WWE Raw Division Power Rankings: Samoa Joe Chokes Out Seth Rollins

RAW. Photo by WWE.com

Welcome to the RAW Division Power Rankings, two weeks before Extreme Rules.

These are the power rankings for each division on Monday Night RAW 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 see how the rankings shape up this week.

RAW. Photo by WWE.com

The RAW Cruiserweight Division

Highlights of the Division

Austin Aries picked up another empty win over Tony Nese in his march towards the Cruiserweight Championship. The problem with these cruiserweight matches on RAW is that they seem to be repetitive with no story to grasp on. Nose has been a guy who’s pegged to be a serious challenger but now sports the worst loss record in the division. Nobody in their right mind would take him seriously or even have a remote chance to beat Aries. Tony Nese shouldn’t be flexing his muscles around anymore—just his hand motioning the L sign on his forehead.

The title match at Extreme Rules being contested in a submission match should be the perfect end between Neville and Aries. A-Double must dethrone the Cruiserweight Champion to maintain any shred of semblance in the division. The matches surrounding both men and their opponents have been redundant. Aries as the champ will open many possible storyline avenues for the foreseeable future.

Akira Tozawa ending his feud versus Brian Kendrick with an emphatic main event victory has moved him one spot closer to a title shot. His street fight performance on 205 Live should angle the Japanese superstar as a fighting competitor who has nothing to lose. That type of mentality would definitely endear him to the fans on his march to the top of the division.    

Cedric Alexander made his 205 Live comeback by defeating a jobber but he has his work cut out for him. He’ll most likely be thrust into the story between Noam Dar and Rich Swann. The only positive outcome in putting Cedric in that scenario is if he develops an interesting character that can mesh with his in-ring skills.

These are the rankings for the division this week.

WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Neville (14 Wins – 5 Losses)

Contenders

• No. 1 Contender: Austin Aries (10 Wins – 3 Losses)
• Contender No. 2: Jack Gallagher (16 Wins – 10 Losses)
• Contender No. 3: Akira Tozawa (15 Wins – 4 Losses) (Moved Up 1 Spot)
• Contender No. 4: Rich Swann (12 Wins – 4 Losses) (Moved Down 1 Spot)
• Contender No. 5: TJP (13 Wins – 13 Losses) (Moved Up 1 Spot)
• Contender No. 6: The Brian Kendrick (9 Wins – 10 Losses) (Moved Down 1 Spot)
• Contender No. 7: Gran Metalik (6 Wins – 4 Losses)

Pretenders

• Pretender No. 1: Mustafa Ali (10 Wins – 12 Losses)
• Pretender No. 2: Cedric Alexander (6 Wins – 6 Losses)
• Pretender No. 3: Ariya Daivari (6 Wins – 12 Losses)
• Pretender No. 4: Drew Gulak (6 Wins – 9 Losses)
• Pretender No. 5: Tony Nese (8 Wins – 19 Losses)
• Pretender No. 6: Noam Dar (6 Wins – 17 Losses)
• Pretender No. 7: Lince Dorado (2 Wins – 10 Losses)