WWE Superstar Power Rankings Ahead of Nov. 21 Raw

With WWE Survivor Series 2016 behind them, the Superstars of Raw and SmackDown look forward to December, where each brand will present one final pay-per-view to close out 2016. As those events approach, though, which competitor finds himself at the top of this week's power rankings?

Is it Roman Reigns, the current United States champion and public enemy No. 1?

How about Kevin Owens, the WWE universal champion, or his best friend, Chris Jericho?

Maybe the guy atop the rankings calls SmackDown home. Perhaps it's WWE world champion AJ Styles?

No matter who it is, that man has a rough road ahead of him, as all of his peers will target him in an attempt to put bows on their own years.

Ahead of the Nov. 21 episode of Raw, these are the top 10 stars in WWE right now.

10. The Miz

The intercontinental champion may not have retained his title in the cleanest of ways at Survivor Series, but he still emerged victorious—and that is all that matters in relation to his spot on this list.

Cunning, opportunistic and arrogant, Miz is arguably the best villain in all of WWE. With wife Maryse at his side, getting him out of any jam he may be in between the ropes, he remains one of the premier stars on Tuesday nights.

His win over Sami Zayn Sunday night earned SmackDown bragging rights, but it also set The Hollywood A-Lister up for a feud with The Underdog from the Underground if WWE Creative opts to move in that direction.

After beating Dolph Ziggler to regain the IC title, that program appears to be finished. Where Miz goes from here—and whether or not things continue to escalate between him and SmackDown Live general manager Daniel Bryan—remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain: Miz is having the greatest year of his career.

9. Randy Orton

The Viper had been relatively quiet since aligning himself with The Wyatt Family, particularly on the road to Survivor Series.

During Sunday's gigantic Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown Live match, though, Randy Orton exploded into the forefront of the match.

He helped eliminate Seth Rollins following one of the most beautiful RKOs fans will ever see and then proved pivotal in securing the win for the blue brand. He shoved Bray Wyatt out of the way, taking a Spear from Roman Reigns. That act of selflessness allowed Wyatt to deliver Sister Abigail for the win.

With that one act, Orton became instantly more interesting than he had been in months. While most readily assumed he would drop Wyatt with an RKO the moment he got the chance, Orton taking the proverbial bullet for his former foe seems to suggest he may be all-in on his devotion to The Wyatt Family.

8. Sheamus and Cesaro

Sheamus and Cesaro may not be the most cohesive unit in professional wrestling, but they have become one of the premier ones, thanks to the individual skills of the competitors and both's undying desires to be victorious.

Sunday night at Survivor Series, they alone represented Raw at the end of the huge 10-on-10 elimination match and were faced with downing The Usos to secure the victory for their brand. They did, cutting off several near-falls before Cesaro used the Sharpshooter to pick up the win.

After the match, the team continued to show signs of the dissension that fans have come to expect from them, but it could not spoil what was an impressive win in a strong, fun wrestling match.

Whether they can continue building momentum and become the team that dethrones The New Day is the next question that must be answered.

7. Bray Wyatt

The Reaper of Souls may have stayed in the background, not partaking in the verbal showdowns between Raw and SmackDown Live, but Sunday night, he was at the forefront of the brand warfare, and the Tuesday night show can be glad for it.

Along with Randy Orton, he pummeled Roman Reigns, capitalizing on a two-on-one advantage.

Then, as it appeared he was going to be the recipient of a Spear, Orton shoved him out of the way. The brief distraction allowed Wyatt to deliver Sister Abigail and pick up the win for his brand.

There has been a lot of talk about the misuse of Wyatt, particularly when it comes to winning big matches. Sunday was a huge bout, and he pinned Reigns fairly clean.

Now it is up to WWE Creative to continue to build momentum for him. We know the Orton betrayal is coming. At some point, though, Wyatt needs to win a high-profile feud if he is to ever be taken seriously as a threat to the top stars in the industry.

6. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho was the overwhelming crowd favorite Sunday, and the Canadian fans greeted him with chants of "Y2J" and labeled his opponents "stupid idiots." But all of the cheers in the world did not stop him from being eliminated, much to the dismay of those same fans.

Jericho is doing some of the best work of his entire career right now. The ridiculousness of The List of Jericho and his insistence that his enemies will get...it...is forgiven by the conviction with which he presents the character.

He believes in it and is not afraid to make himself look like an idiot—a middle-aged man worried about scarves and best friend Kevin Owens.

It appears Jericho is on a collision course with Seth Rollins, with their big singles match presumably occurring Dec. 18 at Roadblock.

If that is the case, Jericho will remain an integral part of Raw, beginning with the Nov. 21 episode.

5. Dean Ambrose

The Lunatic Fringe may have been the first competitor eliminated from Team SmackDown Live, but he more than made his presence felt later in the match, interrupting the proceedings and joining Raw's Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in powerbombing AJ Styles through the announcers' table.

The mini-reunion of The Shield generated tremendous buzz on social media, but it also helped Ambrose garner some heat after a lackluster ovation earlier in the night.

Ambrose is in a strange predicament.

WWE management sees him as the lead babyface on SmackDown, but fans have grown bored with his act. The madman gimmick has become more of a caricature at this point, and seeing him in the main event repeatedly has worn fans out.

After December's TLC match with WWE world champion AJ Styles, it would be best for the overall health of SmackDown and Ambrose himself if he stepped away from the title picture and focused on regaining his edge.

4. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins should have stood out more than he did Sunday night as he represented Team Raw against Team SmackDown. Unfortunately, he felt more like "just another guy" than "face of the red brand" as he fell short of leading his team to victory.

Rollins was at the center of the match's most memorable moments, including The Shield reunion that saw him, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose assault AJ Styles and a frog splash into an RKO that led to his demise.

Rollins is an elite talent, but he has struggled in his role of babyface, primarily because the booking of his character has been so poor. Unlike other main event heroes, he loses more than he wins and is overshadowed by the villains in his story.

That cannot happen, especially as the new year dawns and a presumed showdown with Triple H looms.

3. Roman Reigns

If anyone thought for a second that the United States Championship somehow represented a demotion for Roman Reigns, think again. The Big Dog of WWE is still the lead babyface on Raw, regardless of how much the company pushes Seth Rollins.

Reigns was the last remaining competitor battling for Raw Sunday night at Survivor Series, as he was left all alone to combat Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. Faced with overcoming the odds, he nearly succeeded, rolling late.

Only a well-timed save by Orton cost him the match.

The fans in Toronto mercilessly booed Reigns, but the juggernaut remains one of the more consistent performers on the roster. He was also responsible for so many of the memorable moments in Sunday's match.

Like him, hate him or feel neutral about him, but one cannot deny the many extraordinary matches, strong performances and work ethic of wrestling's most polarizing star.

2. Kevin Owens

The WWE universal champion still does not feel like a champion, primarily because of the way he has been booked.

While the friendship between him and Chris Jericho has led to several humorous moments and wildly entertaining backstage vignettes with announcer Tom Phillips, he has been mishandled from an in-ring perspective.

Owens is always reliable for a strong in-ring performance, but he has retained his title only through incessant cheating and screwy finishes. He has never once looked like the convincing champion he should be.

Overshadowed by Jericho, Owens needs to remind fans of his vicious streak, and he needs a signature win to lend credibility to his reign. Perhaps that comes on Dec. 18 at Roadblock as he faces Roman Reigns.

1. AJ Styles

The Phenomenal One is the top dog in WWE, as he's the world champion and the best wrestler on the roster.

Sunday at Survivor Series, he entered the Air Canada Centre to one of the biggest pops of the night. Chants of "AJ Styles" interrupted the Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown Live match, and his elimination drew a chorus of boos, even after The Shield reunion directly led to it.

With Survivor Series behind him, the intense rivalry between Styles and Dean Ambrose will continue as TLC approaches in two weeks.

Whether Styles can hold on to the WWE world title in one of the most dangerous gimmick matches in all of professional wrestling will determine whether or not management is considering his for a marquee match at WrestleMania 33.