WWE Power Rankings: Counting Down the Company's Top 15 Superstars (April 16)

The WWE is changing.

Legends and Hall of Famers like The Rock, Triple H and The Undertaker are gone (at least for right now), FCW stars like Damien Sandow and Ryback are back on the main roster, and former stars, such as A-Train (a.k.a. Lord Tensai) are now fixtures on Raw.

If ever there were a time for young stars or guys who have been lost in the shuffle to rise up the card, that time is now.

But who is actually doing that? And how are the top stars in the WWE performing as of late?

Well, we're here to take a look at that today.

Here is the April 16 edition of the WWE Power Rankings.

15. Brodus Clay and Santino Marella (Last Week: Unranked)

Are Santino Marella and Brodus Clay now officially a tag team? I have no idea, but it certainly looks that way.

After Clay made the save for Santino on Raw two weeks ago, the two stars teamed up together on last week's Raw for Clay's first non-squash match since he returned as "The Funkasaurus."

Clay and Santino got the victory in their tag team encounter against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger, and with few challengers for Epico and Primo's WWE Tag Team Championship, you have to think that they could be in line for a tag team title shot down the road.

Either way, though, I really like the potential comedy from this Clay/Santino pairing, and given that Clay has still yet to lose since his return, you have to think that they'll get a decent push in the coming months.

14. Ryback (Last Week: Unranked)

Ryback is going to be a big deal.

While squashes are just squashes, the WWE made Ryback's squash on last week's live Smackdown seem like a little more than that.

As Ryback squashed Random Jobber No. 2, a handful of legends watched his match from the back and really put him over in the process.

The WWE is going with Ryback as a babyface, and a lot of wrestling fans have already begun comparing him to Goldberg because of his power moves and his dominant victories.

While I wouldn't exactly want to be compared to Goldberg from a wrestling perspective, it's certainly not a bad thing for Ryback to be pushed like an absolute monster of a babyface who nobody can beat.

13. Cody Rhodes (Last Week: 9)

The WWE continues to make a mockery of Cody Rhodes.

On last week's Raw, Rhodes lost to R-Truth after Big Show interrupted the match. Yes, the same R-Truth who I completely forgot is even on TV anymore.

Then, on last week's Smackdown, Rhodes was once again embarrassed, this time by both Big Show and his father, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

It was the same story that we've seen for Rhodes since WrestleMania, with Big Show constantly embarrassing him and costing him matches.

This storyline is horrible, and the only thing it's really accomplishing is making Rhodes look like a total jerk.

12. Randy Orton (Last Week: 10)

A week after beating Kane in a really good No DQ match, Randy Orton had the tide turn on him once again.

Kane interrupted Orton's match with Mark Henry via Titantron and revealed that he had knocked out Orton's father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, in the backstage area. This, of course, led to Orton going after Kane backstage, but Kane attacked Orton from behind with a steel pipe and laid him out as well.

Remember that awful Kane/Edge feud in 2010 where Edge tormented Paul Bearer? Yeah, this is what that reminds me of, and it's not a good thing.

Orton is now reeling after that attack, and this feud must continue, I guess.

11. Daniel Bryan (Last Week: 7)

The live Smackdown special wasn't so kind to Daniel Bryan.

Though he performed really well on "Piper's Pit," he took the pin in the main event tag team match after Sheamus destroyed him with a massive Brogue Kick.

That, of course, marks the second time in two weeks that Bryan lost after a Brogue Kick, and he's now winless since WrestleMania.

While Bryan's "Yes!" chants continue to make their mark, it appears that the WWE is slowly transitioning him into a lower spot on the card.

Bryan's still feuding for the World Heavyweight title as of now, but especially with the way he's been booked to lose his matches, you have to wonder if he's headed for a big fall sooner or later.

10. Brock Lesnar (Last Week: 13)

It hasn't taken long for Brock Lesnar to make a huge impact in the WWE.

After hitting John Cena with a massive F5 to close out Raw two weeks ago, Lesnar was back at it again this week.

At the start of the show, he bested Cena in that locker room-clearing brawl when he busted Cena's lip open, and he bested Cena once again at the show's conclusion when he nailed Cena with a low blow and another F5.

It's now been revealed that Lesnar is a heel who was brought in by John Laurinaitis, and Lesnar did a great job of establishing himself as a top-tier heel on this week's Raw.

Brock is back, and by going after the top dog, he's put the entire WWE on notice.

9. John Cena (Last Week: 5)

John Cena beat David Otunga in the Raw main event, but (who are we kidding?) that's really not all that impressive.

And when it mattered the most, Cena was owned by Brock Lesnar.

Cena had his lip busted open in that brawl, and then, he ended the show laid out on the mat again after a low blow and vicious F5 from Lesnar.

It's been a rough two-week stretch for Cena, who has ended the last two Raws face planted in the middle of the ring.

It'll be very interesting to see how Cena battles back and whether or not he can "Rise Above Hate" like he usually does.

8. Alberto Del Rio (Last Week: 12)

Since returning from injury two weeks ago, Alberto Del Rio has been on a roll.

On last week's Raw, that roll continued when ADR beat Zack Ryder in an easy, two-minute squash match. Del Rio's hot streak did cool off a bit on Smackdown, however, when he and Daniel Bryan lost in the main event tag team match.

But it's worth noting that ADR didn't take the pin (after escaping through the crowd to avoid the legends), and he still has a World Heavyweight title shot coming his way.

While ADR still has to wait in line behind Bryan, it's clear that the creative team has made him a priority and that he's got a bright immediate future ahead of him.

7. Kane (Last Week: 8)

Kane didn't wrestle on either Raw or Smackdown last week, but he managed to make his mark, nonetheless.

The Big Red Monster attacked "Cowboy" Bob Orton backstage, lured Randy Orton out of the arena and into the backstage area, and then attacked Randy Orton with a lead pipe.

This seemed to be Kane's revenge for losing to Orton on last week's Smackdown, and he undoubtedly regained the advantage on "The Viper."

Although I didn't particularly care for this angle, I guess it accomplished one thing in continuing this rivalry, which I think is arguably the "Feud of the Year."

Just kidding about that last line.

6. The Miz (Last Week: 6)

Although The Miz didn't get a match on either show last week, it appears as if he helped himself, anyway.

In a backstage segment, John Laurinaitis told The Miz that he had "big plans" for him and that the two could discuss those plans next week (meaning today).

Laurinaitis didn't really hint exactly what those plans might be, but after The Miz got the win for Team Johnny at WrestleMania, one has to assume that The Miz is in line for a big reward.

A World title shot, perhaps?

No one seems to know for sure as of yet, but even without competing last week, The Miz managed to stay extremely relevant.

5. Mark Henry (Last Week: 11)

Yes, Mark Henry made a huge leap in this week's ranking.

The World's Strongest Man has been on fire over the last few weeks, and on last week's Raw, he got his second straight win (albeit by DQ) over WWE Champion CM Punk. He then followed that up with a vicious beatdown on Punk that included two World's Strongest Slams.

While Henry had taken a significant drop down the card prior to WrestleMania, the WWE seems to be firmly behind him again as one of the top heels, and he's now going to get his third WWE title match, this time with a No DQ/No Countout stipulation, on tonight's Raw.

Just a month ago, I thought Henry was probably done as a top guy, but each week that passes by, he looks more and more like one.

4. CM Punk (Last Week: 2)

Last week was a really rough go-round for CM Punk.

After letting his emotions get the best of him during his WWE title match with Mark Henry, he was disqualified and thus, lost his second straight match to the World's Strongest Man.

Things only got worse after the match, however, when Henry planted Punk with two World's Strongest Slams, allowing Chris Jericho to attack Punk and destroy him with yet another vicious beatdown and beer bath.

While Punk is still the WWE Champion, he has to defend his title against Henry in a No DQ/Countouts match on tonight's Raw, and given the circumstances surrounding the bout, the odds don't appear to be in Punk's favor.

3. The Big Show (Last Week: 4)

The Big Show continues to make life a living hell for Cody Rhodes.

On last week's Raw, Big Show interrupted Rhodes' match with R-Truth and cost him the match, and on last week's Smackdown, Show embarrassed Rhodes yet again by showing one of his old "Dashing" grooming tips.

Since beating Rhodes at WrestleMania 28, Big Show has undoubtedly gotten inside Rhodes' head, giving Show the clear psychological advantage.

Although Big Show wasn't even in action last week (that seems to be the theme, huh?), he made the most of his TV time and is definitely in the driver's seat of his feud with Rhodes.

2. Sheamus (Last Week: 3)

Sheamus is our new World Heavyweight Champion, and it's good to be him these days.

Although the Great White wasn't in action on last week's Raw, he and "Mean" Gene Okerlund teamed up (yes, really) to defeat Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio in Smackdown's main event.

Perhaps more importantly, though? Sheamus got the win after blasting Bryan with the Brogue Kick.

Sheamus was able to get a victory over the same guy he is going to defend his title against at Extreme Rules, and he is definitely building up some momentum as we draw closer to the pay-per-view.

With the World Heavyweight title by his side, Sheamus has established himself as the top guy on Smackdown.

1. Chris Jericho (Last Week: 1)

Want proof that you don't need to wrestle to climb up these rankings?

Look no further than Chris Jericho, who seems to do it every week.

Although Y2J had no match last week, he regained the No. 1 spot by brutally assaulting CM Punk and giving him yet another beer bath.

Jericho is a rare talent in that he can generate heat so easily without even wrestling or cutting a promo, and that was never more evident than it was on last week's Raw.

Y2J laid a cowardly beatdown on Punk, and when he did, the crowd really hated him for it.

Even more proof that Jericho really is the best in the world.

Note: As part of the new WWE blog, I'll be asking all of the B/R wrestling readers for questions for a new mailbag that I will post on Fridays. It will be a slideshow featuring 10-to-20 questions and answers on a wide range of topics. You can submit questions either through Formspring or Twitter, and the best ones will be answered in the B/R mailbag.