WWE Power Rankings: Breaking Down WWE's Top 25 Superstars for Week of Sept. 2

This week's RAW seemed to illustrate that the WWE's writers are finally figuring out how to piece together a strong, three-hour show, and that certainly had a major impact on this week's power rankings.

RAW featured quite a few solid matches that made all competitors involved look good. Also, entertaining storylines such as CM Punk's ongoing feud with John Cena, Daniel Bryan and Kane attending anger management classes together and general manager A.J. Lee having a mental breakdown were all furthered as well.

With the likes of Triple H, Brock Lesnar and Chris Jericho fading into the background over the past couple weeks, it has given many superstars on the current roster an opportunity to shine. Some have certainly seized the brass ring and impressed in a big way, while others have fallen flat to some degree.

The WWE is always extremely fluid, as things are constantly changing, and the same can be said for my weekly power rankings.

Here is the new top-25 list for the week beginning on Sept. 2, with the rankings being based purely on entertainment factors rather than kayfabe.

25. Tensai

Last Week's Ranking: NR

Tensai hadn't been seen on regular WWE programming in a couple weeks, but he made his triumphant return on RAW as he teamed with Cody Rhodes against Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio. Tensai and Rhodes ultimately lost the match, with Tensai putting over Sin Cara.

Although Tensai didn't really get an opportunity to showcase his skills, I am always impressed by his in-ring work considering his size. Tensai deserves to at least be featured on a regular basis, and that is enough for him to sneak into the rankings.

24. David Otunga

Last Week's Ranking: 25

It wouldn't be unfair to say that David Otunga is one of the worst in-ring workers in the WWE, but I do quite enjoy him in a backstage role. He returned a couple weeks ago in an effort to become RAW general manager A.J. Lee's legal counsel, but that didn't quite work out.

After Sheamus Brogue Kicked Ricardo Rodriguez on Monday, though, Otunga sent out a Tout and said that Ricardo would be taking legal action against The Great White. Otunga is very good as an annoying lawyer character, so I'm hoping he remains involved in an otherwise stale angle.

23. Prime Time Players

Last Week's Ranking: 24

There is no doubt that the entertainment factor of the Prime Time Players has diminished since manager A.W. was fired, but they remain one of the more relevant tag teams in the company. In fact, they have been getting just as much, if not more television time than the Tag Team Champions, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth.

I respect the fact that the writers have been trying to put more emphasis on the tag division as of late, and both Darren Young and Titus O'Neil should be a big part of that. They defeated Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel on SmackDown and will probably be involved in the title match at Night of Champions.

22. Brodus Clay

Last Week's Ranking: 22

With Funkadactyl Cameron getting suspended for 15 days due to a DUI charge, Brodus Clay wasn't even featured on RAW this week. He may not be on the show next week, either, but he remains one of the more entertaining guys on the roster. Some of the more serious fans despise his gimmick, but I find it to be fresh and fun.

Clay would be higher on this list had his feud with Damien Sandow been furthered. It almost feels like their rivalry is getting shelved at the moment, but they present contrasting styles that I feel should be showcased on a pay-per-view at some point.

21. Jack Swagger

Last Week's Ranking: NR

After not appearing on WWE television for a couple weeks, Jack Swagger returned last week and lost to Ryback before losing to World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus this past Monday. Swagger has fallen incredibly far since being World Heavyweight Champion in his own right and needs some sort of spark to get back on track.

Swagger told GM A.J. Lee after the match that he would be taking an extended leave of absence. Hopefully, this means that the All-American American will eventually return with an altered gimmick and look because he has superior in-ring skills and simply needs some character direction.

20. Santino Marella

Last Week's Ranking: 21

Santino Marella may very well be one of the most polarizing figures in the WWE. Some people enjoy him and find his comedy routine funny, but others can't stand him and point to him as symbol of what is wrong with wrestling today. Whatever the case, you can't deny that he brings a certain amount of entertainment value to the table.

Santino got his rematch for the United States Championship against Antonio Cesaro on Monday, but The Cobra's infatuation with Aksana once again led to Cesaro coming out on top. The whole Cobra thing is getting a little old, but if Al Snow can talk to a head, why can't Santino talk to a sock puppet?

19. Cody Rhodes

Last Week's Ranking: 20

I'm glad that Cody Rhodes finally has some sort of direction, as he is feuding with Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio, but that is a far cry from the world title contender that many believe he should be. Rhodes kind of went by the wayside after dropping the Intercontinental Championship and has yet to fully recover.

Rhodes' infatuation with masks makes sense to some degree since he wore one himself for so long, so I'm hoping there is an actual resolution to the feud. The writers have a penchant for starting angles and stopping them without a proper ending, but Rhodes needs to ultimately be helped by this somehow.

18. Antonio Cesaro

Last Week's Ranking: 19

I wouldn't say that Antonio Cesaro has blossomed since winning the United States Championship at SummerSlam, but he has been featured on both RAW and SmackDown every week since and that has been great for his overall exposure, and hopefully, it will aid in his character development as well.

Cesaro's gimmick as an international champion is solid and I feel like the only thing holding him back is Santino. Now that he beat the former champ in a rematch, though, he can move on to a more serious feud with someone like Christian, and that is where Cesaro should truly shine.

17. Heath Slater

Last Week's Ranking: 18

When Heath Slater was originally on NXT and later became a member of Nexus, I found him to be annoying and just plain terrible. Since the legend gimmick started, however, I have come to appreciate the One Man Rock Band. He may only be a jobber at this point, but he's one of the most entertaining jobbers I can remember.

Aside from a fluke win over Sin Cara and a win over Doink The Clown, Slater has lost essentially every match he has competed in over the past year. Slater does have some funny mannerisms and a decent gimmick, though, so I wouldn't mind seeing him get a bit of a midcard push.

16. Big Show

Last Week's Ranking: 15

Since beating David Otunga in short order a couple weeks ago, Big Show hasn't been seen on either RAW or SmackDown. He was coming off a WWE Championship feud with CM Punk and John Cena and I'm guessing that he has been left off television in order to transition him out of that angle without having to explain anything.

It is unfortunate, though, because Big Show was more entertaining as a heel than he had been in quite some time. Perhaps when he returns he can have a feud with someone like Ryback, or he could even be a holdover feud for World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus. I don't want Big Show winning any titles, but he is a believable contender right now.

15. Zack Ryder

Last Week's Ranking: 14

It may not seem like much, but Zack Ryder has scored victories over David Otunga and Heath Slater, respectively, over the past two weeks on RAW, and that is progress for the Long Island Iced Z. He hadn't really been used in the weeks prior, so now I'm cautiously optimistic that there are actually some plans for Ryder moving forward.

Ryder is one of the most entertaining guys on the roster and he does a lot of extracurricular work to get himself over. That should be rewarded instead of forcing him to compete on Superstars, and perhaps the last two weeks are a small step in the right direction.

14. Ryback

Last Week's Ranking: 13

I want to like Ryback and I certainly understand that he has his merits, but he will continue to move down this list if he doesn't get put into a real feud. I know that isn't really Ryback's fault, but I can only watch him squash Jinder Mahal so many times before I get tired of it. Ryback did precisely that yet again on Monday.

Ryback beat Jack Swagger the previous week, but he botched a back body drop and could have easily injured Swagger. Perhaps Ryback's sloppiness in the ring is what is holding him back at this point, but he either needs a mini-feud with a guy like Tensai or something more substantial against Big Show to be taken seriously.

13. Jerry 'The King' Lawler

Last Week's Ranking: 9

Jerry "The King" Lawler isn't technically a superstar, but he did wrestle WWE Champion CM Punk in a steel cage match last week and was involved with him once again on Monday. Lawler's announcing has really gone down the drain, but he has done more for the product over the past couple weeks than he has over the past couple years, so I give him credit for that.

Lawler and Punk were involved in a backstage altercation prior to RAW and it resulted in Lawler being unable to announce. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Lawler in this angle, but I hope he doesn't somehow cause Punk to lose the strap.

12. Sin Cara

Last Week's Ranking: 16

A guy who can't talk can only be so entertaining, but it seems like the WWE is finally figuring out how to properly utilize Sin Cara. He was never going to be the top guy that he was touted to be when he first debuted, but he gets a very favorable crowd reaction and there is no reason why he can't be one of the company's main mid-carders.

His feud with Cody Rhodes has been fairly interesting and his new partnership with Rey Mysterio is incredibly intriguing. I have been calling for a Sin Cara and Mysterio tag team for the past couple months, at least, and based on the way Michael Cole talked them up on Monday, I feel like their alliance may be in place for the long haul.

11. Rey Mysterio

Last Week's Ranking: 17

Sin Cara has been good as of late, but Rey Mysterio is everything that people hope Sin Cara can be one day, so he surpasses him in the rankings this week. Mysterio was on the shelf after suffering a concussion in his match with Intercontinental Champion The Miz at SummerSlam, but he returned with a bang, as he beat Cody Rhodes on SmackDown.

Mysterio also teamed with Sin Cara to beat Rhodes and Tensai on RAW, so he is on quite a roll. As I said with Sin Cara, I believe that a long-term team of Mysterio and Sin Cara would be great for both men, so hopefully it holds up.

10. Randy Orton

Last Week's Ranking: 12

Randy Orton pretty much is what he is at this point, as he probably isn't ever going to improve on the mic or spice up his character, but he does go out there every night and put on great matches. He has had two with Dolph Ziggler over the past week, as he defeated Dolph on SmackDown, but Ziggler got revenge on RAW by winning via a roll-up.

Orton is this high on the list based purely on his in-ring skills, which have developed extremely well during his time in the WWE. Since Orton is scheduled to leave soon in order to film 12 Rounds 2, hopefully he can have another great match with Ziggler at Night of Champions and put the Show Off over.

9. Sheamus

Last Week's Ranking: 11

Sheamus' feud with Alberto Del Rio is excruciatingly boring at this point, but the World Heavyweight Champion continues to try and make the best of his situation. I enjoyed his back-and-forth exchange with CM Punk on Monday and if there are plans to unify the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships at some point, I wouldn't mind seeing them have an angle together.

At the same time, Punk did expose Sheamus on the mic to some degree as the Great White stumbled over his lines a couple times. I've never considered Sheamus to be great when it comes to cutting promos, but he usually manages to hold his own. Perhaps he will get better once the entire Del Rio debacle is over. 

8. Damien Sandow

Last Week's Ranking: 8

I'm still waiting for Damien Sandow to be placed in a high-profile feud, but what he is doing currently is certainly quite entertaining. Sandow is pure gold every time he cuts a promo, and that alone puts him ahead of most of the guys in the company. I especially enjoyed his exchange with Sheamus on SmackDown last week.

Sandow had a decent match with Sheamus as well before hightailing it to the backstage area, and I feel like they could have a great feud. Part of the reason why the Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio feud has fallen flat is that neither is great on the mic, but Sandow is and would keep things fresh if he were to have an angle with the World Heavyweight Champion.

7. Alberto Del Rio

Last Week's Ranking: 10

Alberto Del Rio is definitely lacking when it comes to mic work and his overall character, but his wrestling has been excellent as of late. Not only did he beat Randy Orton cleanly with a Cross Armbreaker on SmackDown a couple weeks ago, but he scored one of his bigger wins in the company on Monday, as he beat John Cena in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

Del Rio did receive help from CM Punk, as he attacked Cena in the parking garage, but the win still counts, and Del Rio suddenly looks like a threat to some degree. It only took the writers about three months to realize that Del Rio needed to actually seem like a threat to take the World Heavyweight Championship, and for the first time during this entire feud, he finally does.

6. The Miz

Last Week's Ranking: 6

The booking of The Miz has been pretty terrible since he won the Intercontinental Championship, but the Awesome One continues to impress anyway. Miz didn't even compete in a match on Monday, but he was the replacement commentator for the injured Jerry "The King" Lawler and he was an immediate and obvious improvement over the stale Lawler.

Miz is one of the most charismatic superstars in the company and that was quite apparent when he was at the announcer's table with Michael Cole. Miz actually played a neutral role for most of the night and it seems to me that he could easily turn face and be massively popular. Whatever the case, Miz does need to be placed in a good feud, or else he could fade back into oblivion.

5. John Cena

Last Week's Ranking: 3

For the past two weeks, John Cena has barely even said a word on WWE programming, and that has actually contributed to the shows being better. Cena is obviously one of the best promo men the WWE has to offer, but there have been stretches where Cena was cutting 15-minute promos every week for months on end, and no matter how good you are on the mic, that is going to wear on the fans.

The focus has been redirected toward CM Punk and the WWE Championship, and that is precisely where it should be at this point. Cena did have an excellent match with Alberto Del Rio on Monday, though, and I have liked him much more as a supporting player rather than the main guy in recent weeks.

4. Kane

Last Week's Ranking: 5

I had high hopes for Kane when he initially returned with his mask and feuded with John Cena, but that angle fell flat in a big way. Kane has since been trying to find himself as a character, and I believe he finally has.

When the WWE tries to make a wrestler seem menacing, it normally comes off looking like a joke, so the writers have simply cut out the middle men and made Kane into a comedic character.

Kane has been comedic in the past, but I never remember being this entertained by him. His anger management skits with Daniel Bryan over the past couple weeks have been hilarious and have made me care about him again. Here's hoping that Kane and Bryan ultimately form a tag team, which is something I have been clamoring for.

3. Dolph Ziggler

Last Week's Ranking: 4

Darren Young may claim that his nickname is Mr. No Days Off, but it seems like that would be more fitting for Dolph Ziggler.

Mr. Money in the Bank is an absolute workhorse for the WWE, as he consistently puts on great matches on both RAW and SmackDown. Ziggler had two matches with Randy Orton over the past week and avenged his SmackDown loss by beating The Viper on RAW.

I'm still not sure I like the way he has been booked, but every Ziggler match is excellent and he deserves this lofty ranking.

The only thing missing is the writers allowing him to spread his wings and fly solo. Vickie Guerrero has done a great service to Ziggler, but he is ready to be his own man and that needs to be the next step for the Show Off.

2. Daniel Bryan

Last Week's Ranking: 2

For the second consecutive week, Daniel Bryan comes in at No. 2, as his entertainment value continued to far exceed my expectations. I knew that Bryan was one of the best wrestlers in the world when he came to the WWE, but I figured he would just have a serious persona. Bryan has somehow managed to become the funniest guy in the company, though.

This week's anger management videos weren't quite as good as last week's, but they were still fantastic. Bryan and Kane have a great rapport with each other and their exchanges on Monday were hilarious. Bryan will be a world champion again in the near future, but both he and Kane would benefit from a partnership in the meantime.

1. CM Punk

Last Week's Ranking: 1

WWE Champion CM Punk has been in the top spot since the advent of these rankings, and he continues to impress on a weekly basis. Punk wasn't quite as sinister on Monday as he was last week, but his promos were spot on and the Labor Day walkout was a nice touch. The best part of his performance undoubtedly came at the close of the show, though.

When John Cena and Alberto Del Rio ventured to the backstage area it was pretty obvious that Punk would interfere, and he did as he helped Del Rio pick up the win. Punk then gave Cena a GTS and hopped into a car, which was shockingly being driven by Paul Heyman.

I didn't think Punk could get much better, but pairing two of the best promo men in the business should be something special.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter and listen to him on Ring Rust Radio.