Charlotte, Nikki Bella and WWE Diva Power Rankings for Week of October 21

Charlotte and Nikki Bella may have enjoyed the most camera time this past week, thanks to their upcoming WWE Divas Championship match at this weekend's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, but would it be enough to unseat the NXT women's champion Bayley, who found herself engaged in a face-to-face confrontation with Alexa Bliss?

If not, it would not be for lack of trying.

Both Charlotte and Nikki scored key momentum-swinging victories in the final days before their huge rematch, with the Divas champion overcoming both Alicia Fox and Brie Bella, while the Fearless No. 1 contender defeated Naomi in a huge tag team bout.

Paige and Natalya continued their blossoming rivalry, but neither was able to crack the top three, thanks to the performances of their peers.

Where would Sasha Banks fall? Would Nia Jax break into the top 10 following her NXT debut, and which Divas would fall out of the rankings?

If you had Becky Lynch, Dana Brooke and Emma in the pool, collect your prize at the window.

Everyone else? Click the "next" button to find out where your favorite falls.

10. Nia Jax

Last Week: N/A

The cousin of The Rock made her long-awaited debut on NXT on the October 14 episode, laying to waste young independent talent Evie in short order.

Destructive and dominant, she used a vicious one-handed spinebuster to put her opponent down and net her first televised victory in the developmental brand.

A completely different character than any other in the NXT women's division, Jax has the potential to be a modern-day Awesome Kong, and that has nothing to do with the size advantage she has over her fellow Divas. Instead, it has to do with the element of danger that she brings to the squared circle.

As she grows and develops her on-screen persona and evolves her in-ring work, newcomer Jax will only move further up these rankings and into contention for the NXT Women's Championship.

9. Alexa Bliss

Last Week: N/A

Alexa Bliss exploded into the rankings this week, thanks to an in-ring confrontation with NXT women's champion Bayley.

After falling into the background, with the lack of productivity from Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake leaving her off television as well, Bliss wasted little time establishing herself as the next top contender to Bayley's title.

Bliss was adorable as a babyface but has really come into her own as a vindictive and manipulative heel. Her body language is fantastic, and her facial expressions are even better.

It will be up to her to prove she has the in-ring skills and abilities to follow in the footsteps of Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Becky Lynch and maintain the quality of the matches that have helped make the brand's women's division the hottest in professional wrestling.

8. Brie Bella

Last Week: 8

Brie Bella can thank a lack of big jumpers in this week's rankings for maintaining her spot on the countdown. One week after pinning Charlotte following a dropkick of all things, Bella found herself squaring off against the Divas champion in singles competition on the October 19 episode of Raw.

Things did not go quite as well for Mrs. Daniel Bryan as she succumbed to the pain of the Figure Eight, tapping out and halting her win streak at one.

Brie is in an interesting position in that she has become second fiddle to sister Nikki, despite being the star of the duo last August, when she was preparing for a high-profile match against Stephanie McMahon. 

She is on equal footing with Alicia Fox more than she is her sister, and that has to be a stunning revelation and realization for the co-star of Total Divas.

More signature wins will be necessary to maintain her position on this list, especially with the number of surging Divas who are gaining steam.

7. Asuka

Credit: WWE.com

Last Week: 7

Asuka may not have been active over the last week, but she held onto her spot at No. 7, thanks to a lack of movement on the lower half of the top 10.

She is still riding high following her victory two weeks ago over Dana Brooke, not to mention her complete punking out of Emma following the win. 

One look at the NXT Divas roster suggests that Asuka's opportunity to win gold may not be all that far away. After all, past Alexa Bliss, there really is no competition that is ready to step up and challenge for Bayley's NXT Women's Championship.

That benefits Asuka, who is too talented to sit back and wait too long for her opportunity to be the top competitor in NXT. Look for her to make tremendous strides toward a title bout, and a higher spot in these rankings, in the coming weeks.

6. Natalya

Last Week: 6

Natalya has spent the majority of the last week recovering from a backstage attack perpetrated by...someone.

All signs point to Paige, whose change of attitude has been key in the development of a feud with the third-generation Diva.

Though she was inactive for the week, Natalya benefits from the backstage attack because it gives her something to do. After months of sitting on the sidelines and watching fresh faces enter the company and seemingly pass her by, she is ready to prove that she may not be the flashiest of Divas but is still one of the best ring workers in the company.

A series of matches with Paige should allow her to do just that.

5. Paige

Last Week: 4

There was something strange about Paige's sudden about-face on the October 15 episode of SmackDown. She tearfully apologized to Natalya and then made the save for Charlotte and Becky Lynch as they endured a beatdown at the hands of Team Bella.

Fans got a taste at just how manipulative the Anti-Diva could be moments later, though, when Natalya was found lying in a heap backstage, attended to by medics.

From there, Paige denied it, shifting blame to anyone who has ever been a WWE Diva.

Or at least it sounded that way.

While she has not seen significant ring time in weeks, she remains a major cog in the Divas division machine and the only real "character" on a women's roster full of one-dimensional personas.

4. Sasha Banks

Credit: WWE.com

Last Week: 2

Last week's runner-up fell two spots this week, thanks to WWE Creative's inability to follow up on the considerable momentum she had built for herself.

Sasha Banks was fresh off an Iron Man match against Bayley at TakeOver: Respect and the recipient of a raucous "we want Sasha" chant on last week's Raw. Rather than striking while the iron was hot, though, WWE Creative opted to cool her off significantly.

She did not appear on the following SmackDown, and on the October 19 episode of Raw, she was on the losing end of a tag team match.

The Boss was not pinned in the bout, preventing a steeper descent in this week's power rankings, but the loss was discouraging.

Banks has the opportunity to be a rare breakthrough performer for the Divas division, a phenomenal wrestler who has proved to be able to deliver on grand stages when the pressure is on. That she completely molded The Boss character from the ground up, showing unparalleled charisma while doing so, only enhances her overall worth.

When will WWE Creative realize that and give her the push she deserves?

3. Charlotte

Last Week: 5

The WWE Divas champion has finally gotten back on track, scoring victories over Alicia Fox and Brie Bella on the road to Hell in a Cell and a title defense against Nikki Bella.

The second-generation Diva is still struggling to find her footing as a character, with little or no development coming upon her debut on the main roster, but her in-ring performances have been strong, and the fans react just fine to her work.

As she progresses, though, it will be imperative that WWE Creative finds a reason for fans to care about Charlotte more than the fact that she is Ric Flair's daughter.

With a big title bout against Nikki on the horizon and the potential for a new rivalry to unfold in the wake of Sunday's pay-per-view extravaganza, the next week or two will be of the utmost importance in Charlotte's young career.

Failure to properly develop an engaging persona will only strengthen the case for the more dynamic Becky Lynch or Sasha Banks to unseat her in short order. 

2. Nikki Bella

Last Week: 3

Nikki Bella rolls into this Sunday's Hell in a Cell riding a wave of momentum following Monday night's Raw, where she picked up a huge victory for her and Alicia Fox over Team BAD's Naomi and Sasha Banks.

Bella pinned Naomi following her Rack Attack finisher and reminded fans of just how capable she is of leaving Los Angeles with the Divas title this weekend.

There will be some who question her placement ahead of Charlotte in these rankings, especially since the Divas champion has knocked off her Team Bella teammates in succession.

Nikki feels like a much hotter performer entering Staples Center than her opponent, who needs more than two quick, non-title victories to justify leapfrogging her.

The fact that Nikki's win came in a much better, higher-quality match only helps strengthen her case for the No. 2 spot.

1. Bayley

Credit: WWE.com

Last Week: 1

The NXT women's champion remains No. 1 in this week's rankings, if only because none of her peers have done enough to unseat her.

Still flying high off her victory over Sasha Banks at TakeOver, Bayley entered the NXT Arena on the October 14 episode and was greeted by a thunderous ovation from her faithful fans.

From there, she ignited a rivalry with Alexa Bliss that will help her move seamlessly into a new program with her championship gold at stake.

Coming off two legitimate Match of the Year contenders, Bayley is the undisputed hottest property in women's wrestling and a real role model for young girls.

If WWE plays its cards right, she could be the female version of John Cena one day.

Don't agree with where your favorite Diva ranked? Sound off in the comments section below.