WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 1/12/2015

What a week it was in WWE this week, and as a result, the WWE Superstar Power Rankings were thrown into upheaval.  A number of Superstars who may not have made the top 10, or may not have moved up in the rankings, did.  Why?  The biggest news of the week was the firing of Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon of The Authority.  More on that in a minute.

But that's not the only big news.  This past week was the final time SmackDown will air on Friday nights, as it's moving back to its original night (Thursdays) beginning this week.  This past week's episode of Superstars marked the 300th episode of the show.  And Triple H coined a new nickname for Sting: painted-up goof.  When will the merchandise be ready with that on it?

In addition to all that, WWE announced a shakeup to its announce teams for Raw and SmackDown.  On Raw, the new team will be Michael Cole, Booker T and JBL.  And on SmackDown, the announce team will feature Michael Cole, Jerry "The King" Lawler and former NXT announcer Byron Saxton.

Now back to the firings.  Since these are kayfabe rankings, Ziggler, Rowan and Ryback have been completely removed.  It is completely understood that these are storyline firings and not real.  

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.  

Note: These rankings are not a popularity contest and are not designed to determine who has the best matches, the most ability, etc.  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

Nikki Bella with Brie Bella

It was a bad week for the WWE Divas champion.  Nikki Bella lost to Natalya on Raw, thanks in part to a distraction by Paige.  Then on main Event, Nikki lost to Paige.  Natalya and Paige now may have cause to get a Divas title shot.  Who will get the nod?

The New Day

Big E was the only member of the faction to see action this week, but he picked up two wins.  First was on Raw, where he won his match with Adam Rose by disqualification when Tyson Kidd and Cesaro (who were wearing bodysuits and masks) attacked him.  Then he got a win over Adam Rose on SmackDown.  Can The New Day keep winning?

10. Big Show

Previous Rank: 10

Movement: None

Big Show benefited greatly from the firing of Ryback and Dolph Ziggler.  He lost twice this week and would likely have dropped from the top 10.  On Raw, he lost via DQ to Roman Reigns when he attacked Reigns with steel steps.  Reigns then countered, Spearing big Show and causing the steps to fall directly on Show's head.

Then on SmackDown, he teamed with Seth Rollins against Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.  His team lost after Rollins was pinned by Reigns.  Though nothing is official, it's a safe bet Big Show will face Reigns at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.  Can he slow down Reigns' big momentum?

9. Bad News Barrett

Previous Rank: Unranked

Movement: Outta Nowhere!

Bad News Barrett exploded back into the top 10 on Raw when he won his fifth Intercontinental Championship.  He was granted a title shot, and it originally appeared that Ziggler had retained when Barrett was pinned.  But Kane restarted the match, having forgotten to mention it was a 2-out-of-3 Falls match.  Barrett won the second and third falls, and a new intercontinental champion was born.

But the celebration was short-lived.  On SmackDown, his first match as champion was against Sin Cara, who has not been relevant on the main roster in what feels like forever.  Sin Cara shocked Barrett and the world by defeating Barrett.  It was a bad loss that kept Barrett from jumping higher in the rankings.  Can he move past the loss, or is it the start of a bad trend?

8. Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: Watch List

Movement: Into Top 10

Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins had a mixed week, but he benefited greatly from the firings of Ziggler and Ryback, who were ahead of him in the rankings.  On Raw, he teamed with Kane in a Handicap match against Ryback, who at the time held the No. 3 ranking.  With heavy interference from J&J Security, Rollins pinned Ryback for the team win.

Then on SmackDown, he teamed with Big Show in a loss to Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.  He was speared and pinned by Roman Reigns after whiffing on a Curb Stomp.  

With The Authority back, most of his enemies eliminated and John Cena despondent over his role in the firings of Rowan, Ziggler and Ryback, this is a golden opportunity for Seth Rollins.  But that's not all.  

It was announced that Rollins will be inserted into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at the Royal Rumble, making him a No. 1 contender and Mr. Money in the Bank.  In effect, he'll get a guaranteed shot at the title and a second if he can't win the title in the match itself.

Rollins has a massive opportunity.  Can he take advantage of it?

7. Dean Ambrose

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Down 3

Dean Ambrose has clung to a high ranking for the past few weeks, but after losing to Bray Wyatt in an Ambulance match that was dubbed the end of their feud, he drops out of the top five.  On SmackDown, though, he saved his ranking.

He teamed with Roman Reigns against Big Show and Seth Rollins.  Reigns pinned Rollins for the team win, softening the blow of the loss on Monday.  Still, Ambrose appears to have trouble in the biggest of matches.  Can he reverse that trend?

6. Bray Wyatt

Previous Rank: Unranked

Movement: Outta Nowhere!

Bray Wyatt won a big match and had three guys ahead of him fired, which helped him rocket into the top 10.  On Raw, he faced and defeated Dean Ambrose in the first-ever Ambulance Match to take place on Raw.  

Wyatt also declared himself for the Royal Rumble, one of only five as of this writing to have done so (Rusev, Roman Reigns, Bad news Barrett, and Daniel Bryan being the other four).  Can Wyatt win the Rumble and secure a WrestleMania title shot?

5. Brock Lesnar

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: Up 3

WWE world heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar did not appear this week, but he still moved up three spots.  Two spots were due to the firing of Dolph Ziggler and Ryback, and the third was a combination of factors.

It was announced that Lesnar's match with Cena at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view will include Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins.  Lesnar will now essentially have to defend his title twice.  Once in the match itself, and if successful, potentially prevent a beating on him that might give Seth Rollins the chance to cash in his Money in the Bank contract immediately after.

Can Lesnar walk out of Royal Rumble with the title?  If not, who will?

4. Rusev

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: Up 3

It was a slow week for Rusev, who had no matches.  His ranking was greatly benefited by the firing of Ryback and Ziggler.  On Main Event, he (or rather, Lana) announced that Rusev would enter the Royal Rumble.  And of course, she predicts victory.

Ryback looked poised to challenge Rusev for the United States Championship, but as of now, all plans for that have to be off.  Who else might step up to challenge for the U.S. title?

3. The Usos

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Up 2

The Usos move into the No. 3 spot after a mixed week.  They, too, benefited greatly from the firing of Ryback and Dolph Ziggler, who were ahead of them in the rankings, in addition to the loss by Dean Ambrose to Bray Wyatt.

The tag team champions opened the week with a loss in a 6-Man Mixed Tag Team match when they teamed with Naomi against The Miz and Mizdow and Alicia Fox.  The Miz pinned Jimmy Uso, and he was not pleased.  

That match was a prelude to the Triple Threat Tag Team match on SmackDown in which The Usos defended their WWE Tag Team Championships.  They retained, as Jimmy Uso pinned Stardust in the match.  Who will get the next shot at the titles?  

2. Roman Reigns

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Up 4

You knew it was only a matter of time before Roman Reigns would get back to where he was pre-injury.  With two big wins and a number of wrestlers losing ground or being removed from the rankings entirely, he has reached the No. 2 spot.

On Raw, he defeated Big Show via DQ when Show attacked him with steel stairs.  Undeterred, he speared Big Show, the steps landed on Show's head and Reigns stood tall.  Then on SmackDown, he teamed with former Shield teammate Dean Ambrose against Seth Rollins and Big Show.  Reigns speared Rollins and pinned him for the win.

Reigns has declared for the Royal Rumble, and he might be an odds-on favorite to win after last year's historic performance, where he broke Kane's elimination record and was the final elimination.  Can he finish the job this year and headline WrestleMania XXXI?

1. John Cena

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: Up 1

It was an inauspicious week for John Cena, though his actions have made an enormous impact on the WWE.  He apologized for bringing back The Authority but was then told by—you guessed it—The Authority that the night would be declared John Cena Appreciation Night.

At the end of Raw, Cena came to the ring at the request of The Authority, as did Erick Rowan, Ryback and Dolph Ziggler.  After threatening to suspend the three, The Authority ultimately fired them.  Cena was left in the ring as balloons and confetti fell and The Authority thanked Cena for all he'd done.

Cena clearly is unsure how to handle this, but he'll need to get over it quickly.  He has a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match in less than two weeks against Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins.  No matter how badly Cena feels about the firings, he needs to get his head right or he'll lose his chance at tying Ric Flair's record of 16 world championships.