WWE Superstar Rankings Ahead of August 22 Raw

Sunday's WWE SummerSlam 2016 was a long one, but several people came away from the biggest pay-per-view of the summer with a lot of momentum.

Some of the biggest highlights of the night included Charlotte regaining the Women's Championship, Randy Orton being beaten into a bloody mess, Finn Balor becoming the first universal champion and AJ Styles defeating John Cena.

The six-hour show (including the pre-show) featured 12 matches and a brawl which caused the United States Championship bout to be cancelled, so it was hard for everyone to have a standout moment.

SmackDown has Backlash coming up on September 11, and Raw has Clash of Champions on September 25, so both brands will have to move quickly to set up their next PPVs.

Let's take a look and see how SummerSlam affected this week's Superstar Power Rankings.

10. Sheamus

Sheamus and Cesaro were relegated to the pre-show, but they put on one of the better matches of the night to start their Best of Seven Series.

Cesaro did all the things he is known for, but when the ref counted to three, The Celtic Warrior was declared the winner.

Some people might question the decision to put them in this series after having had a few singles matches in recent weeks, but they always bring out the best in each other, so at least we always know they will put on a good show.

Sheamus has been in a bit of a career slump lately, and a feud with someone who can be just as physical as he can might be exactly what he needs to get some momentum and make sure he isn't forgotten amid the incoming talent.

9. Nikki Bella

Nikki Bella made her triumphant return to action at SummerSlam, replacing Eva Marie and leading her team to victory over Becky Lynch, Naomi and Carmella.

It was somewhat surprising to hear her get such a positive reaction after being one of the least popular women on the roster during her last run, but it made her return that much better.

She didn't have a lot to do during the match, but she showed off a new finisher designed to put less pressure on her neck and back.

Nikki is actually considered one of the veterans of the division now that a handful of new talents have taken over, so she needed this win to establish herself as a threat to the new generation.

8. Roman Reigns

We didn't actually get a match between Rusev and Roman Reigns, but what we did get was a lot better. The two powerhouses attacked each other before the bell and fought until the match was called off.

Rusev was the one who instigated the brawl, but Reigns got the upper hand and proceeded to dominate The Bulgarian Brute.

By the end of the segment, the crowd had actually started cheering Reigns, especially when he returned to deliver a final Spear after it looked like he had left the area.

Reigns has had a tough time getting the WWE Universe back on his side ever since The Shield broke up and he was thrust onto the main event scene, but he always goes out and puts everything he has into his performances.

It wouldn't be surprising to see a rematch scheduled for the first Raw after SummerSlam, but WWE may choose to keep Rusev off TV with a storyline injury for a week or two to keep the feud going.

7. Jeri-KO

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens may have been thrown together to make sure both men had a spot on the SummerSlam card, but they have quickly become one of the most entertaining acts in WWE.

Both men use a similar style of sarcastic humor that makes their interview segments and mid-match interactions hilarious.

Enzo and Cass are one of the hottest acts in the company right now, so to see Owens and Jericho get the win over them on a big stage like SummerSlam was a nice surprise.

Their chemistry is off the charts, and it would be wise for WWE to take advantage of it and keep them as a team for a short run with the tag titles.

6. The New Day

The New Day may have been disqualified in its match against The Club, but Kofi Kingston and Co. left SummerSlam with heads held high after they got some revenge against the men who put Big E on the shelf.

Jon Stewart's presence added little to the story, and the way the crowd reacted to him only made it more painful to watch.

It's a good thing Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods are so over with the crowd. By the time Big E ran down to the ring, the fans were cheering their heads off.

Choosing to end the match by DQ protected Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows from suffering another loss while keeping The New Day's title reign intact for a little while longer. It's the best way WWE could have booked this without having the titles change hands.

5. Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler put on a great match at SummerSlam, but unfortunately for The Showoff, it was The Lunatic Fringe who left with the WWE title.

Ambrose took on some heel characteristics during the buildup to this bout, which led many to believe he would lose the belt and make a full turn at the PPV.

It never came down to that, but it's going to be very interesting to see what happens with the WWE Championship picture moving forward.

A few Superstars have valid claims for a shot at the title after Sunday's event, but we will have to wait until Tuesday to see who steps up to take the first shot at the champion.

4. Charlotte

Charlotte lost the Women's Championship to Sasha Banks almost exactly one month ago, but she ended up regaining the title from The Boss in what turned out to be one of the best matches at SummerSlam.

It was a little surprising to see Banks lose the belt so quickly, but there is actually some logic behind the decision.

Bayley may have bid farewell to NXT after losing to Asuka at TakeOver: Brooklyn II on Saturday, and if WWE intends on bringing her up right away, it would be better for her to feud with a heel like Charlotte than with a babyface like Banks.

Whatever the plan is, Charlotte deserved her moment in the spotlight. Between transitioning the Divas Championship into the Women's Championship at WrestleMania and then regaining the title at SummerSlam, it has been one heck of a year for the daughter of The Nature Boy.

3. AJ Styles

We have seen John Cena defeat just about everyone who is anyone in WWE, but when the dust settled Sunday night, AJ Styles' hand was raised.

As expected, these two veterans took each other to the limit Sunday night. Both men kicked out of each other's finishers multiple times until Styles finally managed to keep Cena down with one last Styles Clash.

This feud has cemented Styles as a force to be reckoned with in WWE. When he first came in, many wondered if WWE would book him the way he deserved, but if the last few months have proved anything, it's that management is taking him seriously.

Styles could easily move into a feud for the WWE Championship now that he has vanquished Cena. Whatever he ends up doing, WWE needs to capitalize on his current momentum.

2. Brock Lesnar

We knew Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar would have a physical encounter at SummerSlam, but nobody expected to see so much blood.

Once Lesnar became frustrated with Orton's ability to keep coming back from his attacks, Lesnar ditched his gloves and proceeded to beat Orton to a pulp in the middle of the ring.

We rarely see anyone win by TKO in WWE, so the decision to have Lesnar win that way was meant to carry weight but also protect both men.

Orton never gave up and was never pinned, so he can claim Lesnar never truly defeated him. Meanwhile, Lesnar gets to brag about busting The Viper wide-open.

The WWE Universe may not have liked how the match ended, but the finish made The Beast look as dangerous as he ever has, which was the whole point.

1. Finn Balor

Setting aside how ridiculous the Universal Championship belt looks, SummerSlam was a huge night for Finn Balor and the new generation as a whole.

Management is going all-in with Balor. Not only did he get a clean win over Reigns during his first week with the main roster, but he defeated Seth Rollins clean in his first PPV match to become the first universal champion.

Balor is being positioned as the next face of Raw, and his performance at SummerSlam proved he deserves the chance he is being given.

His feud with Rollins is far from over, but for now, The Demon King can take a moment to think about how he has been given a bigger push in his first month with the main roster than anyone we have seen in years.

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