After another crazy week on WWE TV, which saw some Superstars acclimating to their new home and others reclaiming their positions on their respective shows. The main events for Raw and Smackdown were excellent this week and several storylines were fleshed out a couple weeks before Payback.
Let’s take a look at some of the Superstars that just missed out on the Rankings this week before we get to the SK Power Rankings.
Seth Rollins – After debuting in our rankings after he returned at Wrestlemania, Rollins drops out of it this week after a stint of no competition (along with the fact several Superstars had surprising weeks), but expect him to return to our list if he beats Samoa Joe at Payback.
Alexa Bliss – Alexa Bliss’ rise has been one of the biggest surprises since the brand split last year. Bliss has certainly earned her spot towards the top of the women’s division after the exceptional run she had on Smackdown Live.
Now on Raw, Bliss looks to continue her impressive run on Monday nights after defeating Nia Jax, Sasha Banks, and Mickie James in a Fatal 4-way match to become #1 contender to Bayley’s Raw Women’s Title.
Finn Balor – Just like Alexa Bliss, Bálor dropped out of our Rankings because some new Superstars made a huge impact this past week on WWE TV. Without a match at Payback as of now, Finn may not appear back in our Rankings until he and Bray Wyatt finally lock horns.
Shinsuke Nakamura – As soon as “The King of Strong Style” makes his in-ring debut, he will be a staple in our Rankings.
Tye Dillinger – Since debuting on the main roster a couple of nights after Wrestlemania, Tye Dillinger has been on quite the winning streak. After picking up wins in back-to-back weeks for the first time in what seems like forever, “The Perfect 10” is just one spot away from debuting in our Rankings.
Superstars who dropped out of our rankings: Roman Reigns, The Revival
***This week and for weeks in the future, the change in ranking from last week to this week will be in parentheses next to the Superstar’s name.
#10 Charlotte (Not Ranked)
“The Queen” wasted no time in establishing her dominance on the blue brand, defeating Naomi this past week to become the new #1 contender to Naomi’s Smackdown Women’s Title.
Given the fact that Naomi is possibly the most popular women’s superstar on either roster right now and given the fact that their match on Tuesday was excellent, the clash between Flair and Naomi over the Women’s Title should be fantastic.
#9 Samoa Joe (Not Ranked)
Samoa Joe missed out on our Rankings for a few weeks during the lead up to Wrestlemania since “The Destroyer” did not have a match and was not involved in the event. However, since then, Joe has made quite the impact on Monday Night Raw.
This past week, Joe defeated Chris Jericho thanks to the Coquina Clutch and then cut his best promo since getting called up to the main roster. The match set between him and Rollins for Payback is a couple of months in the making and should be one of the best matches of the PPV.
#8 Jinder Mahal (NR)
Jinder Mahal hadn’t done much in his WWE career, dating back to his first stint with the company where he battled Seth Rollins for the first-ever NXT Title and later joined Heath Slater and Drew Galloway in 3MB. That all changed this past Tuesday night when Mahal picked up the biggest win of his career by far.
Jinder Mahal won the 6-pack challenge on SmackDown Live this week to become the new #1 contender to Randy Orton and his WWE Title. With his first title match ever scheduled for Backlash, Jinder Mahal could be a surprise staple in the Power Rankings moving forward.
#7 Dean Ambrose (-2 spots)
Well so much for Dean Ambrose moving to Raw to start a fresh, new matchup because it looks like we are getting Ambrose vs. Miz again. While we’ve seen this match several times since the brand split on Smackdown, the two have actually done a decent job on Raw making it an interesting feud through promos, which is Miz’s biggest strength, especially since the brand split.
The match may not be the greatest Intercontinental title match ever at Payback, but the two will surely make it very personal.
#6 Hardy Boyz (Raw Tag Team Champions) (No Change)
For weeks now, The Hardy Boyz have been the only tag team in our Power Rankings. However, this past week on Raw, we got our first taste of singles competition from the Hardyz since they returned, as Jeff Hardy took on Cesaro, in what many would have considered a dream match years ago.
While Jeff is almost 40 and nowhere near his prime, the match was still excellent and showed just how great the tag match at Payback can be next weekend.
#5 Braun Strowman (+2 Spots)
Braun Strowman’s meteoric rise through our Rankings continues as he moves up two spots to #5. The last two weeks have absolutely put “The Monster Among Men” into the main event scene on Raw moving forward, and possibly even the Universal Title scene with a win over Roman Reigns at Payback.
Not only that, Strowman is honestly becoming the only reason to watch Monday Night Raw nowadays. Every week, the monster finds a new way to impress the WWE Universe, and with his biggest win possibly on the horizon at Payback when he takes on Roman Reigns, it might not be long before we see Braun in our top 3.
#4 Kevin Owens (United States Champion) (No Change)
The self-proclaimed “Face of America” has become an absolute star on Smackdown Live, and he’s only been there for two weeks. After last week’s fantastic promo, this week the US Champ issued an Open Challenge for the title.
After dismissing his opponent rather quickly, Owens turned his attention to the night’s main event between AJ Styles and Baron Corbin by joining the commentary team and getting a close look at the #1 contender to his title, AJ Styles.
However, during the match, Corbin tossed Styles into Owens. The impending match between Kevin Owens and AJ Styles is one that wrestling fans have waited for since the two got to the company and is a match that should absolutely steal the show when it happens.
#3 AJ Styles (No Change)
The main event this past week on Smackdown Live was excellent and it was due to the performance of the two Superstars, Baron Corbin and AJ Styles. SmackDown is known for great main events but this one served more than just to please the fans.
Styles picked up a count-out victory over “The Lone Wolf” and solidified his position as #1 contender to Kevin Owens’ U.S. Title. Given the rumours that Styles is set to face Orton for the WWE Title in a long program this summer, it seems that Styles may come up short against Owens for the US Title, but it could be a good thing considering that he’d be the favourite in a feud with Orton.
Plus, who doesn’t want to see AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Title at next year’s Mania????
#2 Brock Lesnar (WWE Universal Champion) (No Change)
While Brock Lesnar is the Universal Champion, reports indicate that Lesnar will not have a match at Raw’s upcoming PPV, Payback. Therefore, there is absolutely no telling when we will see “The Beast Incarnate” again on Monday nights.
However, WWE has teased since Mania that Lesnar’s next opponent could be Braun Strowman, then eventually Roman Reigns. While most of us would love to see Strowman take down Lesnar for the Universal Title, that doesn’t seem likely, as it’s being reported that “The Big Dog”, Roman Reigns will be the one to dethrone “The Beast”.
#1 Randy Orton (WWE Champion) (No Change)
The WWE Champion has spent the last several weeks preparing for a rematch with “The Eater of Worlds”, Bray Wyatt, in a “House of Horrors” match next Sunday at Payback. However, with the recent news that the match is not for the title, one would expect “The Viper” to fall to Bray Wyatt without losing his belt.
Quite frankly, I don’t understand why any fan would care about their match at Payback. Not only do none of us know what to expect from a “House of Horrors” match, but we’ve already seen a match between the two and this time there is nothing at stake for either Superstar.
Then to make things worse, the new #1 contender to Orton’s title is Jinder Mahal, who has been a jobber since returning to the WWE last year. Hopefully, the plan for Styles-Orton gets here a lot sooner than later because “The Apex Predator” could sure use an important feud right now.
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