WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 9/8/2014

WWE Night of Champions 2014 is less than two weeks away and the WWE Superstar Power Rankings are seeing some movement in the midcard Superstars.  Some are up.  Others not so much. 

There's only one title match yet to be announced for Night of Champions, and that's who will face The Usos for their WWE Tag Team Championships.  Perhaps Triple H can channel Teddy Long one more time and announce their challengers.  In any case, the other four title matches are set, though they could change.

What other matches will we see on the card for Night of Champions?  As of yet, the only non-title match announced is Rusev vs. Mark Henry.  But we're still a few matches shy of a full event.  Will this week reveal more matchups?

There's plenty more to discuss in the following slides, too.  Before we get into all that, though, please read how these rankings work.

Holding a championship, being a No. 1 contender or holding a Money in the Bank briefcase counts for much of a wrestler's ranking and are therefore the most heavily weighted components in these rankings.  If a wrestler is tied with another wrestler, holding a title will be a tiebreaker.

Wins and losses account for the bulk of the week-to-week movement—wins and losses are, after championships, the most important component of the rankings.  The quality of a wrestler's opponents and whether they are ranked is considered in the week-to-week movement.  

"Getting the better" of someone—like beating someone down—as well as "getting got" also counts, though not as much as wins and losses.  Being "over" with the fans is considered but not heavily weighted in the ranking decisions.  Pay-per-view performances take on added importance.  

Only the top 10 wrestlers are ranked.  Wrestlers on the Watch List were considered for top-10 status but were ultimately nixed.  They are unranked, and their listing is in no particular order.  

Generally speaking, these rankings do not break kayfabe, though any major non-storyline information (serious injury, WWE Wellness Policy violations, legitimate hirings, firings, contract information, "sabbaticals," etc.) may be taken into consideration, especially if WWE confirms them publicly.  Nothing that could be explicitly considered a spoiler is included unless WWE acknowledges it as well.

All WWE shows, televised or digitally distributed, as well as anything from WWE.com, the WWE App, the WWE Network and any WWE or Superstar social media accounts that don't break kayfabe may be taken into consideration for these rankings.  This includes but is not limited to WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, WWE Main Event, WWE Superstars, NXT and any WWE pay-per-view.

Watch List

Goldust & Stardust

Goldust and Stardust have had enough of The Usos.  They really want those WWE Tag Team Championships.  And they've been willing to get violent to gain an advantage.  On Raw, Goldust defeated Jimmy Uso, and then he and Stardust proceeded to assault a wounded Jey Uso.  On Main Event, they beat Los Matadores, beating them down, too.  On SmackDown, they made it clear what they wanted.  But will they officially be named the challengers for the Usos' titles?

Cesaro

Cesaro picked up a win in tag team action on Raw, teaming with The Miz against Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus.  But on SmackDown, he lost to Ziggler and was then promptly Brogue Kicked by Sheamus.  He's set to face Sheamus at Night of Champions for the United States Championship.  How will he respond to the kick from Sheamus?

The Miz

The Miz picked up a win on Raw while teaming with Cesaro against Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus, but his "stunt double," Damien Sandow, also made an appearance in that match.  He's sure to not let his "moneymaker" get hit before Night of Champions, so it's probably safe to say we'll be seeing more of his stunt double.

10. The Usos

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: Down 2

The Usos might be the WWE Tag Team Champions for now, but if Jey Uso can't get healthy, they stand little chance of being champions after Night of Champions.  And though they have no official opponents for the pay-per-view, it's almost certain they'll face Stardust and Goldust.

They've been facing them frequently lately and haven't exactly had much luck, especially this past week.  On Raw, Jimmy Uso faced off against Goldust and lost.  He did make up for the loss on SmackDown by defeating Heath Slater, though.

The Usos could be in trouble.  Jey Uso had better get healthy and fast.  If he can't, they might be the former champions in two weeks.  

9. Paige

Previous Rank: 10

Movement: Up 1

Paige now has two Divas to worry about come Night of Champions.  It was announced on SmackDown that Nikki Bella, who on Raw was awarded a Divas Championship shot at a future date, would get that shot against Paige at Night of Champions, making the Divas title match a Triple Threat between Nikki Bella, Paige, and AJ Lee.  

Paige might even have a third opponent if Brie can get herself inserted into the match.  However, Paige may not worry too much about Brie after defeating Nikki's sister on SmackDown in her only match of the week.  But the more opponents, the lower her chances of retaining.  

8. Rusev

Previous Rank: 9

Movement: Up 1

Rusev continues to dominate his opponents, defeating Zack Ryder handily on Raw in his sole match of the week.  What's more important is his impending match at Night of Champions against Mark Henry.  

As of this past week, the match is official.  Henry is probably the toughest opponent Rusev has yet to face.  He's backed down from Henry several times now, but in two weeks, there won't be any backing away.

7. Sheamus

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Down 1

United States champion Sheamus had one match this past week and lost.  It was a tag match with Ziggler against The Miz and Cesaro.  He wasn't pinned in the match, though.  

On SmackDown, he got a measure of revenge by hitting Cesaro with a Brogue Kick after Cesaro had defeated Dolph Ziggler.  Will that be the same outcome in two weeks?  Or can Cesaro take Sheamus' title?

6. Big Show and Mark Henry

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: Up 1

Big Show and Mark Henry are involving themselves in the biggest feuds in WWE right now and are coming away from their matches with wins.  On Raw, they defeated Erick Rowan and Luke Harper via disqualification, as Rusev attacked Mark Henry.  Later on Raw, Henry called out Rusev, though Rusev wasn't in a fighting mood.

On SmackDown, they teamed with John Cena, Chris Jericho and Roman Reigns against The Wyatt Family, Seth Rollins and Kane.  Their team won, and they took out The Wyatts in the process.  

Since Henry will face Rusev at Night of Champions, it's highly unlikely they'll get a shot for the WWE Tag Team Championships over Stardust and Goldust.  But they could be in line for a shot in the near future.  Can they maintain their dominance?

5. Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Down 1

Seth Rollins did not have a good week.  On Raw, he teamed with Randy Orton and Kane against Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns and John Cena.  His team lost, and he was given the Attitude Adjustment by John Cena onto an announce table right in front of Triple H.  Not exactly confidence-inspiring.

On SmackDown, his team lost via DQ in the 10-man tag match that saw him team with Kane and The Wyatt Family against Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, John Cena, Big Show and Mark Henry.  He's got no scheduled match for Night of Champions, and unless he faces Roman Reigns, there's not really any obvious opponents for him.  

He may be Mr. Money in the Bank, but he's got to keep himself relevant.  Or perhaps not.  Maybe it's better to fly under the radar for a while, making it easier for him to shock the world when he decides to cash in.

4. Dolph Ziggler

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Up 1

Dolph Ziggler had a mixed week, first getting pinned on Raw by The Miz in a tag match.  He avenged the loss by defeating Damien Sandow on Main Event and Cesaro on SmackDown.  

Now he'll face The Miz at Night of Champions.  Can Ziggler overcome Miz and his "stunt double," Damien Sandow?  If he hopes to keep moving up the ranks of WWE and into the upper tier, he better.

3. John Cena

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: None

John Cena was almost deprived of his title rematch against Brock Lesnar after Triple H declared on The Highlight Reel that he wasn't sure the rematch was best for business.  Cena, by being on the winning team on Raw and AAing Seth Rollins onto a table right in front of Triple H, showed that perhaps he is in fact ready for Round 3 against Lesnar.

He further built his case on SmackDown when his team won the 10-man tag match via DQ and then cleaned house after the match ended.  But questions remain.  Cena defeated Lesnar when, according to Heyman, Lesnar was at 50 percent.  And we all know by now what happened at SummerSlam.  

Cena can win every match from now until Night of Champions and still may not have what it takes to take out Lesnar.  Will he keep running through opponents in preparation for the rubber match with Lesnar?  Can anyone beside Lesnar slow him down at this point?

2. Roman Reigns

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: None

In reference to the question asked at the end of the Cena slide, perhaps the answer is Roman Reigns.  Reigns is not-so-quietly becoming one of WWE's top names, and on Raw this past week, he made it clear he wants a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  

After pinning Kane on Raw in a six-man tag and getting a win via DQ in the 10-man tag on SmackDown, he's continuing to improve week after week, picking up wins against the top names in WWE.  If he keeps up his current pace, there's no way he won't get a title shot.  The question would be when, not if.  

In other news, he was profiled this week on WWE's Canvas 2 Canvas, a YouTube short exhibiting artwork based on WWE Superstars and personalities.  Check out the video to see this week's work featuring Roman Reigns.

1. Brock Lesnar

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: None

Brock Lesnar, via Paul Heyman, has made it abundantly clear that he's not impressed with John Cena.  This week, Lesnar wanted us to know that Cena is overcompensating.  Heyman insisted that Cena was emasculated at SummerSlam.  Heyman even went so far as to call Cena a cash cow who will be milked for the final time at Night of Champions.  

Lesnar, at this point, appears unstoppable.  And based on what we saw at SummerSlam, there's no reason to think Cena has a chance.  But Lesnar had better not get cocky; otherwise, there could be a repeat of Extreme Rules 2012, a match he dominated but still lost.