Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Power Rankings from Smark Out Moment!

Each week, we will break down the current roster and examine who has gone up the WWE hierarchy and who has unfortunately taken a step down the ladder. Factoring in things such as wins and losses, suspensions, injuries, making a name for one's self, being humiliated, and more, who is at the top of the food chain and who needs to make up some ground next week?


It’s nice to see that WWE have built upon Big Show winning the Andre the Giant Battle Royal by keeping him in the exact same role of Authority henchman – definitely worth passing aside Damien Mizdow am I right? Anyway, on RAW Show participated in the heavily criticized six-man tag team main event in a losing effort, and then lost via disqualification on SmackDown against Randy Orton.


Losing at WrestleMania set the Bella Twins into a further tailspin this week, as the sisters took themselves into a bad position of RAW. In a six-diva tag team match, Nikki accidentally floored Brie with a stiff forearm, leaving the Divas Champion prone to a Rear View from Naomi. The former Funkydactyl will likely be back soon, so Nikki had better find her form again soon.


The Tag Team Champions kept hold of their titles against three tough challengers at WrestleMania, but the introduction of a new team threw them on RAW. Taking part in an eight-man tag alongside the Ascension, Cesaro & Tyson Kidd ended on the losing side against the New Day and the Lucha Dragons. The latest tandem on the scene will be sure to keep the champs on their game to maintain their grasp in future.


Kane was in full Authority stooge mode this week, and took sides with Seth Rollins in battles with some of the new WWE Champion’s fiercest rivals. However, this did not pay dividends for the Corporate Demon, as he lost a six-man tag match on RAW against Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Ryback. Then on SmackDown, his attempts to take out Orton in his match with Big Show only succeeded in earning him an RKO from the Viper.


Whilst RAW brought about a victory for The New Day, their fan support continues to deteriorate at a rapid pace. Teaming with the Lucha Dragons, they were totally overshadowed by their partners in a victory over Cesaro, Tyson Kidd, and the Ascension. But, they were thoroughly booed from start to finish, a scene that was not lost on the Prime Time Players, who mocked the team on Main Event, a contest the New Day fell short in.


After battling at the top of the ladder in a desperate bid to be crowned Intercontinental Champion, Dolph Ziggler was offered an immediate chance to take the belt from new champ Daniel Bryan. Their bout on RAW was a typically rapid and physical encounter that demonstrated both of their claims to be the best wrestlers on the roster. But, it was Ziggler who once again fell short to become a five time champion, a running knee ending his attempt. Afterwards, a post-match beating by a returning Sheamus was unlikely to help his mood.


Another man who was unable to win the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania, Stardust was paired with Damien Mizdow on RAW in a match, with the bizarre individual falling to defeat on this occasion. However, he had a better experience on Main Event, facing Jack Swagger in a match, and overcoming the Real American.


The Lunatic Fringe was remarkably on RAW this week despite being sent crashing through a ladder by Luke Harper. But not only was he in action, Dean Ambrose took up the open challenge issued by John Cena for a United States Championship match. This was arguably the best match of the night, Ambrose coming agonizingly close to a victory, yet suffering another loss. On SmackDown, his contest with Luke Harper descended into a no contest brawl, with Harper slamming Ambrose once again through an object, this time the announce table.


The Prime Time Players have seemingly fallen off the radar so soon after they reunited, and would likely have been despondent about being left out of the WrestleMania tag team title picture. But, they are reemerging as rivals to the New Day, in a move that will hopefully add some edge into the optimistic trios bland babyface personas. This began on Main Event, with Titus O’Neil and Darren Young earning a victory.


No longer undefeated and without a title around his waist, Rusev was understandably in a foul mood on RAW. In his match against Goldust, the Bulgarian Brute decimated the veteran with an aggressive approach and forcing him to tap out to the Accolade. Then on SmackDown, with Lana still at his side despite their recent difficulties, Rusev challenged John Cena for a rematch at Extreme Rules. Will he bring the United States Championship back to Russia?


The new WWE Champion did not have the most incredible beginning to his run at the top of the roster. When Brock Lesnar looked to invoke his rematch clause, Seth Rollins high-tailed it through the crowd to escape the Beast’s wrath. Rollins then participated in a six-man tag in the main event, his Authority team losing to Randy Orton, Ryback and Roman Reigns. With the announcement that Rollins would face Orton at Extreme Rules, the Architect will take on a prevalent challenge in his first genuine title defense.


Shy his former personal assistant following Damien Mizdow’s definitive resignation during the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, the Miz was keen to make an impact on RAW. And he did so by dropping Mizdow with a Skull-Crushing Finale, screaming at his fallen rival about being nothing in a vicious rant. Miz then defeated R-Truth on SmackDown, only to feel the revenge of Mizdow with his own Skull-Crushing Finale following Miz’s win.


For the last time, AJ Lee takes a spot on this Power Ranking, following her shock retirement from WWE on Friday. The three-time Divas Champion will be greatly missed by fans and fellow competitors, but made sure her final contest was a good one. Her team in a six-diva tag match with Naomi and Paige took the win over the Bella Twins and Natalya, as AJ for the final time took her bow in front of the WWE Universe.


With Randy Orton searching for partners for the six-man tag team main event of RAW, Ryback was quick to throw his name into the mix. Although, he might have reconsidered if he’d predicted the negative reaction of the crowd to this bout, yet the Big Guy received the biggest pop for his Shell-Shock on Big Show. This aided his, Orton and Roman Reigns’ victory over the Authority trio opposite them.


The Andre the Giant Battle Royal trophy may have been out of his reach, but Damien Mizdow has not let that disappointment deter his growth as a singles star. He defeated Stardust without much issue on RAW, but then endured a post-match assault by former employer the Miz during his celebrations. Nonetheless, it was a case of turnaround is fair play on SmackDown, as Mizdow laid out Miz following his own match.


A new face made his first foray onto the main roster on RAW this week, as Neville took on Curtis Axel. The longest-reigning NXT Champion in history, Neville had a great deal of expectations placed on him heading into this performance. But, with the crowd firmly behind the latest superstar on the scene, Neville dominated this encounter with his flurry of swift offense, finishing Axel off with his Red Arrow, the first of likely many wins.


The disappointment of his WrestleMania main event loss still fresh in the memory, Roman Reigns took an immense beating, and was pinned by an opportunistic Seth Rollins. In these circumstances, Reigns did not waste time in putting himself in a position to get his hands on Rollins in a six-man tag team match on RAW. The fans had seemingly not been swayed by his gutsy Mania showing with the negativity he endured, but Reigns did help his team’s win on the night.


The new Intercontinental Champion was immediately in the firing line on RAW, defending his belt against Dolph Ziggler. An excellent contest between two of WWE’s greatest performers ended with Daniel Bryan retaining his title with a running knee. However, his week from that point on took a definite turn for the worst, as Bryan was attacked by Bad News Barrett, and then a surprise assault by a returning Sheamus. This led to a match with the Irishman on SmackDown, which Bryan lost via count out.


The other new champ in the mid-card, John Cena was also quick to put his recently earned United States Championship in an open challenge. This was taken up by Dean Ambrose, and this led to an emphatic battle between these two over the title. Cena barely survived still with the belt in his possession, ending Ambrose with a second AA, before his next challenger was determined as Rusev in a contest scheduled for Extreme Rules.


Paige enjoyed the first RAW following WrestleMania, much like last year when she captured her first Divas Championship. Whilst this wasn’t as spectacular, Paige teamed up with AJ Lee and Naomi opposite the Bella Twins and Natalya and helped earn a hard-fought victory. Then, Paige was next seen on Main Event with her fellow NXT graduate Emma to win over Summer Rae and Cameron.


With NXT garnering rave reviews from fans and critics alike, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they receive such huge support from the crowd upon their debut. Still, the Lucha Dragons’ first night on RAW felt pretty special, as the audience quickly fell in love with the high-flying style of Kalisto and Sin Cara. They won as part of an eight-man tag team match on Monday, and followed this up by triumphing over the Ascension on Main Event.


Naomi has often been on the cusp of the Divas Championship picture, but perhaps now is her moment to push towards the summit harder than ever before. On RAW, she participated in a six-diva tag team match, and capitalized on a mistake between the Bella Twins to pin Nikki. This clearly caught the attention of the nefarious sisters, who sat on commentary to watch Naomi follow up on this result with a win over Natalya on SmackDown.


The Viper was ready to thrust himself into the WWE Championship scene as soon as Seth Rollins captured the title, and confronted his rival during RAW looking for that opportunity. Randy Orton instead had to settle for a six-man tag against Rollins, Big Show and Kane, himself flanked by Roman Reigns and Ryback. The crowd hijacked any chance of this contest proving good, but Orton’s side took the win, and then this was added to by a SmackDown victory over Show.


The Celtic Warrior made his hugely hyped return on RAW after a lengthy spell out with injury, sporting a new look and a new attitude. Sheamus assaulted Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler following their incredible contest. This shocking betrayal and movement towards the dark side was confirmed on SmackDown, as Sheamus faced Bryan one-on-one, and pulled a demolition job on the Intercontinental Champion by forcing him to be counted out.


His intended match may not have taken place, but Brock Lesnar made the biggest impact on WWE this week by a long way. His destructive beating of Roman Reigns at WrestleMania was set to be repeated on RAW, only this time with new WWE Champion Seth Rollins the victim. However, Rollins was able to escape before their title bout took place, and when he escaped into the crowd, that’s when the Beast snapped. Lesnar dispatched of J&J Security, before taking out all of the announce team, especially Michael Cole with an F-5. Then he performed the same move on a cameraman, compelling Stephanie McMahon to suspend him on the spot. Although this will be the last fans see of him for a while, Lesnar left the ultimate lasting impression.