WWE Superstar Power Rankings for Week of May 2

WWE Payback had its fair share of ups and downs, but everyone on the card put all their effort into making the matches entertaining, and that's the most important thing.

No titles changed hands during the show, but we did get a few surprising outcomes, and that always makes a pay-per-view more interesting and memorable.

Vince McMahon's announcement regarding who would be running Raw going forward was underwhelming, but an unfortunate injury to Enzo Amore early in the show forced WWE to fill some time, which is why the segment ran so long.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens produced an outstanding match, but the main event between AJ Styles and Roman Reigns ended up generating the most excitement.

Let's take a look and see how Payback affected this week's power rankings.

10. Ryback

Ryback and Kalisto have had several matches over the past few months, but the bout they delivered at Payback was by far their best.

The Big Guy got significant heat for mocking CM Punk's signature entrance in front of the Chicago crowd, but they ended up cheering for him later in the match when his performance exceeded expectations.

He might not have won the title, but Ryback definitely won the respect of many fans by surprising us with one of his best performances to date.

He might not be in the running for another shot at the U.S. title, but Ryback proved he deserves to be taken seriously as a competitor.

9. Cesaro

Cesaro is one of those rare performers who never seems to have a bad match. His versatility allows him to work well with anyone he steps into the ring with.

He spent several months on the shelf after being injured, but his popularity never waned. If anything, he is even more over than before.

His intercontinental title match against The Miz ended in controversy, so there is a good chance he will get another shot at the belt in the near future.

Based on how things went down, it's possible the feud between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will be combined with Cesaro and The Miz's program to form a Fatal 4-Way match at Extreme Rules later this month.

8. Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler is someone who has had a strange career trajectory. He has been a world champion, but he has also put over more people than anyone else on the roster.

Getting a win over a newcomer like Baron Corbin might not be the reward everyone feels he deserves for all of his hard work, but it's a step in the right direction.

Monday's Raw should give us a good idea of whether or not this feud will continue. It seems logical to assume Corbin would be looking for revenge, but then again, WWE is rarely ever logical.

7. Charlotte

The ending of the Natalya vs. Charlotte match left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths, but they do deserve to be recognized for how good their performance was leading up to the finish.

Charlotte and Natalya told a story in the ring while showing off their technical ability. They focused on specific body parts to set up for their respective submissions, which is something we don't see as often as we used to.

Having Bret Hart at ringside added little to the storyline other than providing a connection to the Montreal Screwjob, but it was cool seeing him lock Ric Flair in the Sharpshooter.

Hopefully we get some sort of explanation for why Charles Robinson participated in such a poorly conceived storyline, otherwise this whole situation will make even less sense than it already does.

6. Kalisto

Many predicted Payback would be the night Ryback finally won the U.S. title from Kalisto, but the Lucha Dragon shocked everyone by managing to retain the belt once again.

Kalisto's high-flying ability is second to none, and those skills were on full display in what turned out to be one of the better matches of the night.

This bout most likely capped off the feud between Kalisto and Ryback, so we should see the champ begin a new program against a different competitor this week.

5. The Miz

Whether you like him or not, there's no denying how talented The Miz is, especially when it comes to being a heel who is actually easy to hate.

We have too many cool bad guys these days, and most of them are cheered by the WWE Universe. However, The Miz is capable of getting real heat, and that's a valuable commodity.

Ever since Maryse started accompanying him to the ring, he has upped his game and put on some of the best matches of his career.

He might not be IC champion for long, but until he loses the belt, we can expect him to keep pissing everyone off while making out with his wife in the ring.

4. Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn's ability to put on a great match every time he steps foot in the ring is something few wrestlers possess.

Even in a losing effort, he still managed to have one of the best performances at Payback. His feud with Kevin Owens is one of the few storylines which feels organic, and a big part of why they work so well together is because WWE has allowed them to be themselves.

Using their real history as friends elevated this program, and they lived up to the hype by putting on a match which felt more personal than anything we have seen in a long time.

After Zayn attacked Owens during the IC title bout, it's safe to assume they are nowhere near being done with each other, which is great news because we will get to see more from these two gifted performers.

3. Kevin Owens

Owens and Zayn were equally responsible for making their showdown one of the highlights of Payback, and the only reason Owens ranked higher on this week's list is because he got the win.

Sticking around to do commentary during the IC title match allowed Owens to show off why he is such a great heel. His constant berating of Byron Saxton might not get him the kind of heat management would like, but it sure did make for some entertaining banter.

These guys are like Sting and Ric Flair. No matter how many other feuds they have in the coming years, it feels like they will be linked forever.

Whether they have another singles match or end up being combined with the IC title feud, we can look forward to another great contest at Extreme Rules.

2. AJ Styles

AJ Styles might not have won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but he more than proved he deserved the huge push he has been given so early after debuting at the Royal Rumble.

His combination of technical ability and high-flying skills put him on a different level than most of the roster, and it helped the main event of Payback steal the show.

Restarting the match twice with new stipulations would have killed the momentum in most situations, but Styles and Roman Reigns kept upping the intensity to keep people interested.

The way Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows and The Usos were used was smart because nobody can say for certain the match would have turned out any differently had they not gotten involved.

Vince, Shane and Stephanie McMahon revealed the main event for Extreme Rules will see Styles challenge Reigns for the title again, so we already have another great match to look forward to.

1. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns might not technically be a heel, but his slow transition from typical babyface into someone who looks like he is about to turn at any moment has been smart booking.

He ins't the champion most of the WWE Universe wants, but when the stakes are high, Reigns delivers as well as anyone else on the roster.

He continues to get better with each passing week, and with time, he might be able to win back some of the people who have turned against him.

Anyone who thinks his match at Payback was only good because of Styles is kidding themselves, but few of his haters will ever admit how good Reigns really is.

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