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?



There were a LOT of contenders for dishonorable mention this week, from Baron Corbin's lackluster display against John Cena at SummerSlam to Emma's mauling at the hands of Nia Jax on Raw. But, the unfortunate recipient of this award is Rusev, who was far from the Bulgarian Brute at SummerSlam. After just ten seconds between the bells and one RKO, Rusev was 'crushed' by Randy Orton.


For popping that beach ball at SummerSlam, Cesaro has cemented a future spot in WWE's Hall of Fame.


While still incredibly popular, the Hardy Boyz's stock has fallen considerably since losing the Raw Tag Team Championships. Arguably responsible for the biggest reaction at WrestleMania 33, Matt and Jeff were the curtain jerkers of the SummerSlam pre-show. They teamed with Jason Jordan in a losing effort against The Miz, in front of a crowd that made their TNA days seem like week-to-week sellouts. The Hardy Boyz then suffered another loss to new Raw Tag Champions Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins on Monday.


Samoa Joe felt like the wobbly fourth wheel in SummerSlam's main event match for the Universal Championship. While he played his part in this spectacular match, Joe was the most forgettable aspect of it. A sign of his stop-start momentum since Great Balls of Fire, Joe then punked out both John Cena and Roman Reigns on Raw, only to lose the subsequent tag team match with The Miz.


With the exceptions of Akira Tozawa and Jack Gallagher, it was a good week to be a babyface cruiserweight. Cedric Alexander, Gran Metallik, Rich Swann and Mustafa Ali won an eight-man tag team match on Raw which, although was completely pointless, was better than losing a match that was completely pointless.


Poor Miz. The Intercontinental Champion has the ignominy of opening the SummerSlam Kickoff Show in a meaningless six-man tag in front of barely a hundred people. The fact that he and the Miztourage defeated Jason Jordan and The Hardy Boyz was likely of little comfort. Then, after cutting an outstanding promo on Raw, Miz was left staring at the lights yet again in the main event, losing a tag match against John Cena and Roman Reigns.


Big Cass was riding high heading into Raw this week after defeating the Big Show and flattening Enzo Amore at SummerSlam, albeit in one of the worst matches that PPV has ever hosted. But, it all came crashing down on Monday night for Cass. He dominated a Street Fight against Amore, but suffered a torn ACL when he missed a big boot against the ropes. In one fell swoop, Cass lost both the match and seemingly the next nine months of his career. Poor guy.


After 140 days, Naomi's reign as SmackDown Women's Champion came to an end at SummerSlam, as she was forced to tap out to Natalya's Sharpshooter. It was a good match though, arguably the best of her run as champion. She was able to gain a measure of revenge on SmackDown Live, teaming with Becky Lynch to defeat Natalya and Carmella.


Nia Jax missed out on her chance to fight for the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam, so on Monday she went back to what she does best - beating people in a matter of minutes. This week's unfortunate victim was Emma, whose constant demands for opportunities left her once again squashed by the power of Jax.


In his first opportunity at the WWE Championship, Shinsuke Nakamura came up short against Jinder Mahal, thanks in no small part to the interference of the Singh Brothers. The baffling result and underwhelming match left a bad taste in the mouth of many. But, this feud shows no sign of ending just yet, as Nakamura defeated the Singhs in a handicap match on SmackDown Live, before laying out Mahal with a Kinshasa.


It only took a second for Enzo Amore to go from a leading contender for Dishonorable Mention to a Top 20 Power Rankings spot. After being humiliated in SummerSlam's Shark Cage Match and decimated in a Street Fight against Big Cass, a torn ACL suffered by Cass handed Amore the most unlikely of wins, albeit by forfeit. Then, Amore arrived on 205 Live and already has his sights set on Neville's Cruiserweight Championship. Talk about a turnaround in fortunes.


Elias was one of the unexpected stars of SummerSlam, with his impromptu concert on the Kickoff Show generated incredible heat from the crowd, which was actually there by this point in the night. Elias carried this into Raw the following night, defeating R-Truth with relative ease.


Becky Lynch continues to fulfil the role of 'babyface tag partner' on SmackDown Live, while she waits for a storyline of her own. She continues to pick up wins in the process, teaming with Naomi to defeat new SmackDown Women's Champion Natalya and Miss Money in the Bank Carmella.


Randy Orton obviously doesn't get paid by the hour, as he made short work of Rusev at SummerSlam. After the Bulgarian Brute got the jump on Orton before the match started, when the bell rang it only took a dodge and one RKO to defeat his opponent. Guess that's his reward for losing to Jinder Mahal three times on PPV.


SmackDown Live just became a lot more 'glorious'. Bobby Roode, fresh from losing the NXT Championship to Drew McIntyre at TakeOver: Brooklyn III, arrived on the blue brand with a fairly straightforward victory over Aiden English. Will there be more gold in Roode's future now he's strutted onto the main roster?


Despite hitting what felt like a million Superman Punches, Roman Reigns was unable to capture the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, as he was pinned by Brock Lesnar. On Raw, Reigns moved onto his next big story, confronting a returning John Cena in the middle of the ring. They would team together to defeat The Miz and Samoa Joe in the main event, but some miscommunication sowed the seeds for a match in the near future.


It is odd I would leave the winner of the WWE Championship match at SummerSlam outside the Top 10 here, but Jinder Mahal did not exactly look convincing in overcoming Shinsuke Nakamura. Winning only due to the interference of the Singh Brothers (again), Mahal could only watch on SmackDown Live as Nakamura beat both his accomplices in a handicap match, before Mahal himself was knocked loopy with a Kinshasa.


After over six years since her last title win, Natalya captured the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam. In a decent showing, the Queen of Harts forced Naomi to submit to the Sharpshooter to claim the gold. However, she wasn't given a lot of time to revel in her victory on SmackDown Live, as she teamed with Carmella in a losing effort to Naomi and Becky Lynch.


The Demon returned at SummerSlam, as a body-painted Finn Balor proved too much for Bray Wyatt. A match where the entrances outdid the action, Balor stood tall to seemingly conclude this feud. The Irishman built on this momentum on Raw, as he won another match against Jason Jordan - although it was hard to see behind the beach balls.


John Cena is back on Monday nights, but left SmackDown Live a winner, defeating Baron Corbin with consummate ease in the SummerSlam opener. Having quashed that minor distraction, Cena set his sights on a real challenge - Roman Reigns. Their first confrontation was interrupted by The Miz and Samoa Joe, leading to a tag team main event which Cena and Reigns won.


Brock Lesnar is still the Universal Championship, but he had to go through hell to keep it. The Beast was tamed by Braun Strowman early on, being slammed through two announce tables and flattened by another. Returning from a short trip on a stretcher, Lesnar suplexed anything he could, and then pinned Roman Reigns after an F-5. Lesnar's posturing with the belt on Raw was cut short by another mauling from Strowman, setting up No Mercy's Universal Championship match.


While it was Brock Lesnar who limped out of SummerSlam as Universal Champion, there was no questioning who the star of the entire show was. Braun Strowman dominated this entire match and had the crowd in the palm of his giant hands. Tossing both Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe around was one thing, but to see how he manhandled Lesnar cemented him as a main event star. With Strowman laying out Lesnar again on Raw, their match at No Mercy feels cant-miss.


For the fourth time in just over a year, Sasha Banks can call herself Raw Women's Champion. Banks was fortunate to get the spot at SummerSlam following Bayley's injury, but she took full advantage of this unexpected opportunity by forcing Alexa Bliss to tap out to the Bank Statement. The question is can she now do what she has never been able to do before - defend the title successfully.


After another exceptional tag team match on the SummerSlam Kickoff Show, The Usos have resumed their spot on top of the SmackDown tag team division. The Usos and The New Day produced one of the best matches all weekend, and it was Jimmy and Jey that came away as the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions. They followed this up with a much simpler victory over the Hype Bros on Tuesday.


The former Shield brothers reunited last week, and this week they both have gold around their waists. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins defeated Sheamus & Cesaro for the Raw Tag Team Championships at SummerSlam in a very good match. With their friendship restored and back in the title picture, Ambrose & Rollins took on a pair of actual brothers, defeating the Hardy Boyz on Raw in another standout match.


The King of the Cruiserweights was back on his throne just six days after being unseated, as Neville overcame the pretender Akira Tozawa to reclaim the Cruiserweight Championship. A crisp and technically sound match on the SummerSlam Kickoff Show, Neville followed up his reclaiming of his precious title by defending it successfully against Tozawa on 205 Live. The emergence of Enzo Amore post-match has seemingly set up his new feud, one that Neville will undoubtedly have to carry between the ropes.


After months of quick switches, the United States Championship has found a more permanent home on AJ Styles' shoulder. Styles defended his title successfully twice in the same week, both times defeating Kevin Owens with a special guest referee. On SummerSlam, it was Shane McMahon that counted the pinfall after a Styles Clash. Then on SmackDown Live, after Baron Corbin refereed the majority of the bout, McMahon once again raised Styles' hand in victory.