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 several contenders for dishonorable mentions this week, from Sami Zayn's latest embarrassing defeat to Aiden English to Dolph Ziggler's bizarre re-debut. But, I decided to go with Gallows & Anderson for this undesirable award, after failing to defeat Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins despite outside interference, and then being beaten up post-match by Sheamus & Cesaro. Their tag team championship reign feels like it was years ago already.


SmackDown Live's Commissioner allowed that infamous McMahon temper to get the better of him this week, and it cost him dearly. Shane McMahon was goaded into attacking Kevin Owens at the start of Tuesday's show, leading to threats of legal action from the former United States Champion. In response, Daniel Bryan had to inform McMahon that he had been indefinitely suspended from his role by his father.


Miss Money in the Bank Carmella had a chance to get in the head of SmackDown Women's Champion Natalya in a match this week. But, thanks to an untimely distraction by James Ellsworth, she came up short. The soap opera started then, as Carmella split with Ellsworth, only to later kiss him and slap him backstage after he begged for forgiveness.


It was on the whole a mixed week for Tye Dillinger. After last week's brawl with Baron Corbin, the Perfect 10 suffered defeat against the Lone Wolf in a match on SmackDown Live. However, AJ Styles offered him a United States Championship rematch for the following week, giving Dillinger an opportunity at his first gold in WWE.


After suffering the tongue-lashing of a lifetime at the hands of John Cena last week, Roman Reigns went on the attack in a promo battle on Raw. He criticized Cena for stringing his previous opponent, Jason Jordan, along in his match, and not being as dominant as he claims to be. Although it wasn't as cutting as Cena's words last week, Reigns got the upper hand in this verbal exchange, leading into their match at No Mercy.


After over 20 years in professional wrestling, the Big Show can still put on performances of the highest caliber against the right opponent. Him and Braun Strowman completed their well-received trilogy inside a steel cage on Raw, with Big Show suffering defeat after a superplex and powerslam. A great display by the veteran, with exclamation point of being slammed through the cage by Strowman to close the show.


Kevin Owens thought he'd had the last laugh on SmackDown Live. After pushing Shane McMahon to attack him on Tuesday and threatening legal action, McMahon was indefinitely suspended from the show. But, just as Owens felt he had rid himself of the biggest thorn in his side, another one could be thrust in with the arrival of Mr. McMahon next week. What consequences will Owens face for his actions?


TJP's constant flip-flopping between babyface and heel may be making it hard to get invested in his character, but it has resulted in a slight upturn in his fortunes between the ropes. On 205 Live, TJP defeated Ariya Daivari with a Detonation Kick, as his former friend and current rival Rich Swann watched from commentary.


Ever since being revealed as Kurt Angle's son, Jason Jordan has had a challenging time getting attention as a singles star. However, his match against John Cena on Raw was a step in the right direction. Although Jordan could not score a shock victory, his performance caught the eye of many fans in attendance, and showed there's still plenty of time to salvage the former American Alpha member.


A fifth reign as Intercontinental Champion will have to wait for Jeff Hardy, as he was unsuccessful in his attempt to dethrone The Miz on Raw. A solid back-and-forth match, interrupted by interference from The Miztourage and Matt Hardy, ended when Hardy missed a Swanton Bomb and a Twist of Fate, leading to a Skull Crushing Finale.


Another big first-time-ever match on SmackDown Live this week, as Randy Orton battled Shinsuke Nakamura for the right to challenge Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship. A very strong main event for Tuesday's show, Orton could not pull out an RKO to defeat the Japanese star, and so fell victim to the Kinshasa. It appears the feud between Orton and Mahal can now be laid to rest, but who will be next to feel the bite of the Viper?


With Enzo Amore now thrust into the 205 Live limelight, former Cruiserweight Champion Akira Tozawa has now taken a backseat. Still, he was able to pick up a solid if unspectacular win over Drew Gulak on Tuesday.


It seems a long time ago that Gran Metallik was runner-up in the Cruiserweight Classic, as he has struggled for regular opportunities on 205 Live. Still, he was able to pick up a win on Raw alongside Enzo Amore and Cedric Alexander, but couldn't repeat that success on Tuesday, when he lost an elimination match to determine the new number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship.


The SmackDown Women's Champion was intent on sending a message to both her opponent Carmella and upcoming challenger Naomi on SmackDown Live this week. Natalya though benefitted from the unwitting help of James Ellsworth to defeat Miss Money in the Bank, giving her some handy momentum to take into next Tuesday's title defense.


Sheamus & Cesaro built some momentum for their rematch for the Raw Tag Team Championships by easily dispatching of Heath Slater & Rhyno on Monday. However, their attempt to cost champs Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins their match later in the night backfired, leading to a brawl with Gallows & Anderson post-match. (Also, why don't any of these partnerships have actual team names?)


Unfortunate doesn't begin to describe the week Cedric Alexander just had. It started off well - a victory in a six-man tag on Raw alongside Enzo Amore and Gran Metallik. But his partners became opponents the next night on 205 Live in a five-way elimination match to determine the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship. Alexander single-handedly eliminated Tony Nese, Metallik and The Brian Kendrick, but was then rolled-up by Amore to suffer a heartbreaking defeat.


August wasn't especially kind to Baron Corbin - he lost his Money in the Bank briefcase and was easily defeated by John Cena at SummerSlam. But, he has switched focus to AJ Styles and the United States Championship, and took a step towards making that match a reality by defeating Tye Dillinger on SmackDown Live.


After months of demanding attention and respect, Emma may finally have the chance to grab the spotlight at No Mercy, as well as the Raw Women's Championship. In a tag team match against Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks, she and Nia Jax won to earn a spot in the title match, with Emma stealing the decisive pin from her partner. However, she paid for this by being flattened by Jax after the bell had rung.


In a match billed as reminiscent to his debut, John Cena played the wily veteran to Jason Jordan's upstart rookie in Raw's opener. In a competitive match that gave Jordan more attention than anything since he joined the red brand, Cena proved too much for his opponent, reversing a suplex attempt into an AA for the victory. A post-match promo from Roman Reigns dealt a slight blow to his night, but it was an overall success for the Face of WWE.


The Raw Tag Team Champions had a slightly more testing opposition than their upcoming challengers Sheamus & Cesaro on Monday night. But, despite the threat of Gallows & Anderson, and attempts at interference from the European duo, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins picked up the victory.


The fat lady has yet to sing in this mini-run of success for Aiden English. Yet again, English defeated Sami Zayn in quick order on SmackDown Live, rolling him up following a missed crossbody attempt. He's racked up his best run since the Vaudevillains ended, but where this 'feud' is going is far from clear.


After demanding her dominance be recognized by Kurt Angle, Nia Jax teamed with Emma against Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks. On the line was the chance to join the title match at No Mercy, which Jax and Emma accomplished by winning. Now a Fatal Four-Way match, Jax turned on her partner after the win, establishing herself as the one to beat at the PPV.


The Miz would have no doubt earned some of the respect he has been demanding on Raw this week, as he successfully defended his Intercontinental Championship against Jeff Hardy. In relatively clean fashion, Miz capitalized on a couple of mistakes by Hardy, hitting a Skull Crushing Finale and scoring the pin.


Just weeks after joining 205 Live, Enzo Amore has already earned the right to challenge for Neville's Cruiserweight Championship. On Raw, Amore won a six-man tag alongside Cedric Alexander and Gran Metallik to enter a number one contender's match. Then, on 205 Live, Amore defeated Alexander, Metallik, The Brian Kendrick and Tony Nese in an elimination match. Cheat to win is clearly working.


Braun Strowman was intent on sending a message to Universal Champion Brock Lesnar on Raw this week, and boy did he deliver on that. In a Steel Cage match with The Big Show, Strowman manhandled his giant adversary, finishing him off with a powerslam in the center of the ring. But the Monster Among Men wasn't quite done, as he then slammed Show through the cage wall. Has Lesnar finally met an obstacle he can't overcome?


It's a second chance at the WWE Championship for Shinsuke Nakamura. In SmackDown Live's main event, Nakamura won a competitive main event against Randy Orton for the right to challenge Jinder Mahal at Hell in a Cell. After being screwed out of the title through interference at SummerSlam, is the King of Strong Style on his way to capturing WWE's grandest prize?