Sportskeeda's WWE power rankings (June 2018)

June was an eventful month for WWE across all three of its main brands, even though the weekly main roster programming - Raw in particular - was as stagnant as ever.

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Nevertheless, June had a TakeOver event that was followed by an eventful, if controversial, Money in the Bank pay-per-view with its all-important briefcase plot device.

The month wrapped up with a UK tournament that established a number of future stars in the company, and finally, there was a major signing to cap everything off.

Perhaps never has so much happened while making fans feel like so little has occurred. It's a strange dynamic indeed.

With July underway, the year is now moving into its second half. SummerSlam is getting closer. It's now time to take a look at the 25 superstars from Raw, SmackDown, and NXT that had the best June and are poised to make the most impact as the summer heats up.

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#25 Io Shirai

On the very last day of June, a major signing was revealed at an ordinarily nondescript live event. This was anything but a nondescript signing, however. Io Shirai, widely regarded as the best female professional wrestler on the planet, announced that she was on her way to NXT.

The hype that follows her is rightfully massive, and dream match scenarios ran wild in the heads of all of those familiar with her work. It's also no coincidence that the second Mae Young Classic is on the way. She'll certainly be a part of it and is the early favorite to win the entire thing.

She might not be on the list in July, but once the tournament begins in August, expect her to become a mainstay for a long time to come. She's about to take the NXT women's division by storm and to quote a certain famous advocate, that's undisputed.

#24 Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch currently appears to be in the midst of a push.

"Appears to be" are the important words here, because she's been given these kinds of start/stop pushes in the past. We have no idea whether this is another one of those. It feels different though, because of how over she was at Money in the Bank.

For long-suffering Becky fans, that might well be good enough.

The real litmus test will be if she scores victories over people higher on the totem pole on SmackDown, and how her booking is after Charlotte comes off the injury shelf.

#23 Asuka

It's incredible how far Asuka's stock has fallen even since the beginning of June. On the June 5th episode, she beat both members of Absolution at the same time. At the end of the month, thanks to poor booking, she's in danger of falling off the power list.

After having been made to look like a fool at Money in the Bank, Asuka will get another shot at the SmackDown Women's Championship at Extreme Rules. All she needs is that one big win to catapult her back into the promised land. We still have no clue if she'll get it, though.

It would truly be insane to send Carmella into SummerSlam as champion though, so at least that point is in Asuka's favor.

#22 Shinsuke Nakamura

After failing for the sixth time to capture the WWE Championship, the "King of Strong Style" was set to have a United States Championship feud with Jeff Hardy. Then, injury via police dog intervened.

Whenever he comes off the injury shelf, expect the feud to resume.

Nakamura's stock certainly declined after his failure at Money in the Bank, but he could have had a much harder landing than a mid-card title feud. In his case, "mid-card purgatory" could have been a whole lot worse.

#21 Zack Gibson

Though the winner of the UK tournament failed to capture Pete Dunne's title, he established himself as the top heel of the upcoming NXT UK show. The reactions he got at Royal Albert Hall in London were nuclear.

It also helps that his matches with Travis Banks and Pete Dunne were excellent, and both should be in match of the year conversations.

Though he failed this time, it's only a matter of time until he puts the UK's gold around his waist once the division is up and running.

#20 Toni Storm

Toni Storm failed in her quest to acquire the NXT Women's Championship, but the match was one of the best women's contests this year so far, and the level of protection she received in it indicates that the company has big plans for her.

She established herself as the leading woman in WWE's UK division, and a second Mae Young Classic appearance has been all but confirmed in a video promotion.

An appearance in the finals opposite Io Shirai is likely.

No matter what happens, expect to see Storm's name on this list frequently.

#19 Velveteen Dream

Dream may have lost to Ricochet in Chicago, but he proved once again that he's the future of the company. He has a talent for making things seem like they matter, and he did that throughout the entire contest.

Where he goes from here as NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn approaches is debatable. Another talent of Dream's is looking great in defeat (which will help him immensely with the main roster's erratic booking), but he does need a big TakeOver victory if he's going to keep the crowd with him.

He's definitely one to watch in July and August. His rank could fluctuate wildly.

#18 Carmella (with James Ellsworth)

Carmella may have retained her SmackDown Women's Championship, but that doesn't erase the weaknesses of her reign.

What was particularly ominous for her was James Ellsworth being moreover without her last Tuesday that he was with her the week before.

And with Ellsworth having indy dates booked past Extreme Rules, the prospects for her title reign don't look great.

It might continue, but it won't make her more over with the audience. She'll benefit from booking and nothing else, which is why she's so high to begin with.

#17 Johnny Gargano

Johnny Gargano is at rock bottom again. He became unglued in Chicago. It cost him. It looks like he still hasn't gotten over it.

And that's why fans are so invested in him. How is he ever going to overcome this setback?

Gargano's story arc is one of the best ever told in professional wrestling, and a good example of how to make someone feel like he matters even in the midst of a huge loss.

We don't know what direction Gargano will take heading into TakeOver: Brooklyn. He might even miss NXT's biggest show, but that might not even be a bad thing. How his story develops from here will be of great interest.

#16 Daniel Bryan

Thankfully, Daniel Bryan has moved on from Big Cass (as has the company).

After failing in SmackDown's gauntlet match the week before, thanks in part to the Bludgeon Brothers, Bryan was looking for revenge against them. He found help in an unlikely ally - a returning Kane.

Team Hell No reunited.

The fans ate it up and it will be fun while it lasts.

#15 The Bludgeon Brothers

After retaining their titles against Gallows and Anderson, the Bludgeon Brothers were put in a much hotter feud against the newly-reunited Team Hell No. After a three-month span of hibernation, it at last looks like the SmackDown tag team division is waking up.

Kane won't be around for long, so the Bludgeon Brothers should still be the favorites to retain their championships. Stranger things have happened though.

Regardless, it's good to see the champions mattering again.

#14 Ricochet

Fresh off a major victory against Velveteen Dream, Ricochet is poised to enter the upper echelons of NXT, and he did it in nearly record time.

His first pinfall loss coming at the hands of Adam Cole and the Undisputed Era speaks unambiguously about his path to Brooklyn, and there's every reason to get excited about it.

Ricochet will have a tall task ahead of him because, with the exception of Aleister Black, the Undisputed Era have gotten the better of every person and team they've feuded with since their arrival a year ago.

It's a preview for what could be the most prominent feud in NXT for the next year, so Ricochet has a bright future ahead of him.

#13 The Undisputed Era

Sure, they may have lost their NXT tag team titles (spoiler alert: it won't hurt them), but they remain the masters of NXT's mid-card.

The team retained their championships in Chicago in the best tag team match of the year, and they'd go on to beat Moustache Mountain and Ricochet in a six-man tag team match on NXT's last June broadcast.

Their road to Brooklyn is going to be interesting. Since they have little competition left in NXT, where will they go from here?

#12 Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley (tie)

Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley are in the exact same place. They both dispatched their middling heel rivals at Money in the Bank and have turned their attention toward each other as the questions about Brock Lesnar circulate through Raw.

The Universal Championship picture is such a mess that it's hard to say anything for sure, and Reigns' involvement with Seth Rollins might make this rivalry hit a snag, but it's possible the two will feud with each other.

It would be an ice cold rivalry, but one WWE considers important, if only by booking.

#11 Seth Rollins

He's no longer Intercontinental Champion, but he's embroiled in a feud for Raw's most important title (sorry, fruit rollup belt). Getting embroiled with the hot Ziggler/McIntyre pairing for the gold should only help Seth Rollins even more.

This is the first major setback for Rollins since he began his hot streak in February. Fans will be invested in seeing how he overcomes it. Will he get his title back? Will he drop down the chart? Or will he vault himself into the main event?

#10 Pete Dunne

With his victory over Zack Gibson, Pete Dunne cemented his place as the UK division's standard-bearer. After the match, he had with Gibson, and the previous match he had with Kyle O'Reilly, it's hard to argue against the decision.

Tapings for the UK show will finally begin later this summer, and Dunne will have the most prominent place on it. We'll have to see what he's served, but it should be something very good.

#9 Rusev

June 19th was the happiest of all Rusev Days. That's when the holiday's namesake shocked the world and became No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship.

It was a long time coming. Rusev had cooled off from his torrid winter, but fans were no doubt happy to see him in the title picture. It's a filler contest for sure. Rusev's chances of dethroning AJ Styles are smaller than me stepping foot on Mars, but he now has a chance to prove himself in the main event.

If he does, he might finally wind up a mainstay on this list. Or he could just as easily go back to being irrelevant.

#8 Aleister Black

The Ominous Man from Amsterdam successfully defended his NXT Championship in Chicago against Lars Sullivan, though it took three Black Masses to do it.

Sullivan took Black to the limit, and the champion now looks like he'll be faced with a very different kind of challenger, as cunning and ruthless as Sullivan was strong. It will be an interesting new dynamic as the champion makes his way into Brooklyn, and the program should vault the NXT title into more prominence than it's seen in the past few months.

#7 Shayna Baszler

After defending her championship against Nikki Cross, the Queen of Spades did so again in London against Toni Storm. The duo of important victories, one atop the other, cemented her place as a terrible prospect for any challenger that wants her gold.

She'll be a challenge indeed for any contender, and with her path to Brooklyn clear, Shayna Baszler is about to enter a rivalry that will far exceed her feuds with Ember Moon, Dakota Kai, and Nikki Cross in intensity.

#6 Dolph Ziggler

No matter the reasons why, Dolph Ziggler has found a resurgence on Monday nights. His two bouts with Seth Rollins and his crowning as Intercontinental Champion were the capstones in a renewed push.

With him feuding with Rollins and with Drew McIntyre by his side, he'll remain one of the most prominent characters on Raw for the time being.

There are rumors that his push is related to his imminent contract expiration, and McIntyre will inevitably eclipse him, but if this is indeed either his swan song or an attempt to get him to sign again, he'll be served well during this period.

#5 AJ Styles

After successfully defending the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura at Money in the Bank, AJ Styles has finally moved on. His next opponent will be Rusev. Styles will walk away from that feud too.

Advertisements indicate that his challenger after Rusev will be Samoa Joe. That's a mouthwatering prospect. The matches with Rusev and Samoa Joe will ensure Styles' place near the top of this list for the next few months.

Ironically, AJ's been in a slump the first half of this year, by his standards, anyway. These two rivalries offer the chance of renewal.

#4 Tommaso Ciampa

After his victory over Gargano (while handcuffed, he won't hesitate to remind you), Tommaso Ciampa secured his place as the unambiguous top heel in the entire WWE. He now has his sights set on a new journey - Aleister Black and the NXT Championship.

Ciampa claims that it's time for Black to face the devil, and it looks like he's already gotten into the NXT Champion's head, a rarity since it's usually Black that plays the mind games.

This should be an excellent rivalry, and hopefully, the match will happen at TakeOver: Brooklyn.

#3 Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey is made.

After an incredible match against Nia Jax that silenced any doubt as to her abilities in the ring, she's entering a feud with Alexa Bliss, who will play the perfect antagonist against her. The segment above was great, and if the feud stays on that level, it should be one of 2018's best.

Alexa Bliss will be able to carry the segments through Ronda's main weakness - her talking ability.

Bad booking can still ruin things, but expect Ronda's name to be a mainstay on this list.

#2 Alexa Bliss

Yes, she's overpushed to the extreme. In this case, it's warranted. After being one of the major stars at Money in the Bank, Bliss will now feud with Rousey.

She'll have to get through the speedbump against Nia Jax and the silly championship rematch clause first, which will drag her name down this month, but far greener pastures await in the build to SummerSlam.

If everything goes well, this should be the best feud of her career.

#1 Braun Strowman

Meet Mr. Monster in the Bank.

Try as they might, the other competitors in the ladder match just couldn't keep the monster down. Instead, they got his hands. If Braun Strowman has his way, Brock Lesnar soon will.

Strowman is on the verge of shaking Raw to its foundations. It's an earthquake that's long overdue. His championship reign can't come soon enough. The only question now is how he'll cash in.

All eyes are going to be glued to him this summer. That's for certain.

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