WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 2/9/2015

As WWE pushes forward heading into WWE Fastlane 2015, the WWE Superstar Power Rankings feature a few big changes.  And on WWE TV, events transpired that could further shake up the rankings in the weeks to come.

Triple H made a big announcement that has the potential to shake up the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania XXXI, and other possible title feuds are starting to come into focus for Fastlane and beyond.  

Curtis Axel also addressed his never being eliminated from the Royal Rumble, which didn't go too well for him.  And in entertainment news, The Miz fired Damien Mizdow as his stunt double and promptly rehired him as his personal assistant.  

We'll get into all this past week's action and possible Fastlane matches 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 in-storyline power rankings.

These rankings consider all active WWE Superstars and Divas on the main roster and exclude 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.  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 it 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

Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins had a bad week, to say the least.  He lost to Daniel Bryan on Raw with a match against Roman Reigns at Fastlane on the line, with the winner of that match going on to WrestleMania XXXI to face Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  He had a shot at revenge on SmackDown, but he lost in a three-on-one Handicap Match against Daniel Bryan.  Is the Authority losing faith in Rollins?

Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler got off to a rough start this past week, losing to Bray Wyatt.  He then teamed with Ryback on SmackDown in a match against Gold and Stardust.  Are Ryback and Ziggler a tag team now? 

Ryback

Ryback had a good week and just missed the cut for the top 10.  On Raw, he defeated Luke Harper via pin.  Then on SmackDown, he teamed with Dolph Ziggler in a win over Gold and Stardust.  Will Ziggler and Ryback continue teaming together, or was that a one-off?

Nikki Bella with Brie

Nikki Bella didn't have any matches this week, though her sister Brie did.  Brie defeated Summer Rae on Main Event.  But what Nikki did do was continue to harass Paige, her Fastlane opponent for the Divas Championship.  She sprayed Paige with spray tan on Raw, making fun of Paige's pale complexion.  Will Paige have a response this week?

No. 10: Bad News Barrett

Previous Rank: Watch List

Movement: Into Top 10

Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett just sneaks into the top 10 this week after picking up a win over Sin Cara on main Event.  Sin Cara may have caused Barrett problems in the recent past, but now Barrett possibly has a new challenger.

On Raw, Dean Ambrose called out Barrett and demanded an IC title match at Fastlane.  Barrett refused, as seen in the video above.  Then on SmackDown, he debuted a new segment called "BNZ," which appears to be a TMZ-like product.  Can Barrett keep WWE gossip out of his mind and focus on Ambrose, who looks to be coming for his title?

No. 9: Dean Ambrose

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: Down 1

Dean Ambrose is positioning himself for a run at the Intercontinental Championship.  On Raw, he interrupted Curtis Axel's promo, complaining about never being thrown over the top rope in the Royal Rumble.  Ambrose promptly threw him over the top rope and called out Bad News Barrett.

Axel then attacked Ambrose, but to no avail.  Barrett rejected his demand for a match, but one can only assume that Ambrose will up the crazy in an effort to get the match he wants.  

Then on SmackDown, Ambrose faced Axel and dispatched him relatively quickly.  Can Ambrose, one way or another, convince Barrett to give him a match for the IC title at Fastlane?  

No. 8: Big Show

Previous Rank: Unranked

Movement: Outta Nowhere!

Big Show may have gotten a little help in the process, but he got a solid win over a top opponent this past week.  On Raw, in his only match of the week, he defeated No. 2-ranked Roman Reigns, which turns out to be the first time on WWE TV that Roman Reigns has lost a match via pinfall since The Shield disbanded (all stats found here).

On SmackDown, Big Show's Authority buddies assisted in the beatdown put on Daniel Bryan at the end of the show, after Bryan had defeated Seth Rollins and J&J Security.  Big Show was not there, though.  The question now is, can Big Show translate this huge win into more than just a temporary bump in the rankings?

No. 7: The Usos

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Down 1

The Usos continue to have problems with Cesaro and Tyson Kidd.  On Raw this past week, Jimmy Uso faced Cesaro.  Cesaro got the win after distractions from Tyson Kidd.

The WWE Tag Team Champions have not looked right for a while now, and while nothing is official, they could be headed into a match against Cesaro and Kidd at Fastlane.  Will they get back on track in the meantime?

No. 6: John Cena

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: Down 3

John Cena was idle this week, as he was last week, too.  Since he lacks a championship, idleness hurt more than it does for others.  On Raw, he brought out Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan, and welcomed them back to Raw.  

Triple H had other ideas, though, and interrupted that segment.  Cena is on a collision course with Rusev for the United States Championship at Fastlane.  Could Cena have been the culprit behind Rusev's flag fiasco?

No. 5: Daniel Bryan

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: Up 2

Daniel Bryan is on fire right now.  He's clearly and indisputably the most popular Superstar in WWE today, and after a ho-hum few weeks after his return to action, he's picking right back up where he left off before he was sidelined for the second half of 2014 with a neck injury.

On Raw, Triple H informed him he would face Seth Rollins in a match to determine an opponent for Roman Reigns at Fastlane.  That match would then determine the true No. 1 Contender for Brock Lesnar's WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  Bryan defeated Seth Rollins in a hard-fought and exciting match.  He got an assist from Roman Reigns, who came to his aid when Big Show and J&J Security were interfering in the match.

On SmackDown, Bryan faced Rollins and J&J Security, getting another win when he forced Joey Mercury to tap out.  He tried to flee but was assaulted by Kane, Seth Rollins and J&J Security.  Can he make it to Fastlane healthy?  And can he defeat Roman Reigns and headline WrestleMania again?

No. 4: Bray Wyatt

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Up 1

Bray Wyatt has quietly powered his way up the rankings, landing at No. 5 this week.  On Raw, he defeated Dolph Ziggler, looking impressive in the process.  But Wyatt has more in mind than defeating Ziggler and others.

Wyatt has been talking cryptically about someone or something.  Speculation is rampant, but there are no answers yet.  Could Bray Wyatt be calling out The Undertaker?  It sounds like he might be.  Or could it be someone else?  Or is he just crazy?

No. 3: Rusev

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Up 1

Rusev continued to dominate his opponents this past week.  On Raw, he was set to face Erick Rowan, but the match never got started.  He viciously beat down Rowan, which is no small feat.  As he celebrated, though, the Russian flag failed to unfurl, enraging both Rusev and Lana.  The announcers speculated Cena may be responsible.

On SmackDown, he crushed Erick Rowan in a non-title match.  Now, he must continue to prepare for his big match with John Cena at Fastlane.  Rusev looked a little nervous around Cena a couple of weeks ago.  Is that a trap for Cena to fall into?

No. 2: Roman Reigns

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: None

Roman Reigns held on to the No. 2 spot this week after he turned in a mixed week.  On Raw, he was goaded by Triple H into putting his WrestleMania XXXI title shot on the line.  While it remains to be seen if this was a colossal blunder on Reigns' part, he clearly wants the chance to prove he does, in fact, deserve the title shot.

He faced Big Show, and with interference by Seth Rollins, was defeated by Big Show.  It marked the first time since The Shield disbanded that Roman Reigns has been pinned (stats available here).  It's a major loss for Reigns headed into Fastlane.  But he got payback later when he cost Rollins his match against Daniel Bryan, ensuring Reigns would face Bryan.

On SmackDown, Reigns would get back on the winning path with the destruction of The Miz.  The Miz was interviewing Daniel Bryan on Miz TV when Reigns interrupted, wanting to fight Bryan right then and there.  Rollins interrupted, blaming Reigns for his loss to Bryan on Raw.  Reigns would then face and defeat The Miz, ending his week on a winning note.

Can Roman Reigns prove he's ready for the main event spotlight by defeating Daniel Bryan at Fastlane?  Or will Bryan roll over Reigns like he did Batista, Triple H and Randy Orton en route to a WWE World Heavyweight Championship win at WrestleMania XXX? 

No. 1: Brock Lesnar

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: None

There were no appearances by Brock Lesnar on WWE TV this week.  The WWE World Heavyweight Champion clung to the No. 1 spot, but now that it's all but certain he won't be wrestling (er, sorry, Superstaring) at Fastlane, it's likely only a matter of time before he falls out of the No. 1 spot again.

Lesnar might not have a preference about who he faces.  Roman Reigns might be a more interesting power matchup who could give Lesnar a true fight.  But Bryan might be the bigger concern.  He's quicker than most, a high-flyer and is adept at the ground game to boot.  Bryan might be the more dangerous opponent.  

Of course, if Lesnar can throw around John Cena like a rag doll, do either Reigns of Bryan stand a chance?