WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 7/13/2015: Pre WWE Battleground 2015 Edition

On the heels of Beast in the East and with WWE Battleground 2015 is this coming Sunday, the WWE Superstar Power Rankings have seem some changes heading into WWE's latest big event.  

The Beast featured prominently this week.  Brock Lesnar returned and started taking his revenge against The Authority. Rusev returned to in-ring action, which not-so-coincidentally saw Dolph Ziggler suffer a serious throat injury that has put him out of action indefinitely.

So far, Battleground has five scheduled matches. It looks likely Randy Orton and Sheamus will face off, and it's possible there will be a Divas Championship match as well. Two or three more matches should be announced before Sunday.

Regarding the Beast in the East, WWE is recognizing the results on their normal television product. As such, results from the event will be included in this week's rankings. These rankings will begin with Saturday, July 4 and end Sunday, July 12.

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

Credit: WWE.com

Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose has fallen out of the top 10. He did defeat Bo Dallas twice this week, once on Raw and once on SmackDown. But after failing to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, he's back on the Watch List. Can he get rolling again against quality opponents to find his way back to the top of the card?

Cesaro

Cesaro has shown why he's one of the best athletes in WWEfor two straight weeks. For those counting, Cesaro now has one win (via DQ) and a pinfall loss to WWE United States champion John Cena. In addition to his loss to Cena on Raw, he defeated Diego of Los Matadores at the Beast in the East and forced Luke Harper to submit on Main Event.

No. 10: Neville

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: 9

Movement: Down 1

Neville went 2-1 this week. He took a loss to Chris Jericho at the Beast in the East but defeated Heath Slater on both Main Event and Superstars. Neville has a lukewarm feud going with Sheamus, who appears to be heading for a match with Randy Orton at Battleground.  

Will Neville get a match at Battleground? Will he resent Orton for getting between him and Sheamus? If not, what's up next for the Man Gravity Forgot?

No. 9: Nikki Bella

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: Down 1

WWE Divas champion Nikki Bella successfully defended her championship at the Beast in the East, winning a Triple Threat match against Tamina and Paige. After that, she didn't compete for the remainder of the week.

However, her allies did. Sister Brie defeated Paige on Raw thanks to a distraction from Alicia Fox. On SmackDown, Brie and Fox teamed up in a win over Tamina and Naomi. The question now is, will Nikki defend her championship at Battleground?

No. 8: Brock Lesnar

Previous Rank: Watch List

Movement: Into Top 10

Brock Lesnar had his first match since WrestleMania recently, annihilating Kofi Kingston and the rest of the New Day at the Beast in the East. On Raw, he finally got some revenge on the Authority.

The Cadillac Seth Rollins purchased for J&J Security was his first victim. He tore the car apart, and as was revealed on SmackDown, he then towed it away and had it put into a compactor. After he dealt with the car, he destroyed J&J Security. Seth Rollins fled the scene with Lesnar in hot pursuit.

Lesnar will get his hands on Rollins on Sunday and has the chance to win back the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Will Lesnar destroy Rollins, or will Rollins find a way to retain his title?

No. 7: Roman Reigns

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Down 2

Roman Reigns continues on his downward spiral despite his even win-loss record for the week. On Raw, he lost to Sheamus when a fake Bray Wyatt appeared on the entrance ramp. Reigns, unable to resist the urge to attack, lost via count-out. In the video above, he addressed the situation with Wyatt in detail.

On SmackDown, he faced and defeated Big Show via DQ when the real Bray Wyatt attacked him from behind during the match. Later that night, he saved Ryback from a beating at the hands of Big Show and Seth Rollins.

Roman Reigns will finally get his hands on Wyatt this Sunday, but is his head right? The Eater of Worlds has Reigns messed up right now.

No. 6: Big Show

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: Up 1

Big Show continues to climb in the rankings, landing at No. 6 this week. On Raw, he faced and defeated WWE intercontinental champion Ryback. The win was via DQ, though, as the Miz interfered in the match. After he and Ryback had finished off Miz, Ryback delivered a Meathook clothesline to Big Show.

On SmackDown, Big Show faced Roman Reigns and lost via DQ when Bray Wyatt attacked Reigns during the match. Later, he and Seth Rollins attacked Ryback, but Roman Reigns came to Ryback's aid and Big Show, along with Rollins, was driven back.

Big Show gets a shot at the Intercontinental Championship at Battleground. Can he defeat Ryback and Miz on Sunday?

No. 5: Prime Time Players

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Up 1

WWE tag team champions the Prime Time Players had a good week. On SmackDown, Titus O'Neil defeated Big E of the New Day. On Superstars, they faced and defeated the Ascension.

They are set to defend their championships against the New Day at Battleground. Can they hold onto the gold, or will the New Day's numerical advantage get the better of the Prime Time Players?

No. 4: Sheamus

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: Down 1

Mr. Money in the Bank Sheamus had one match this past week, facing Roman Reigns on Raw. During the match, a fake Bray Wyatt appeared, causing Reigns to get counted out and giving Sheamus the victory.

After the match, Randy Orton appeared and delivered an RKO to Sheamus, likely setting up a match between the two for Sunday at Battleground. Though it's not yet official, if Sheamus faces Orton, can the Celtic Warrior overcome the Viper?

No. 3: John Cena

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Up 1

WWE United States champion John Cena is silencing critics these days. His Open Challenge is regularly the best match on Raw, and this week was no different. Cena followed up a tag team win at the Beast in the East with another Open Challenge on Raw.

Originally, it looked like Kevin Owens, who lost the NXT Championship to Finn Balor at the Beast in the East, wanted his title match on the spot. However, Cesaro convinced Owens to leave and took the match instead. And what a match it was. Cena and Cesaro battled for around half an hour in a grueling, exciting, hard-hitting match. In the end, Cena hit an AA off the top rope, allowing him to pin Cesaro and retain his championship.

Now, Cena will put his title on the line against Owens at Battleground. Owens is angry, frustrated and hungry for a title. Can Cena win the rubber match between the two of them?

No. 2: Ryback

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: None

WWE intercontinental champion Ryback started off his week in a down manner. He lost to Big Show via disqualification when Miz interfered. After the match, he beat down Miz and laid out Big Show.

He did, however, get a major win on SmackDown. He faced WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins, and he was beating Rollins so badly that Rollins ran off on the match, giving Ryback a victory via count-out. After the match, Big Show and Rollins attacked, but Roman Reigns evened the odds and united with Ryback to drive back Rollins and Big Show.

Ryback now owns a victory over the WWE world heavyweight champion, but before getting any ideas about that title, he'll need to defeat both Miz and Big Show in a Triple Threat match at Battleground.

No. 1: Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: None

It was a bad week for WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins, who clung to his No. 1 spot by a thread. On Raw, he and J&J Security called out Brock Lesnar  Lesnar appeared and proceeded to destroy J&J's car, annihilated Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury and then chased Seth Rollins out of the arena.

Rollins and Paul Heyman exchanged words on SmackDown, and Heyman brought out the destroyed car Lesnar had ruined. Later in the night, he faced WWE intercontinental champion Ryback.

Ryback was beating Rollins badly, so Rollins fled the match. Big Show arrived as Rollins' backup, and they attacked Ryback. However, Roman Reigns appeared and saved Ryback, driving Big Show and Rollins back.

Does Rollins stand a chance against Brock Lesnar on Sunday? Will the Undisputed Future be a thing of the past come Raw?