WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 3/9/2015
WrestleMania 31 is under three weeks away, and there's a new No. 1 in the WWE Superstar Power Rankings.
There are now four matches announced for the biggest pro wrestling event of the year. WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will defend his title against Roman Reigns, and Sting will face Triple H.
Two more big matches are also starting to take shape. Intercontinental champion Bad News Barrett will defend his Intercontinental Championship in a Ladder Match against Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper and R-Truth, while other Superstars, such as Daniel Bryan or Stardust, may also find their way into the match.
The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, at the time of publication, has 11 participants: Big Show, Kane, Ryback, the Miz, Curtis Axel, Adam Rose, Fandango, Jack Swagger, Zack Ryder, Titus O'Neil, and Darren Young.
As WrestleMania draws ever closer, the matchmaking looks to be ready to kick into high gear. Last year's WrestleMania had eight matches, and the two preceding WrestleManias had nine matches apiece, so it's likely only half the matches that will take place have been made.
In any case, we'll get into this past week's action across the following slides. But before we do, please read how these rankings work.
These rankings are not a popularity contest and are not designed to determine who has the best matches or the most ability. They are strictly in-storyline power rankings.
These rankings consider all active WWE Superstars and Divas on the main roster and exclude talents who primarily or exclusively wrestle 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're ranked is considered in the week-to-week movement.
Getting the better of someone—such as 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
1 of 11The Usos w/ Naomi
The Watch List this week might as well be "No. 11" because the Usos are the only Superstars here.
The Usos and Naomi faced Natalya, Cesaro, and Tyson Kidd on Raw and defeated them when Naomi pinned Natalya. Then on Main Event, they won a hard-fought match against the Ascension. Can they keep up the momentum and be officially granted a shot at the Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania?
No. 10: Cesaro and Tyson Kidd w/ Natalya
2 of 11Previous Rank: 8
Movement: Down 2
It wasn't a great week for Cesaro and Tyson Kidd. They teamed with Natalya in a losing effort against the Usos and Naomi on Raw, which may mean they'll be defending the WWE Tag Team Championships against the Usos at WrestleMania.
They got back on track on SmackDown, defeating Los Matadores in a tag team match with an assist from Natalya. Can they hold off the Usos as WrestleMania approaches?
No. 9: Dolph Ziggler
3 of 11Previous Rank: 9
Movement: None
Dolph Ziggler was one of a number of Superstars to have an interesting week. On Raw, he was among the Superstars playing hot potato with Bad News Barrett's Intercontinental Championship belt. After Daniel Bryan defeated Luke Harper, the belt changed hands several times, with Ziggler ending up with it.
On SmackDown, he teamed with Dean Ambrose against Luke Harper and Bad News Barrett, and his team got the win. Can Ziggler be the one who ascends the ladder at WrestleMania and walk out with the IC title?
No. 8: Bray Wyatt
4 of 11Previous Rank: 5
Movement: Down 3
Lately, Bray Wyatt has made waves by calling out the Undertaker. But in the ring, he's done little. With no matches this week and few lately, he falls to No. 8.
There's also no guarantee Undertaker will respond or that they'll have a match at WrestleMania even if Undertaker does appear. Bray Wyatt needs a win this week. As good as he is on the microphone, it only goes so far.
No. 7: Seth Rollins
5 of 11Previous Rank: 10
Movement: Up 3
Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins got his biggest win in a long time this past week, defeating then-No. 1-ranked Superstar Roman Reigns via pinfall on Raw. Sure, it took a small army (and a big assist from Randy Orton) to get the win, but the result was a notch in the win column for Rollins.
The question now is whether he and Orton are actually on the same page. Should Rollins trust Orton? Can he afford to?
No. 6: Dean Ambrose
6 of 11Previous Rank: 7
Movement: Up 1
Dean Ambrose is set to be in the Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match at WrestleMania along with a number of others, and he's setting himself up to be a favorite. He defeated Bad News Barrett on Raw and teamed with Dolph Ziggler in a tag team win over Luke Harper and Barrett on SmackDown.
Ambrose seems suited for the chaos that will surely be seen in the ladder Match at WrestleMania, but will that translate into a win?
No. 5: John Cena
7 of 11Previous Rank: 6
Movement: Up 1
John Cena is still trying to find a way to be involved in WrestleMania, but has thus far had no luck. Rusev won't face him in a match, and Stephanie McMahon put the kibosh on his attempt to enter the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
However, he did do his best to derail Axelmania this week. Curtis Axel, who claims to have never been eliminated from the Royal Rumble, is still demanding a place in the main event. Axel challenged Cena, and Cena made quick work of him.
What road will Cena take to WrestleMania? Will he get onto the card?
No. 4: Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman
8 of 11Previous Rank: 2
Movement: Down 2
Another week, another absence. WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar doesn't have much time left to make appearances before WrestleMania. But Heyman had another message for Reigns on Raw, which you can hear in the video above. To make a long story short, Heyman again promised Lesnar would defeat Reigns.
Lesnar may or may not appear between now and WrestleMania, but one thing is certain: in the match against Reigns, he won't hold anything back. And in the end, that may be all that matters.
No. 3: Daniel Bryan
9 of 11Previous Rank: 4
Movement: Up 1
Daniel Bryan kept his momentum going this week, picking up a win over Intercontinental champion Bad News Barrett on Raw. Then, on SmackDown, he appeared on stage and hinted he may be interested in being involved in the Intercontinental Championship Ladder match at WrestleMania.
Daniel Bryan has never held the IC title. Does he want to get involved in the chaos that surrounds the title? If so, he might just be the favorite to leave WrestleMania with the title.
No. 2: Roman Reigns
10 of 11Previous Rank: 1
Movement: Down 1
It took a lot if interference, but Roman Reigns picked up a loss via pinfall this week to Seth Rollins on Raw. It was his first loss on any televised WWE show since he was defeated by Big Show in early February.
On SmackDown, Reigns responded to Paul Heyman's Raw promo, vowing to defeat Lesnar at WrestleMania. In less than three weeks, we'll find out if he's right.
No. 1: Rusev w/ Lana
11 of 11Previous Rank: 2
Movement: Up 1
United States champion Rusev has spent the last year slowly climbing the rankings and has finally arrived at No. 1, the spot in which he and Lana surely think he belongs. On Raw, he again refused to face Cena at WrestleMania and was set to say the same thing on SmackDown.
But an old foe, the Real American Jack Swagger, challenged him to a match. Rusev promptly put Swagger in the Accolade submission hold and won. Afterward, Curtis Axel challenged Rusev to a match on the forthcoming Raw. Will Rusev make mincemeat out of him?
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