomi (NC)

#10 Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville - tie (NC)

Summary

Asuka returned to television this week to assist Naomi against the IIconics. Talk about a drop in value compared to where she was at the beginning of the year. Still, it wasn't enough to change anything about the division.

Zelina Vega had a horrible night against Brie Bella, but with the latter feuding with Maryse, it appears more a "special attraction" angle than anything part of the SmackDown women's division proper, especially since Bella's actual match was on Raw.

SmackDown Tag Team Division

Note the winners in the background.

#1 SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day (NC)

#2 The Bar and Rusev Day - tie (+1 for RD)

#3 The Usos (NC)

#4 Gallows and Anderson (-1)

#5 SAnitY (-1)

#6 The Colons (-1)

Summary

Rusev Day advanced to the number one contender's match this week, which means they currently rank second in the division with the Bar. SAnitY took the pin in the triple threat tag team match, which bumps them further down the division. Their presence on the show feels more meaningless with each appearance.

As for the Colons, the next time it snows in May is likely the next time they'll appear.

NXT Men's Division

"You're a failure!"

#1 NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa (NC)

#2 Aleister Black (NC)

#3 Velveteen Dream (+1)

#4 NXT North American Champion Ricochet (-1)

#5 Adam Cole (NC)

#6 Johnny Gargano (NC)

#7 United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne (NC)

#8 Keith Lee (NC)

#9 Lars Sullivan (NC)

#10 Kassius Ohno (+1)

Summary

The Aleister Black mystery continues. It looks as if the former champion is still owed a rematch, but failing that at TakeOver: War Games II, Velveteen Dream is the clear next in line following his victory over Johnny Gargano this week. Gargano's direction remains unclear, but it isn't enough to keep him from losing his spot yet.

Meanwhile, a match was announced between Ricochet and Pete Dunne with both of their respective titles on the line, but if you don't expect Adam Cole and co. to get involved in it, I pity you.

Further down the card, EC3 dropped out of the top 10 as Kassius Ohno's winning streak continued. He declared he'd be there to meet the next hot prospect. That means you, Matt Riddle.

NXT Women's Division

Round four invoked.

#1 NXT Women's Champion Kairi Sane (NC)

#2 Shayna Baszler (No. 1 contender - NC)

#3 Bianca Belair (NC)

#4 Lacey Evans (NC)

#5 Nikki Cross (NC)

#6 Dakota Kai (NC)

#7 Candice LeRae (NC)

#8 Taynara Conti (NC)

#9 Aliyah (NC)

#10 Vanessa Bourne (NC)

Summary

Everything was quiet here. Kairi Sane returned to Full Sail for the first time since winning the championship last month, squashing a jobber in the process. Shayna Baszler came out and declared she would invoke her rematch clause. Expect it to take place at Evolution. While it's unlikely that Baszler will win the title back (especially with Bianca Belair waiting in the wings), it isn't impossible, and fans should be concerned, because if that happens, it would be a catastrophe for the division.

More notably, the Mae Young Classic began, giving us a glimpse of the future, and the future looks bright! Still, it won't be until after Evolution and TakeOver: War Games II that the competitors will begin to make a mark at Full Sail. Things should remain quiet for now, but in the home stretch of the year, the NXT Women's Division will begin a radical makeover.

NXT Tag Team Division

Ssshhh, one of them is a former champion.

#1 NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (NC)

#2 War Raiders (NC)

#3 Moustache Mountain (NC)

#4 Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch (NC)

#5 The Forgotten Sons (+2)

#6 The Street Profits (-1)

#7 Heavy Machinery

#8 The Mighty

Summary

The Forgotten sons scored a victory over the Street Profits this week, even if it was a dirty one. The Mighty got involved in the match, but incompetently. One wonders what purpose they're currently serving in that division.

The NXT tag team division certainly looks weak outside the top of the card. It's a credit to the Undisputed Era that the division has been exciting as it has this year.

Cruiserweight Division

Metalik made a big impression.

#1 Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander (NC)

#2 Buddy Murphy (No.1 contender, +2)

#3 Drew Gulak (-1)

#4 Hideo Itami (-1)

#5 Mustafa Ali (NC)

#6 Lio Rush (NC)

#7 Akira Tozawa (NC)

#8 Gran Metalik (+3)

#9 Noam Dar (+2)

#10 TJP (+1)

Summary

The Cruiserweight division witnessed a lot of movement this week. Buddy Murphy being officially announced as the #1 contender for Super Showdown bumped his ranking up. It makes a lot of sense, and hopefully, he'll get the win in front of his hometown crowd. Cedric Alexander's reign has more than run its course and Murphy has arguably been the MVP of the show all year.

Gran Metalik exploded onto the scene with an excellent match against Tony Nese. Noam Dar appears to be entering a feud with Lio Rush. Meanwhile, TJP lost to Alexander but got into the top 10 because of that exposure.