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WWE SmackDown Live Rankings Before WWE Battleground

By Warsame A

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Smackdown. Photo by WWE.com

The SmackDown Live Mid Card Division

Highlights of the Division

AJ Styles lost in the tag team match to Kevin Owens but he’ll retain the gold this Sunday at Battleground. It seems like the perfect time for AJ Styles to re-introduce the US Open Challenge that Cena made famous 2 years ago. It could rejuvenate the mid-card division and allow guys who haven’t competed in so long to get a crack at the US Championship. As for Kevin Owens, after Battleground he’ll need to be kept in the spotlight and not fade away to the background. A feud with Randy Orton could potentially elevate the former Universal Champion back to the world title picture if booked properly. He has nothing left to accomplish here in the mid-card division after Battleground. 

Baron Corbin is still considered an underdog in his match against Shinsuke Nakamura but he must win to validate his status as a future WWE Champion. This will be his biggest singles match on pay per view since Wrestlemania when he faced Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship. The mistake that the WWE made was not strapping the title on this emerging star but they have a chance to rectify their mistake. The Lone Wolf has to be presented as a man who can beat anybody outside of the ring and in it—beating the former two-time NXT Champion should fit the bill.  

Meanwhile, for the Rest of the Division

Mike Kanellis made his Smackdown debut and defeated one of the top contenders for the United States Championship in Sami Zayn. This win will validate Kanellis as a borderline contender in the short-term. He’ll need to maintain his momentum for the next few weeks or he could face the same fate Tye Dillinger suffered a few months back—being forgotten. Look at what happened to the Perfect 10, he’ll be facing Aiden English in the Battleground pre-show for the third time since his Smackdown debut. Promising stars like Dillinger and Kanellis should always be the priority in keeping the product fresh or else we’ll see the same superstars facing each other every week.

Also keep on eye out for Chad Gable after the immediate break-up of American Alpha. If he’s given a shot, he should be projected to be a wild-card contender for the United States Championship.

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

WWE United States Champion: AJ Styles (13 Wins – 11 Losses)

Contenders

  • Top Contender: Kevin Owens (13 Wins – 13 Losses)
  • Contender No. 2: Sami Zayn (10 Wins – 16 Losses)
  • Contender No. 3: Baron Corbin (7 Wins – 14 Losses) (MITB Winner) (Up 2 Spots)
  • Contender No. 4: Chris Jericho (5 Wins – 8 Losses)
  • Contender No. 5: Rusev (3 Wins – 8 Losses)
  • Contender No. 6: Mike Kanellis (1 Win – 0 Losses)

Pretenders

  • Pretender No. 1: Dolph Ziggler (5 Wins – 15 Losses)
  • Pretender No. 2: Tye Dillinger (4 Wins – 2 Losses)
  • Pretender No. 3: Chad Gable (7 Wins – 8 Losses)
  • Pretender No. 4: Sin Cara (2 Wins – 7 Losses)
  • Pretender No. 5: Luke Harper (2 Wins – 11 Losses)
  • Pretender No. 6: Erick Rowan (1 Win – 6 Losses)
  • Pretender No. 7: Aiden English (2 Wins – 6 Losses)