WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 10/19/2014: Pre-WWE Hell in a Cell 2014 Edition

WWE Hell in a Cell 2014 is less than a week away, and there's a new No. 1 in the WWE Superstar Power Rankings.  With WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar missing in action, non-title feuds are taking center stage this Sunday.  

We'll see John Cena vs. Randy Orton in a tried and true match that usually delivers, and we'll see a hardcore fan's dream in Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins.  There are more matches that have been made and likely a few more to be announced this week.  

We'll get into all this past week's action in the following slides.  Before we move on, 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 these honors are therefore the most heavily weighted components in the 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

Big Show

Big Show will get another crack at Rusev this Sunday at Hell in a Cell.  But after losing to Rusev via disqualification this past Monday on Raw, he drops out of the top 10. 

Gold & Stardust

The WWE Tag Team champions still can't get on a roll.  They lost twice this week in tag action.  On Raw, they lost in a Triple Threat Tag Team match when John Cena pinned Stardust.  Then on SmackDown, they teamed with Miz in a losing effort as Goldust was pinned by Sheamus.  Will they defend their titles at Hell in a Cell?

The Miz

The Miz got a count-out win over Sheamus on Raw but was on the losing team on SmackDown in six-man tag action.  Now he'll face Sheamus at Hell in a Cell for the United States Championship.  Can he once again win a title, or will he come up short?

10. Randy Orton

Previous Rank: Unranked

Movement: Outta Nowhere!

Randy Orton had a strong showing on Raw this week and picked up a big win against a highly ranked opponent.  He defeated Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler on Raw and then involved himself in the Contract on a Pole match.  

He asked for the loser of that match at Hell in a Cell and will now face John Cena.  That match will be inside the Cell.  Cena and Orton have a long history.  Can Orton win this round?

9. The Usos

Previous Rank: 9

Movement: None

The Usos are showing that even though they aren't the WWE tag team champions, they're still arguably the top tag team in WWE.  They did lose on Raw in the Triple Threat Tag Team match but were not involved in the decision.  

Then on SmackDown, they teamed with Sheamus in a victory over Gold & Stardust and The Miz.  If the tag titles are defended this Sunday, they're the obvious choice to challenge.  But will they get that chance?

8. Dolph Ziggler

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: Down 5

This was a terrible week for Dolph Ziggler.  He faced top-quality opponents and simply could not get the job done.  He lost to Randy Orton on Raw and was attacked by Seth Rollins afterwards.  Then, he faced Rollins on SmackDown and again lost.  He was attacked by Orton after that match.

He has no title match (or any match) scheduled for Hell in a Cell as of this writing.  If he does get a match, whom will he face?  Cesaro?  Someone else?

7. AJ Lee

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: Up 1

AJ Lee picked up two more wins this week.  She teamed with Layla on Raw against Paige and Alicia Fox.  She pinned Fox for the win.  Then on SmackDown, she faced her Raw partner, Layla, and won via submission.  She was attacked by Paige after the match, though.

Like some of the other titleholders, she has, as of this writing, no scheduled match for Hell in a Cell.  It looks like AJ and Paige are in a holding pattern, waiting to reignite their feud at a moment's notice.  But other Divas keep getting in the way.  When will the two clash again?

6. Sheamus

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: Up 1

Sheamus had a mixed week but still moves up a spot.  The United States champion lost via count-out to The Miz on Raw, and punished Damien Mizdow for it on Main Event the next night.

On SmackDown, though, he picked up a win in six-man tag team action.  He partnered with The Usos in a win over The Miz and Gold & Stardust.  He pinned Goldust for the team win.  Sheamus heads into Hell in a Cell preparing to face The Miz for the U.S. title.  Can Sheamus retain?

5. Rusev

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Up 1

Rusev picked up two more wins over tough opponents this past week.  On Raw, he defeated Big Show via DQ when Mark Henry attacked him, though he looked to be closing in on a win as he had Big Show in the Accolade submission maneuver.  

He then defeated Big E on Main Event.  And he interrupted the Mark Henry-Big Show friendship summit on SmackDown.  Can he defeat Big Show this Sunday at Hell in a Cell?  How will Mark Henry factor in?

4. Brock Lesnar

Credit: Alex Musso via imagechef.com

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: Down 2

It's official:  WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is missing.  The Internet Wrestling Community is encouraged to be on the lookout for tall, gorilla-esque man with a championship belt.  

In all seriousness, Brock Lesnar did not appear this week, and neither did Paul Heyman.  So there really isn't anything to say here.  Lesnar dropped two spots and will continue to fall unless we hear something about his whereabouts.

3. John Cena

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: Down 2

John Cena was outsmarted on Raw by Dean Ambrose and lost his opportunity at facing Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell.  Now he'll face Randy Orton inside a Cell instead.

Cena may still find a way to get his hands on Rollins, be it this week or at Hell in a Cell.  But losing to Dean Ambrose in the Contract on a Pole match had to hurt his pride.  Will this lead to more issues with Ambrose, or will he stay focused on the task at hand (Orton)?

2. Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Up 2

Seth Rollins got a win over a game Jack Swagger, who looked to have Mr. Money in the Bank defeated when he locked in the Patriot Lock.  Instead, Rollins reversed it and rolled up Swagger for the win. 

Rollins also attacked Dolph Ziggler after Randy Orton defeated him.  That prompted a match on SmackDown in which Rollins defeated Ziggler as well.  He then interfered in the Ambrose vs. Kane match, giving Ambrose the DQ win.  Ambrose escaped the beating Rollins and Kane had planned for him.

This coming Sunday, there will be nowhere to hide for Rollins.  He'll face Dean Ambrose inside a Cell.  Who will emerge victorious?  Will Rollins have any tricks up his sleeve?

1. Dean Ambrose

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Up 4

This past Monday on Raw, Dean Ambrose got the biggest win of his career.  He faced John Cena in a Contract on a Pole match for the right to face Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell.  He used every trick and tactic he could and got the best of the 15-time world champion.  

Ambrose now gets Rollins one-on-one, which is what he's been begging for the past few months.  Now that he has the opportunity and the spotlight, he has to deliver.  Ambrose has the potential to be a top star.  The crowd is behind him, and he gets it done in the ring.  

But as of now, Rollins has (aside for personal pride) no need to actually win this match.  Win or lose, Rollins still has the Money in the Bank contract.  Dean Ambrose, on the other hand, had to scrape and claw his way to the top for this chance.  

Ambrose won on Raw in the Triple Threat Tag Team match and won on SmackDown against Kane (via DQ).  He has to keep that up come Sunday.  He simply can't afford to lose in the best opportunity he's gotten so far.