WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 12/29/2014: New-Year Edition

The end of 2014 is upon us, and the final WWE Superstar Power Rankings of the year is without too many changes from last week.

We saw WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper make appearances on WWE TV this past week. On top of that, we saw two title matches. For a holiday week, it was a fairly eventful set of shows. It's clear that things are heating up in anticipation for WWE Royal Rumble 2015.  

We'll get into all this past week's action in the following slides. But before we move on, please read how these rankings work.

Holding a championship, being a No. 1 contender or holding a Money in the Bank briefcase counts for much of a wrestler's ranking, and these honors are therefore the most heavily weighted components in the rankings. If a wrestler is deemed to be level with another wrestler, holding a title will be a tiebreaker.

Wins and losses account for the bulk of the week-to-week movement—wins and losses are, after championships, the most important component of the rankings. The quality of a wrestler's opponents and whether they are ranked is considered in the week-to-week movement.

Getting the better of someone—like beating someone down—also counts, though not as much as wins or losses. Being over with the fans is considered but not heavily weighted in the ranking decisions. Pay-per-view performances take on added importance.  

Only the top 10 wrestlers are ranked. Wrestlers on the "Watch List" were considered for top-10 status but were ultimately nixed. They are unranked, and their listing is in no particular order.  

Generally speaking, these rankings do not break kayfabe, though any major non-storyline information (serious injury, WWE Wellness Policy violations, suspensions, legitimate hirings, firings, contract information and "sabbaticals" etc.) may be taken into consideration, especially if WWE confirms them publicly.

Domestic and international WWE live events are not included in these rankings unless WWE incorporates them into television storylines. Nothing that could be explicitly considered a spoiler is included unless WWE acknowledges it as well.

In short, all WWE shows, televised or digitally distributed, as well as anything from WWE.com, the WWE App, the WWE Network and any WWE or Superstar accounts on social media that don't break kayfabe may be taken into consideration for these rankings. This may include but is not limited to WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, WWE Main Event, WWE Superstars, NXT, WWE pay-per-views and any storyline-driven content from the WWE Network.

Watch List

The New Day

It was a slow week for the New Day, but they got themselves in the win column again when Big E defeated Stardust on Main Event. When the Miz and Damien Mizdow's feud with the Usos runs its course, the New Day may have the best claim to a title shot of any team or group today.

Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt got a huge win on Raw this past week in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight (basically a Christmas-themed No Disqualification Match). He defeated Dean Ambrose, but was beat down by Ambrose after the match. As revenge, he cost Ambrose the United States title on SmackDown, though his interference did give Ambrose a win over Rusev by disqualification. Can Bray Wyatt use this win as a springboard back into the top 10 in the near future?

No. 10: Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: 10

Movement: None

It was a bad week for Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins, but he holds on to the No. 10 spot since no one rose to the occasion to supplant him. On Raw, he faced John Cena in a match made by Hulk Hogan. He lost.

On SmackDown, he teamed with Big Show against Dolph Ziggler and Roman Reigns. Rollins got speared by Reigns and pinned for the loss. With the Money in the Bank Briefcase, Rollins is always a threat. And with a title match coming at the Royal Rumble, could Rollins be the one to walk out as champion?

No. 9: Brock Lesnar

Credit: Alex Musso

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: Down 1

After finally returning to WWE TV, WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar once again failed to appear this week. That could simply be due to the holidays, but if the past is any indication, we're not likely to see him until the week of the Royal Rumble.  

When he defends against John Cena, he'll also need to keep an eye on Seth Rollins. Can he emerge from the Rumble with the title around his waist?

No. 8: Roman Reigns

Previous Rank: Watch List

Movement: Into Top 10

Roman Reigns has powered his way back into the top 10 with another two wins this past week. On Raw, he defeated Big Show by count out when he hit him with a Superman Punch.

Then, on SmackDown, he teamed with Dolph Ziggler against Big Show and Seth Rollins. Reigns hit Rollins with a Spear and pinned him for the win. Reigns and Big Show may end up settling their feud at the Royal Rumble—or maybe sooner. Will Reigns power past Big Show?

No. 7: The Miz and Damien Mizdow

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: None

It was a mixed week for the WWE Tag Team champions. And they didn't even compete in a tag team match on the week, either. The Miz had two matches, one on Raw and one on SmackDown.

On Raw, Miz defeated Jey Uso. On SmackDown, he lost to Jimmy Uso. Jimmy Uso and Miz have what's becoming a bitter rivalry. Will Miz and Mizdow be able to stave off an angry Uso team?

No. 6: The Usos

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Down 1

Like Miz and Mizdow, the Usos had a mixed week, with no tag matches at all. As mentioned before, Jey Uso lost to Miz and Jimmy Uso defeated Miz.  

They're almost certainly getting a shot at the tag titles, though as of publishing, there's no match officially set. Can they win back the WWE Tag Team championships?

No. 5: Dean Ambrose

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Up 1

It was a bumpy week for Dean Ambrose. He faced Bray Wyatt on Raw in yet another match between the two. This time, it was a Miracle on 34th Street Fight, which was basically a Christmas-themed No Disqualification match. He lost but put Wyatt through a table after the match had ended. The feud between the two is apparently not over.

On SmackDown, he got a United States Championship opportunity, defeating Rusev via DQ when Bray Wyatt interfered. Still, a win over Rusev is hard to come by. And even though it may have been by disqualification, it was a win Ambrose needed.

No. 4: Rusev

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: None

Rusev did not have a great week and very nearly dropped a spot. However, he holds on at No. 4 by a thread. On Raw, he and Lana were on Piper's Pit, and Ryback was given to them as a gift by Piper. Rusev and Ryback brawled, and Rusev fled when Ryback prepped for a Meathook Clothesline.

Then, on SmackDown, Rusev attacked Ryback after Ryback defeated Kane. As punishment, Hogan made a U.S. title match between Rusev and Dean Ambrose, which Rusev lost by DQ when Bray Wyatt attacked Ambrose.  Ryback has rattled Rusev, but Rusev has responded. Who will come out on top between these two powerhouses?

No. 3: John Cena

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: None

John Cena had one match this past week and made the most of it. He faced Seth Rollins, the other Superstar with a guaranteed WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity, on Raw and picked up the win. 

Rollins had tried to use the Money in the Bank Briefcase to knock Cena out, but he missed, allowing Cena to hit an AA and pin Rollins for the win. Cena will face Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. But will Rollins be there to ruin his title hopes again?

No. 2: Ryback

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: None

Ryback continues to go blow for blow with the top Superstars in WWE, and he's coming out on top in most encounters. He didn't have a match on Raw, but he did throw fists with Rusev, who fled from the ring when Ryback was moving in for the kill.

And on SmackDown, he faced Kane and defeated him by pinfall. He was attacked by Rusev after the win and put in the Accolade. Referees separated the two, and Rusev celebrated afterward. These two heavyweights look to be going 12 rounds. Who will emerge victorious?

No. 1: Dolph Ziggler

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: None

It was another big week for Dolph Ziggler. On Raw, he defended his Intercontinental Championship against Luke Harper, and after a hard-fought match, he retained the belt.  

Ziggler teamed with Roman Reigns against Seth Rollins and Big Show on Smackdown. His team won when Reigns pinned Rollins.  

Ziggler has, thus far, not been subject to the same "curse" as most other Intercontinental champions lately—including himself. On the contrary, he's been piling up wins over tough opponents. Can he keep that up heading into the Royal Rumble?