Daily DDT
Fansided

WWE SmackDown Live: Division Power Rankings Before Backlash

By Warsame A

facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next

Smackdown Live. Photo by WWE.com

Welcome to the SmackDown Live Division Power Rankings before Backlash.

These are the power rankings for each division on Smackdown Live for this following week. Each division would be ranked based on storyline progression and win/loss record as of 2017. Also, each division would be divided by contenders and pretenders, to differentiate the challengers in their respective division. I’ll also highlight a specific superstar in each division and explain their ranking based on their actions. Win/Loss record is provided by CageMatch.Net.

Each superstar or tag team can move up or down the rankings based on victory, defeat or storyline progression. Let’s get right to the rankings.

Smackdown Live. Photo by WWE.com

The SmackDown Live Women’s Division

Highlights of the Division

Carmella scored the biggest win of her career by pinning the Smackdown Live Women’s Champion in singles competition. The Welcoming Committee have been on a massive roll and with Carmella beating Naomi, the sky is the limit for this faction. It’s shocking and refreshing to see that Carmella could be in prime position to get a title opportunity in the near future.

The six-person tag team match at Backlash should tell us on how the division will shape up moving forward. No matter which team wins the match, Naomi must defend her championship as soon as possible. Charlotte and Carmella are the only two challengers that qualify for a title opportunity since beating Naomi in the past few weeks. Having a faction war over championship gold hasn’t been as relevant since the days of Evolution nearly 14 years ago but it has been entertaining from a TV standpoint. 

Naomi, Charlotte and Becky Lynch need a win at Backlash to re-establish their footing in the division. If the Welcoming Committee win this Sunday, it’ll mean that Naomi’s title reign might be in jeopardy and both Charlotte and Lynch will be considered pretenders in the division moving forward. 

As for Lana, the question that needs to be asked is if she’ll be a side-show act or a serious competitor on the Smackdown Live brand? Showing dancing vignettes every week will not convince anybody that she’s the latter of the proposed question. 

Let’s see the rankings for the division this week.

SmackDown Live Women’s Champion: Naomi (5 Wins – 3 Losses)

Contenders

  • No. 1 Contender: Charlotte (5 Wins – 8 Losses)
  • Contender No. 2: Carmella (7 Wins – 2 Losses)
  • Contender No. 3: Becky Lynch (6 Wins – 7 Losses)

Pretenders

  • Pretender No. 1: Nikki Bella (3 Wins – 1 Loss)
  • Pretender No. 2: Natalya (3 Wins – 4 Losses)
  • Pretender No. 3: Tamina Stuka (N/A)
  • Pretender No. 4: Lana (N/A)