WWE Superstar Power Rankings Ahead of Oct. 31 Raw

Hell in a Cell is in the books, and now the eyes of the WWE Universe turn toward Survivor Series on November 20, when Superstars from Raw and SmackDown will battle for brand supremacy. Which man or woman enters the first week of build for that particular event on a wave of momentum?

There is Charlotte, fresh off winning her third Raw Women's Championship.

There is AJ Styles, the current WWE world champion and the face of SmackDown, who is embroiled in a heated program with Dean Ambrose, another Superstar who is looking to make a splash in this week's power rankings.

Do not forget about Roman Reigns, who just successfully retained the WWE United States Championship against Rusev.

All of those Superstars figure to play key roles in the upcoming event, but who will embark on the road to Toronto with bragging rights as the No. 1 competitor on our top 10?

Let's take a look.

10. Dolph Ziggler

The Showoff's ongoing rivalry with The Miz has stalled, as the writers have been unable to maintain the emotion and intensity that existed a few weeks back.

Too much emphasis has been put on The Spirit Squad, Heath Slater and Rhyno and not enough on continuing the development of the personal issues that exist between the intercontinental champion and the Hollywood A-Lister.

Now it is up to Creative to continue building a feud that people can invest themselves in, or it can risk unraveling every bit of work it did to bring that program to such a high level that culminated in an outstanding match at No Mercy this past October.

9. Rusev

The Bulgarian Brute may have lost at Hell in a Cell, but he dominated the majority of the bout, working over Roman Reigns and even applying The Accolade with a steel chain. He was brutal and unforgiving and looked capable of destroying the former Shield member.

Now that he has lost, though, an air of uncertainty hangs over him.

Will Rusev represent Raw at Survivor Series? Will he find a tag team partner and make a run in that division?

Still valuable to the brand because of his status as a credible, main event-level heel, he figures to play a major role in Raw's plans.

8. Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks was the star of Sunday's Hell in a Cell match for the Raw Women's Championship, but her loss knocked her down the rankings and has some wondering what is next for the self-proclaimed Boss.

Is a date with Nia Jax on the horizon? What about a secondary rivalry with Dana Brooke?

Unfortunately, both programs feel lackluster, given the epic rivalry Sasha and Charlotte both just competed in.

Can the breakout star of NXT pull enough momentum together to remain relevant, or will she fall back into the slump she found herself in last summer when she was an afterthought of sorts during the Women's Revolution?

7. Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose may be a shell of The Lunatic Fringe character, but he is still a major part of SmackDown plans and the top contender to the WWE World Championship.

The biggest question surrounding him as he progresses is whether WWE sees him as a heel or a babyface. The potential exists for a turn in which he pummels lovable underdog James Ellsworth, presumably out of frustration that the jobber cost him the title.

Ambrose is a talented competitor and a great brawler, but his current work has become bogged down in repetition and mediocrity.

For that to change, he needs a change, be it in a heel turn or with the rediscovery of his edge.

6. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho continued his most unexpectedly awesome run Sunday night, drawing the biggest pop of the Universal Championship match when he interrupted Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins and assisted his best friend in successfully retaining his title.

Jericho has been brilliant on the mic and in backstage vignettes, making up for the fact that he may have lost a step between the ropes. Even having lost a step, he is still a skilled worker whose recent work with Rollins has proved as much.

Speaking of Rollins, expect Jericho to find himself at odds with The Architect, who will be looking to avenge his defeat from Hell in a Cell and possibly destroy Jericho's list for good.

5. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns continued a quietly great year Sunday, withstanding a brutal assault at the hands of Rusev and successfully retaining the United States Championship inside Hell in a Cell.

The biggest question in the wake of the victory is what awaits Reigns now.

Raw has a weak heel roster, and with Jericho and Owens tied up in the main event scene, Reigns' list of potential opponents is considerably light.

What is next for Reigns? How far down the card does he descend to find his next opponent, and at what point does it hurt him more than help him?

4. Charlotte

After a historic Hell in a Cell match in which she successfully retained her Raw Women's Championship against Sasha Banks, the second-generation star enters the week as the premier star of the women's division.

The biggest question awaiting her at this point is whether the long program with The Boss continues.

After a defining match, the program has nowhere left to go. There was a definitive winner and loser, and now the champion must move on, presumably to face Bayley, whose victory over Dana Brooke should have put her in position to be the next (hopefully) conquering hero.

Either way, Charlotte is still the woman that management considers to be the most valuable on the roster.

3. Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens successfully retained the WWE Universal Championship against Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell, but his title reign continues to be undercut by the booking decisions surrounding it.

Chris Jericho's involvement in Sunday's match took the spotlight off the champion and had fans more interested in a program between Jericho and Rollins than Owens and Rollins, which is a major problem considering KO is supposed to be the top star on the show.

Owens is in an unenviable position; he's The Authority's handpicked champion but one who has not had his character any further developed or expanded in that role. If anything, the edge that once accompanied him has been stripped away in favor of being the straight man to Y2J's delusional veteran.

He needs a series of strong angles to cement his status as the lead villain on WWE's flagship show or risk becoming a forgettable champion whose name ranks closer to Jack Swagger's than The Rock's in the pantheon of champions.

2. Seth Rollins

The Architect had a breakout performance Sunday night in terms of being the babyface everyone expected him to be. He fought from underneath and withstood the attack of two men until he could fight no longer.

He looked like a guy WWE management was all-in on—a star it feels comfortable building the main event scene around.

With that said, it is time to remove Rollins from the title picture. Since winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 31, he has been exclusively linked to the championship. He needs freshening up. He needs to step away from the title and prove he can deliver in a program without the crutch of the title to prop him up.

That potential exists with Chris Jericho, whom he looks poised to battle in the coming weeks and months.

1. AJ Styles

AJ Styles is the best wrestler on the planet, the WWE champion and the centerpiece of SmackDown Live. His ongoing rivalry with Dean Ambrose has made an unexpected star out of James Ellsworth, proving just how valuable Styles is to the company as a whole right now.

His feud with Ambrose appears destined to wrap up at Survivor Series. He will then move on to the next challenger, presumably the one main event star he has not already competed against, Randy Orton.

Until then, watching as he antagonizes Ambrose and bullies Ellsworth should make for entertaining television.