WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 7/6/2015

Like summer, WWE is starting to heat up as WWE Battleground 2015 quickly approaches, and the WWE Superstar Power Rankings have experienced a few big changes. But Battleground isn't the only big event in July.

On Saturday, WWE held an event called the Beast in the East in Tokyo, Japan, which aired in the wee hours. The event featured Superstars such as Brock Lesnar and Chris Jericho, as well as an NXT Championship match. It was an amazing and unique event you should definitely watch if you subscribe to the WWE Network.

But because of its unique nature—basically, it was a foreign house show that aired on the WWE Network—it was difficult to decide whether to include the results in the rankings. In the end, the decision was made to overlook the event.

House shows are generally not included in these rankings, and it's too soon to know exactly how WWE will treat the results. If, however, WWE incorporates the results of the Beast in the East into their television storylines—which is the basis for these rankings—results from the event will be taken into account for next week's rankings. If not, it will have been appropriately left out as a house show.

Getting back to business, there's plenty to cover from this past week, such as Cesaro's win over John Cena and the continued dominance of Ryback, even though he's flying under the radar right now. We'll get to all that and more 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 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 them 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

Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman

Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman were absent from WWE TV programming this past week. But with Battleground looming, Lesnar has to wait just a couple of weeks before he gets his hands on the man who took the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from him, Seth Rollins. 

Kevin Owens

NXT champion Kevin Owens didn't have a great week. On Raw, he broke up a match between Cesaro and WWE United States champion John Cena, ostensibly because he didn't want Cesaro, who answered Cena's open challenge, taking the title from Cena before he got his chance. On NXT, he got pinned by Finn Balor in tag team action. However, he's still the No. 1 contender for the U.S. title. Can he win the title at Battleground in the rubber match against John Cena?

Cesaro

Cesaro got a huge win this past Monday on Raw, though it didn't come the way he would've hoped. He answered John Cena's open challenge and went blow for blow with the U.S. champion for almost 20 minutes. Cesaro looked as though he would win the title, as he had Cena locked in a Sharpshooter. However, Kevin Owens broke up the hold, giving Cesaro a win via disqualification.

Still, it's the biggest win for Cesaro in quite some time. If he keeps wrestling like he did against Cena, he'll crack the top 10 in no time.

Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt doesn't wrestle much these days, but he did this past week. On Raw, he interfered in Roman Reigns' match and beat him down thereafter. On SmackDown, he defeated Dean Ambrose. Wyatt is getting set for a brawl with Roman Reigns at Battleground. Can he defeat Reigns, or will Wyatt be a martyr for his cause, whatever it is, once more?

No. 10: Dean Ambrose

Previous Ranking: 8

Movement: Down 2

Since Dean Ambrose came tantalizingly close to winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at consecutive pay-per-views, he's been on a downward spiral. On Raw, he teamed with Roman Reigns against Kane and Seth Rollins. It was a No Disqualification match, so when Bray Wyatt attacked Reigns, Rollins took the opportunity to pin Ambrose for the win.

On SmackDown, Ambrose was put in a match against Bray Wyatt. He lost again. Ambrose was near the pinnacle of WWE just a few weeks ago. He needs to get back on track and fast if he hopes to stay in the top 10.

No. 9: Neville

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Ranking: 7

Movement: Down 2

Neville did not have a great week. In his only match, he faced Sheamus, the man who bested him in the Money in the Bank match last month. Neville and Sheamus fought hard, but a Brogue Kick ended Neville's chance of gaining victory, and he was pinned.

The question now is, how does Neville respond? Can he get back to winning ways?

No. 8: Nikki Bella w/Brie

Previous Ranking: 9

Movement: Up 1

WWE Divas champion Nikki Bella didn't have any matches this week but moves up a slot incidentally. She was ringside for Paige versus Alicia Fox, who has aligned herself with the Bellas. Paige won, much to the displeasure of Nikki and Brie.

On SmackDown, Brie defeated Naomi, but Brie's wins don't really do much for Nikki. With Battleground coming up, will Nikki Bella face anyone for her Divas title?  

No. 7: Big Show

Previous Ranking: 10

Movement: Up 3

Big Show is on a roll right now. On Raw, he defeated Mark Henry relatively quickly, which is no easy feat. After that match, Ryback attacked him and they brawled. Big Show escaped when the Miz came out and attacked Ryback.

Big Show is also one of two No. 1 contenders for the WWE Intercontinental Championship currently held by Ryback. While Miz is running away from matches, Big Show is barreling into his opportunity to become a champion. Will he use this momentum and take the IC title at Battleground?

No. 6: Prime Time Players

Previous Ranking: 6

Movement: None

It was a slow week for the Prime Time Players. The reigning WWE tag team champions had just one match, which was on SmackDown. They faced off against the Ascension and won.

Now, they are starting to look ahead to Battleground, where they'll defend their titles against the New Day. Can they successfully fend off New Day and keep their title reign going? Can they build momentum this coming week?

No. 5: Roman Reigns

Previous Ranking: 5

Movement: None

Roman Reigns had a mixed week. On Raw, he and Dean Ambrose lost in a No DQ tag match against Kane and WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins after Bray Wyatt attacked him during the contest. Seth Rollins then put him through a table after the match.

Reigns faced Rollins in singles action on Smackdown and actually won the match. The win was by DQ, though, because Joey Mercury heavily interfered in the match. Afterward, Ambrose appeared and helped Reigns clear out the Authority from ringside.

Reigns has a full plate at Battleground, where he'll face Bray Wyatt, who has taken to tormenting Reigns these days. Can Reigns overcome Wyatt? Can he prevent further attacks before their meeting?

No. 4: John Cena

Previous Ranking: 3

Movement: Down 1

WWE United States champion John Cena had one match this week, and it was a great one. For that matter, most of John Cena's U.S. title open challenges have been very good, to say the least. On Raw, it initially looked as though NXT champion Kevin Owens might accept the challenge, but he quickly clarified that he would not.

In his place was Cesaro. The Swiss Superstar and Cena battled for almost 20 minutes in a exciting match that saw near-fall after near-fall. As the match wound on, it looked like Cesaro, who had locked in a Sharpshooter, was going to win. Cena had nowhere to go and may have been moments away from tapping out.

But Kevin Owens had other plans. Owens attacked Cesaro, costing Cena the match via disqualification. Maybe Owens did Cena a favor—or maybe Cena would rather lose fairly than retain his title by DQ. Either way, it was a tough loss for Cena. Can he rebound this week? How will he respond to Kevin Owens' actions?

No. 3: Sheamus

Previous Ranking: 4

Movement: Up 1

Sheamus continues his climb up the rankings after another win over a quality opponent. In his only match of the week, he defeated Neville on Raw. The two have a budding rivalry that exhibits a true clash of styles.  

Sheamus holds the Money in the Bank Briefcase and could become WWE World Heavyweight champion at any moment. Will this be the week he cashes in?

No. 2: Ryback

Previous Ranking: 2

Movement: None

WWE Intercontinental champion Ryback is, somewhat surprisingly, being overlooked at the moment. With all eyes on Cena versus Owens and Rollins versus Lesnar at Battleground, Ryback hasn't gotten the attention his first title reign might warrant.  

But that's not to say he's taking things easy. This past week, he picked up two solid wins. On Raw, he brawled with Big Show and faced the Miz immediately afterward. He won when Miz fled the match.

On SmackDown, he faced Mark Henry, the same competitor Big Show defeated on Raw. Ryback picked up the win, matching Big Show's accomplishment. Ryback will face Miz and Big Show at Battleground in a title defense. Can he build momentum by continuing to pick up wins?

No. 1: Seth Rollins

Previous Ranking: 1

Movement: Down 1

It was an up-and-down week for WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins. On Raw, he made amends with the Authority by giving them gifts. J&J Security—only Joey Mercury was actually there—got a new car. Kane got a tropical vacation. And they all got Apple Watches.  

Later that night, Kane and Rollins teamed up against Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose in a No Disqualification Tag Team match. With a big assist from Bray Wyatt, who attacked Reigns during the match, Rollins and Kane got the win. Afterward, Rollins even put Reigns through a table.

Things didn't go quite so well on SmackDown, however. Rollins faced Reigns in a singles match, and after constant interference from Joey Mercury, Rollins was disqualified. The beatdown of Reigns was on, but Ambrose came to the rescue. Rollins and the rest of his allies were run off while Joey Mercury took a beating.

With the Authority back in his corner, Rollins has a better chance of hanging retaining his title at Battleground, where he'll face Brock Lesnar. Can Rollins keep his allies nearby and his enemies at bay heading into Battleground?