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?



Despite a loss this week on SmackDown Live, Chad Gable impressed a lot of people and showed that for a small guy he has a big future as a singles star. His quick, crisp match with Rusev was received very positively by the crowd and online, as Gable attempts to keep up with the push former partner Jason Jordan has been given on Raw.


Kevin Owens' rematch for the United States Championship didn't exactly go to plan, although the match with AJ Styles was one of the best they've had in their ongoing rivalry. The disputed finish thanks to a flimsy referee means Owens will have one last opportunity to take back his title, only he not only has to contend with Styles, but also Shane McMahon as the special guest referee.


The Miz and a microphone is a match made in heaven, and he's going to need every ounce of his untouchable promo skills in his quest to get Jason Jordan over. He helped his upcoming rival's cause during Miz TV on Raw, goading Kurt Angle's son and being launched into his Miztourage by a belly-to-belly suplex.


There is no doubting Samoa Joe has been one of the biggest positives of 2017 so far, but a significant loss sees him stuck in the lower reaches of these rankings. In Raw's highly promoted triple threat match, Joe was the one with his shoulders planted to the mat after a Spear from Roman Reigns. A sign of things to come at SummerSlam, or will this just serve to infuriate the Destroyer?


He may be entering the twilight of his career, but The Big Show is still making the main event of Raw. Although, this clash with Big Cass is unlikely to make it onto the Giant's highlight reel when he does hang up his colossal boots. This tedious brawl ended with Big Show suffering a DQ loss, get beaten down, and then respond with a KO punch.


The Raw Tag Team Champions have been conspicuously absent these last few weeks, as the rest of the brand's tag teams are too busy squabbling among each other. Still, Sheamus decided to end their break from the ring in a match with Seth Rollins, which ended in a victory for the Architect. Cesaro joined Sheamus for a post-match beatdown of Rollins, before a run-in by Dean Ambrose evened the odds for the reluctant partners.


Whenever John Cena loses it's a shock, especially when it as clean as a sheet. But that's what happened on SmackDown Live this week, as his fabled dream match with Shinsuke Nakamura unfolded. Living up to its billing as two megastars colliding, Cena came up short against the Japanese sensation, floored by the Kinshasa. Still, he was able to give Baron Corbin an AA through the announce table after the match, so some positives to take away.


The other member of Raw's major Triple Threat match, Braun Strowman demonstrated his monstrous power against both Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe, who are both far from cruiserweights themselves. Despite yet another strong showing, Strowman was left lying at ringside as Reigns pinned Joe.


Two years ago, fan consensus was the Usos could get it all done in the ring but were lacking in charisma and character. Their awesome promo on the latest SmackDown Live showed they are now a total package, and have become the most eye-catching tag team in WWE today, whether it's in the ring or on the microphone.


Although he made it clear earlier in the night him and Seth Rollins weren't back on the same page, Dean Ambrose again was the savior for his former Shield brother as he was beaten down by Raw Tag Champions Sheamus & Cesaro. This is the most interesting character arc Ambrose has been on in years, and this uneasy reunion with Rollins could be one of the top talking points heading into SummerSlam.


Suffering from weeks of Bray Wyatt's vague warnings and unexpected attacks, Finn Balor finally fired back against the Eater of Worlds. Ending the most recent of Wyatt's endless speeches (which I was eternally grateful for), Balor struck from the darkness to send his rival scrambling to the outside. A slow build to what is sure to be a supernatural encounter.


After months in the wilderness with American Alpha, Jason Jordan must be pinching himself that he seems to be on course for a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. Appearing on Miz TV, Jordan took exception to Miz's comments about his 'father' Kurt Angle, and proceeded to launch the arrogant champion into Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel before fleeing the scene.


The Lass-Kicker appears to be transitioning from one tag team match to another currently, without any real direction herself. Still, Becky Lynch continue to pick up victories in this holding pattern, as this week she teamed with Naomi to defeat Carmella and Natalya. Sadly, partnering the SmackDown Women's Champion seems to be as close to the belt Lynch will get for the foreseeable future.


Seth Rollins' inability to earn back the trust of his former friend Dean Ambrose has coincided with a winning streak, which continued on Raw with a victory over Sheamus. A quick sunset flip earned the win over the Raw Tag Team Champion, and he earned a 2-on-1 beating as a reward. Eventually, Ambrose was on hand to save Rollins from the mugging, but their frosty relationship is showing no signs of thawing just yet.


Although he failed to overcome the might of America and John Cena at Battleground, Rusev was back to winning ways on SmackDown Live. In an entertaining battle with Chad Gable, the Bulgarian Brute forced him to submit to the Accolade and demanded competition for SummerSlam. This brought forward Randy Orton, who answered this challenge with an RKO out of nowhere.


While Big Cass isn't exactly lighting the world on fire with his promos or in-ring work, it is clear those with power in WWE are behind him by giving his match with The Big Show the main event spot on the latest episode of Raw. Big Cass secured another win, albeit by disqualification, to continue his heavy push. Although, a Big Show KO punch took the shine off his main event victory.


In the latest example of full-proof Bayley booking, the number one contender for the Raw Women's Championship battled Nia Jax. She was tossed around by her imposing opponent, but snuck away with a countout victory despite interference by Alexa Bliss. However, an apparent shoulder injury, which most are unsure is a work or real, could place her title opportunity at SummerSlam in jeopardy.


He may have lost his second name, but Elias followed up his victory over Finn Balor with another positive result, this time against Kalisto. While you are probably surprised that Kalisto is still on WWE's payroll, you will be less surprised to hear that Elias squashed the luchadore comfortably and continue arguably the most unexpected push of an NXT star in recent memory.


Last week, I sat in shock as Aiden English won a match with Tye Dillinger. This week, my jaw was once again on the floor as English secured another clean win, this time over Sami Zayn. Aiden English defeated Sami Zayn on SmackDown Live in about a minute. Even by WWE standards that was bizarre to witness.


In the Cruiserweight Division, Akira Tozawa cemented his place as the number one contender for Neville's championship with two victories. The first of these was in a six-man tag on Raw, flanked by Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann against Ariya Daivari, Tony Nese and TJP. Then, on 205 Live, Tozawa defeated Daivari again to confirm his position as Neville's next challenger.


SmackDown Women's Champion Naomi not only has the challenge of Natalya to contend with at SummerSlam, but also the constant threat of Carmella and her Money in the Bank briefcase. So, she must be glowing with confidence following a tag team victory over both of these challengers on SmackDown Live, forcing Carmella to tap out in the middle of the ring.


Following a few weeks of defeats in the aftermath of Great Balls of Fire, the Hardy Boyz were back on a roll on the latest episode of Raw. First, they overcame the challenge of Gallows & Anderson in a tag team contest, and then were standing tall after a wild brawl with both The Club and The Revival post-match. Matt and Jeff's momentum may have stalled, but they seem to have broken their losing streak.


Roman Reigns had a big momentum boost heading into SummerSlam's Universal Championship match on the latest Raw with a preview Triple Threat match. As is often the case, Reigns overcame the odds to defeat both Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman and establish himself as the favorite to dethrone Brock Lesnar in the upcoming Fatal Four Way. But how much bite did this hard-fought victory take out of the Big Dog?


After frequent title changes in the United States Championship scene in the past month, it was pretty remarkable to see AJ Styles retain his title against Kevin Owens on SmackDown Live this week. However, with another result between these two steeped in controversy, Styles will have to beat Owens again at SummerSlam to end this feud once and for all, with Styles' WrestleMania 33 opponent Shane McMahon as the guest referee.


Despite his lukewarm introduction to WWE after his NXT run, Shinsuke Nakamura took off in a big way on SmackDown Live this week. A dream match scenario with John Cena for the right to challenge Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam, and Nakamura secured one of the biggest wins of his career. He almost had to break Cena's neck to do so, but one explosive Kinshasa was enough to overcome the sixteen-time champion and put him on a collision course with Mahal.