WWE Raw: Division Rankings Before Extreme Rules 2017

RAW. Photo by WWE.com

The RAW Mid Card Division

Highlights of the Division

Ambrose nabbed a victory over the Miz in their six-man tag match to open RAW. With the DQ stipulation put in place, it’ll be interesting to see how Dean will lose the title. He’s bound to drop the title after holding on to it since mid-January. The question is how long of a title reign will the Miz have? If he’s booked the way he had the title when feuding with Dolph Ziggler—that would greatly diminish the championship even further than Ambrose’s title run. The Miz needs that championship for the other mid card talent to have a legitimate shot against him.

Kalisto dropped back one spot in the rankings this week after his disappointing loss to Titus O’Neal. The WWE has dropped the ball heavy on that booking as Kalisto has been on a roll since the Superstar Shake-Up. He’s the only man other than Roman Reigns to beat Braun Strowman in a match. He shouldn’t be subjected to losing a match to a tag team specialist like Titus O’Neal. The luchador will need to bounce back with a win to maintain his current standing in the mid-card division.

For the Rest of the Division

It looks like Elias Samson will be getting the Tye Dillinger treatment on Monday Night RAW. The former NXT standout was presented as a big deal by the broadcasting team and his squash match demonstrated his new attitude. The Drifter always had a no-care attitude and didn’t reach the pinnacle at NXT but that could change on RAW. He can string a few wins together and beat a mid-card contender or two—he can definitely look like a strong challenger for the Intercontinental Championship.

Goldust and R-Truth are entangled in a bizarre feud that might end up being entertaining for the short-term. It could also be a farewell tour for Goldust if he’s planning to go out in his old gimmick.

These are the rankings for the division this week.

WWE Intercontinental Champion: Dean Ambrose (6 Wins – 9 Losses)

Contenders

• No. 1 Contender: The Miz (5 Wins – 11 Losses)
• Contender No. 2: The Big Show (3 Wins – 3 Losses)
• Contender No. 3: Apollo Crews (4 Wins – 5 Losses)
• Contender No. 4: Kalisto (4 Wins – 6 Losses) (Moved Down 1 Spot)

Pretenders

• Pretender No. 1: Curtis Axel (3 Wins – 4 Losses)
• Pretender No. 2: Titus O’Neal (2 Wins – 7 Losses) (Moved Up 1 Spot)
• Pretender No. 3: Elias Samson (2 Wins – 0 Losses)
• Pretender No. 4: Bo Dallas (1 Win – 8 Losses)
• Pretender No. 5: Curt Hawkins (0 Wins – 9 Losses)