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?



When confronted with a Lunatic, it seems the power of positivity is no match, and Bo Dallas got a double dose of that lesson this week. The inspirational one clashed with Dean Ambrose on RAW, and was dispatched without much hassle. Dallas, angered by this result, confronted Ambrose again on SmackDown, and ended that contest the exact same way, with his shoulders on the mat.


Fandango had the unenviable job of facing Rusev in his return from injury. With his former love Summer Rae watching on from the corner of the Bulgarian Brute, the dancing grappler gave a decent account of himself against the powerful athlete. But, in this scenario that was the best he could hope for, as Fandango was tapping in a hurry in the Accolade.


The Bella Empire is as strong as ever, and Paige’s attempts to change that fell flat on RAW. The Brit competed against Brie Bella, yet it was more of a 3-on-1 situation with Nikki and Alicia Fox stalking ringside. Under these circumstances, Paige could only do so much, as she fell victim to the numbers game in defeat, and suffered a post-match Rack Attack for good measure.


His relationship with Lana still going strong (as long as chemistry isn’t an important factor), Dolph Ziggler had some words for Rusev and his new beau Summer Rae. He stood in on RAW to break up the feisty ladies, but was punished when the Super Athlete revealed his ankle injury had recovered. Rusev proceeded to unleash a vicious assault on Ziggler with his crutches, and left the Show-Off in the back of an ambulance.


Maintaining a neutral stance in this war between Team Bella and Paige has not proven beneficial for Naomi & Tamina thus far, and this situation did not show signs of recovery on SmackDown. They continue to be odd women out, and were little more than fodder when they were defeated by Brie Bella and Alicia Fox thanks to more outside interference by Nikki.


R-Truth was left laying as the pretender to the throne on RAW this week, as King Barrett looked to end their goofy feud over the WWE crown. Truth entered the match adorned in his makeshift robes, but Barrett demonstrated who the true ruler was with his trusty Bullhammer, leaving King ‘What’s Up’ down for the count.


It seems that Bray Wyatt has gotten firmly in the head of Roman Reigns, as the Samoan superstar has endured numerous interruptions and beatings as a result of his adversary’s twisted mind games. Reigns first was diverted with a decoy Wyatt in his count out loss to Sheamus, and then on SmackDown would be flattened by the Eater of Worlds himself. This earned Reigns a DQ win over Big Show, but after a Chokeslam and two Sister Abigails, that paled into nothingness.


The high-flying duo of the Lucha Dragons have been enjoying success in recent weeks, but their most recent pair of outings were decidedly mixed. Kalisto and Sin Cara could not overcome the New Day on RAW with the Tag Team Champions looking on. However, this was improved somewhat by a win over fellow speedy duo Los Matadores on Main Event.


The WWE World Heavyweight Champion learned quickly that messing with Brock Lesnar results in serious consequences on RAW this week. After leaving him laying two weeks prior, the Beast destroyed J&J Security’s new Cadillac, before destroying the dwarf pairing on the stage. Seth Rollins went from that into a clash with another powerhouse on SmackDown in the huge form of Ryback. Rollins chose to walk out on the encounter, but would end the night laying courtesy of a Shell Shock.


Those that criticize Kevin Owens over his weight would be pleased to learn he lost quite a few pounds at Beast in the East, but this was in the form of his lost NXT Championship. This clearly did not sit well with the vengeful Canadian, who looked to challenge John Cena for his United States Championship early on RAW. However, Owens was sent packing by Cesaro who took the shot for himself, and following this epic match, his attempted interference was cut off by Cena’s Attitude Adjustment.


With the Intercontinental Championship still firmly in his sights, Big Show battled Ryback on RAW in a rematch from Money in the Bank. Strangely enough, this ended the same way as their PPV bout, with Miz causing the disqualification. Both powerhouses would decimate the loudmouth for his unwanted presence, before Show was sent flying by a Meathook Clothesline. Show would then suffer his own DQ loss when facing Roman Reigns when Bray Wyatt stepped in, but the giant would receive a Spear by the close of the show.


The New Day looked to build momentum before their rematch for the WWE Tag Team Championships, and seemed to be on course for that when they dispatched of the Lucha Dragons on RAW. But when SmackDown came around, a match between the powerhouses of New Day and Prime Time Players went the way of the current champs, with Titus O’Neil slamming Big E to defeat.


The Big Guy was given another opportunity to take down the Big Show on RAW this past week, but once again the pesky Miz would prevent Ryback from his goal. A brief alliance between the powerhouses saw Miz pay the penalty for sticking his nose in their business, before the Intercontinental Champion toppled the giant with a clothesline. Ryback would then earn a victory over WWE Champion Seth Rollins, albeit by count out, with a post-match Shell Shock for the added exclamation point.


Bray Wyatt has not let up with the mind games directed at Roman Reigns before their clash at Battleground. He achieved it this week in the form of decoys, sent out to distract Reigns and cost him matches. This was a success on RAW, as Wyatt’s distraction resulted in Reigns losing to Sheamus, and then floored his rival with a pair of Sister Abigail’s on SmackDown.


Mr. Money in the Bank was once again placed into a contest with Roman Reigns on the latest episode of RAW. Sheamus was therefore able to rely on the distraction of Bray Wyatt to earn a count out victory over Reigns, continuing his recent trend of technical triumphs. But, this night he had to endure the return of Randy Orton, refueling his tensions with the Irishman with an RKO.


The Tag Team Champions were out keeping tabs on their title rivals on RAW, witnessing the New Day overcome the Lucha Dragons in a competitive encounter. It was then left with Titus O’Neil to represent the Prime Time Players when the tandems mixed, fighting Big E on SmackDown and coming out the victor of the strongmen.


Whilst those that have challenged the dominance of the Bella Twins suffered this week, their ally Alicia Fox was given the opportunity to thrive once more. Her assistance from ringside helped Brie Bella overcome Paige on RAW. Then Fox herself was thrust into action on SmackDown, as she and Brie soundly defeated Naomi & Tamina.


King Barrett finally looked to have dispatched of the pretender to his throne, and confirm himself as the one true King of the Ring. On RAW, the recent thorn in his side R-Truth was his opponent, adorned in second-rate royal garb. One Bullhammer later, Barrett stood as the victor, having dispatched of the pauper in his presence.


Following a brief absence for a vacation, Randy Orton provided one of his typical strikes from nowhere to reignite his rivalry with Sheamus. An RKO sent the Money in the Bank holder crashing the canvas. Orton would then speak his mind on SmackDown, promising his brutalization of Sheamus will finally make the Irishman entertaining, before being given the chance to demonstrate that by flattening both members of the Ascension.


Sometimes a defeat can be just as valuable as a victory, and Cesaro’s performance on RAW spoke volumes about how deserving he is of greater exposure. After he was robbed of a chance to capture the United States Championship in last week’s Open Challenge, the Swiss Superman stepped up again, with him and John Cena producing a Match of the Year contender. Whilst it ended in a loss, Cesaro could leave with his head held high, and rode this momentum into a win over Luke Harper on Main Event.


When the Beast is in the building, all eyes are on him, and they were undoubtedly entertained by his presence on RAW. Brock Lesnar might let Paul Heyman do the talking, but when action needs to take place, he is in a class of his own. Grabbing an axe, Lesnar demolished J&J Security’s new Cadillac on the stage, and then proceeded to snap both diminutive bodyguards to send an ominous message to WWE Champion Seth Rollins.


Dean Ambrose has been left without significant direction in recent weeks, but the victories continue to pile up in the meantime. This week, Bo Dallas was the victim of the Lunatic Fringe’s attention, and on both RAW and SmackDown it didn’t prove very inspiring for him. On both occasions, Ambrose battered and beat his opponent, providing two more wins to his record.


For numerous weeks, the Super Athlete has been confined to the injury list thanks to a broken ankle sustained leading into Elimination Chamber. But Rusev demonstrated on RAW that his time inactive is very much over, beating Dolph Ziggler to a pulp with his crutches, in clear view of his distressed former love Lana. This led into the Bulgarian Brute to make his in-ring return on SmackDown, as he unleashed his pent-up aggression on Fandango.


Love him or hate him, since winning the United States Championship, John Cena has been the MVP of WWE in the ring. His list of standout contests grew one further on RAW this past week, as Cesaro once again challenged for his title in an Open Challenge. Cena produced some of his awesome new offense in a phenomenal encounter with the Swiss Superman, and retained his championship with a top rope Attitude Adjustment. And he even saved one more for after the match, sending Kevin Owens scrambling as he attempted to interfere.



Their current angle might have nonsensical elements and creative mismanagement, but the Bella Twins are undoubtedly the most powerful force in the Divas division at this moment in time. Brie Bella took center stage on RAW, facing the woman who has stood against their dominance in Paige, and taking advantage of her allies Nikki and Alicia Fox to emerge victorious. A post-match Rack Attack by the Divas Champion demonstrated who the queens of WWE are, and they followed this up with a tag team win on SmackDown over the neutral Naomi & Tamina.