WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 12/8/2014, Pre-WWE TLC 2014 Edition

WWE TLC 2014 (or is it WWE TLCS 2014?) is less than a week away, and in the latest WWE Power Rankings, things are much the same as last week.  No. 1 and No. 2 haven't changed, but there are a couple of newcomers in the top 10.  However, with some interesting stipulations (more on that later), things could get shaken up this Sunday.

There are now six matches that have been announced for the pay-per-view: Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt in a TLC match, Ryback vs. Kane in a Chairs match, John Cena vs. Seth Rollins in a Tables Match, Erick Rowan vs. Big Show in a Steel Stairs match (hence the Tables, Ladders, Chairs...and Stairs name change), The Miz and Damien Mizdow vs. The Usos for the WWE Tag Team Championships and Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper in a Ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.  

There will probably be a few more matches announced this week to fill out the card, but who will those matches feature?  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 deemed to be level 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—also counts, though not as much as wins or losses.  Being over with the fans is considered but not heavily weighted in the ranking decisions.  It is a minor factor.  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, suspensions, legitimate hirings, firings, contract information, "sabbaticals," etc.) may be taken into consideration, especially if WWE confirms them publicly.

Domestic and international WWE live events are not included in these rankings unless WWE incorporates them into television storylines.  Nothing that could be explicitly considered a spoiler is included unless WWE acknowledges it as well.

In short, 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 may include but is not limited to WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, WWE Main Event, WWE Superstars, NXT, WWE pay-per-view, any storyline-driven content from the WWE Network.

Watch List

Brock Lesnar

Barring unforeseen events, WWE TLC 2014 will be the third pay-per-view in a row the WWE world heavyweight champion will have missed.  But after TLC, John Cena may not bet the No. 1 Contender, leaving Seth Rollins alone as the only man guaranteed a title shot.  Paul Heyman says that Lesnar is "hungry."  But is Brock Lesnar hungry enough to make a surprise appearance?  Or will we have to wait until the Royal Rumble?

Tyson Kidd

After a few weeks of good performances, Tyson Kidd didn't notch a win on the week.  He and Cesaro failed to win the Tag Team Turmoil match on Raw (though they did eliminate The New Day), and on SmackDown, they lost to The New Day in tag action.  Are Cesaro and Kidd a tag team?  

Nikki Bella w/ Brie Bella

Nikki Bella lost on Raw while teaming with Brie. And then Brie Bella lost to Naomi on SmackDown.  Nikki may or may not have to defend her Divas Championship at TLC, and if she does, there are a couple of possible contenders.

Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger still looks like he is the most likely choice to challenge Rusev for the United States Championship.  This past week, he picked up a win over Titus O'Neil on Main Event.  Will he officially get the title shot?  

10. The Usos

Previous Rank: Unranked

Movement: Outta Nowhere!

The Usos defeated the bulk of the tag team division on Raw in a Tag Team Turmoil match, which has earned them a shot at the WWE Tag Team Championships this Sunday at WWE TLC 2014.

But also on Raw, The Miz gave some praise and a business card to Naomi, who is Jimmy Uso's wife.  Miz was impressed with her twerking in a music video, and Jimmy took offense.  That would come to a head on Raw and on Main Event the next night.

Jimmy attacked Miz at ringside on Raw and then defeated Miz in a match on main Event.  On SmackDown, though, Miz defeated Jey Uso.  It appears this feud has become personal.  Can The Usos win back the Tag Team Championships?

9. Erick Rowan

Previous Rank: Unranked

Movement: Outta Nowhere!

Erick Rowan is quietly becoming a dominant force in WWE.  On Raw, he came out and attacked Team Authority as they were putting the boots to Dolph Ziggler, John Cena and Ryback.  The save allowed Rowan and the three men he saved to run off everyone and stand tall in the ring.  That came after Rowan had defeated Big Show earlier on Raw.  He won by DQ when Big Show attacked him with steel stairs.  

On SmackDown, he teamed with Ryback to defeat Big Show and Seth Rollins in spite of plenty of interference.  Rowan, who is being called "Big Red" about every 10 seconds on WWE TV these days, will now face Big Show in a Steel Stairs match at TLC, which is the reason it's now unclear what the event is actually named.  Can Rowan get a big win on Sunday?

8. Luke Harper

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: None

Luke Harper continues to underperform, losing his only match this past week.  On SmackDown, he faced Dolph Ziggler in a match where he defended the Intercontinental Championship.  He lost via disqualification when he brought a ladder into the ring.

Santino Marella, who was the special guest general manager for SmackDown, made the announcement afterwards that the two would face off again at TLC in a Ladder match for the IC title.  Can Harper keep his fresh title reign going?

7. Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Down 1

Seth Rollins continues to fall due to the fact that he simply can't get wins anymore.  On Raw, he teamed with Kane and Luke Harper in a losing effort against John Cena, Dolph Ziggler and Ryback.  Afterwards, they were run off by their opponents, plus Erick Rowan.

Then on SmackDown, he teamed with Big Show and lost to Ryback and Rowan.  He was upset that he was denied a tag by the referee, so he could have a legitimate gripe.  But losses are mounting for Mr. Money in the Bank.  Can he turn things around?

6. The Miz and Damien Mizdow

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: Up 1

It was a mixed week for the WWE tag team champions.  On Raw, Mizdow defeated Fernando of Los Matadores, but Jimmy Uso attacked Miz at ringside for talking to Naomi.  Miz had apologized to Jimmy, but Jimmy didn't seem interested.  

The next night on Main Event, Miz lost to Jimmy.  Miz made amends on SmackDown by defeating Jey Uso.  The two teams will face each other on Sunday for the WWE Tag Team Championships.  Who will emerge victorious?

5. Dean Ambrose

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Down 1

Dean Ambrose didn't have a match this week, and the one that he was scheduled to have never happened.  Instead, he was assaulted by Bray Wyatt and stretchered out of the arena on SmackDown.

He'll face Wyatt at TLC this Sunday in a TLC match.  But it's still not all that clear why they're feuding in the first place.  Yes, Wyatt sees himself in Ambrose, and yes, Wyatt keeps bringing up Ambrose's dad, but there's got to be something else going on inside Wyatt's head, right?

4. Rusev

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: Down 1

United States champion Rusev did not have a single match this week.  He was slated to face Dean Ambrose, but as the previous slide mentions, it never happened.  

He also has no scheduled match for TLC, though if anyone gets a shot at Rusev, the best guess could be Jack Swagger.  Will we see a match announced this week?

3. Ryback

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Up 2

Ryback has emerged as one of the hottest WWE Superstars in WWE today.  And this past week, he picked up two more wins over top-quality opponents in tag matches.

On Raw, he teamed with Dolph Ziggler and John Cena in a win over Luke Harper, Seth Rollins and Kane.  Ziggler got the pin on Harper for the team win.  After being attacked following the match by Big Show, Ryback and his team recovered when Erick Rowan came down to even the odds and sent their opponents packing.

On SmackDown, he teamed with Rowan against Rollins and Big Show, and Ryback got the pin on Rollins for the team win.  Rollins had tagged out, but the ref didn't see it.  But them's the breaks.  Ryback heads into Sunday with a match against Kane in a Chairs match.  Can he dispatch Kane and keep climbing in the rankings?

2. John Cena

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: None

John Cena made the most of his only match this week, teaming with Dolph Ziggler and Ryback on Raw against Kane, Seth Rollins and Luke Harper.  His team won as a result Ziggler pinning Harper.  Afterwards, Big Show attacked his team, but with the help of Erick Rowan, Cena and Co. drove their opponents off.

Cena is set to face Seth Rollins at WWE TLC 2014 in a Tables match.  It has been announced that if Cena loses, he will no longer be the No. 1 Contender for Brock Lesnar's WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  Can he save his title shot?

1. Dolph Ziggler

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: None

Dolph Ziggler holds onto the No. 1 spot after picking up two big wins this past week.  On Raw, he teamed with Ryback and John Cena against Kane, Seth Rollins and Luke Harper.  He pinned Harper for the team win and then helped drive off the opposing team after Erick Rowan saved the babyfaces from the beating they were already receiving.  

Then on SmackDown, he faced Harper for the Intercontinental Championship.  He won, but the victory was by disqualification.  He'll face Harper for the IC title again at TLC.  Can Ziggler regain the title he lost last month?