WWE Superstar Power Rankings Ahead of First Raw in 2017

It's a new year, and that means it's Royal Rumble season. As the first pay-per-view of the year, the Rumble will set the tone for the rest of 2017.

This is usually one of the most anticipated events because the winner of the annual Battle Royal will challenge the WWE or universal champion at WrestleMania.

Goldberg and Brock Lesnar have already been announced for the Rumble match, Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens will clash for the universal title and John Cena will challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. Other than those details, we know little about the PPV.

The last week of 2016 featured some great action. Raw crammed in as many matches and segments as possible, SmackDown went for the less-is-more approach with three entertaining bouts and 205 Live was the usual hour of fast-paced wrestling we have come to expect.

Between all three shows, four different titles were defended. By the end of the week, only one championship changed hands. Let's take a look at who topped the first WWE Superstar power rankings of 2017.

Honorable Mentions

WWE has so many amazing wrestlers right now, which makes it a battle every week when we have to rank the top 10 Superstars.

2016 saw the women's division continue to get better with each passing week and the cruiserweight division return to the company after a nine-year absence.

We also saw several Superstars from NXT called up to the main roster during the draft, making the competition even more fierce.

The final week of the year had a lot of great performances by more than just the top 10 Superstars, so it only seemed right to give some shoutouts to people who deserve them:

• Love him or hate him, but Roman Reigns continues to perform well against the Superstars fans prefer.
• The New Day may have lost the titles, but it hasn't lost its ability to entertain.
• Nia Jax is quickly making a name for herself as the monster of the Raw women's division.
• Bayley and Charlotte Flair picked up right where they left off in NXT.
• Despite a bad storyline with Rusev, Enzo Amore and Big Cass remain one of the most anticipated acts every Monday night.
• Every time he wrestles, Rich Swann pulls something new out of his bag of tricks. If he can improve on the mic, he will be a top cruiserweight for a long time.
• You can't watch Becky Lynch wrestle without smiling.
• Even in a short backstage interaction with Renee Young and Dean Ambrose, The Miz stood out on SmackDown.
• Cedric Alexander might end up breaking away from the cruiserweight division to compete with the rest of the roster. He's too good not to end up chasing the WWE title at some point.
• Big props to John "Mr. 450" Yurnet for finishing a match against Mustafa Ali with an injury.
• Jack Gallagher has managed to take what could have been a comedy character and become a fan favorite.

We might complain about the lack of original storylines or our favorite wrestlers not being pushed, but there is no denying how many outstanding performers WWE employs.

Picking the Match of the Year is like trying to get a group of people to agree on what to put on a pizza. There are too many options to choose from.

10. John Cena

John Cena returned to SmackDown after taking a few months off to film American Grit, and he had a big announcement for the WWE Universe.

Instead of asking nicely for a chance to face the WWE champion, Cena threw his veteran weight around and just told Styles he would be getting a title match at the Royal Rumble.

The promo saw The Leader of the Cenation show his more confident side. He reached a new level of fame in 2016, thanks to a few standout cameos in films, a stint hosting Saturday Night Live and numerous other media appearances.

He seemed fired up to be back in a WWE ring, and he expressed his desire to continue wrestling for as long as his body will allow it. He may come off as hokey sometimes, but nobody can ever question Cena's dedication to WWE and its fans.

There is little doubt Cena will tie Ric Flair's record of 16 world titles. The real question is when he will break the record with No. 17.

9. Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss had a rough start on the main roster, but she has blossomed into the top heel in SmackDown's women's division over the past few months.

Her feud with Becky Lynch has done wonders for both competitors. Bliss has been able to prove herself in the ring with one of the best, and Lynch has established herself outside of The Four Horsewomen.

Their match on SmackDown was a lot of fun, and it featured a memorable moment that was both eye-catching and nausea-inducing when Bliss' elbow looked dislocated.

Bliss has improved a lot in the ring and on the mic because she has been given ample opportunity to do so, and hopefully she continues to get those same chances in 2017.

8. Neville

Neville's heel turn has been better than anyone could have hoped. He was given a chance at a second push, and he has been making the most of it with every segment.

He has toned down his style and started using more brutal offense, but he still flies through the air like a superhero to keep up with the rest of the cruiserweights. Maybe we should start calling him a supervillain now.

Fans of Neville's work in NXT and the indy scene have always known he was capable of more than he was being given on the main roster, so it's great to finally see him in a position to succeed.

It's more a matter of when than if he will win the Cruiserweight Championship, but Rich Swann should be allowed to have a decent reign before dropping the belt.

7. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler has been considered one of the most misused Superstars on the roster for years, but the back half of 2016 saw The Showoff given a key role on SmackDown.

His feud with The Miz benefited both Superstars. They delivered some of the best mic work and matches of their careers, and they managed to do what so many have tried by making the intercontinental title important again.

Last week saw Ziggler take on Baron Corbin and AJ Styles in a show-stealing WWE Championship match on SmackDown. He may not have left with the title, but he ended the year with an incredible performance.

Ziggler is 36 years old. He may not be thinking about retirement yet, but he is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. With any luck, 2017 will see him continue to fight for—and eventually win—the WWE Championship.

6. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins is looking for a showdown with Triple H, but he was willing to put his quest aside to focus on Braun Strowman for a week.

Strowman has been booked as an unstoppable juggernaut, but The Architect gave him a good fight during their match on Raw.

Rollins is among the best WWE has right now, which makes him capable of performing well against guys who are between half and double his size.

In just over three years, he has racked up three world titles, a U.S. and tag title reign, a Money in the Bank win and multiple Slammy awards. It's going to be a lot of fun to see what else he adds to his resume in 2017.

5. Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin had an interesting year, to say the least. He burst onto the main roster by winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32, but he didn't do much in the following months.

It wasn't until after the brand extension when Corbin would find his place as one of the most aggressive heels on the SmackDown roster.

He has stepped up his game in every way, and his match against AJ Styles and Dolph Ziggler was a fantastic way for him to showcase all the ways he has grown as a pro wrestler.

He was able to keep up with two of the best technical wrestlers WWE has to offer, and his presence added a different dynamic to the match.

Corbin might not be ready for the world title yet, but at this rate, it won't be long before he gets there.

4. Braun Strowman

One of the biggest surprises of 2016 has been the meteoric rise of Braun Strowman from Wyatt Family enforcer to one of the most dominant Superstars on the Raw roster.

His size gives him an obvious advantage over just about anyone, but it's his surprising speed and agility that separate him from all the other giants in the industry.

He knows exactly who his character is, and he plays to his strengths while constantly improving on his weaknesses.

His matches against Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins showed that he is capable of lasting more than a few minutes and that he has more versatility in the ring than first thought.

The WWE Universe has started getting behind Strowman in recent weeks, especially when he comes out during meaningless bouts to destroy everyone in the ring.

3. American Alpha

Jason Jordan and Chad Gable have been waiting patiently for their chance to rule the tag team division, and they got their chance on Tuesday's SmackDown.

After surviving Heath Slater and Rhyno and The Usos, American Alpha defeated The Wyatt Family to become the new SmackDown tag team champions.

Their victory felt earned because Jordan and Gable have been so exciting to watch. When they first got together in NXT, nobody knew if it would last.

As time went on and they started to develop some chemistry, fans began rallying behind them. Having their families at ringside helped make their big win on Tuesday feel even more important.

The tag team division has a lot of incredible talent right now, and American Alpha sits at the top of the pack, next to The New Day and The Usos.

2. Kevin Owens

AJ Styles may have had the best debut year in WWE history, but Kevin Owens had the best second year in WWE history.

KO has come out on top in feuds with the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn, held the IC and universal titles and formed one of the greatest duos in WWE today with Chris Jericho.

Owens had an uphill battle to get to WWE, but once he had his foot in the door, he forced it open and quickly rose to the top of the company.

In just over two years, Owens has accomplished more than some people who are in the WWE Hall of Fame. He is living proof of hard work and dedication leading to success.

1. AJ Styles

Nobody had a better 2016 than Styles, and he closed out the year with the best match of the week against Ziggler and Corbin on SmackDown.

It almost seems impossible for someone to operate at such a high level for as long as he has been wrestling. WWE has a lot of incredible wrestlers, but Styles is on a different wavelength than the majority of the roster.

Everything he does looks effortless, whether it's springboarding off the top rope or knocking The Miz's teeth out with a spinning backhand. And he will remind you every chance he gets how he beat up Cena.

Many thought we would never see Styles back in a WWE ring after his short stint with the company in 2002, but he went out and made a name for himself in Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling and TNA as one of the greatest performers in the history of the sport.

When every WWE writer at Bleacher Report ranked the top 16 wrestlers of 2016, 11 out of 12 of us picked Styles as No. 1. Last week's match against Corbin and Ziggler was a great example of why he earned his spot.

Make sure to check out Ryan Dilbert's list of the Biggest MVPs of 2016 and Aaron Bower's Year in Review Expert Panel. Who do you think stood out in the final week of 2016?

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.