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:




The new NXT North American Champion was not featured heavily this week, as Velveteen Dream was restricted to a fun promo segment with Adam Cole and the rest of the Undisputed Era. That should be a fun feud.


He's back, and Kevin Owens has already found himself as number one contender for the WWE Championship, stealing a march on Kofi Kingston's opportunity. Owens made up for it later by teaming with Kingston to defeat Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan in the main event of SmackDown Live.


The WWE Champion hasn't had a happy time on SmackDown Live as of late, as Daniel Bryan was pinned yet again by a challenger to his eco-friendly belt. This time, it was the returning Kevin Owens, who defeated The Goat and his friend Erick Rowan in a tag team match that also featured Kofi Kingston.


Ricochet leaps onto the Power Rankings as only he can after making a flawless start to life on the main roster. Forming a new partnership with fellow NXT alumni Aleister Black, Ricochet helped win matches over The Revival on Raw and Rusev & Nakamura on SmackDown.


Another former NXT star that's made a superb start, Aleister Black and his new partner Ricochet went 2-for-2 on Raw and SmackDown. On Monday they defeated Tag Team Champions The Revival, before beating two veterans in Rusev & Nakamura on Tuesday.


It was a disheartening week for The New Day, as Kofi Kingston's WWE Championship aspirations went up in smoke on SmackDown Live (at least temporarily), as Vince McMahon handpicked Kevin Owens as his replacement. Still, Kingston composed himself to team with Owens to defeat Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan in the main event.


While Becky Lynch is still capturing attention with her crutch-led assault on Raw against Ronda Rousey and Natalya, The Man hasn't been in a match for a while now, and so her position in the Power Rankings is now under threat. Not that I think she'll mind too much…


The new Women's Tag Team Champions made a surprise appearance in NXT where they were celebrated like returning heroines. Before that welcome return, Bayley got a rather surprising victory over Nia Jax on Raw, setting them up nicely for their title defense against Jax & Tamina Snuka at Fast Lane.


Ronda Rousey once again tangled with The Riott Squad on Raw this week, this time with Natalya by her side. But it was the post-match angle with Becky Lynch that stole the headlines, with Rousey's frustrations boiling over in a post-match promo with Stephanie McMahon where she practically surrendered the Raw Women's Championship.


Finn Balor climbs to the top of the Power Rankings for the first time in a long while, with the Intercontinental Champion looking comfortable with the belt around his waist. On Raw, Balor defended that title in a competitive and fun match with Lio Rush, with a future clash with former champion Lashley likely looming at Fast Lane.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Hardy Boyz - A shock substitution on SmackDown Live, The Hardy Boyz returned in tremendous shape to defeat The Bar. Can we expect to see more of the brothers back together for the foreseeable future?

Drew McIntyre - Two weeks, two pertinent victories for Drew McIntyre over Dean Ambrose, who seems intent on leaving WWE in the most painful way possible. This week, McIntyre's victory over the Lunatic Fringe came in a heated street fight.

Drew Gulak - Consistently one of the most impressive wrestlers in WWE right now, Drew Gulak thankfully advanced in the Cruiserweight Tournament by defeating The Brian Kendrick on 205 Live.

R-Truth - Although his reign with the United States Championship is being played for laughs, I'll enjoy R-Truth's run while it lasts. In an open challenge on SmackDown Live, Truth retained his title in a Triple Threat against the warring Rey Mysterio and Andrade.

Roman Reigns - Dude beat cancer, the least he deserves is an honorable mention! On top of that Roman Reigns cut an awesome promo on Raw in what will go down as an all-time great segment, before delivering some old-fashioned Shield justice on some heels with Seth Rollins later in the show.

BIGGEST MOVES THIS WEEK