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WWE.com in association with the Academy of Wrestling Arts & Sciences (AWAS) publishes a top 25 rank list every week which ranks the WWE superstar on the basis of their performance over the week.
As the WWE universe is all geared up to witness history being made at the Royal Rumble, this week saw some intriguing action both in terms of matches and angles.
Raw witnessed the return of the Animal Batista after a four year hiatus while it also had an interesting confrontation between CM Punk and Kane. As an after effect we now know the first entrant of the Royal Rumble.
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Meanwhile, SmackDown was just near average but the main event which boasted huge 10 man tag teams match save the face of the show, it also gave glimpses of what to expect for the Rumble as well.
Though this week didn’t make any big news other than the return of Batista, there were some pretty good movers and jumpers in the Power Rankings, So here is a look at the Rankings for this week.
25- The Miz (Previous Rank- Nil)
The Miz
After a long term stay in the limbo, The Miz finally seems to be on the right direction after getting a win over Brodus Clay in SmackDown, the awesome one also rubbed feather with Bad News Barrett which had shades of a potential feud. The in ring action thus gives Miz a place in the rankings.
24- The New Age Outlaws (Previous Rankings- 23)
The New Age Outlaws
The surprise entrants after the Old School Raw, the New Age Outlaws didn’t have a good time this week as they took a pair of losses. Billy Gunn first took the fall in Raw before the duo went down again in SmackDown. They drop one place to 24th in the rankings.
23- Curtis Axel (Previous Rank-25)
Curtis Axel
Axel got some well needed momentum this week as the former Intercontinental Champion got a tag team win at SmackDown over the Los Matadors. The win gives Axel a two place rise and he ends up in 23rd spot as he heads to Royal Rumble.
22- Fandango (Previous Rank- 24)
Fandango
The dancing superstar rounded off a great week with a win over Xavier Woods in SmackDown. The creative seemed to be bound in giving him some momentum before the Rumble and they got it spot on as Fandango climbs two places.
21- The Prime Time Players (Previous Rank- 20)
Prime time players
A squash loss at SmackDown to the Wyatt Family drops the Prime Time Players one place and gets them out of the top twenty in the rankings. The absence of in ring action at Raw also added salt to wound as they have minimum momentum heading into Royal Rumble.
20- Kofi Kingston (Previous Rank- 19)
Kofi Kingston
After a great week last time around, Kofi took two back-to-back losses this week. The momentum he gained by defeating Orton only had a life span of seven days as Kofi drops one place in the rankings. But he will be in the Royal Rumble to integrate the entertainment quotient of the battle royal which is a good thing to look forward to.
19- The Real Americans (Previous Rank- 18)
The Real Americans
Although Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger looked impressive in their tag team match against Big Show and Rey Mysterio at SmackDown, the duo eventually suffered a defeat which drops them one place in the rankings.
18- R-Truth (Previous Rank- 21)
R-Truth
The Rapping superstar got a rare and impressive win against Damien Sandow in Main Event. He also showed some great charisma on the ring side as well. The good week takes Truth three places up into 18th in the rankings.
17- Los Matadors (Previous Rank- 16)
Los Matadors
The highly energetic and exciting trio took a fall in SmackDown this week as they suffered a defeat at the hands of Ryback and Curtis Axel. The defeat takes them one place down but expects them to produce some magic at Rumble.
16- Alberto Del Rio (Previous Rank- 17)
Alberto Del Rio
Del Rio might have been on the receiving side of a Batista Bomb on Raw but the Mexican continued his impressive comeback with two more wins in the week. A potential feud with Batista also lurks around the corner thus making him a star to watch out for.
15- Damien Sandow (Previous Rank- 14)
Damien Sandow
The drop of Damien Sandow from a title challenger to lower midcard has been monumental. The poor run continued this week as well when he got a loss against R-Truth at Main event. Hopefully Royal Rumble will be better for him, if not he might well be on his way out of the rankings.
14- Rey Mysterio (Previous Rank- 15)
Rey Mysterio
The Master of the 619 had a balanced week this time as well as he took a loss at Raw against Alberto Del Rio but covered up by defeating the Real Americans in tag team action. He climbs one place into 14th in the rankings.
13- Ryback (Previous Rank- 12)
Ryback
Ryback looks like he is still being punished for his Twitter heroics. The major sign of that came at SmackDown when he won the tag match against Los Matadors but was taken out by El Torito after the bell. So despite the win, Ryback gets a decrement in his rankings.
12- Brie Bella (Previous Rank- 13)
Brie Bella
Brie enjoyed consecutive victories this week which takes her one place up to 12th in the rankings. The Total Divas star seems ready to miss the Royal Rumble however and could see herself slip unless she reproduce some magic at next week’s shows.
11- AJ Lee (Previous Rank- 10)
AJ Lee
The reigning Divas Champion got her tag of being the highest ranked diva intact but took a pin against Naomi on Raw. AJ also came up at the receiving end of a post-match beating at SmackDown and this drops her out of the top ten.
10 – The Big Show (Previous Rank-11)
Big Show
The largest athlete in the world was piling up momentum this week ahead of his clash with Brock Lesnar at the Rumble. A great confrontation with the Beast at Raw and a tag team win over the Real Americans gives Big Show a place in the top ten.
9- The Wyatt Family (Previous Rank- 9)
Wyatt Family
The creepy guys have their eyes set on the target painted on Daniel Bryan’s back and all the other matches that comes in the way seems less important. A squash victory in SmackDown covered for their loss to Usos at Raw and the Wyatts stay in ninth because of this balanced situation.
8- Rhodes Brothers (Previous Rank- 8)
Rhodes Brothers
The Tag Team champions had a solid week as they gear up to face the New Age Outlaws. The brothers looks determined to continue their run as the Tag Team champions as well as impressing in the battle royal. The Rhodes brothers hang onto their 8th position as they head forward to achieve the above mentioned goals.
7- Big E Langston (Previous Rank-7)
Big E Langston
The Intercontinental Champion also sees no movement this time around despite having a great role at the main event in SmackDown. He will be heading for the big fish on Sunday but with less momentum than expected.
6- The Usos (Previous Rank- 6)
The Usos
Rikishi’s sons continue their great run with a win at Raw against the Wyatts. The duo also produced an impressive performance in SmackDown and heads into Royal Rumble with a lot of momentum.
5- CM Punk (Previous Rank- 5)
CM Punk
An eventful week for Punk, he gained a win against Billy Gunn and found out that he will be the number one entrant at Royal Rumble. He also had a couple of confrontations with Kane which held a potential future match between the two. The odds will be stacked against Punk at Rumble but you can never count out the Straight Edge superstar.
4- Daniel Bryan (Previous Rank- 4)
Daniel Bryan
Popularity of Daniel Bryan seems to be doubled after the swerve against the Wyatt Family. He pulled off some great promos against the creepy guys throughout the week and Bryan heads into Rumble to end the feud once and for all as he will go one on one with Bray Wyatt.
3- Randy Orton (Previous Rank- 2)
Randy Orton
After a surprise loss against Kofi Kingston last week, Orton got more embarrassment before the Rumble when he has chased off by John Cena on Raw. Orton hasn’t been showing any signs of a worthy champion and he might be heading to take a title drop at the Rumble.
2- The Shield (Previous Rank- 1)
The Shield
The hounds of Justice had a solid week this week also and surprisingly seemed on the same page as well. But there is going to be a lot of internal tension among the trio when they come up against other at the Rumble because after all its every man for himself. The trio will be “the” ones to watch out at Rumble as they could give the most surprising headline from the Battle Royal.
1- John Cena (Previous Rank-3 )
John Cena
John Cena heads into the Rumble with a lot of momentum after manhandling the WWE World Heavyweight champion at Raw. The Cenation leader will be looking to get the title from the Viper’s hand as Brock Lesnar and Batista also makes rounds for the coveted price.
