WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 5/25/2015: Pre-Elimination Chamber 2015 Edition

Things are happening quickly in WWE, as WWE Payback 2015 was just over a week ago, and the WWE Superstar Power Rankings remain largely unchanged since then.  Now it's already time for another WWE Network event, Elimination Chamber 2015.

We know of five matches for Elimination Chamber.  In the Elimination Chamber match for the Intercontinental Championship, Ryback, Sheamus, King Barrett, R-Truth, Rusev and Dolph Ziggler will compete for the title.  Also, The New Day will defend the WWE Tag Team Championships inside the Chamber against Cesaro and Tyson Kidd, The Ascension, The Lucha Dragons, the Prime Time Players and Los Matadores.

Current NXT champion Kevin Owens will have his first WWE match when he takes on John Cena.  There will also be a Triple Threat for the Divas Championship, featuring Nikki Bella defending the title against Naomi and Paige.

Finally, we'll see Seth Rollins defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Dean Ambrose, who is now the No. 1 Contender.

Before moving on, a note about Kevin Owens.  He is the NXT Champion and is listed in NXT's roster page.  He is not listed on WWE's roster page.  Since officially being on WWE's active roster is a requirement to be ranked, Owens is not in these rankings, even though he will face John Cena this Sunday.

***Note: this article incorrectly stated that John cena vs Kevin Owens would be for the United States Championship.  The match will instead be a non-title match.  Corrections have been made where appropriate.

This past week's action 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.  These rankings 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 (i.e., getting a strong reaction) is not heavily weighted in the ranking decisions; it is effectively the last tiebreaker. Pay-per-view wins and losses 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, it's 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.

These may include but are 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

Lucha Dragons

After participating in a brawl on Raw, the Lucha Dragons defeated three other teams on SmackDown (The Ascension, Los Matadores and Cesaro and Tyson Kidd) in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team match.  They have lost some momentum lately, but they could be a serious threat to New Day when they get a Tag Team Championship opportunity at Elimination Chamber.

Sheamus

Sheamus got a solid win on Raw this past week over Ryback, though he got an assist from J&J Security.  Now he heads into Elimination Chamber with an IC title shot.  Can he capitalize?

Dolph Ziggler w/ Lana

Lana and Rusev are finished, and Lana has apparently chosen Ziggler as her new man.  On Raw, Ziggler defeated Stardust, and then on SmackDown, he defeated King Barrett.  He'll get a shot at the IC title this coming Sunday.  Can he win gold with Lana in his corner?

10. Neville

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: Down 3

It was a tough week for Neville.  On Raw, he faced King Barrett and lost via the Bull Hammer and pin.  He was attacked prior to the match by Bo Dallas, which likely contributed to the loss.  Neville hurt his knee during the match and Barrett locked on.

After the match, Barrett continued the assault on his knee.  Neville is now out of action temporarily and won't be in the IC title Elimination Chamber match.  Can Neville get healthy quickly?

No. 9: King Barrett

Previous Rank: 10

Movement: Up 1

King Barrett had a decent week, picking up a win and a loss.  On Raw, he defeated Neville, and then attacked his knee after the match.  Neville and Barrett have a nice rivalry going, but in this round he got a little help from Bo Dallas, who attacked Neville before the match.  

On SmackDown, though, he faced Dolph Ziggler, accompanied by Lana, and lost.  Barrett is finally going to get the Intercontinental Championship match he's wanted for a while.  But, he'll have to defeat five other men inside an Elimination Chamber to win gold.

8. Bray Wyatt

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: None

Bray Wyatt had an even week, picking up one win and one loss.  On Raw, he faced Dean Ambrose.  J&J Security interfered in the match, allowing Wyatt to hit Ambrose with Sister Abigail for the win.

In a rematch on SmackDown, Ambrose got the win over Wyatt, even though there was more interference from J&J Security, in addition to Seth Rollins.  Wyatt has no scheduled match this Sunday, but will he play a role in the title match between Rollins and Ambrose?

7. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd (with Natalya)

Previous Rank: 9

Movement: Up 2

Cesaro and Tyson Kidd continue to get wins over the tag team champions but can't win the title.  On Raw, they faced and defeated The New Day via disqualification, making the victory a little less sweet since the titles did not change hands.  

On SmackDown, they were in a four-team Fatal 4-Way match and lost to the Lucha Dragons.  But they'll get a title shot this Sunday inside the Elimination Chamber.  Can they win back the titles?

6. Randy Orton

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Down 1

Randy Orton did not appear this week and had no matches.  He's also not scheduled to compete at Elimination Chamber.  

Where Orton goes from here is a mystery.  He took the pin in the title match at Payback, so he might be out of the title picture at this point.  But until more is revealed about Orton's immediate future, he holds on to a top-five spot.  At least, for this week he does...

5. The New Day

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Up 1

The New Day moves up after losing one match and winning another.  They lost by DQ to Cesaro and Kidd on Raw.  They kept their titles, but lost once again to the team they defeated for the titles not long ago.  

Then on Main Event, they defeated the Prime Time Players.  Now, they'll have to face five other teams in an Elimination Chamber match.  Can they hold off the competition and emerge victorious?

4. Roman Reigns

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: Down 1

Roman Reigns made one appearance this week.  On SmackDown, The Authority was getting ready to beat Dean Ambrose down after he had defeated Bray Wyatt.

Roman Reigns appeared and spared Ambrose the beating.  The two cleared the ring.  With Ambrose getting the title shot, what's next for Reigns?  Is he next up after Ambrose should Ambrose fail to win the title?

3. Dean Ambrose

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Up 1

Dean Ambrose had a mixed week match-wise, but he got a big break, too.  On Raw, he lost to Bray Wyatt thanks to a distraction by J&J Security.  Later on, he got his revenge by attacking Rollins during the "Architect of a Dream" ceremony.  

His attack led him to expose cinder blocks, and he threatened to hit Rollins in the head with a chair.  In exchange for stopping his attack, Stephanie McMahon granted him a title match at Elimination Chamber.  

On SmackDown, he got revenge on Wyatt, winning the rematch in spite of heavy interference from J&J Security and Seth Rollins.  After the match, The Authority looked to take out Ambrose, but he was spared the beating when Roman Reigns made the save.

Can Ambrose capitalize on his one-on-one title match this Sunday and win his first world championship?

2. John Cena

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: None

United States champion John Cena holds on to No. 2 this week by a hair.  In his only appearance of the week, Cena issued his usual open challenge.  NXT champion Kevin Owens answered the call but refused to compete in a match.  

He vowed the two would fight someday, but Owens said he would only fight on his terms.  Owens beat down Cena after attacking him.  It was later revealed that Owens and Cena would face each other at Elimination Chamber, but no title would be on the line.  

Owens is no rookie.  He's battle-tested and tough.  Can Cena withstand Owens' onslaught?

1. Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: None

WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins did not have a good week.  On Raw, he brawled with Dean Ambrose when Ambrose demanded a title shot.  Then later in the night, his "Architect of a Dream" ceremony, which was thrown by The Authority to honor his accomplishments, was ruined when Ambrose attacked him, forcing The Authority to grant Ambrose the title shot he wanted at Elimination Chamber.

On SmackDown, he tried getting revenge during Ambrose's match with Bray Wyatt.  But Ambrose won, and Roman Reigns helped Ambrose run off Rollins and J&J.  In all, a bad week for the champion.  

All of that will be forgotten, though, if Rollins can retain his title this Sunday when he faces Ambrose.  Can he hold on to his title at Elimination Chamber?