WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 3/30/2015: WWE WrestleMania 31 Edition
Another WrestleMania has come and gone, and after WWE's greatest event of the year, the WWE Superstar Power Rankings have seen some major changes. Titles were defended, legends made appearances and there were plenty of surprises.
WrestleMania 31 saw The Rock pair up with UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and run Triple H and Stephanie McMahon out of the ring. D-Generation X, Shawn Michaels and the nWo all made appearances during the match that saw Triple H defeat Sting. And The Undertaker returned to WrestleMania and rebounded from last year's shocking loss to Brock Lesnar.
This past week's action, especially WrestleMania 31, will be discussed in greater detail in the following slides. But beforehand, 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.
All active WWE Superstars and Divas on the main roster are considered, excluding talents who primarily or exclusively wrestle in 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, 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 and rank of a wrestler's opponents are 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 or addresses it publicly.
WWE's non-televised domestic and international live events are not included in these rankings unless WWE incorporates them into television storylines or acknowledges the event on WWE television. Also, nothing that could be explicitly considered a spoiler is included unless WWE acknowledges it as well.
In short, all WWE main roster 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 11
Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler looked to have all the momentum heading into WrestleMania 31 after he defeated Daniel Bryan on Raw. Ziggler had his chances at The Showcase of the Immortals to grab the Intercontinental Championship, but he ultimately fell short. Instead, he'll now chase Daniel Bryan, the new IC champion. Can Ziggler separate himself from the pack and get another shot at the title?
Ryback
Ryback was one of the favorites to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and he did turn in a good performance. He eliminated a number of Superstars, but it wasn't enough to get a win. He was the third-to-last elimination, so he did come close. But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. What can Ryback do to get ahead in WWE after missing out on this opportunity?
10. Dean Ambrose
2 of 11
Previous Rank: 6
Movement: Down 4
Dean Ambrose clung to a spot in the top 10 this week. After getting a win in a tag match on Raw, he headed into WrestleMania 31 looking to win the Intercontinental Championship. He failed.
During the match, he was powerbombed out of the ring and through a ladder. And that was the end of Ambrose's night. He was a non-factor in the Ladder match after that and might be on the outside looking in on the IC title picture in the short term.
9. Randy Orton
3 of 11
Previous Rank: Watch List
Movement: Into Top 10
Randy Orton got a win on Raw this past week against Seth Rollins and J&J Security. This was a preview of things to come, because at WrestleMania 31, he took out Seth Rollins. And he did it by hitting perhaps the best RKO he's ever delivered.
Orton also may find himself right in the thick of the WWE World heavyweight Championship chase, seeing as Rollins, the man he defeated at WrestleMania, would go on to become the new WWE world heavyweight champion by night's end.
Can Orton parlay his recent feud with Rollins into a title opportunity? Or will he have to wait until Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns have their opportunities?
8. Big Show
4 of 11
Previous Rank: Unranked
Movement: Outta Nowhere!
Big Show has been a bit player in larger events as of late, but at WrestleMania 31, that all changed. Big Show has always been compared to Andre the Giant. He's one of the largest men ever to wrestle, and unlike so many other big men, Big Show has been highly successful.
So perhaps it's fitting that he won the event named after the man against whom all other big men are compared. He won the second annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which could be a capstone to a Hall of Fame career, or it could be the catalyst to another run at the top of WWE. What will Big Show do next?
7. Brock Lesnar
5 of 11
Previous Rank: 5
Movement: Down 2
Brock Lesnar manhandled Roman Reigns for much of their match at WrestleMania 31, and he probably would have retained his championship against the young upstart in Reigns. But the equation changed when Seth Rollins decided to cash in his Money in the Bank contract.
Rollins' cash-in turned the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match into a Triple Threat match. Lesnar found himself outside the ring when Rollins pinned Reigns and walked out with the title.
Lesnar has officially re-signed with WWE, and so there's no doubt he'll want a rematch, especially since he didn't take the pin in the match. But when will that rematch happen? And will we see Brock soon?
6. Rusev
6 of 11
Previous Rank: 3
Movement: Down 3
Rusev had gone more than a year in WWE without being pinned or being forced to submit. And after Raw, when he once again destroyed Jack Swagger, there was no indication he was any closer to losing.
But at The Show of Shows, he met with one of the most successful WWE Superstars in history: John Cena. He'd defeated Cena before. He'd attacked Cena. He'd beaten down Cena. But in the biggest match of his career, he was bested by the leader of the Cenation.
When he accidentally knocked Lana off the ring apron, he was distracted enough to give Cena the opening he needed. Rusev was hit by an Attitude Adjustment, and the unstoppable Russian finally went down in defeat. There will surely be a rematch, but will Rusev have Lana by his side for it?
5. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd with Natalya
7 of 11
Previous Rank: 7
Movement: Up 2
Cesaro and Tyson Kidd faced three other tag teams on the WrestleMania 31 Kickoff Pre-show and escaped with the WWE Tag Team Championships. They started their week off with a loss against Los Matadores, but ended it by retaining their titles at WWE's biggest event of the year.
They'll now move forward firmly in control of the tag division. The Usos may want another shot, seeing as Jey Uso wasn't healthy and didn't last long in the match, but Cesaro and Kidd have shown that when the chips are down, they take care of business.
Both Cesaro and Kidd are technically sound wrestlers, as is Natalya. The other teams will be hard-pressed to get an easy win over the tag team champions.
4. Roman Reigns
8 of 11
Previous Rank: 1
Movement: Down 3
Roman Reigns finally got his shot at Roman Reigns Sunday night. He took a ton of punishment and dealt out nearly as much. He busted Lesnar open, hit him with spears and Superman Punches and had a puncher's chance to defeat the Beast Incarnate.
But all of that changed when Seth Rollins inserted himself into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match. After a flurry of events, Reigns ended up getting curb-stomped and pinned by the opportunistic Rollins, and his chance to win the title went up in smoke.
Will Reigns get another shot? He wasn't the champion and isn't guaranteed a rematch, after all. Seeing how Lesnar recently re-signed with the company, Reigns might be the odd man out for a while. But he did show that he's tough as hell in taking the beating he took. It likely won't be long before Reigns gets his chance again.
3. John Cena
9 of 11
Previous Rank: 4
Movement: Up 1
John Cena has had a tough time handling his lack of success against Rusev. But at WrestleMania 31, he finally did what no one had been able to do up until that point—defeat Rusev by pinfall.
Cena fought for America, and he did not let his country down. He reclaimed the United States Championship for the country he loves and started his first reign with the title in over a decade.
John Cena will have to contend with Rusev again, as there will surely be a rematch. But Cena showed Rusev can be beaten. Will Cena dominate like Rusev did, or will Rusev reclaim the title in short order?
2. Daniel Bryan
10 of 11
Previous Rank: 2
Movement: None
It's hard to move up when you're ranked so high, but staying high in the rankings is perhaps harder than the climb itself. Daniel Bryan cemented his place at No. 2 this week, even though it got off to a rocky start.
On Raw, he lost to Dolph Ziggler in singles competition. But on SmackDown, he got back on track with a win in an eight-man tag team match in which his team—John Cena, Mark Henry and Roman Reigns—defeated the team of Seth Rollins, Kane, Big Show and Bray Wyatt.
Then at WrestleMania 31, he shined in the spotlight. Bryan ended last year's WrestleMania by winning the WWE World heavyweight Championship. And this year, he started the show off by winning the prestigious Intercontinental Championship. He now holds WWE's second-most important championship.
With a popular Superstar holding the title and strong competition in the IC title division, Daniel Bryan's win could usher in a new golden age for the title.
1. Seth Rollins
11 of 11
Previous Rank: 10
Movement: Up 9
Seth Rollins had a tough week. At least that's how this slide would have begun were it not for the last five minutes of WrestleMania 31. He lost on Raw and suffered defeat again at WrestleMania 31 to Randy Orton. Had his week ended there, he'd be on the Watch List.
But his week did not end there. After Roman Reigns had beaten now-former WWE world heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar bloody—after Reigns had taken several F5s and a ton of suplexes—Rollins took a chance. He put himself in the ring with two of the hottest Superstars in WWE.
He capitalized on his opportunity and pinned then-No. 1-ranked Reigns, becoming the first wrestler to ever successfully cash in a Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania. The Authority saw him as the future, but now that Rollins is the WWE world heavyweight champion, the future is now.
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