| Wrestler | Title / Brand | Last Week | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Samoa Joe | Raw | 1 | -- |
| He doesn't need a belt to remain the best WWE has to offer, and Joe has largely done that by coming across so believably tough on both the microphone and inside the ring. There's just something so refreshingly different about what Joe is doing compared to the rest of the roster, which is what's allowing him to stand out. | |||
| 2. AJ Styles | SmackDown (U.S. champion) | 3 | |
| While the recent flip-flop of the U.S. title has been nothing short of annoying in recent weeks, helping to water down the title, Styles continues to do top work on a consistent basis. Considering how bad his booking has been of late, that's remarkable. | |||
| 3. Roman Reigns | Raw | 2 | |
| Reigns just keeps getting better on the microphone, and it's something for which he may not be getting enough credit. Whether or not you believe he's in the midst of a subtle heel turn, every time Reigns steps into the spotlight he has the attention of the WWE Universe. | |||
| 4. Braun Strowman | Raw | 4 | -- |
| The more WWE asks of Strowman, the more he continues to evolve and grow. So much so that a run with the universal championship wouldn't be out of the question. "The Monster Among Men" is a physical specimen with few peers and the less he says on the microphone, the more it does to enhance his image. | |||
| 5. Brock Lesnar | Raw (universal champion) | 6 | |
| Despite being a part-timer, Lesnar still has the ability to make a full-time impact each time he appears on Raw. His feud with Samoa Joe was arguably WWE's best of 2017 so far, and the four-man program heading into SummerSlam remains nothing short of red hot. | |||
| 6. The Miz | Raw (intercontinental champion) | 5 | |
| It remains to be seen what type of plans WWE has for him entering SummerSlam, but The Miz continues to do the finest work of his entire career. Providing a chicken-crap heel like Miz with the muscle of Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas (a.k.a. The Miztourage) has been a smart move. | |||
| 7. Bray Wyatt | Raw | 7 | -- |
| Wyatt is quietly becoming the character many fans and critics wanted him to be during the ill-fated second half of his Randy Orton feud earlier this year. "The New Face of Fear" was elevated from going over in his feud against Seth Rollins and continues to put out strong promos while setting up a summer program with Finn Balor. | |||
| 8. The New Day | SmackDown (tag team champions) | NR | |
| Back where they belong on top, "The Powers of Positivity" are also doing quality work again after seeing their gimmick fall a bit stale to open this year. Let's not forget, these guys carried Raw for long stretches in 2015 and again last year. Rejuvenated on SmackDown with the belts around their waist, expect good things to come. | |||
| 9. John Cena | SmackDown (free agent) | 8 | |
| Very few WWE superstars can provide as big of a ratings boost as Cena for an advertised television return. And while his short-lived program with Rusev came across as tired, misplaced and boring, he could do a lot worse moving forward than call out WWE champion Jinder Mahal and be booked in a possible one-off against Shinsuke Nakamura. The booking is what it is at times but Cena's still got it in a big way. | |||
| 10. Seth Rollins | Raw | 9 | |
| Hie reunion with former Shield teammate Dean Ambrose offers a ton of potential moving forward, particularly if Ambrose turns heel and formally breaks up their unlikely pairing. Rollins has also quietly improved his microphone work as a face and continues to provide some of WWE's top in-ring work. | |||
WWE Power Rankings: AJ Styles, New Day make big moves; best of the week awards
Though Battleground was a disappointment, the rest of the week in WWE was well above average
With so much going on in WWE, we are back to break down where the company stands at the end of its latest week. After every set of WWE shows, we will determine the top 10 talents in the company based on a variety of factors including in-ring ability, mic work, overall brand prestige, championships, recent pushes and importance to current storylines. These rankings are voted on by a small panel helmed by Brian Campbell.
We will also get into the best of the week in WWE, singling out the top superstar, match, move and promo over the last seven days. And last but not least, WWE will get a grade for the product they produced. So let's get to it.
Big fan of WWE? Be sure to subscribe to our podcast In This Corner with Brian Campbell where we break down everything you need to know each week.
WWE Power Rankings
Dropped out: Sheamus & Cesaro (Raw tag team champions) | Also receiving votes: Finn Balor
Best of the week in WWE
Wrestler -- AJ Styles: It has become hard to avoid the urge to give this nod to Samoa Joe every single week for months. This week was more difficult to find a truly standout performer. But despite losing the United States championship during a weird finish against Kevin Owens at Battleground, Styles came back two nights later to regain his crown in a strong triple threat match against KO and a returning Chris Jericho.
Match -- The New Day def. The Usos (c) to win the tag team championship at WWE Battleground: This match turned out to be the lone jewel on an otherwise awful pay-per-view. With dramatic near falls late and a ton of energy, The New Day secured its third tag team title run overall and first on the blue brand.
Move -- Table bump in the Punjabi Prison Match: It may not count as an actual move, but the bump Samir Singh from the top of the Punjabi Prison cage on Sunday through the announce table after a punch from Randy Orton was impressive just the same.
YOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/ivupAe16L8
— WrestlinGifs (@WrestlinGifs) July 24, 2017
Promo -- Drew McIntyre on NXT: Referencing his failed early run as WWE's "Chosen One," McIntyre did well to bring in real-life honesty regarding entitlement and work ethic. He went on to call out Bobby Roode and get the crowd to join him in a passionate plea of, "We are NXT!" Not a bad way to get the crowd on your side.
.@DMcIntyreWWE's message is simple: "#WeAreNXT!" #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/q9I5mQGhOO
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 27, 2017
Show -- SmackDown Live: It had been a considerably long time (maybe going back to WrestleMania 33) that SmackDown has put out an episode this good. Let's hope this is the beginning of a new turn as lazy booking and questionable title turns had become the norm of late. This week saw a brisk pace, fun reveals (Cena-Nakamura) and a strong triple threat main event.
Grade
Week ending July 29: B-
















