WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 7/20/2015: WWE Battleground 2015 Edition

WWE Battleground 2015 is in the books, and the WWE Superstar Power Rankings have seen some significant changes.  One major change is the fact that there's a new No. 1, and it may not be who you expect (or it could be obvious; who knows...).

Even setting aside Battleground, it was a big week in WWE.  The Divas division got a major infusion of talent from NXT, as NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte all debuted on the main roster.  

Also, intercontinental champion Ryback was temporarily sidelined with a staph infection.  That means his match at Battleground, in which he was set to defend his championship against both The Miz and Big Show, was cancelled.  In its place, a Divas Triple Threat match took place that saw Charlotte defeat Brie Bella and Sasha Banks.

Anyway, we'll get into this past week's action, including Battleground, in more 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 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 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 weighed 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

Neville

Neville had a mixed week and drops out of the top 10.  He faced Stardust twice, once on Raw and once on SmackDown.  He went 1-1 against Stardust and did not have a match at Battleground.  It looks as though Neville will have to contend with Stardust going forward.  Can The Man That Gravity Forgot get past the bizarre Stardust?

Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose didn't have that bad a week.  On Raw, he was due to face Bray Wyatt, but the match never happened when Roman Reigns attacked Wyatt.  Also, he picked up a win by disqualification on SmackDown when he teamed with Roman Reigns against Sheamus and Big Show.  Right now, Ambrose is kind of hanging out on the periphery, acting as Reigns' backup.  Will he get back in the hunt for a title on his own?

Nikki Bella

It wasn't a bad week for Divas champion Nikki Bella, but not competing will do that.  It's hard to lose matches when you're not in them.  On Raw, Nikki, her sister Brie and Alicia Fox were all confronted by most of the Divas locker room.  Stephanie McMahon announced that Becky Lynch and Charlotte were being brought up from NXT to back up Paige, and NXT women's champion Sasha Banks aligned herself with Naomi and Tamina. All of a sudden, Nikki has serious competition on all sides.  Can she hold on to the championship?

Cesaro

Cesaro had a mixed week, but a good one.  He was pinned by Rusev on Raw in a Triple Threat to determine who would face United States champion John Cena in his open challenge.  But on SmackDown, he defeated Rusev in singles action.  He's clearly in the mix for another title shot, especially after Kevin Owens lost to Cena at Battleground.  Can Cesaro separate from the pack and earn an opportunity at the U.S. title?

10. Roman Reigns

Previous Rank: 7

Movement: Down 3

Roman Reigns had a tough week.  On Raw, he attacked Bray Wyatt.  But Wyatt escaped, and on SmackDown, Wyatt interrupted Reigns' promo.  Reigns, of course, vowed to beat Wyatt at Battleground, and Wyatt disagreed.

Reigns then teamed with Dean Ambrose, and they won their match by DQ when Wyatt attacked Reigns during the match.  Reigns would only have to wait a few more days to get his hands on Wyatt one-on-one.

At Battleground, Reigns got his match with Wyatt.  The two fought hard, and Reigns was dishing out punishment while taking his fair share.  But a hooded man attacked him at ringside, allowing Wyatt to hit Sister Abigail and get the win.  The hooded man was then revealed to be Luke Harper.  

Is Reigns finished with Wyatt?  After all, Wyatt has a habit of moving on to his next opponent quickly.  Or will Reigns want revenge?

9. Brock Lesnar

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: Down 1

Brock Lesnar had a tough week.  Sure, he saw through Seth Rollins' games on Raw at the contract signing.  Sure, he put Kane out of action by breaking his ankle.  But to Lesnar, that's all trivial.  He wanted to take back the WWE world heavyweight championship and hurt Seth Rollins in the process.

He failed, though not really through any fault of his own.  During his match with Rollins (a match he was dominating), The Undertaker returned and attacked him.  The championship match ended in a no-contest.

Did Undertaker want to deprive Lesnar of something he holds dear, as Lesnar did to him?  And will Lesnar get another title shot?  After all, he has a good argument about not getting a fair rematch...

8. Bray Wyatt

Previous Rank: Unranked

Movement: Outta Nowhere!

Bray Wyatt breaks into the top 10 after he defeated Roman Reigns at Battleground.  Leading up to that, he was attacked by Reigns on Raw and returned the favor on SmackDown. 

At battleground, though, Wyatt got Reigns in the ring for a match.  As mentioned, he won, but the way he won was surprising.  A hooded man who would be revealed as Luke Harper attacked Reigns during the match, allowing Wyatt to win.  

It now looks as though The Wyatt Family is back together, or at least two-thirds of it.  Will Erick Rowan join up with his old friends when he returns from injury?

7. Randy Orton

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: Unranked

Movement: Outta Nowhere!

Randy Orton had a very good week.  On Raw, he teamed with Ryback in a win over Big Show and Sheamus.  The Miz caused a distraction, allowing Orton to RKO Sheamus and pin him for the win.  Battleground would be much the same.

At Battleground, Orton faced Sheamus in singles action.  The match went on for about 20 minutes as each Superstar battled for supremacy.  But in the end, Orton pulled out an RKO and pinned Sheamus for the win again.  

The win could be what Orton needed to get him back into title contention.  After all, Sheamus was ranked No. 4 last week and is Mr. Money in the Bank.  Orton could be headed back toward a confrontation with old ally and rival Seth Rollins, who managed to escape Battleground with his championship reign intact.

6. Big Show

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: None

Big Show's week wasn't that great, but he holds steady at No. 6 nonetheless.  On Raw, he teamed with Sheamus in a loss to Ryback and Randy Orton.  Then on SmackDown, he teamed with Sheamus again, this time against Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.  His team lost by DQ when Bray Wyatt attacked Reigns during the match.

To top it all off, his scheduled Triple Threat match at Battleground, where he was due to face The Miz and intercontinental champion Ryback for the championship, was cancelled due to Ryback's staph infection.  He did hit Miz with a KO Punch at battleground when Miz was running his mouth in the ring, so that may satisfy Big Show's anger somewhat.  While his championship match is likely to happen at a later date, how will Big Show respond to the delay?  

5. Sheamus

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Down 1

Mr. Money in the Bank had a rough week.  On Raw, he lost in a tag match where he and Big Show were defeated by Ryback and Randy Orton.  Sheamus was pinned by Orton in that match.  Then on SmackDown, he and Big Show picked up another loss, this time to Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose when Bray Wyatt attacked Reigns, giving Reigns and Ambrose a DQ win.

To cap it all off, at Battleground Sheamus lost to Randy Orton in a hard-fought match.  He's still Mr. Money in the Bank and could become world heavyweight champion at any time, but another week like this, and he'll really be hurt in the rankings.

4. Prime Time Players

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Up 1

WWE tag team champions The Prime Time Players just keep winning.  On Raw, they teamed with Mark Henry in a win over The New Day.  Then on Main Event they defeated The Ascension.  And on SmackDown, they were on commentary when The New day defeated The Lucha Dragons.

Then at Battleground, New Day got its rematch.  Titus O'Neil and Darren Young were able to hold off The New Day's numbers advantage and retain their championships.  With New Day perhaps out of the way, what new challengers await?

3. Ryback

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: Down 1

The intercontinental champion got off to a good start this week, but that was soon to end.  On Raw, he teamed with Randy Orton in a win over Big Show and Sheamus.  A quality tag team win over ranked opponents is always a good way to start a week.

But it was revealed that Ryback had suffered an injury on Raw, which was later determined to be a staph infection.  That cancelled Ryback's planned Triple Threat match against Big Show and The Miz at Battleground, and while it's not expected to be a long period, Ryback is out of action for the time being.

2. Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: Down 1

WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins is adept at keeping hold of his championship by hook or by crook.  And that's exactly what happened at Battleground.  

In the week leading up to Battleground, Rollins tried to pull a fast one on Brock Lesnar by attacking him at a contract signing.  Lesnar wasn't impressed.  

Lesnar ended up breaking Kane's ankle, which did not please Rollins at all.  In fact, Rollins ridiculed Kane, and he's not likely saddened by Kane's injury.  

At Battleground, Lesnar was dishing out punishment on Rollins, who may well have been just minutes away from losing his championship.  But The Undertaker attacked Lesnar, ending the match in a no-contest finish.  Rollins once again walked out as champion.  

But he did lose his top ranking.  Can Rollins get back on a roll this week?  Or is he content to simply retain his title by any means necessary?

1. John Cena

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: Up 2

United States champion John Cena is the new No. 1 this week.  

Not only has he continued to win big matches, but he's made the 40-year-old U.S. Championship more prestigious than it has ever been in its time in WWE (since WWE bought WCW).  Cena, who some have argued may be past his prime, is still facing top competition and winning.

He week got off to a rough start, though.  On Raw, after Rusev earned the spot in his US open challenge, he lost to Rusev by DQ when Kevin Owens attacked Rusev, who had the Accolade locked in.  It's not the first time Owens has done this.

But at battleground, when he faced Owens for a third time, he rose to the occasion.  He and Owens battled hard for the win, but in the end, as he so often does, Cena emerged the victor.  

Does this end Owens' challenge to Cena's reign?  If so, who will step up next to challenge Cena?