WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 1/5/2015

In the first WWE Superstar Power Rankings of 2015, there's a good bit of movement, but No. 1 remains the same.  It was a busy week, with surprisingly big matches and even a title change.

We also saw Daniel Bryan return and declare himself for the Royal Rumble.  And who could forget the great job guest hosts Edge and Christian did all week long? But perhaps most importantly, this past week saw the return of everyone's favorite power couple, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, aka The Authority.

We'll get into all this past week's action and intrigue in the following slides. But before we do, please read how these rankings work.  

These rankings are not popularity contests, and they are not designed to determine who the best technical wrestler, high-flier, talker, etc. are.  They are strictly storyline rankings.

These rankings consider all active WWE Superstars and Divas on the main roster and excludes talent that primarily or exclusively wrestles on NXT.  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 tied in the rankings with another wrestler, holding a title will be the primary tiebreaker used.  However, holding a championship, being a No. 1 contender or holding a Money in the Bank briefcase in no way guarantees a spot in the top 10.

Wins and losses account for the bulk of the week-to-week movement and, after championships, are 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 nearly as much as wins or losses. Being over with the fans (read: extremely popular) 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; however, any major non-storyline information (serious injury, WWE Wellness Policy violations, suspensions, legitimate hirings, firings, contract information, "sabbaticals," etc.) may be taken into consideration, but generally, only 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 accounts on social media 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-views and any storyline-driven content from the WWE Network.

Watch List

Seth Rollins

It was a rough week for Mr. Money in the Bank, but what happened at the end of Raw could spell the resurgence of Seth Rollins.  On Raw, he faced Roman Reigns and lost via disqualification when Big Show attacked Reigns.  But later in the night, Rollins, with the aide of Big Show, forced John Cena to bring back The Authority.  Will this be a boon for Rollins?

Nikki Bella w/ Brie

Nikki Bella got back on track this week with a win over Natalya on Raw.  You could give the assist to Tyson Kidd, too.  With AJ nowhere to be found, can someone like Paige step up to the plate and challenge Nikki?

10. Big Show

Previous Rank: Unranked

Movement: Outta Nowhere!

Big Show started his week off with a few attacks on Raw.  He attacked Roman Reigns and buried him under an announce table.  Later that night, he attacked Edge with Seth Rollins and helped beat down John Cena after he tried to save Edge.  The result was The Authority's return.

But the real shocker came on SmackDown.  He faced off against Ryback, who has been on a roll lately.  When Rusev appeared and distracted Ryback, Big Show hit him with the WMD and sent Ryback outside the ring.  Big Show would earn a count-out win over the then No. 2-ranked Superstar.

Now that The Authority is back, will this lead to big things for Big Show?

9. Bray Wyatt

Previous Rank: Watch List

Movement: Into top 10

Bray Wyatt moved into the top 10 from the Watch List this week.  He faced Erick Rowan, a tough opponent and former ally, on SmackDown and won.  He also vowed that he'd defeat Dean Ambrose this Monday on Raw. 

He was referring to the Ambulance match that he'll have.  And it's the match he says will end his feud with Ambrose.  Can he win this big match on Raw tonight?

8. Brock Lesnar

Previous Rank: 9

Movement: Up 1

Two appearances by WWE world heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in three weeks (even if he didn't take part in any matches) is a refreshing trend.  Too long had the premier title in WWE been absent from television on a consistent basis.  But does this establish a trend, or is it an aberration?

In any case, Lesnar had a skirmish with John Cena this week and escaped when Cena tried to hit him with the Attitude Adjustment.  Lesnar and Heyman also appeared on stage to congratulate The Authority on their return.  What's the next move for The Beast Incarnate and his advocate?

7. Rusev

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Down 3

Rusev had his worst week in a long time—maybe ever—in WWE.  He lost two matches by DQ.  On Raw, he faced Dolph Ziggler and got himself disqualified after ignoring the referee's five-count.  He attacked Ziggler afterward but was run off by Ryback.

Then on SmackDown, he faced Roman Reigns and was disqualified when Big Show attacked Reigns.  You could argue that this was not his fault, but it's still a loss.  And now he's on a losing streak.  Perhaps it was to be expected now that he's reached the upper tier of competition.  But he'll need to turn this around if he hopes to keep his psychological advantage (the air of invincibility) over his opponents.

6. Roman Reigns

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: Up 2

Roman Reigns continues to climb up the rankings after picking up two more wins this week over quality opponents.  Reigns defeated then No. 10-ranked Seth Rollins last Monday on Raw via DQ when he was attacked by Big Show.  Reigns may have had Rollins beaten before Big Show interfered.

Then on SmackDown, he defeated United States champion and then No. 4-ranked Rusev by DQ when he was again attacked by Big Show.  And once again, Reigns looked to have Rusev pinned when Big Show attacked, though Rusev was likely close enough to the ropes to grab them and break the count.  

Reigns is building more and more momentum.  But with Big Show aligned with The Authority, Reigns might be a target.  He'll have to watch his back from here on.

5. Dean Ambrose

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: None

It was a slow week for Dean Ambrose, who was scheduled for one match, which never got underway.  On SmackDown, he vowed to defeat Bray Wyatt on Raw in an Ambulance match.  He even said he'd run Wyatt over.  If ever a Hardcore Championship was to be revived, Ambrose would be a top contender for sure.

He was set to face Curtis Axel on SmackDown (who looks to be headed to NXT after asking NXT general manager William Regal for a spot on the roster the past several weeks).  The match never started because Ambrose attacked and beat down Axel.

Wyatt says the Ambulance match will end their feud.  Can Ambrose overcome Wyatt on Raw?

4. The Usos

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Up 2

It was a very good week for the new WWE tag team champions, Jimmy and Jey Uso.  On Raw, they faced The Miz and Damien Mizdow and defeated them to win the WWE Tag Team Championships for the second time.  

The next night on Main Event, they defeated Gold and Stardust.  And then on SmackDown, they teamed with R-Truth against Adam Rose and Gold and Stardust in six-man tag action.  They won.

They'll surely face Miz and Mizdow in a rematch.  But when will that come?  And they had better watch out, because former NXT tag team champions Konnor and Viktor of The Ascension have come to WWE and undoubtedly have their sights set on the tag titles.

3. Ryback

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: Down 1

Ryback drops a spot this week after picking up a tough loss on SmackDown.  First, though, was his appearance on Raw.  He saved Dolph Ziggler from Rusev and then talked about his journey to stardom in WWE.  You can see what he had to say in the video above.

On SmackDown, he faced Big Show.  He was distracted by Rusev mid-match, and that cost him dearly.  He was hit with Big Show's WMD punch, which sent him flying out of the ring, and lost the match via count-out.  

As he heads into his confrontation with Rusev over the United States Championship, can he regain his momentum and win gold for the first time in WWE?

2. John Cena

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: Up 1

John Cena moves up by default this week, even though he didn't exactly have a good week.  He didn't have any matches, but he confronted Brock Lesnar, sending the WWE world heavyweight champion scurrying.

But at the end of Raw, he was forced to bring back The Authority in an attempt to save Edge from paralysis at the hands of Seth Rollins and Big Show.  He was fooled, though, as Rollins assaulted Edge anyways and then took out Cena.

Cena and Lesnar will clash for the final time in just a few weeks at the Royal Rumble.  Cena has a chance to make history, for if he wins the title, he'll tie Rick Flair with 16 world championships.  Can Cena avoid the wrath of Seth Rollins, The Authority and Lesnar and stay healthy for his historic match?

1. Dolph Ziggler

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: None

Dolph Ziggler holds onto the top spot for the sixth consecutive week after picking up a win over Rusev on Raw.  It was a Champion vs. Champion match between the intercontinental and United States champions.  Rusev was disqualified and dominated much of the match.  But in the end, Ziggler escaped Raw with a win.

Ziggler can't be happy with the way he won, but he might be more unhappy about The Authority's return.  His efforts at Survivor Series were, ultimately, inconsequential.  His heroics gave WWE just under two months without having to deal with The Authority, and now they're back.  

And it's probably a safe bet that The Authority's primary target will be Ziggler.  Can the Show Off continue to be a thorn in The Authority's side, or will he crumble under a sustained attack?