WWE Superstar Power Rankings Ahead of Nov. 28 Raw

After an eventful week of WWE programing from Canada, the rankings have invited some familiar faces, some rising stars and a new No. 1. 

Following three Survivor Series matches that were indicative of WWE's current pecking order, as well as the fallout from Raw and SmackDown, it's becoming clear who is rising and who is falling as WWE closes out 2016.

For example, don't expect to see Seth Rollins on this list. These rankings grade on a curve, and after spending the second half of 2016 losing several world title matches, Rollins once again came up short against Kevin Owens on Raw.

Rollins will remain on the sidelines unless he gets bumped down to the midcard, possibly re-establishing himself while competing for a secondary title. 

The ousting of Rollins is just one of several potential surprises from the latest WWE power rankings. 

10. Bayley

Bayley cracks the top 10 on the strength of being a sole survivor and pinning Charlotte Flair on Raw.

Outside of Bayley, however, the women's division is in a funk, possibly due to its own lofty expectations set by NXT. The women had easily the weakest elimination match at Survivor Series, and the constant switching of the Raw Women's Championship has hindered the momentum of this division.

Meanwhile on SmackDown, a thin roster and uninspired storylines have led to an equally uninspiring division. 

After what was supposed to be a history-making main event at Hell in a Cell, Sasha Banks and Flair stumbled through a clumsy, overbooked match, which may also have had residual effects on women's wrestling across both brands. 

Still, this is a temporary problem, as there is a stronger talent pool of women now than ever before. 

9. AJ Styles

Though the SmackDown men were victorious last weekend at Survivor Series, AJ Styles was not a sole survivor. The following week, Styles took his third loss to jobber-turned-sensation James Ellsworth. 

Styles' never-ending feud with Dean Ambrose, who has been cold for much of 2016, will continue into WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. Ambrose's lack of momentum seems to be rubbing off on The Phenomenal One. 

There is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, however, as Styles' rumored opponents for the 2017 Royal Rumble have ranged from Shawn Michaels (per Styles' own Twitter account) to The Undertaker, per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc). 

Though 2016 was a huge year for Styles, it seems to be ending with a whimper. But much like his start to this year, 2017 should see another exciting start for the WWE world champion. 

8. The Miz

After a productive feud against Dolph Ziggler, it feels like The Miz is ready for his next big challenge.

WWE continues to excel in expertly pairing Miz with contemporary babyface opponents. Tuesday on SmackDown, he defended his Intercontinental Championship against electrifying yet undersized cruiserweight Kalisto. Though this was a great pairing, it was a one-off, as WWE simply used the match to further the feud between Kalisto and rising heel Baron Corbin. 

The Miz and Ziggler's feud doesn't seem to be finished, as prolonged feuds have become a theme on a thin SmackDown roster, but WWE needs to make the most out of Miz's current surge and create a group of serious contenders for the Intercontinental Championship. 

7. Roman Reigns

As WrestleMania season approaches, so, too, does Roman Reigns season. The Big Dog has already been booked against Kevin Owens in a champion vs. champion match at WWE Roadblock, per Meltzer. 

Though Team Raw lost at WWE Survivor Series, it was telling that Reigns was Raw's final surviving member, as WWE protected its top star in a losing effort.

The United States champion could be on the verge of becoming a dual champion in the spirit of Conor McGregor and former fellow Shield member Seth Rollins. A Reigns championship win could also be an out for WWE if it is looking to avoid booking him in another uphill battle and a potential 60,000-fan nerd rage at the Royal Rumble. 

6. Kevin Owens

Thanks to Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens scored yet another cheap victory over Seth Rollins.

This has defined his Universal Championship reign, and while he has been a great character throughout, he has not been a strong world champion. 

Through underhanded tactics, Owens is, however, expertly playing up his heel tendencies as best he can.

A 15-year veteran with tons of mileage on his body, Owens is more of the present than the future of WWE. He can only be a world champion for so much longer. With Rollins and Reigns once again on good terms, there's a good chance Rollins will play a role in facilitating a Reigns victory at WWE Roadblock.

5. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho still feels like the most important WWE Superstar on the entire Raw roster, and if Owens is able to hold off Reigns, a Jericho-Owens feud for the Universal Championship would be a hot program.

Either way, Jericho seems destined to feud with his current best friend in what should be a good rivalry that re-establishes Owens as a more traditional heel.

WWE's recent stay in Canada was a more amplified version of what fans already knew: Jericho and his list are the most popular entities in WWE today. 

Through his growing popularity, Jericho is also a dark horse to win the Royal Rumble if WWE opts to continue to ride the living legend's undeniable momentum. 

4. Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman gets better every week.

His beatdown over Sami Zayn was simply terrifying and further evidence that he needs to be a dominant, monster world champion sooner rather than later. WWE has done the "cowardly, weak heel world champion" angle to death for much of the New Era.

It happened with Seth Rollins. It's happening with Owens. It's starting to happen with AJ Styles. It has hardly translated to strong ratings, as was recently the case, with Raw's third hour plummeting despite an advertised world championship match, per Showbuzz Daily (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc). 

WWE needs to switch things up and book a seemingly unbeatable monster to be world champion. This model led to record ratings for SmackDown on Syfy with Mark Henry as champion, per James Caldwell of PWTorch.

WWE has brought Strowman along nicely on the Raw roster, and it should be only a matter of time before he gets a chance to carry what has become a watered-down world championship. 

3. The Wyatt Family

Both Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt were in desperate need of jolts. By coming together as an unlikely alliance, they found one. 

That being said, it's easy to still be skeptical of the long-term viability of Orton-Wyatt. Following SmackDown's victory at Survivor Series, where the Wyatts were the sole survivors, Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net noted, "They really wanted to establish that Orton is with the Wyatts. I'm not sure what they hope to get out of this because it's such an oddball fit." Powell went on to praise the match, however, for being the "highlight of the night." 

It seems like, at any moment, Orton can turn on Wyatt, similar to what Daniel Bryan did in 2014. The difference is that fans were vehemently against Bryan turning heel in any way, shape or form. Not only is Orton in his element as a heel, but WWE has also done a great job telling the story of his loyalty to the charismatic orator in spite of their glaring contrasts.

Perhaps this unholy alliance is working because of them. 

2. James Ellsworth

As was mentioned in a previous slide, James Ellsworth now has three victories over the WWE world champion, a new contract and a future world championship opportunity. The Ellsworth bubble hasn't burst yet, and in fact, it seems to be getting bigger.

It will be interesting to see how WWE books Ellsworth's future championship match. The Miz stands out as the better championship opponent, as he is easily the best pure heel champion on the roster, but Styles and Ellsworth have established strong chemistry. If Ellsworth wins a world championship, fans would go bonkers. This would, however, defeat his own purpose as a lovable loser while torpedoing the value of any world title anywhere. 

If Chris Jericho's list isn't the biggest full-time star in wrestling right now, then Ellsworth is. 

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Irony Era. 

1. Goldberg

The wrestling world imploded following Goldberg's surprisingly dominant win over Brock Lesnar. Now, with news that Goldberg will be sticking around, per Meltzer (h/t Giri), WWE could ride his momentum all the way to the main event of WrestleMania. 

Goldberg announced he will be participating in the Royal Rumble match and should be considered an early favorite to win it. Maybe Goldberg will win, causing an enraged Lesnar to pursue the Universal Championship and set up a highly anticipated rematch with him. 

Until WWE puts its faith in a full-time star the way it did with Goldberg, it will be difficult for the former WCW heavyweight champion to fall from atop this list. 

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.