WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 5/4/2015: WWE King of the Ring 2015 Edition

It was a surprisingly eventful week in WWE this past week, and the WWE Superstar Power Rankings have seen some changes in the aftermath of the King of the Ring tournament.  

Speaking of the King of the Ring tournament, there's a new King for the first time since Sheamus won the tournament in 2010: Bad News Barrett.  Or is it King Barrett?  Or King Bad News, maybe?  

In any case, the King of the Ring tournament came and went like a bolt from the blue.  Publicly announced at Extreme Rules, the tournament wrapped up just two nights later on the WWE Network.  The tournament held a few surprise winners and even saw Neville come within a half-second of winning the prestigious crown (literally).  More on the King of the Ring tournament later on.

This past week also brought sad news.  

Pro wrestling legend Verne Gagne died at age 89.  Gagne was a 16-time world champion, winning the AWA World Heavyweight Championship a total of 10 times, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (Omaha version) five times and the IWA World Heavyweight Championship once.  You can read his bio here.

This past week's action, including WWE King of the Ring 2015, will be discussed in greater detail in the following slides. But beforehand, please read how these rankings are determined.

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 and 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

Cesaro & Tyson Kidd w/ Natalya

Cesaro & Tyson Kidd are no longer WWE tag team champions, but they are likely still No. 1 contenders.  They opened the week on Raw with a loss when Kidd lost to Big E.  But on SmackDown, they defeated The New Day in a title rematch, but the win was via disqualification, so there was no title change.  They may yet get another opportunity at the titles in less than two weeks at Payback.

Nikki Bella w/ Brie

WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella looked strong this week in her only match.  She made quick work of Cameron, who had insulted her sister, Brie Bella.  Naomi had defeated Brie Bella on Raw, and Cameron decided to tell Summer Rae all about it.  With AJ Lee retired and Paige gone indefinitely, Nikki has a chance at a prolonged reign—but Naomi may have something to say about that.

No. 10: Neville

Previous Rank: 9

Movement: Down 1

Neville is a sensation.  He burst onto the scene about a month ago on the Raw after WrestleMania 31, and while he's lost almost as many times as he's won, he made a statement this past week.  He defeated Luke Harper in a King of the Ring Quarterfinals match, and then, with a distraction from Dolph Ziggler, defeated Sheamus in the semifinals Tuesday.  

He went on to face Barrett in the final and came up just shy of a win.  There were moments when he appeared to have won the match.  He came tantalizingly close to a pinfall win.  But that night, Barrett was just a little better. 

Neville is young, athletic and has shown he can hang with the best in WWE since he debuted.  Was his loss to Barrett the beginning of a feud between the two, or will Neville move on to other opponents?

No. 9: Bad News Barrett

Previous Rank: Unranked

Movement: Outta Nowhere!

At the King of the Ring tournament on the WWE Network, Barrett earned a place beside some of the biggest names in WWE history.  The King of the Ring tournament hadn't been hosted since 2010, when Sheamus won.

Barrett defeated Ziggler in the quarterfinals, R-Truth in the semifinals and Neville in the final.  Neville presented Barrett a serious challenge, and the two fought hard to claim the title of King of the Ring. In the end, though, Barrett overcame Neville's challenge and earned what is likely the biggest win of his career. 

And he's still technically No. 1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship.  Depending on what happens with that title, Barrett could find himself both a king and a champion in the near future.

No. 8: The New Day

Previous Rank: 9

Movement: Up 1

The New Day continue to inspire the WWE Universe after winning the WWE Tag Team Championship just over a week ago at Extreme Rules.  On Raw, Big E defeated Kidd, though Xavier Woods had a hand in the win, as well.  

Then on SmackDown, they competed in a title match against Cesaro & Kidd and lost when Woods attacked Cesaro, causing the disqualification.  However, they retained the titles.  Will The New Day have to face Cesaro & Kidd again, or will they move on to other opponents? 

No. 7: Rusev

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: None

Rusev holds steady this week after having no matches.  He did confront John Cena on Raw, however, and had plenty of things to say about their "I Quit" Match at Payback.  Obviously, Rusev feels he'll force Cena to quit.  He'd be the first to do so if he can.

Rusev and Lana also seem to be having issues.  Lana has started acknowledging the attention she's getting from the crowd, and Rusev isn't too happy about that.  Is Lana, the proud Russian, falling prey to the evils of Western commercialist society she has so frequently criticised?

No. 6: Daniel Bryan

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Down 2

There's still no word about Daniel Bryan's condition, or when he'll be able to get back into the ring again.  Beyond that, he hasn't even been seen on WWE TV in a few weeks, and he continues to fall in the rankings.

The last time Bryan defended the Intercontinental Championship was March 30—the Raw after WrestleMania 31.  He's now gone over the allotted time to defend the title, aka the 30-Day Rule, and could potentially be stripped of the title at any time.  Will that happen for the second year in a row?

No. 5: Ryback

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: None

Ryback keeps on winning, and this past week was no exception.  He defeated Bo Dallas on Raw and Luke Harper on SmackDown.  But he's got bigger issues to worry about now.

Bray Wyatt has made Ryback his next target.  Wyatt attacked Ryback after he defeated Dallas and again after Ryback defeated Harper.  Can Ryback power his way past Wyatt, or will he fall victim to The New Face of Fear?

No. 4: Randy Orton

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Up 2

Randy Orton will be getting another shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, after all.  On Raw, Kane decided to allow the WWE Universe to decide the next opponent for Seth Rollins, the WWE world heavyweight champion.  The options were Roman Reigns or Randy Orton or a Triple Threat match against Reigns and Orton.  The fans chose the third option.  

Later on Raw, Orton teamed with Reigns against Rollins and Kane.  Kane lost his cool during the match, which ended up costing Rollins.  He was hit with a Superman Punch and then an RKO.  Orton pinned the champion for the team win.

In less than two weeks, Orton could be WWE world heavyweight champion.  But he'll have to get past a crafty Rollins and also Reigns, who's on a roll right now.

No. 3: John Cena

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: Down 1

John Cena was set to have another United States Championship Open Challenge Match when Heath Slater answered the call.  However, the match would not happen.  Rusev saw to that.

Rusev attacked Slater before the match could begin and had choice words for Cena.  Cena, of course, had plenty to say, too.  Before Slater appeared, Cena discussed his upcoming "I Quit" Match with Rusev.  

This will be Cena's fifth "I Quit" Match.  He has won the previous four, defeating John "Bradshaw" Layfield at Judgment Day in 2005, Orton at Breaking Point in 2009, Batista at Over the Limit in 2010 and The Miz at Over the Limit in 2011.  

If John Cena is known for any one type of match, this is it.  He's owned this match over the course of his career.  Can he keep his record unblemished at Payback, or will Rusev be the first to make Cena give up?

No. 2: Roman Reigns

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: Up 1

Reigns was on the outside looking in after he failed to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31.  He wasn't guaranteed anything, and if it weren't for the fans, he may still not be in the title hunt.

But on Raw, he and Orton were chosen to both face Rollins at Payback in a Triple Threat match.  That announcement came after he and Orton defeated Kane and Rollins in a tag match.  

Later in the week on SmackDown, he faced Kane in singles action.  He had Kane on the ropes, but Kane decided he'd had enough.  Kane walked out on the match, giving Reigns the win via count-out.  

Can Reigns keep up his momentum as Payback approaches?  And how will he and Orton—enemies in the past—coexist?  Will they look past their differences for the time being?

No. 1: Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: None

The WWE world heavyweight champion's week got off to a rocky start.  

Rollins teamed with Kane in a match against Orton and Reigns.  As stated earlier, Kane lost his cool, and Rollins ended up getting a Superman Punch and an RKO, followed by being pinned by Orton.  

Immediately after that, he was informed he'd be facing both Orton and Reigns at Payback, defending his title in a Triple Threat match.  

He got a win on SmackDown, though, against Dean Ambrose.  J&J Security helped a lot, but Rollins did get the win.  Afterward, The Authority put the boots to Ambrose, and Reigns came out to make the save.  

Rollins had better get in sync with the rest of The Authority because in less than two weeks, he's defending his title.  Triple Threat matches are usually No Disqualification matches, as well, and having allies could pay off for Rollins.  If he continues to antagonize Kane, though, he could have a problem.