WWE Superstar Rankings Following December 26 Raw

After a hit-or-miss pay-per-view and a series of above-average episodes of Raw, the power rankings have seen a drastic shake-up since my previous edition.

Braun Strowman continues his tear as an unstoppable monster, while The Miz continues to stand out as an unstoppable heel. Cesaro and Sheamus have figured out The New Day, while Charlotte continues to help rewrite women's wrestling. As an unpredictable Royal Rumble approaches, everybody on this list has a serious chance of winning at the moment.

10. Seth Rollins

The ice on Seth Rollins is beginning to thaw as Triple H's imminent return draws near. Monday on Raw, Rollins continued to badger Stephanie McMahon as to the whereabouts of her husband, and though they were in the always-hot venue of Chicago, fans seem to be more engaged with Rollins' verbal assaults on Triple H. It's possible this was because they know he'll be returning any day now.

Rollins' ranking figures to surge throughout WrestleMania season since his likely feud with Triple H projects to be one of the top programs of the major pay-per-view. For now, however, trash-talking will only get him so far.

Rollins didn't have a great night in between bumping for both Braun Strowman and Chris Jericho. 

9. Cesaro and Sheamus

Cesaro and Sheamus had instant chemistry both as opponents and as a tag team. Their successful title defense against The New Day is further indication their run as tag team champions is for real.

It'll be interesting to see how these two develop as characters with the rare-yet-refreshing pairing of a babyface and a heel. Sheamus is such a good heel that the most likely scenario may see Cesaro slowly become a heel in order to jell better with the Celtic Warrior. With so much time left until WrestleMania, however, a future split and WrestleMania matchup between these two is just as likely.

8. The Wyatt Family

The Wyatt Family is one of the more interesting tag teams on the roster. What was once a stale act has become more compelling with the addition of Randy Orton. Orton seems all-in for now, but WWE needs to take extra steps forward by updating his gear and facial hair to better match that of the Wyatts.

I hope this team only becomes stronger with every passing week, and after being skeptical of its longevity with Orton, I hope this is not being used as a catalyst for an Orton-Wyatt matchup down the road.

7. Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens has done a fine job as universal champion, but there's a reason his status as the longest-reigning current champion is overlooked.

Owens has not been a particularly dominant world champion, especially since being paired with Roman Reigns, who has beaten him twice on free TV in the past month. Owens' Universal Championship match against Reigns at Roadblock: End of the Line was lackluster, and I can't remember any particular instance when I was excited to see him defend this title.

It'll be surprising if Owens holds on to the Universal Championship past the Royal Rumble, but if he does, WWE has a lot of work to do with its otherwise talented star.

6. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho continues to thrive as one of the strongest performers on Raw, but just what is his status for the Royal Rumble? Jericho will be suspended in midair inside of a shark cage during Kevin Owens' Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns, so will he still be able to compete in the legendary Battle Royal?

Given Jericho's strong year in 2016, it's fair to assume WWE has something big planned for him at WrestleMania, but the Royal Rumble may have to serve as a stepping stone.

The stipulation holds Jericho hostage to what has been an uninspiring feud, thereby limiting his ceiling in these power rankings.

5. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is heating up and seems to be closing in on his first Universal Championship reign. He has been promoted as the superior Superstar over Kevin Owens, beating him twice since late November. Reigns' loss to Owens at WWE Roadblock came on a technicality after Chris Jericho interfered.

Reigns seems destined for a possible Universal Championship showdown against Braun Strowman at WrestleMania. Despite what any jaded message board will tell you, this has the makings of being a great program as WWE continues its brilliant development of Strowman.

4. AJ Styles

AJ Styles seemed to rid the world of James Ellsworth last week on SmackDown with a much-needed squash victory. Fans seemed to have forgotten that what made Ellsworth so effective was his position as a beleaguered enhancement talent. Wins for Ellsworth should be few and far between. And after laying claim to three victories over the WWE world champion, Styles regained his mojo.

With John Cena set to return to SmackDown Live and Styles set to defend his WWE World Championship against Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin, Styles figures to be a busy man heading into the Royal Rumble.

3. The Miz

The Miz's hot streak, which dates back to this past summer, is still alive and well. His segment with Renee Young was yet another viral moment for the intercontinental champion. The Miz's smug revelation of Young's romantic relationship with Dean Ambrose will make Ambrose interesting again, and the dude hasn't been interesting since the brand split began.

Since the midway point of 2016, everything The Miz touches has turned to gold. And with a Royal Rumble as wide-open as it has ever been, The Miz should be considered a potential dark horse to win it all.

2. Charlotte

Charlotte has masterfully fought off those pesky cheers a heel gets when they're "doing too good of a job" at being a bad guy. Of course, by "doing too good of a job" as a heel, I mean "fans no longer buy the act."

After an all-time feud against Sasha Banks, Charlotte seemed to be flirting with the idea of turning babyface following an emotional post-match promo. But through her shenanigans against the lovable Bayley on Monday's Raw, she continues to shine as one of the best villains on the roster. Consider this feud an underdog to headline WrestleMania.

1. Braun Strowman

Through months of a focused, controlled push, Braun Strowman has gone from protected monster to bona fide star. I was nervous about the dynamic between Stephanie McMahon and Strowman, given her penchant to belittle other heel Superstars, but she continued to placate the monster in a segment that made him seem more vital to the program.

Much like his 10-minute match against Sami Zayn at WWE Roadblock: End of the Line, Strowman's Last Man Standing match against Zayn can make bigger stars out of both rising athletes. In fact, Zayn would likely be ranked high on this list had he not taken last week off.

Strowman is shooting up the ranks, and if he continues this pace, a six-month reign of terror with the Universal Championship will make that the most valued title in all of professional wrestling.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.