Welcome to week two of the NBC Sports EDGE WWE Superstar Power Rankings! With our initial rankings now out of the way, it’s time to analyze the events of SmackDown and Raw to see whose stock went up and whose went down. There was plenty of movement within the rankings, plus a few Superstars fought their way in and got tossed over the top rope and out. Without further adieu, let’s get to it.
1. Roman Reigns – Undisputed WWE Universal Champion (Last Week: 1)
Did Roman Reigns compete this week? No. Did Roman Reigns cut a promo? No. Will Roman Reigns be competing at Money in the Bank? No. But is Roman Reigns still the unstoppable “Head of the Table” and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion? Yes. Acknowledge him.
2. Riddle (Last Week: 5)
All that said about Reigns, Riddle made a huge case this week to take the top spot in our rankings away from “The Tribal Chief.” “The Original Bro” outlasted the likes of A.J. Styles, The Miz, Veer Mahaan, Shinsuke Nakamura and more in an emotional performance to earn a spot in the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match this Saturday in Las Vegas. He arguably has the most momentum out of all Superstars on the roster heading into the Premium Live Event and would be a major threat to Reigns or whoever holds the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship should he win that briefcase.
3. Seth “Freakin’” Rollins (Last Week: 2)
There wasn’t much going on for “The Architect” this week, but that might be a good thing. A rested Rollins is a dangerous Rollins, and we all saw in his backstage promo with John Cena, Omos and MVP that the former Mr. Money in the Bank is rolling into the match unintimidated and full of confidence.
4. Bianca Belair – Raw Women’s Champion (Last Week: 3)
“The EST” put Carmella in her place on Raw when her challenger tried to pull a sneak attack following an exchanging of words between the two that was just … fine. Carmella may be a former SmackDown Women’s Champion, but those days seem like they’re from a distant past. Belair should be able to make quick work of her opponent and hopefully move on to a hotter program for SummerSlam.
5. Ronda Rousey – SmackDown Women’s Champion (Last Week: 4)
Her rivalry with Natalya continues to be an odd one. This past week saw Natty dressing up as Ronda in a weird promo that ended with an awkward interaction involving a baby stroller. But the bit did feature some solid barbs exchanged between the two. Like with Belair and Carmella, here’s to hoping the champ easily dispatches her challenger and gets something juicier to bite into for “The Biggest Party of the Summer.”
6. Gunther – Intercontinental Champion (Last Week: 7)
It hasn’t taken long for Gunther to establish himself as one of the most dominant forces on the main roster. After winning the IC title over Ricochet on June 10, “The Ring General” dominated the high-flyer in a rematch on SmackDown this past Friday. His running dropkick was especially impressive. With a new identity and in the best shape of his life, Gunther should be a mainstay on this list in the weeks to come.
7. Theory – United States Champion (Last Week: 9)
Theory didn’t have a match on Raw, but he got plenty of shine. While he functioned as a special enforcer in a handicap match between Alpha Academy and Bobby Lashley as part of the build to Saturday’s match against “The All Mighty,” the most notable moment was his backstage segment with John Cena. We can’t exactly look past Saturday just yet, but it doesn’t take a genius to see where this is headed. As if it wasn’t already obvious, the company clearly sees big things here.
8. Drew McIntyre (Last Week: 10)
McIntyre jumps in the ranks after being a centerpiece of SmackDown last Friday. In addition to teasing an expected match against Roman Reigns at Clash at the Castle, he had to team up with Sheamus against The Usos to keep his spot in the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. It should be noted that Paul Heyman tried to wield his influence to get McIntyre out of said match, so the build is already happening with Reigns. Despite the hijinks, McIntyre and Sheamus were able to “co-exist” with an impressive victory over the Undisputed Tag Team Champions. Now we’ll see if he can get the briefcase.
9. Becky Lynch (Last Week: 14)
Frustration has been building for Lynch of late, including a loss to Asuka last week, but she bounced back in a big way as part of a six-way “last chance” Money in the Bank qualifying match on Monday against Doudrop, Nikki A.S.H., Xia Li, Shayna Baszler and Tamina. “Big Time Becks” eliminated Xia Li and Nikki A.S.H. along the way and ultimately punched her ticket for Saturday with an impressive Manhandle Slam of Doudrop from the second rope. Maybe the tide is turning here.
10. The Usos – Undisputed Tag Team Champions (Last Week: 6)
The Usos are consistently among the best performers in the company on a week-to-week basis, but they fall a couple of spots this week. It’s a necessary move after they lost to Sheamus and Drew McIntyre on Smackdown and Jey was pinned by Montez Ford on Raw. This gives The Street Profits some momentum going into Money in the Bank, but it’s still hard to imagine The Usos reign ending here.
11. Asuka (Last Week: 8)
Asuka slides just a bit on the rankings this week due to not seeing much TV action aside from an awkward guest spot on the SmackDown commentary booth during a match between upcoming opponents Liv Morgan and Alexa Bliss. However, she’s still arguably the best female Superstar in-between the ropes and has to be seen as a favorite to leave Las Vegas with a briefcase in hand.
12. Street Profits (Last Week: 19)
The Street Profits are on absolute fire. After foiling The Bloodline’s plot to keep Drew McIntyre and Sheamus out of the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match by costing The Usos’ their match against the duo on SmackDown, they got to share the spotlight backstage with and get quality advice from one John Cena on Raw. Then, Montez Ford followed up Angelo Dawkins’ massive singles win against Jimmy Uso from last week with a victory of his own against Jey. Oftentimes challengers with this much momentum going into a title match fail to meet the ultimate challenge in WWE. We’ll soon discover if the Profits can prove to be the exception to the rule.
13. The Brawling Brutes (Last Week: 16)
The trio got a bump thanks to Sheamus’ big SmackDown main event victory alongside Drew McIntyre to earn the group leader a spot in the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match after it was unceremoniously taken away. A briefcase could do wonders for the trio’s future potential.
14. Lashley (Last Week: 20)
Theory’s in trouble. Lashley has overcome every obstacle the United States Champion has thrown his way so far and is now taking their rivalry personally. Their program continued its positive momentum from last week with Lashley’s handicap match win against Alpha Academy and their title clash is now one of the most intriguing contests on Saturday’s card. Lashley also had one of the more memorable moments on Raw this week, hoisting Otis on his shoulders and dropping the big man like a sack of bricks in an impressive feat of strength. We could be on the verge of a major win and the true resurgence of “The All Mighty.”
15. Brock Lesnar (Last Week: 15)
Brock Lesnar wasn’t on TV this week outside of a replay of his return, but he’s still “The Beast” and holds firm in our rankings given the looming threat he poses to “The Head of the Table” as we inch closer and closer to SummerSlam.
16. Raquel Rodriguez (Last Week: 17)
Moving up one spot this week, Raquel Rodriguez gets a bump thanks to her and Lacey Evans’ victory over Sonya Deville on SmackDown. And while she didn’t get the pinfall, Rodriguez wowed the crowd after the match by delivering a scoop slam to Xia Li with Deville hanging onto her back. Raquel had a rather plain promo afterward via a digital exclusive interview, but we can’t deny the momentum she’s carrying, her in-ring talent or the fact that her recent success has put the entire women’s division on notice.
17. Sami Zayn (Last Week: Unranked)
Zayn cracks our rankings at here at the 17 spot thanks to his impressive win over Shinsuke Nakamura to qualify for the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. The crafty yet intelligent Zayn even got a shout out from Cody Rhodes on Raw as a dark horse to come away with the briefcase and stirred up some unintentional tension with Paul Heyman for daring to suggest that Roman Reigns may not hold the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in perpetuity. It’s been quite the week for one of WWE’s best workers.
18. The Viking Raiders (Last Week: Unranked)
They’re back! Gone since March, The Viking Raiders made a surprise return to WWE by laying waste to The New Day and Shanky on SmackDown. We don’t know if this will lead to a program with Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston or if Erik and Ivar intend to run roughshod on the entire tag division. What we do know, however, is that the duo are one of the most skilled and imposing tandems in all of sports entertainment and whoever emerges from Saturday’s Undisputed Tag Team Championship Match better keep a watchful eye over their shoulder.
19. John Cena (Last Week: Unranked)
You read that right. Yes, John Cena isn’t competing on a regular basis for WWE anymore and hasn’t publicly committed to a date or time for when he’ll wrestle next. But, come on. We all know that he and Theory are on a collision course for SummerSlam next month. Theory called him out last week, they cut a backstage promo where the animosity was palpable this week (on a show dedicated to Cena’s career, mind you) and, oh yeah, Cena’s back on the WWE.com roster page with a brand-new headshot decked out in his new merch line. It’s happening and, as such, Cena makes the cut.
20. A.J. Styles (Last Week: Unranked)
One of the best Superstars of his or any generation, A.J. Styles rounds out the Top 20 thanks to plenty of Raw screen time that featured a decking of and victory over The Miz. He’s not on the card yet for Money in the Bank, but there is one more spot left in the titular match for the men. Monday’s victory and near-qualification could earn him another chance this Friday.
On the cusp: The Judgment Day, Veer Mahaan, Madcap Moss, Kevin Owens, Omos, Natalya, Liv Morgan, Alexa Bliss, Shotzi, The Miz, New Day, Lacey Evans, Ezekiel, Shinsuke Nakamura
Who’s NXT: Bron Breakker, Toxic Attraction, Carmelo Hayes, The Creed Brothers, Cameron Grimes, Joe Gacy
