WWE Over the Limit Results: Ranking WWE's Top 15 Superstars After PPV (May 21)

The WWE went Over the Limit last night, and what could have easily been a forgettable pay-per-view actually turned out to be a really good one.

The main event, featuring John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis, was more of an angle that would have been best suited for TV. However, the WWE Tag Team Championiship match and the Fatal 4-Way for the World Heavyweight Championship were very good, while Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk was spectacular, as expected.

Aside from a few big surprises (all of them involving Christian), Over the Limit was pretty predictable. But that's OK because we got a quality show.

Plenty of superstars really stepped up their game last night and tried to deliver for the fans. And that's exactly what they did. But some stepped up more than others and earned big wins that position them to have even bigger summers.

Let's take a look at who's doing what with this week's WWE Power Rankings.

Note: These rankings take into account last week's Raw and SmackDown, as well as last night's PPV.

15. Kane (Last Week: Unranked)

For someone who isn't involved with any major storylines at the moment, Kane had a quietly good week.

On Monday's Raw, he defeated Big Show after a distraction from John Laurinaitis. He followed that up with a DQ win over CM Punk and a beatdown of Punk on SmackDown, and then he beat Zack Ryder in the pre-show YouTube match at Over the Limit.

While Kane has sort of fallen off the radar a bit since his feud with Randy Orton ended, he's actually picking up wins on a more consistent basis than he has since he returned under the mask late last year.

Perhaps this is a sign that the Big Red Monster will be doing big things in the near future.

14. Santino Marella (Last Week: Unranked)

Santino Marella's week was spent beating Cody Rhodes.

He teamed up with CM Punk to beat Rhodes and Daniel Bryan on Raw, and then he beat Rhodes in singles action in a Champion vs. Champion Match on SmackDown.

Santino picked up those two huge victories and nearly had to face Christian for the Intercontinental title at Over the Limit, but Christian chose to face Rhodes instead.

While it was obviously a terrible week for the now title-less Rhodes, Santino spent his week picking up wins over one of the WWE's best all-around talents.

Good for you, Santino. Maybe you can have a tea party as a celebration.

13. Christian (Last Week: Unranked)

Well, I didn't see that coming.

Christian returned in shocking fashion at Over the Limit, winning a battle royal for an Intercontinental or Untied States Championship, seemingly choosing to go after Santin Marella''s US title and then changing his mind and going after Cody Rhodes' IC belt.

Captain Charisma beat Rhodes to a big ovation, ensuring that he had surprisingly returned as a baby face.

I've always liked Christian in either role, but with a clear lack of top baby faces, it makes sense to bring him back as a face and have him work in the upper mid-card.

Welcome back, Christian. 

12. John Cena (Last Week: 11)

John Cena spent a large portion of both Raw and Over the Limit embarrassing John Laurinaitis, and it was OK for what it was.

But Cena quickly went from all smiles and goofiness to knocked out and defeated last night when Big Show returned and laid him out with the WMD, allowing John Laurinaitis to get the win and save his job.

Cena's now lost for the second time in the last three pay-per-views, and now, he's presumably got pure misery waiting for him with the continuation of his feud with Laurinaitis and a new one with Big Show.

I'm not sure exactly where Cena's headed, but after losing a match with such big stipulations, one would have to think that, not surprisingly, the "odds are against him" again.

I guess we gotta get ready for Super Cena.

11. Kofi Kingston and R-Truth (Last Week: 15)

Hey, the tag team division actually matters these days!

The tag team revolution in the WWE is slowly but surely taking shape, and WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth are at its forefront.

They won the tiles just three weeks ago and have performed well since then, especially this week.

Kingston and Truth won a six-man tag team match on Raw, a tag team bout against the Primetime Players on SmackDown and then successfully defended their titles against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger at Over the Limit.

It was great to see these guys in action so often. It was even better to them win.

10. Layla (Last Week: 12)

We always complain about the Divas division and their, to put things mildly, subpar performances.

And while we didn't exactly get a match of the year contender at Over the Limit, I was pleasantly surprised with the match between Layla and Beth Phoenix.

I don't think anyone was really expecting much out of this, but it actually told a decent story, with Beth working over Layla's knee and Layla overcoming the injury to get the victory.

It was more like an OK match with some bright spots than a good match, but hey, it was probably the best Divas pay-per-view bout we've seen in a while.

Kudos to Beth and Layla, who, of course, is still Divas Champion.

9. Alberto Del Rio (Last Week: 8)

Alberto Del Rio was doing promotional work for the WWE early last week, so he didn't get to appear on Raw or on SmackDown. But he showed up at Over the Limit and participated in that really good Fatal 4-Way for the WWE Championship.

Matches like that are always tricky to book, but everyone involved turned in a great performance, including Del Rio.

I don't think that anyone really thought that ADR had a chance in hell of actually winning the match and the World Heavyweight Championship, but either way, he proved once again that he's one of the company's better and more consistent performers in the ring.

8. Brodus Clay (Last Week: 9)

The Brodus Clay squash-fest rolls on.

He got the pin and the victory in six-man tag team action on Raw, and then, he followed that up by squashing The Miz at Over the Limit.

Same week, same story.

I'm just tired of reading it.

7. Ryback (Last Week: 7)

Speaking of squashes, Ryback's squash-fest also continued last night.

Though he didn't appear on last week's SmackDown (I'm not sure why he didn't), Ryback got another PPV squash at Over the Limit, easily taking care of Camacho.

Much like with Brodus Clay, I'm tired of seeing Ryback's squashes every week. But being that squashes are the main part of his gimmick, they're bound to continue.

These short matches are making Ryback look like a beast, but they're also boring as hell. 

6. The Big Show (Last Week: 6)

What a weird week for Big Show.

He started off the week by being fired in one of the longest tearjerkers of a segment in WWE history, even though everyone over the age of six knew he wasn't actually being fired.

Then, he "shockingly" showed up at Sunday's Over the Limit pay-per-view, nailed John Cena with the WMD and helped John Laurinaitis save his job.

I'm not sure if that was a full-fledged heel turn for Big Show, but at the very least, it was a start of one.

While Big Show was down and out on Monday's Raw, he's already back at the top of the WWE, seemingly as Laurinaitis' new right-hand man.

5. Daniel Bryan (Last Week: 5)

Like many other WWE stars, Daniel Bryan's week was a bit of a roller coaster ride.

He lost in tag team action on last week's Raw (but didn't take the pin), easily beat Zack Ryder on SmackDown and then lost to CM Punk at Over the Limit.

But even though Bryan lost more than he won, I couldn't move him down because of the incredible performance he and Punk put on last night.

That was one of the best matches I've ever seen, and it will certainly challenge Undertaker vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 28 for "Match of the Year" honors.

My nod would go to Punk vs. Bryan, though, because that was an absolute wrestling clinic and proof that Bryan should be a main eventer for years to come. 

4. Chris Jericho (Last Week: 1)

At least storyline-wise, it wasn't a great week for Chris Jericho.

It took a DQ finish to pick up a victory over Randy Orton on Raw, and at Over the Limit, it was Jericho who wound up taking the pin in the Fatal 4-Way for the World Heavyweight Championship.

That marked Jericho's fifth straight PPV loss and seemingly ended his World title aspirations for the time being.

Performance-wise, though, Jericho was his usual great self, showing that winning doesn't mean nearly as much as putting on a show for the fans.

I'm not sure where Y2J's recent booking leaves him, or if last night was actually the last we'll see of him competing in a WWE ring for a while (maybe ever?), but either way, Jericho showed at Over the Limit that he really is the best in the world at what he does.

3. Randy Orton (Last Week: 2)

Randy Orton lost three times last week, but he's one of the very few superstars who can look so good in defeat.

Although he lost all three matches he participated in, one loss came by DQ, the other came via a quick-roll up and he wasn't even involved in the finish at Over the Limit.

While Orton lost more times than any other WWE star last week, the way it was booked still made him look very strong.

Part of the reason why is because Orton leveled Sheamus with an RKO at the end of SmackDown and hit a few RKOs on Sunday.

He performed incredibly well on all three occasions, especially in his great match with Sheamus on SmackDown. It just wasn't his time to win on any of those three nights. 

2. CM Punk (Last Week: 4)

Another seven days, another week of CM Punk proving that he's the best in the world.

He picked up a nice win in tag team action on Raw, had a quality match with Kane on SmackDown (though he lost it) and absolutely tore the house down with Daniel Bryan at Over the Limit.

Oh yeah, he won that last match too.

All Punk has done lately is deliver great match after great match. After retaining his WWE Championship last night, he's still holding the most prestigious title in the company.

Whether you like Punk or not, it's hard to deny that he's an amazing performer.

Look no further than his unbelievable match with Bryan.

1. Sheamus (Last Week: 3)

This was one of the most memorable weeks in the career of the Great White.

On Friday's SmackDown, Sheamus defeated Randy Orton in a 27-minute TV classic, one that should stand tall at the end of 2012 as one of the best TV matches of the year.

He didn't just stop there, though.

At Sunday's Over the Limit pay-per-view, he outlasted three other competitors in a great Fatal 4-Way to retain his World Heavyweight Championship—a match that ranks among one of the best Fatal 4-Ways in recent memory.

Sheamus is sitting on top of the world right now, and after delivering two great performances in a three-day span, he most certainly deserves it.

Drake Oz is the WWE Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions (to be answered in the B/R Mailbag) on Formspring.