WWE Superstar Power Rankings for Week of Jan. 12

Chris Jericho won the United States Championship Monday night, adding to his Hall of Fame-worthy resume. Dolph Ziggler continued to showcase his new aggressive, nasty attitude. Braun Strowman wreaked havoc as usual while remaining the most intriguing character on Raw.

But none of those three Superstars earned the top spot in this week's power rankings.

Instead, that spot went to one of the two world champions who are starring for Vince McMahon's company.

Was it Kevin Owens, who assisted Jericho in his championship conquest, or was it Styles, whose claim to fame this week was sitting in on commentary?

The answer may seem obvious, but it is much less so when one looks beneath the surface.

With Royal Rumble rapidly approaching on Jan. 29, these are the 10 hottest stars for the week of January 12.

10. The Miz

The former intercontinental champion continued to leave a lasting impression on fans of SmackDown Live this week, even if his night ended on the receiving end of Dirty Deeds from Dean Ambrose.

The Hollywood A-Lister unleashed a venomous response to Ambrose during Tuesday's Ambrose Asylum, continuing his strong work on the microphone and adding a verbal intensity to the feud that had been lacking.

While he ended up on his back and humiliated in the form of his own Miz Participation Award, the Cleveland native figures to play a key role on the Road to WrestleMania. Whether that involves a higher-profile showdown with Ambrose or someone else remains to be seen.

9. Dolph Ziggler

The new angry, aggressive and brutal Dolph Ziggler is a Superstar whom fans have waited to see for years, as witnessed by the chants of "YES!" that followed his steel chair beatdown of Apollo Crews and Kalisto.

It has also completely rejuvenated a character that became stale quite some time ago.

Ziggler was booked as strongly as he has been in years, pummeling two competent in-ring competitors and leaving them lying in a heap at his feet.

Even in defeat, Ziggler looked like a beast, an enraged and uncontrollable force hellbent on making those who hold him down suffer for his frustration.

That is a character that fans can relate to rather than the smiling good guy who shakes losses off like they mean nothing.

8. Dean Ambrose

The intercontinental champion has lost his edge, but he has been allowed the opportunity to showcase some of his natural charisma, as was the case Tuesday night when he hosted The Ambrose Asylum with special guest The Miz.

Ambrose can captivate a crowd through his body language alone. He moves at a frenetic pace, even when seemingly standing still in the center of the ring. His constant animation does not allow for a situation where the audience can take its eyes off him. He's engaging that way.

On Tuesday, he endured a vicious series of hard lefts to the face and bounced right back, dodging a slap from Maryse and planting Miz with Dirty Deeds to end what was a quality opening segment of SmackDown.

7. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins had his best night Monday as a babyface since turning last August.

Defiant in the face of a threat like Braun Strowman, he took the fight to the big man and waged war with him in the best match on the Raw broadcast.

Rollins was not content to become just another victim of the monster. Instead, he grabbed a chair at ringside and fended him off, standing tall to end the segment. The entire ordeal was the result of Rollins declaring his entry into the Royal Rumble directly to Stephanie McMahon, the wife of the man he figures to combat at WrestleMania, Triple H.

Is there work to be done in regard to The Architect's heroic persona? 

Absolutely. Too often, he still comes across as the whiny heel he was during his time at the top of the card. But a subtle tweak here and there could net Raw the babyface it has hoped Roman Reigns would be.

6. Roman Reigns

Speaking of Roman Reigns, the former United States champion takes a tumble down the rankings following his loss of the title to Chris Jericho in a match that also involved Kevin Owens.

Reigns was beaten down by Jericho and Owens and never stood a chance of retaining his title. Still, he fought back, delivering an inspiring performance, even in defeat, that earned him some cheers in New Orleans.

Now that he's free of the midcard title, one has to wonder if he will head to Royal Rumble and dethrone Owens for the Universal Championship.

It appears likely, especially given WWE's knack for 50-50 booking and the company's desire to have marquee names at the top of the upcoming WrestleMania card.

5. Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman has been a revelation on Raw—a villainous monster of a man tearing through the brand and inspiring fear with the utterance of two words: or else.

His performance against Seth Rollins Monday night suggested that he is not only improving as an in-ring performer but is also capable of hanging with the top stars on the roster.

Jumping him ahead of Rollins and Roman Reigns, though, is the tease of a WrestleMania program between him and Undertaker. Such a potential match was foreshadowed when he was seen watching The Dead Man's Royal Rumble declaration on a backstage monitor.

If he can continue to hold up his end of the bargain, consistently improving and making the most of the booking, Strowman could be a significantly bigger star by the end of 2017 than anyone ever imagined.

4. Kevin Owens

The WWE Universal champion took a backseat to Chris Jericho Monday night, assisting Y2J in a Handicap match that saw the future Hall of Famer dethrone Roman Reigns as United States champion. Still, he was in the main event and was every bit as integral to Jericho's victory as the new champion himself.

Owens is an interesting figure in that he is the top champion on Raw but often feels like the fifth or sixth most important person on the roster. He is rarely booked like a champion, but fans love him, and for that reason alone, he can survive poor booking and questionable use.

The bigger question for Owens at this point is whether he will escape Royal Rumble with the title around his waist. With Reigns relieved of the U.S. title, he is free to take the top strap from Owens, a booking decision that would doom KO.

3. John Cena

The franchise star of WWE has returned to SmackDown Live and is rolling into Royal Rumble, where he will challenge AJ Styles for the world title.

John Cena picked up a clean win over Baron Corbin Tuesday night that did nothing to hurt The Lone Wolf's credibility but did strengthen Cena's case as the true No. 1 contender to Styles' prize.

No matter how long he departs for or what he does away from the squared circle, Cena returns, works just as hard as he ever did and remains a Superstar whom fans buy into as the measuring stick for every other competitor on the roster.

If their previous bouts are any indication, his match with Styles should start WWE's year off with a Match of the Year contender.

2. Chris Jericho

The creator of The List of Jericho added another championship to his own legendary resume Monday night, teaming with Kevin Owens to defeat Roman Reigns in a Handicap match for the United States Championship and pinning the babyface to capture the one singles title that had eluded him.

Jericho has been phenomenal over the last eight months, devising a character who fans have eaten up and enjoying a push that few thought was in the cards for him at this point in his career. A highly adaptable star who always finds a way to alter his persona to fit the audience he performs for, Jericho is the closest thing to a chameleon that professional wrestling has left.

Whether he eventually battles "friend" Owens or remains a heel through WrestleMania, Jericho is a Superstar who WWE can be thankful it has around at this point.

1. AJ Styles

Credit: WWE.com

The champion AJ Styles is so strong and over with fans that it is difficult to envision a scenario where he no longer fills that role, which makes the prospects of his title defense against John Cena at Royal Rumble that much more terrifying for The Phenomenal One.

He is such a marquee star and a legitimate main event competitor in Vince McMahon's world that dropping out of the title picture is not a viable option. He has been defined by that WWE World Championship since last May, when he waged war with Roman Reigns over it.

He is a franchise-worthy star. Taking that title from him at Royal Rumble and forcing him down the card will look like a demotion, something that would be a crying shame for a Superstar who has become the face of SmackDown Live.

Though he sat in only on commentary, Styles has a presence about him that screams "star"—something few others on the roster have.