WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 6/29/2015

As WWE Battleground gets closer and closer, there's a bit of jockeying for position going on in the WWE Superstar Power Rankings. This week in the rankings, there are no major surprises but the featured superstars weren't static, either.

There are now five matches set for Battleground. Roman Reigns will face Bray Wyatt a singles match. WWE United States champion John Cena will defend his title against NXT champion Kevin Owens. WWE intercontinental champion Ryback will defend his title against both the Miz and Big Show in a Triple Threat match. WWE tag team champions the Prime Time Players will defend their titles against the New Day, who will try to regain the titles after losing them at Money in the Bank.  

And, of course, there's the main event. WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins will put his title on the line against the recently reinstated Brock Lesnar, who is seeking revenge after losing the title when Rollins successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania 31.

This past week's action 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. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis, but any NXT Superstar deemed eligible for these rankings will remain on the Watch List until they are officially named as a part of the WWE main roster.

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 the 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 Miz

The Miz didn't wrestle this past week and falls back out of the top 10 after being supplanted by one of his two current rivals. Miz and Big Show will likely hover around the No. 10 or Watch List spots unless they both get on a roll. In just a few weeks, Miz has the chance to win the prestigious Intercontinental Championship. Can he take advantage of this opportunity?

Kevin Owens

NXT Kevin Owens is officially the No. 1 Contender for the WWE United States Championship. In spite of that, he is still not a considered to be member of the main roster. As such, he stays put on the Watch List. If he's able to take the U.S. title off current champion John Cena, though, WWE may have no choice but to make his main roster spot official.

Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman

Brock Lesnar will get a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Battleground. But before that matchup was made official, he had to apologize to those he'd wronged. He did, but as the video shows, those to whom he apologized would likely have preferred not to get one. Later on that night, Lesnar was beat up by Kane, Joey Mercury and Seth Rollins, and he was left lying in a heap at the end of Raw. How will Lesnar respond to that beating?

No. 10: Big Show

Previous Rank: Watch List

Movement: Into Top 10

Big Show pops back into the top 10 this week after his actions on SmackDown. Big Show and Miz are basically tied, but Big Show's beating on Ryback on SmackDown gave him the edge.

Big Show will get a shot at Ryback's Intercontinental Championship at Battleground, but he'll also have to face the Miz in that same match. Can Big Show overcome both the Miz and Ryback?

No. 9: Nikki Bella w/Brie

Previous Rank: 9

Movement: None

Divas champion Nikki Bella is the only titleholder without a scheduled match for Battleground. While that's likely to change in the next few weeks, the question is, whom will she face? Paige has a legitimate gripe, given the way her last shot at the title went down, but with the official decision being a victory for Nikki Bella, Paige may be out of chances.  

As of Monday June 29, 2015, Nikki Bella has held the Divas Championship for 218 days. She is now the second-longest reigning Divas Champion in history behind only AJ Lee, who held the title for 295 days. Bella is one of only four women to hold the title for more than 200 days.  

If she can hold the title for an additional 78 days from the date of publication, which takes us to a few weeks after SummerSlam, she will take over first place for longest reign. Just four days later, she could become the first woman to hold the Divas title for more than 300 days.  

Bringing up those stats may be putting the cart before the horse, but Nikki's impressive reign could soon become historic.

No. 8: Dean Ambrose

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Down 3

Dean Ambrose can't catch a break these days. After coming excruciatingly close to becoming WWE World Heavyweight champion at consecutive PPVs, he's falling in the rankings as a result of mounting losses.

On Raw, Ambrose lost to Kane because he was distracted by Seth Rollins. On SmackDown, he lost to Rollins when Joey Mercury interfered, allowing Rollins to hit a Pedigree and pin Ambrose for the win. In other words, it was a bad week for Dean Ambrose.

No. 7: Neville

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: Up 1

Neville continues to pick up wins.  This week, he racked up two more. He defeated Kofi Kingston of the New Day on Raw after the referee ejected Big E and Xavier Woods from ringside.  

Then on Main Event—if you're not watching it on Hulu, you're missing some pretty good mid-card action—he defeated Heath Slater. Neville is currently aligned with the Prime Time Players, but he won't be forever. What's on the horizon for The Man That Gravity Forgot?

No. 6: Prime Time Players

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: Up 1

The Prime Time Players came out of nowhere a few weeks back to become No. 1 Contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championships and won those titles not long afterward. Since then, they've been on a roll and are perhaps performing at a higher level than they ever have.

On Raw, the defeated the Ascension. On SmackDown, they teamed with the Lucha Dragons against Bo Dallas and the New Day in an 8-Man Tag Team match and won. They'll defend their titles against New Day in a few weeks, but if they hold on to the titles, their next opponents are up in the air.

With Erick Rowan out with an injury, as well as Tyson Kidd, the division is a lot thinner than it was a few weeks ago. That could prove to be a big opportunity for teams such as the Lucha Dragons, who were red hot not too long ago.

No. 5: Roman Reigns

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Up 1

Roman Reigns moves up a spot this week by default because he didn't have that great a week. He faced Sheamus on Raw. The match ended in a no-contest when Reigns went to the back to chase down Bray Wyatt, who had interrupted proceedings via the Titantron. What he found was a bizarre shrine to Reigns with the words "Anyone But You" scrawled on the walls.

On SmackDown, he had no match and was kicked out of the arena by Kane in order to prevent him from coming to Dean Ambrose's aid in his match against Seth Rollins. But getting kicked out of an arena likely isn't on Reigns' mind. He wants to know what Bray Wyatt is up to. Why is the Eater of Worlds targeting Reigns? Why did he bring up his daughter?  

Perhaps we'll soon get answers. Alternatively, maybe Reigns will beat the daylights out of Wyatt at Battleground. After all, even if Wyatt explained his motivations, it still might not make any sense.

No. 4: Sheamus

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: None

Mr. Money in the Bank Sheamus had a solid week this week. On Raw, he faced Roman Reigns, who ran out on the match to chase down Bray Wyatt. That meant Raw was a wash for the Celtic Warrior.  

He faced off against Dolph Ziggler on SmackDown, and his Brogue Kick allowed him to reign supreme.  

It appears Sheamus is content to wait to cash in his Money in the Bank Contract. He's not hinted at any plan to cash in, but then again, few have. When John Cena did that, it didn't go so well. While he bides his time, what's up next for Sheamus?

No. 3: John Cena

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: Down 1

WWE United States champion John Cena didn't wrestle this week but likely would have had NXT Champion Kevin Owens wanted to. John Cena cut a promo on Owens, some of which you can see above. He accepted Owens' challenge and will now face the NXT champion at Battleground with the United States Championship on the line.

Owens responded, saying he wanted to take the U.S. title to make it a symbol of his excellence rather than a symbol of excellence in and of itself. Owens wants the title, and Cena is giving him the shot. What will Cena have to say this week? And are the open challenges returning?

2: Ryback

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: Up 1

WWE intercontinental champion Ryback had a solid week, picking up two wins over tough opponents. On Raw, Ryback faced Mark Henry and picked up a hard-fought win. He faced Kane on SmackDown and won the match via disqualification, but only because Big Show interfered and attacked him.

Big Show and Kane then beat down Ryback, ending their beating with a double chokeslam.

Ryback will face Big Show and the Miz at Battleground, where he'll put his Intercontinental Championship on the line in a Triple Threat match. Can he hold onto his title?

No. 1: Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: None

WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins had a great week. On Raw, he made amends with his former Authority allies, bringing them back into his corner.  

That paid off immediately. Brock Lesnar came out to do who knows what to Rollins, and it looked as though Kane and Joey Mercury would abandon him. However, they attacked Lesnar from behind, and the beating that ensued ended with Seth Rollins hitting Lesnar with a Pedigree.  

Rollins would carry that momentum into SmackDown, where he faced and defeated Dean Ambrose with an assist from Joey Mercury. Heading into this week, Rollins has to be on the lookout for an angry Lesnar. Will Rollins continue to stymie the Beast Incarnate, or will Lesnar break him in half for what he did on Raw?