WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 6/15/2015: WWE Money in the Bank 2015 Edition

WWE Money in the Bank 2015 is in the books and the WWE Superstar Power Rankings have consequently been shaken up considerably. Obviously, there is a new Mr. Money in the Bank. And even though just one championship changed hands, there were big wins and moments up and down the card.

WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins retained his title against Dean Ambrose, John Cena defeated Kevin Owens, Big Show defeated Ryback via disqualification, R-Truth defeated King Barrett, Sheamus won the Money in the Bank match, Nikki Bella retained the Divas Championship and the Prime Time Players defeated the New Day to win the Tag Team Championships.

This past week also brought sad news to wrestling fans everywhere. The American Dream Dusty Rhodes, legendary wrestler, booker and father of current WWE Superstars Goldust and Stardust, passed away at the age of 69. Rhodes wasn't the typical wrestler; his belly was a little big, as was his hiney. However, he was bad.

His promos with Ric Flair were all-time great, which is how you could also describe his influence on the industry. He brought joy and hope to the hearts of millions of working men and women in his heyday, and he touched several generations of fans with his work in the ring and behind the scenes. The author of these rankings thanks you for all the memories.

This past week's action, including WWE Money in the Bank 2015, will be discussed in greater detail throughout 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 WWE Roster are considered, excluding talents who primarily or exclusively perform in NXT. Superstars listed on the NXT roster are not eligible to be ranked.

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 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 components 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 and "sabbaticals"—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.

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

The New Day

This week, the New Day may as well be considered No. 11 because there are no other Superstars who make the Watch List. Despite that, the group had a pretty bad week. It started off well enough, when Big E defeated Titus O'Neil on Raw. But that was as good as it got.  

Kofi Kingston lost in a Six-Man Tag Team match on SmackDown when Big E and Xavier Woods interfered, and they lost their WWE Tag Team Championships at Money in the Bank after Kingston had already failed to win the Money in the Bank contract. Can the "power of positivity" allow New Day to regain their lost titles?

No. 10: Neville

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: Down 3

Put simply, it wasn't a great week for Neville. He answered Kevin Owens' NXT Championship Open Challenge on Raw and lost. He got a win on SmackDown via DQ when his team, comprising Randy Orton, and Roman Reigns, was assaulted by the New Day.

At Money in the Bank, he failed to capture the Money in the Bank contract, though that is no easy task. In short, Neville had plenty of chances to win high-profile matches, but the only match he won was a Six-Man tag by disqualification.

Chances are this is just a momentary setback. But Neville will need to regroup and refocus after a few notable losses. What's next for him now that Money in the Bank is over?

No. 9: Big Show

Previous Rank: Unranked

Movement: Outta Nowhere!

Big Show found himself in a feud with Ryback pretty much immediately after returning to action. Interestingly enough, the Miz is also a part of this feud. These three Superstars don't like each other, as was evident on Miz TV this past Raw.

Show got a shot at the Intercontinental Championship at Money in the Bank, and the Miz was at ringside for the bout. Ryback may owe Miz a favor because it looked like Big Show was closing in on a win when Miz attacked Big Show and then Ryback. The attack gave Big Show a DQ win in a title match—Miz attacked Big Show first—which almost certainly guarantees Big Show another shot at the gold.

But Big Show has to be furious, as he has to think he was about to become Intercontinental champion. When will Big Show get a rematch? And what will he do about the Miz?

No. 8: Prime Time Players

Previous Rank: Watch List

Movement: Into Top 10

The Prime Time Players' winning the WWE Tag Team Championships was probably not a prediction many people were making. But by the end of Money in the Bank, they were the only Superstars to become champions.

That's especially true because Big E dispatched with Titus O'Neil on Raw this past week. Aside from that win, the New Day had a bad week. But they've proved themselves tough competitors. Nevertheless, O'Neil and his partner, Darren Young, have finally won gold at the expense of New Day. The question now is, can they hold onto their newly won titles?

No. 7: Nikki Bella

Previous Rank: 9

Movement: Up 2

WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella is on a roll, albeit with help from twin sister Brie. On Raw, she defeated Summer Rae in singles action. Throughout the week, she was preparing to take on Paige, who vowed to take down the Bellas.

At Money in the Bank, when Paige seemed poised to win, the Bellas pulled a fast one. Brie and Nikki Bella swapped places, and Brie, with her top stuffed with what appeared to be tissues or toilet paper to more closely resemble her sister, got pinned instead of Nikki. When the referee saw what had happened, he waived off the decision and inexplicably didn't disqualify Nikki.

Instead, he resumed the contest, allowing Nikki to pin Paige and retain the title. It was a bizarre finish, but in the end, Nikki walked out as champion.

Nikki Bella has held the title for 205 days (as of 6/15/2015). Therefore, she has passed Beth Phoenix (204 days) for third-longest reign in the title's history. If she's still holding the belt before the end of June, she will take over second all time by surpassing Maryse's 216-day mark.

Nikki Bella is making history with her title reign. Can she keep her hot streak going?

No. 6: Sheamus

Previous Rank: Watch List

Movement: Into Top 10

Sheamus rockets back into the top 10 this week after picking up his biggest win in quite some time. But more on that in a moment. On Raw, he picked up a DQ win over Randy Orton after Orton attacked him with a chair. On SmackDown, he lost via DQ when the New Day attacked Orton, who was on the opposing team of the Six-Man tag team match in which he was involved.

At Money in the Bank, Sheamus was one of seven men in the Money in the Bank match. Only 14 Superstars have ever held the honor, and only two, Edge and CM Punk, have won it twice. It was Sheamus' third Money in the Bank match—and third time was the charm.  

After Bray Wyatt inexplicably attacked Roman Reigns when Reigns seemed poised to claim the contract, Sheamus emerged from ringside to climb the ladder instead. Though Roman Reigns fans will be upset at these events, Sheamus did nothing wrong. All is legal in the Money in the Bank match. Sheamus merely took advantage of the situation, which is what any other Superstar would have done.

The question now is, when will Sheamus cash in? Will he hold the briefcase for a long time, or will he cash in quickly?

No. 5: Ryback

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Down 1

WWE Intercontinental champion Ryback had a mixed week and drops one spot in the rankings. He had a confrontation with both the Miz and Big Show on MizTV on Raw, and he faced and defeated Miz on SmackDown.

At Money in the Bank, he defended his title against Big Show. The Miz, however, was at ringside for the contest. Ryback and Big Show battled in the ring and out, and after taking a beating from Big Show, it looked like Ryback might have been heading for a loss.

But Miz attacked Big Show and then Ryback, dealing Ryback a DQ loss but allowing him to retain the title. The Miz may well be the reason Ryback is still IC champion. However, it's doubtful Ryback will see things that way. He now looks to be embroiled in a three-way feud between himself, Big Show, and Miz.  

Can he emerge from this feud with his title reign intact? Or will one of his opponents take the title from him?

No. 4: Dean Ambrose

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: Down 1

It was a tough week for Dean Ambrose, seeing as though he only had one match, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship ladder match at Money in the Bank, which he lost.

He had fun at Seth Rollins' expense on Raw, partying with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. And he got the better of Rollins again on SmackDown too.

But at Money in the Bank, the fun and games came to an end. In a long, grueling ladder match, Ambrose and Rollins delivered a ton of punishment to each other. But in the end, the match came down to a struggle for the title atop a ladder.

Rollins and Ambrose both grabbed the title, but when they crashed to the floor, Rollins, not Ambrose, had hold of the belt. Ambrose lost, but he came as close to winning as possible. He has a decent argument for a rematch, but after losing to Rollins without any outside interference whatsoever, he may have to go to the back of the line.

No. 3: Roman Reigns

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: Down 1

Roman Reigns had a good week that perhaps should have been great, but he still drops a spot. Reigns got a win over then-WWE Tag Team champion Kofi Kingston on Raw and picked up a DQ win on SmackDown when Reigns, Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler teamed up against Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, and Kane. The rest of the New Day interfered in the match, giving Reigns' team the win.

At Money in the Bank, Roman Reigns faced six other men in the Money in the Bank ladder match. By all accounts, he should have won. Every other competitor was on the ground outside the ring. All he had to do was grab the briefcase and walk out with a guaranteed title shot.  

Instead, Bray Wyatt, for unknown reasons, attacked Reigns and left him in a heap. Sheamus took advantage and won the match instead, leaving Roman Reigns devastated.

With a feud with Wyatt looming, can Reigns take out his new enemy and get back into title contention? Or like Ryback before him, will he fall to the Eater of Worlds?

No. 2: John Cena

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Up 3

WWE United States champion John Cena and NXT champion Kevin Owens just seem to be natural rivals. They match each other move for move, near-fall for near-fall and promo for promo. And after Money in the Bank, they are even once again.

Cena lost to Owens at Elimination Chamber at the end of May. At Money in the Bank, Cena looked for revenge. The crowd hung on every move and every cover. And after almost 20 minutes in the ring, Cena evened the score at one win apiece. It was a hard-fought match, and it was easily the best contest of the night.

With the series now even, though, it almost guarantees a rubber match. When will this happen? Can Cena put Owens away for a second time?

No. 1: Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: None

By all accounts, WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins had a horrible Raw. After the Authority granted him the opportunity to prove himself by selecting his own opponent, he chose J&J Security following an argument in the locker room. Kane, who also had beef with Rollins, decided to take up with J&J.

Dean Ambrose distracted Rollins with the stolen WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt during the match. This gave Joey Mercury the chance to roll up Rollins, which led to a shocking pinfall win for J&J Security over Rollins. Ambrose beat down Rollins after the match to add injury to insult.

On SmackDown, though, Rollins got back on track a bit. He defeated Dolph Ziggler via a rollup, though he had a handful of Ziggler's tights. All that was largely forgotten about by the time Money in the Bank rolled around.

At Money in the Bank, the Authority had words for Rollins as he walked to the stage. Kane wanted him to lose, and Stephanie McMahon was derisive. However, Triple H really just had two words for Rollins: "show them." The COO implored Rollins to show everyone—the Authority, fans, Dean Ambrose, everyone—why he was chosen. And Rollins did just that.

Rollins got no outside help. No one was at ringside to provide interference or distractions. It was simply Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in a one-on-one ladder match. Rollins targeted Ambrose's leg and hobbled Ambrose early on. The two eventually punished each other for over half an hour.  

But at the climax of the match, the two ended up fighting atop the ladder in the center of the ring. Ambrose appeared to have the better chance to grab the belt, but Rollins reached up and took hold of the belt. As the two came crashing down to the mat, he wrested the belt from Ambrose's clutches to seal his victory.  

All the naysayers who proclaimed Rollins to be a paper champion, or a champion who needed help to win his matches, have been silenced by proceedings at MITB. Rollins went to war with one of the best in the business and won. He earned the WWE World Heavyweight Championship last night. And no one can take that away from him.