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?

Here is the key code for the rankings shorthand when referencing their position in relation to the previous week:




At long last, Johnny Wrestling is wearing singles gold. After his numerous quests for the NXT Championship ended in defeat, Gargano got his moment at TakeOver Phoenix with the North American Championship up for stake, overcoming Ricochet to claim this coveted prize.


Despite a strong showing and clearly wounding the Beast Incarnate, Finn Balor could not dethrone Brock Lesnar and become the new Universal Champion at Royal Rumble. And Raw wasn't much solace either, as he received another beating by Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley.


Speaking of Bobby Lashley, the Almighty One had a wretched Royal Rumble appearance, lasting just a few seconds before being eliminated by Seth Rollins. The Intercontinental Champion let off his frustration by putting Rollins through a table, and then pummelling Finn Balor on Raw.


Like him or loathe him, Brock Lesnar is still the Universal Champion. In another standout match following his classic with Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series, Lesnar was taken closer to the limit than most would expect by Finn Balor, but trapped him in the Kimura to earn the victory. One night later, he was decimating his WrestleMania opponent Seth Rollins.


The Planet's Champion still stands atop the SmackDown roster, and now he has company up there. Erick Rowan returned to help Daniel Bryan defeat AJ Styles at Royal Rumble, as well as usher in a new sustainable championship belt. A great week for Bryan, and for Mother Nature as well.


It was a superstar performance in one of Royal Rumble's standout matches, but it wasn't enough for Sasha Banks to defeat Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women's Championship. Still, with that appearing the forgone conclusion, Banks at least reminded us why she is widely considered one of the best in the world.


Unlike Sasha Banks, Asuka did leave Royal Rumble with championship gold around her waist. The Empress of Tomorrow maintained her grasp of the SmackDown Women's Championship by forcing Becky Lynch to tap out in the opening match.


The top three members on the Power Rankings were tough to separate this week. Becky Lynch won the second-ever Women's Royal Rumble on one leg, and ruled the microphone against Ronda Rousey on Raw. But, The Man still tasted defeat on Sunday, losing her chance to reclaim the SmackDown Women's Championship from Asuka.


Becky Lynch may be on the horizon, but on current form Ronda Rousey has a vice grip on the Raw Women's Championship. She successfully defended the title twice this week, once in a great match at Royal Rumble against Sasha Banks, the other a less-than-great match with Bayley on Raw.


Seth Rollins remains on top of the Power Rankings for another week due to his victory in the Men's Royal Rumble match. The favorite going in, Rollins survived over 43 minutes to secure the win, and on Raw he celebrated by defeating Dean Ambrose, before being laid out by the man he's chosen to fight at WrestleMania - Brock Lesnar.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Buddy Murphy - The long reign of Buddy Murphy as Cruiserweight Championship continued on the Royal Rumble pre-show with a strong victory in a good match against Hideo Itami, Kalisto and Akira Tozawa.

War Raiders - The era of the Undisputed Era came crashing down at NXT TakeOver Phoenix at the hands of the mighty War Raiders, who delivered an incredible match with Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly to capture the Tag Team Championships.

The Miz & Shane McMahon - That's right, they can truly call themselves The Best Tag Team in the World now, as The Miz and Shane McMahon defeated The Bar at Royal Rumble to claim the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

Tommaso Ciampa - NXT TakeOver Phoenix was another triumph for the yellow brand, and the man standing tall in the main event was once again Tommaso Ciampa. He remains the NXT Champion after overcoming the challenge of Aleister Black.

R-Truth - Despite losing his #30 Royal Rumble spot to Nia Jax of all people, on Tuesday R-Truth became the third and final person to hold the United States Championship since Sunday, defeating Shinsuke Nakamura and immediately defending it against Rusev.

BIGGEST MOVES THIS WEEK