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?



The Usos were one of the many casualties of the Battleground PPV, as they lost their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The New Day. But, because that match was basically the only redeeming feature of the entire show, the brothers deserved a spot on this week's list.


Chris Jericho - you just made the list! Y2J is back to save SmackDown Live from its miserable run of shows, and showed he hasn't lost a step in a fantastic triple threat match against Kevin Owens and AJ Styles. Sadly, Jericho suffered the pin in his attempt to recapture the United States Championship.


It's a Perfect 10 at Number 23 this week, but at least he made it on! Tye Dillinger suffered somewhat of a shock defeat to Aiden English on the Battleground Kickoff Show. However, he was able to redeem this on SmackDown, teaming with Sami Zayn to defeat English and Mike Kanellis.


Credit to Roman Reigns, he threw the first punch in the epic brawl that kicked off Raw this week. But, he also fell the hardest, as Braun Strowman squashed him to the canvas with yet another running powerslam.


Former best friends turned bitter enemies turned best friends again, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, were unable to earn a SmackDown Women's Championship opportunity at Battleground. But, with their powers combined, they toppled the tandem of Tamina Snuka and Lana on SmackDown Live.


A win on PPV for Aiden English? Well, it was the Battleground Kickoff Show, but when you've been jobbing for over a year, you take what you can get. English scored the monumental upset over Tye Dillinger, but then suffered defeat in a tag team clash against the Perfect 10 and Sami Zayn with his partner Mike Kanellis.


In his first week since being shockingly revealed as Kurt Angle's illegitimate son, Jason Jordan launched his Raw career with a victory over Curt Hawkins. Then again, everybody beats Curt Hawkins, so the jury's still out on this family drama.


Samoa Joe's string of successful segments continued in the opening of Raw, as he battled and brawled against Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. Joe had the Monster Among Men in his clutches toward the end of the brawl, only for a Reigns spear to break his hold.


Squash matches are Nia Jax's specialty, so she was right at home on the latest edition of Raw. She dispatched of Emma in just a few short minutes, flattening her with a rolling senton splash.


Before SmackDown Live, Kevin Owens would have been sitting near the summit of this list after regaining the United States Championship from AJ Styles. What a difference two days can make though, as Owens saw his third title run come to another abrupt end, as Styles pinned Chris Jericho in a triple threat match for the belt.


Out of nowhere, Ariya Daivari has established himself as one of the standout stars of the Cruiserweight Division. After laying out both Neville and Akira Tozawa on Raw, Daivari toppled the King of the Cruiserweights by countout on 205 Live, suggesting a title opportunity could be inbound for The Persian Lion.


Mark this down in the history books - Elias Sampson defeated former Universal and NXT Champion Finn Balor in 2017. It may have an asterisk of a Bray Wyatt assist, but the Drifter scored a victory against a former world champion. Now that's something to sing about.


The Revival's winning streak continues as they plough through Raw's tag team division. After defeating the Hardy Boyz last week, they toppled more former champions this week in the form of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. With so few tag teams around right now, this run will have Sheamus and Cesaro looking over their shoulders.


The tentative reunion of Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose seemed to take a big step forward on Raw, as their combined efforts overcame the entire Miztourage in a handicap match. However, Rollins ended the night with his head hung low, as Ambrose refuses to forget the treachery of his former Shield brother.


In a longer, slower and far less compelling repeat of last week, Big Cass once again decimated Enzo Amore in a match, before pummeling the Big Show and leaving him sprawling on the mat. Obviously an impressive feat, but if I see the same impressive feat two or three times in a row, it starts to get a little stale.


Dean Ambrose gets bonus points over Seth Rollins for the duo's victory over the Miztourage due to displaying one thing that far too many superstars don't seem to possess - a long-term memory. Ambrose isn't ready to forgive Rollins for dividing the Shield, and this is resulting in a very compelling dynamic between the unlikely allies.


Back-to-back wins for Sami Zayn in his current state of purgatory, as he floats around the lower midcard for the time being. At Battleground, Zayn inflicted Mike Kanellis' first defeat in a SmackDown Live rematch, and then on Tuesday he scored another decisive pinfall over Kanellis in a tag team match. I think we can safely say that Sami Zayn has conquered love once and for all.


For the second consecutive week, Braun Strowman stood tallest in the build-up to arguably the biggest Fatal Four-Way match of all time at SummerSlam. Despite being ganged up on by both Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe, Strowman withstood their efforts and crushed Reigns with a running powerslam. That, as well as launching a security guard over the top rope in one of the most stunning bumps in recent memory.


Americans can sleep easy in their beds once again after Battleground, as John Cena was somehow able to overcome the mighty threat of Bulgaria and Rusev in their Flag Match. Defending America's honor like never before, Cena was rewarded with an opportunity to challenge Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. Only one man stands in his way of this goal - Shinsuke Nakamura.


Out of nowhere, Bayley finds herself back in the Raw Women's title picture after defeating Sasha Banks in a great match on Raw. With her previous encounters against champion Alexa Bliss doing very little to help her broken character or excite the fans, this upcoming SummerSlam clash will need to be a massive improvement to leave a positive lasting impression.


Two matches, two wins for Shinsuke Nakamura, although only one of these was a positive experience for the Japanese star. His Battleground battle with Baron Corbin ended with Nakamura clutching his kintama in a DQ victory. His SmackDown Live victory over Corbin was decidedly more convincing, and set up a dream showdown with John Cena next week, with a WWE Championship shot on the line.


In a bizarre turn of events, Natalya shocked everyone by winning the five-way elimination match at Battleground for the right to challenge Naomi for the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam. While the match will likely impress, the story leading into it will be a test for both performers, but they're off to a good start.


The putrid Punjabi Prison and presence of the Great Khali was too much for Randy Orton to bear at Battleground, as Jinder Mahal's reign of terror continued. Mahal will walk into SummerSlam with the prestigious belt, with an encounter between John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura set to determine who the Maharaja's opponent will be.


It appeared as though AJ Styles' United States Championship run would be brief to say the least, as he lost the title to Kevin Owens at Battleground. But, only two days later, Styles was back with the belt on SmackDown Live, besting Owens and Chris Jericho in a hectic triple threat to become champion once again. While frequent title changes are far from ideal, the intensity of Styles and Owens could lead to a renaissance for the blue brand.


The New Day rocks this week's Power Rankings after becoming the first tag team to win both the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships. The latter of these was captured at Battleground after a thrilling match with the Usos, Xavier Woods scoring the pinfall after a flying elbow drop. While their intended celebration on SmackDown Live was cut short by the Usos, the talented trio continue to make history in the WWE's tag division.