WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 7/27/2015

In the wake of WWE Battleground 2015, it was a big week in WWE, and as a result, the WWE Superstar Power Rankings have seen some significant changes.  

Of particular importance is the result of the Battleground match between Brock Lesnar and WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins.  Originally, the result of the match was assumed to be a no-contest.  However, Seth Rollins asked Lillian Garcia to announce the official results.  Brock Lesnar technically won that match via disqualification, meaning Seth Rollins retained his championship.  

As a result, Brock Lesnar's ranking was recalculated based on the official announcement.  Had this result been announced at Battleground, Lesnar's rank last week would have been higher.  Last week's rankings have not been updated, but for this week, the result was taken into account.  

In other news of the week, Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns have continued their rivalry, with Luke Harper and Dean Ambrose joining the fray more and more.  Also, the United States Championship scene continues to heat up, with Cesaro, Rusev and Kevin Owens all jockeying for position in their quest to get a shot at a suddenly hot championship.

Anyways, we'll get into all this and much more 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 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

Cesaro

Cesaro had a mixed week.  On Raw, he teamed with John Cena and Randy Orton against Rusev, Kevin Owens and Sheamus.  His team won when Kevin Owens and Sheamus both walked out on the match.  Then on SmackDown, he lost to Seth Rollins in a hard-fought match.  He is vying for a United States Championship shot and needs to find a way to separate from the pack.  

Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose has a budding rivalry with Luke Harper that looks to be a re-ignition of the Wyatt Family-Shield rivalry from last year.  On Raw, Ambrose spared Roman Reigns a beating after his match with Luke Harper.  And then on SmackDown, he lost to Sheamus off a Wyatt distraction.  He needs some wins ASAP.  Will he get them this week?

Nikki Bella

WWE Divas champion Nikki Bella finally returned to in-ring action this week in a tag match on SmackDown.  In a quasi-Champion vs. Champion match, she teamed with her sister Brie against Naomi and NXT women's champion Sasha Banks.  It was a solid way to get back into action.  

With her title reign sitting at 246 days and counting (second longest all time for this championship), she's less than two months away from passing AJ Lee's record of 295 and just over two months away from being the first Diva to surpass 300 days with the Divas Championship.

Neville

Neville got back on track this week, picking up two wins.  He defeated Adam Rose on SmackDown and picked up a win over Bo Dallas on Superstars.  But the real news is his continuing rivalry with Stardust, who is getting more bizarre by the day.  Can he stay one step ahead of Stardust?

10. Bray Wyatt

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: Down 2

Bray Wyatt has a habit of not wrestling these days, and that hurt him this week.  He competed in no matches, though his close ally Luke Harper did.  Harper faced Roman Reigns and lost via DQ when Bray Wyatt attacked Reigns during the match.  On SmackDown, he distracted Dean Ambrose, allowing Sheamus to defeat him.  

Bray Wyatt has brought Luke Harper back into his sphere of influence, and the Wyatt Family might fully reunite when Erick Rowan returns.  If so, they could once again be a near unstoppable force in WWE.  

In the meantime, he continues his rivalry with Roman Reigns.  Can he put Reigns down once and for all?

9. Roman Reigns

Previous Rank: 10

Movement: Up 1

Roman Reigns got back to winning this week, picking up one win and no losses.  On Raw, he faced off against Luke Harper, who recently realigned himself with Bray Wyatt.  Reigns was looking good in the match when Bray Wyatt attacked him, giving Reigns the DQ win.  Dean Ambrose came down after the match to save Reigns from a beating.

Now, it's clear Reigns and Wyatt aren't finished and also that the rivalry is growing in scope, with Luke Harper and Dean Ambrose now in the mix.  This rivalry looks like it may continue until SummerSlam and perhaps beyond.

8. Prime Time Players

Previous Rank: 4

Movement: Down 4

WWE tag team champions The Prime Time Players drop sharply this week after taking a devastating loss.  On Raw, they faced Los Matadores.  Diego and Fernando are capable wrestlers, but this is a match Darren Young and Titus O'Neil usually have wrapped up in five minutes on Superstars or Main Event.  

Instead, during the match the Prime Time Players were distracted by The New Day, and it cost them the match.  It hurt their ranking badly, as Los Matadores barely register in the ranking formula right now.

They got a win over The Ascension on Main Event, preventing an even more precipitous drop.  But they need to do some work to restore their rank this week.

7. Randy Orton

Previous Rank: 8

Movement: Up 1

Randy Orton competed in one match this week and got a win.  On Raw, he teamed up with WWE United States champion John Cena as well as Cesaro against Kevin Owens, Sheamus and Rusev.  During the match, both Kevin Owens and Sheamus walked out, leaving Rusev alone.

Cena, Cesaro and Orton all took advantage, hitting their signature moves.  Orton hit the RKO on Rusev and pinned him for the win.  After the match on Raw, is Orton still going against Sheamus, or will he move on to another opponent?

6. Brock Lesnar

Previous Rank: 9*

Movement: Up 3

*Last week's ranking did not take into account the fact that Brock Lesnar technically won his match against WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins. See first slide for further details.

Brock Lesnar, after failing to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Battleground, has a major problem with Undertaker.  The Deadman spoke on Raw, saying he wasn't upset about the streak being broken but rather the shameless way Lesnar and Paul Heyman boasted about the victory.  

He challenged Lesnar at SummerSlam, and Heyman accepted on Lesnar's behalf.  When Undertaker looked like he would put his hands on Heyman, out came Lesnar, furious and looking for a fight.  And he got one.

Lesnar and 'Taker brawled for minutes, having to be separated by the entire locker room.  The brawl spilled into the backstage area, and it took just about every Superstar available to keep the two apart.  Lesnar was arrested, but no charges were filed.

What remains to be seen now is whether we'll see any of Lesnar (or Undertaker) for the next few weeks.  

5. Big Show

Previous Rank: 6

Movement: Up 1

Big Show moved into the top five this week after destroying The Miz in a match on Raw.  After he dropped an elbow on Miz from the second rope, it was all over for the A-Lister.  

With Ryback still injured, Big Show and probably Miz are still both waiting for their title opportunity.  Perhaps that will come at SummerSlam, maybe sooner.  Either way, with Miz battered and bruised and Ryback coming off an injury, Big Show may be the odds-on favorite to win the match and the Intercontinental Championship.

4. Ryback

Credit: WWE.com

Previous Rank: 3

Movement: Down 1

WWE intercontinental champion Ryback clung to a spot in the top five this week, and only because he's a champion.  He is still out with an injury, so he obviously wrestled no matches.

When Ryback does return, he will likely face Big Show and Miz in a Triple Threat match with his championship on the line.  Will that come at SummerSlam?  Sooner?  And coming off an injury, does he have a chance to retain against a red-hot Big Show?

3. Sheamus

Previous Rank: 5

Movement: Up 2

Mr. Money in the Bank Sheamus got off to a bad start this week and ended with a solid win.  On Raw, he teamed with Kevin Owens and Rusev against United States champion John Cena, Randy Orton and Cesaro.  Both he and Kevin Owens walked out on the match and Rusev got pinned.

On SmackDown, he faced Dean Ambrose and, thanks to a distraction from Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper, picked up the win after hitting a Brogue Kick.  With Lesnar preoccupied with Undertaker and Seth Rollins without an opponent, is this an opening for Sheamus to cash-in his Money in the Bank contract?

2. Seth Rollins

Previous Rank: 2

Movement: None

WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins holds steady at No. 2 this week after picking up one win.  On Raw, he asked Lillian Garcia to announce the Battleground result, which was apparently a DQ win for Brock Lesnar, meaning Rollins retained his championship.  Why he'd want an announcement stating that he lost is a mystery.

In any case, United States champion John Cena came out during Rollins' rant about Battleground and basically called him a poor excuse for a champion.  It looked like they may come to blows, but nothing came of it.

On SmackDown, he faced Cesaro, and after a strong match, he won via a Pedigree and pin.  Speculation now begins as to who he'll face at SummerSlam.  Could it be John Cena, potentially in a match to unify the titles?  Or perhaps Randy Orton, with whom he has a long history?  Someone else?  Time will tell.

1. John Cena

Previous Rank: 1

Movement: None

WWE United States champion John Cena claims the No. 1 spot for the second week in a row after picking up a win in his only appearance.  On Raw, he confronted WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins and called him a sorry excuse for a champion.  It looked like the two might fight, but it didn't happen.

Later in the evening, Cena teamed with Cesaro and Randy Orton against Rusev, Kevin Owens and Sheamus.  Both Owens and Sheamus walked out on the match, leaving Rusev alone to take the loss for the team.  Cena hit an AA on Rusev shortly before Orton RKO'd him and pinned him for the team win.

The United States Championship picture is crowded right now, with Cesaro, Rusev and Kevin Owens all within arm's length of a title opportunity.  But could Cena's confrontation with Rollins have been a sign of things to come?