WWE Superstar Rankings Ahead of July 18 Raw

With the WWE draft upon us, a grand brand extension about to take place and a Battleground pay-per-view that will set the stage for August's SummerSlam event, the Superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment spent the week of July 11 positioning themselves to make major impacts going forward.

Seth Rollins may have earned the top spot in last week's rankings, but was The Architect able to continue building momentum and repeat as the No. 1 Superstar in WWE?

The New Day found out the hard way just how dangerous The Wyatt Family is. Did its venture to the private compound of its rivals earn the stable a higher position on the list, or did Bray and Co. smack some reality into them?

What about The Club, Enzo Amore, Big Cass and John Cena, all six of whom are preparing for a huge match at Battleground?

With the July 18 episode of Raw upon us, and the lives of so many prevalent Superstars about to change, find out where they landed in this week's power rankings.

Honorable Mention: Dolph Ziggler

It's not always sunny in WWE for Dolph Ziggler, especially of late, but The Showoff scored a big upset win over United States champion Rusev to earn himself honorable mention in this week's countdown.

Ziggler has not had a sparkling 2016 to this point, but the upcoming brand extension should earn him renewed interest from WWE Creative and a potential push, at least to the upper midcard.

Though the victory may only have been an excuse to continue the Rusev-Zack Ryder feud, it could also result in a kick-start for the former world champion, who is desperately in need of one before he is asked to be a credible contender on either Raw or SmackDown.

A fluke victory over the U.S. champion may not have earned Ziggler a spot in our top 10, but if WWE Creative can build on it, he may be a more permanent fixture going forward.

10. Zack Ryder

After a series of victories catapulted Zack Ryder into United States Championship contention recently, he inexplicably lost clean to Sheamus following a Brogue Kick. As a result, he drops down this week's rankings, plummeting to No. 10.

Ryder is not one of those cases of a Superstar who can be haphazardly booked. He was treated like a joke for so long that he cannot endure 50-50 booking. WWE Creative must go all-in or risk diminishing what little credibility he has built to this point.

Considering one guy was en route to a championship match and the other has been ice-cold since March, there was no reason for Ryder not to go over Sheamus again.

Simply distracting Rusev and helping best friend Dolph Ziggler score an upset victory over the Bulgarian Brute is not enough to salvage a week best described as a step back.

9. Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn is poised for a huge week, with his landing spot in the WWE draft to be determined Tuesday and a grudge match with Kevin Owens set for Battleground on Sunday. Yet this past Thursday night on SmackDown, he suffered a setback of sorts, courtesy of a tag team loss in the main event.

Teaming with WWE champion Dean Ambrose, Zayn lost the match via a Pedigree from Seth Rollins.

While that may have been the best outcome considering the competitors involved, it did Zayn no favors at a time when he should be red-hot entering the final battle between him and lifelong friend Owens.

Some will argue he was at least in the main event of the show, but at some point, he has to win one or two of those matches in order to remain credible with fans.

Otherwise, he becomes another lovable loser in a long line of them.

8. The New Day

Credit: WWE.com

The New Day entered The Wyatt Family Compound last Monday night on Raw and realized quickly that no parodies or number of jokes at the expense of the dangerous trio will help it overcome the ferocity and violence of Bray Wyatt and his followers.

Xavier Woods continues to be outstanding as the visibly shaken realist, completely aware of the seriousness of the situation he and his teammates find themselves in. He looked much like the final girl in a 1980s slasher flick, hiding behind trees and expressing fear as he attempted to evade an attack at the hands of The Reaper of Souls.

Having experienced the brunt of Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan attacks, it'll be interesting to see whether Kofi Kingston and Big E experience the same fearful reality as their teammate or whether they are doomed to go down swinging and joking come Sunday's Battleground.

7. Kevin Owens

It is clear Kevin Owens is biding time, waiting for the WWE draft to open up more opportunities than he has had the pleasure of experiencing to this point. That does not mean he has been taking nights off. On the contrary; he is one of WWE's hardest workers, a Superstar poised to deliver one of the best performances of the evening in whichever arena he enters.

Monday night on Raw, he and Cesaro delivered an outstanding match, won by Owens. Riding a wave of momentum, he entered SmackDown for a tag team main event that pitted him and Seth Rollins against Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn.

Though he was not responsible for the fall, he once again scored a victory, bringing his win total for the week to two.

Owens is a franchise player without looking like one. What he lacks in physique, he makes up for with a presence and attitude that attracts viewers. He remains one of the most enthralling characters on WWE television and a competitor to watch closely during Tuesday's draft.

6. The Wyatt Family

The Wyatt Family asserted its dominance over The New Day last Monday night, inviting it to its private compound for a beatdown of epic proportions. Any misconceptions the WWE tag team champions had about their ability to mock Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman were erased as they were sent scurrying for protection.

As ridiculous as the quick edits and overall nature of the segment was, it did the one thing that has been missing from WWE programming for months: restored the crowd's faith in the faction as a dangerous, unpredictable and punishing entity.

The July 18 episode of Raw will be a watershed one for the group. How WWE Creative responds to that compound segment will determine how fearsome the faction will be presented moving forward.

If the Wyatts allow The New Day to react in a manner even remotely comedic, the entire purpose of last week's work would be diminished.

5. John Cena

John Cena may have had a quiet week between the ropes, only appearing on Raw to make the save for Battleground tag team partners Enzo Amore and Big Cass, but he continued to spread awareness of WWE via different avenues.

Wednesday night, he hosted the ESPY Awards, ESPN's annual honoring of the best performers in sports.

He was outstanding, filleting everyone from Peyton Manning to Kevin Durant in the opening monologue and cutting a quick and fun pace for the duration of the show.

As Monday's Raw arrives, expect to see Cena take a larger role in the final build to Battleground's semi-main event. His absence has left Enzo and Cass to carry things on the babyface side, and while they may be extremely over, they are not quite perceived as main event talents to this point.

Cena is necessary for the feud with The Club to be treated as a marquee program, proving his importance to the company even in its so-called New Era.

4. Enzo Amore and Big Cass

Enzo Amore and Big Cass were essential to the continuation of one of WWE's highest-profile feuds this past week, their matches with The Club making up large portions of the company's television.

On Raw, the Certified G and his 7-foot-tall buddy scored a disqualification win. Three days later, they were not so lucky, losing a hard-fought match to AJ Styles and Karl Anderson when Enzo tapped to the Calf Crusher.

In both matches, the former NXT stars proved their ability to hang with competitors who have excelled in countries around the world. Though both matches may have felt like throwaway television contests with little bearing on anything, they were coming-of-age bouts that proved the once-comedic act can back up its catchphrases between the ropes.

Expect a couple of breakout performances from Smack Talker Skywalker and Big Cass at Battleground as they team with John Cena in search of that elusive win over The Club.

3. Dean Ambrose

All things considered, the WWE champion had a relatively quiet last week.

He confronted Seth Rollins about The Architect's comments regarding Roman Reigns and then agreed to a title defense against his former Shield teammate just six days before a scheduled Triple Threat match that also involves Reigns.

On SmackDown, he teamed with Sami Zayn to battle Rollins and Kevin Owens.

Though he lost the match, Ambrose was not pinned, securing his star aura and championship validity as the big WWE Championship bout approaches.

The outcome of the July 18 battle between Ambrose and Rollins could well tip WWE Creative's hand in regard to the upcoming draft. If it does not see The Lunatic Fringe as the centerpiece of an entire brand, it would not be a surprise to see him lose the title to his longtime nemesis.

If he retains, expect the frenetic competitor to take over Raw or SmackDown as its franchise star.

2. The Club

AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows may have been cleared from the ring Monday night by Enzo Amore, Big Cass and John Cena, but on SmackDown, they more than made up for it as Styles and Anderson picked up a quality victory over Cass and Amore.

Styles was outstanding, lending star power to Thursday's bout while simultaneously delivering the same extraordinary performance fans are accustomed to from the former TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling competitor.

His inclusion in the SmackDown match was a nice touch, giving fans a reprieve from the tired, predictable battle they had already seen just days earlier.

As a result of the win, The Club has bragging rights ahead of the July 18 episode of Raw. It is riding a wave of momentum that Cena and his partners must halt if they hope to enter Battleground with a chance of emerging victorious.

1. Seth Rollins

The Man, as Seth Rollins calls himself, had a monumental week.

He arrived on Monday Night Raw and lambasted Roman Reigns, continuing to poke at his recent wellness-policy violation. So overbearing was he that he drew the attention of Dean Ambrose and even managed to talk the WWE champion into putting his title on the line on July 18.

It was a great bit of character development, as Rollins went from relying on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon to protect him to manipulating a foe in the same way The Cerebral Assassin did over the course of his career.

On SmackDown, he added to his outstanding week, picking up a tag team victory with Kevin Owens over Ambrose and Sami Zayn. To do so, he again mimicked his mentor, Triple H, blasting The Underdog from the Underground with a Pedigree for the win.

Since his return in May, Rollins has taken on a role significantly smaller than his previous one, which saw him dominate television on a weekly basis, and it has benefited him. Everything he says and does has greater meaning, and the result has been a much more rewarding experience.