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?



In recent weeks, this faction has likely been dreading every new day that comes due to the negative fan reaction towards them. Whilst they remain optimistic and devoted to their shtick, it has not provided positive results. On RAW, they lost to the upstart Lucha Dragons in spite of some attempted foul play by Kofi Kingston. Then on SmackDown, the tag team champions of Cesaro & Tyson Kidd were the latest to conquer the New Day.


The brawler from the bayou was did not enjoy his finest few minutes on the latest edition of RAW. He was paired with Ryback, only a few days after decimating Dean Ambrose through the announce table on SmackDown. But against the Big Guy, Luke Harper was the one who suffered a demolition job, as a Shell-Shock ended his hopes of victory.


With Triple H and Stephanie McMahon enjoying some vacation time, Kane was placed in charge of RAW, although didn’t appear to enjoy the role. From being mocked by his cohorts in the Authority, Kane was determined to prove himself as a man. So, after announcing Seth Rollins would defend his WWE Championship at Extreme Rules, the demon fought Randy Orton, but inflicted defeat upon himself by attacking him with a steel chair.


The Bella Twins have really fallen afoul of some poor communication in recent weeks, with their match on RAW no exception. In a tag team encounter opposite Naomi and Paige, they controlled the opening exchanges, but Brie managed to get her sister caught in the line of a kick from Paige. Divas Champion Nikki was thus left defenseless as Naomi performed her headscissors driver to score a second pinfall over the champ.


Whilst Big Show is continuing to revel in his success in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, he might want to pay attention to remedying his current win/loss record. Show was tasked with laying a beating on Roman Reigns before the main event Triple Threat match. But a Spear put pay to those hopes, and things did not improve on SmackDown once again due to that maneuver. This was as part of a six-man tag opposite Reigns, Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan.


The World’s Strongest Man was ready and willing to meet Sheamus’ challenge of facing somebody his own size, and early on in the match had the Irishman on the ropes. Yet, it proved an off-night for Mark Henry, as he ate a boot in the face and suffered defeat. However, he had a much easier time on Main Event against another red-headed foe, with Heath Slater being squashed in a matter of moments.


Bad News Barrett is still biding his time before invoking his rematch clause for the Intercontinental Championship, likely in hope that he can find some momentum from somewhere. The Brit was once again on the losing end of a bout, as he teamed with Sheamus and Big Show against Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler and Roman Reigns. And Barrett endured the added shame of being pinned after being hit by a Spear.


Damien Mizdow will have to wait until another day to fully get his revenge from former employer the Miz, as their match on RAW did not go according to plan. Mizdow, despite an aggressive approach, was caught out when Miz grabbed his tights in a roll-up to end the night in defeat. He managed to make amends to an extent by later embarrassing Miz on Main Event and SmackDown, showing this feud is far from over.


The latest competitor to take up John Cena’s Open Challenge for an opportunity at the United States Championship, Stardust gave a strong account of himself. Always recognized as one of the best natural wrestlers currently on the roster, the former Cody Rhodes came close to dethroning Cena. But, like Dean Ambrose last week, it did not end well as Stardust proved the latest victim.


The Miz had an excellent start to this week on RAW, as he finally went head-to-head with his former assistant Damien Mizdow after months of build-up. And the A-List star came out the victor, albeit via a handful of tights. However, due to Mizdow’s presence, the remainder of his week was not as pleasant. Miz lost to Jack Swagger on Main Event, and then had his MizTV segment about his new movie, Marine 4, interrupted by an irate Mizdow.


Following the announcement that a battle royal would take place to determine the next challenger for Nikki Bella’s Divas Championship, it became important to build form prior to that contest. And Natalya took that message on board on SmackDown, as she forced Alicia Fox to tap out to the Sharpshooter. However, she did not have much chance to celebrate, as special guest referee Cameron floored her with a DDT.


The Big Guy was handed a big opportunity on RAW this week, as he was placed by Kane in a triple threat match to determine the number one contender for Seth Rollins’ WWE Championship. Ryback first had to contend with a match with Luke Harper, but that did not cause him too many problems. But in the main event, due in part to some Authority interference, Ryback walked into an RKO and suffered defeat.


Bray Wyatt appears to be moving onto his next challenge after falling short in his battle with the Undertaker, although as per usual his motives are decidedly vague. However, the New Face of Fear was back to winning ways on SmackDown, as in a physical encounter he defeated former family member Erick Rowan.


Paige will return to the United Kingdom with a solid run of momentum heading into the Divas Battle Royal. The Anti-Diva once again paired up with Naomi in a tag team outing against her rivals the Bella Twins. And with both Paige and her partner currently enjoying a rich vein of form against Nikki and Brie, their RAW match concluded with another win over them.


The Celtic Warrior has returned with an agenda of eliminating all ‘pipsqueaks’ from the WWE, and pronouncing his own superiority in the process. Yet, no matter how fans chant how stupid he looks, Sheamus maintained an impressive return with a crushing victory over Mark Henry on RAW, showing that not only the little guys are in his crosshairs. But SmackDown was less enjoyable, as a loss in a six-man tag opposite Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler and Roman Reigns stunted his week.


The WWE Tag Team Champions have often been popular with a significant proportion of the WWE fan base, but that extended to almost the entire crowd during their SmackDown match. Still scouting potential opposition for their belts, they faced the supremely unpopular New Day, and thanks to a surprise Swiss Uppercut, Kidd was able to triumph over Kofi Kingston to the delight of the audience.


Another tag team that is on the rise in the rankings is the Lucha Dragons, who have quickly captured the imagination of the WWE Universe with their agility and athleticism. They too were paired against the New Day this week, only this time on RAW. They continued their strong start to life on the main roster with an impressive victory, in spite of some foul play by their opponents.


Some NXT superstars when they are placed on the main roster with long undefeated records, but then don’t amount to much when they end. Neville suffered his first defeat in only his second match, but made a greater impact in the process. Battling WWE Champion Seth Rollins, he took the champ to his limits but fell short in his efforts. Things improved on SmackDown, as for the second time he quickly dispatched of Curtis Axel.


Not willing to stand for guys like Sheamus and Bad News Barrett downplaying his size or ability, Dolph Ziggler stood up for himself on SmackDown from the opening segment to the main event. Teaming with Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns in the main event, Ziggler showed the big guys what for, helping his side defeat Sheamus, Barret and Big Show in the process.


The Intercontinental Champion was also forced to endure the taunting of Sheamus in particular over his victory over Daniel Bryan last week by count out. But, standing up for the great wrestler that he is no matter his size, Bryan would battle Sheamus, Bad News Barrett and Big Show in a six-man tag on SmackDown. With Dolph Ziggler and Roman Reigns alongside him, Bryan helped secure the victory over their much larger opposition.


Again demonstrating his desire to be a fighting champion, John Cena issued an open challenge for his United States Championship. Whilst he is scheduled to defend the title against Rusev at Extreme Rules should he hold the belt that long, Cena still opens himself up for all opponents, this time Stardust. Once again he demonstrated elements of his Superhero character and his great wrestling ability, and this led to him retaining the belt against his bizarre challenger.


The most in-form Diva on the roster at the moment, Naomi will certainly be considered a hot favorite in the Battle Royal to determine the number one contender for the Divas Championship. For the second straight week she scored a pinfall victory over the champ Nikki Bella, as she and Paige earned a tag team victory over both Bella Twins.


The WWE Champion was in a buoyant mood on RAW since Brock Lesnar was no longer an immediate threat to his reign, and Seth Rollins reveled in his genius at WrestleMania. However, the smirk was wiped from his face when Kane announced three dangerous competitors would fight for the right to face him at Extreme Rules. Then, after a hard-fought victory over the upstart Neville which enthralled the crowd, Rollins watched on as Randy Orton became his first challenger, and proceeded to Curb Stomp him following his win.


Still understandably bitter after seeing Seth Rollins pin him at WrestleMania, Roman Reigns had the Authority in his sights when he was battling to become number one contender. He first defeated the Big Show in singles action, yet the Giant returned during the main event to knock out Reigns to leave Randy Orton the victor of the triple threat. However, Reigns took revenge in the end by defeating Show, Bad News Barrett and Sheamus in a six-man tag on SmackDown, with the crowd for once firmly behind him.


Seth Rollins will have his hands full with an angry and confident Viper heading into Extreme Rules. Randy Orton already has a victory to his credit over Seth Rollins at WrestleMania, and was quick to throw his name into the mix to challenge him for his newly won WWE Championship. Kane offered him the chance to earn it in a triple threat match against Roman Reigns and Ryback. Orton thus won against Kane first by disqualification, and then would not be deterred by the Authority’s interference to win the main event. Although he experienced an immediate Curb Stomp from Rollins afterwards, Orton has booked his place at Extreme Rules.