Smackdown. Photo by WWE.com
Welcome to the Smackdown Division Rankings after WWE Battleground.
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. Photo by WWE.com
The Smackdown Live Women’s Division
Highlights of the Division
Natalya pulled the biggest upset in her storied career when she won the Fatal 5-Way Elimination match and punched her ticket to Summerslam. The Queen of Harts has been underutilized for the past year but picked up some steam when forming the Welcoming Committee with Carmella and Tamina back in April. It certainly helped her in a sense be viewed as a threat to the rest of the championship contenders and now she has the perfect opportunity to stand at the top of the mountain.
Both Charlotte and Becky Lynch were favored to win at Battleground but in the end settled with a tag team win on Smackdown Live. It’s surprising to see the two popular contenders out of the title picture and it’s hard to see what’s next for them. Will they continue their partnership and rack up more wins together for the next few weeks? Or will they try to position themselves for a title shot after Summerslam concludes?
Lana and Tamina both suffered tough losses at Battleground and on Smackdown Live. The story of how Lana has been overzealous to take advantage of the damage Tamina dished out to their opponents but lose in the end is intriguing. Taming looked like she wanted to beat up Lana after their tag team loss on Smackdown. Will her frustration lead up to the dissolving of their partnership? This could be one way of turning Lana into a sympathetic babyface if Tamina turns on her on the road to Summerslam.
Let’s see the rankings for the division this week.
SmackDown Live Women’s Champion: Naomi (9 Wins – 5 Losses)
Contenders
- No. 1 Contender: Natalya (7 Wins – 7 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: Carmella (10 Wins – 3 Losses) (MITB Winner)
- Contender No. 3: Becky Lynch (9 Wins – 12 Losses)
- Contender No. 4: Charlotte (8 Wins – 14 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Nikki Bella (3 Wins – 1 Loss)
- Pretender No. 2: Tamina Snuka (3 Wins – 4 Losses)
- Pretender No. 3: Lana (0 Wins – 5 Losses)
Smackdown. Photo by WWE.com
The SmackDown Live Tag Team Division
Highlights of the Division
The New Day did exactly what they needed to do and that was to win the Smackdown Tag Team Championships and extended their feud with the Usos till Summerslam. Both teams have had excellent matches the past few months and it should be fitting that they conclude their rivalry at the biggest pay per view event of the summer. What the Usos did to the New Day at Smackdown by attacking them in the Gorilla Position of the entrance ramp was the perfect way to showcase how determined they are to reclaim back their gold. The former Smackdown tag champs will need to demonstrate that they’ll do whatever they can to get back their championships—which should be an entertaining final stretch to this rivalry.
Breezango was taken out at Battleground and nobody knows who committed these attacks. The rumors floating around of what team could have done it was either the supposed reunion of Luke Harper and Erick Rowan or it could be the main-roster debut of SaNity. Both teams have shown in the past of attacking their opponents in precarious situations. If either team steps in the light in the next few weeks and claim the responsibility of these attacks—they should instantly be considered a dark-horse contender for the tag team championships.
Meanwhile, for the Rest of the Division
No updates this week on the Hype Bros and that is extremely disappointing. A backstage segment or interview could have cleared the air on what is happening with the popular tag team. For weeks, both Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley have shown a little distrust towards the other and nothing has been resolved yet. Will they go their separate ways or refocus their efforts into capturing the tag team titles. They should also be competing and defeating teams like the Colons and the Ascension and show the fans that they should be next in line to face the tag champs in the near future.
Let’s see the rankings for the division this week.
SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions: The New Day (8 Wins – 3 Losses)
Contenders
- No. 1 Contender: The Usos (7 Wins – 5 Loss)
- Contender No. 2: Breezango (6 Wins – 7 Losses)
- Contender No. 3: Hype Bros (1 Win – 1 Loss)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: The Colons (3 Wins – 11 Losses)
- Pretender No. 2: The Ascension (1 Win – 5 Losses)
Smackdown. Photo by WWE.com
The SmackDown Live Mid Card Division
Highlights of the Division
The hot potato of the US Championship between Kevin Owens and AJ Styles is horrible booking from the creative staff and delegitimizes the championship as a prop. It makes you question why Styles won in the first place weeks ago at a live event in MSG if he was going to lose the title at Battleground. Very silly on the WWE’s part but they made up for it with a fantastic triple threat match for the US Championship on Smackdown. With AJ holding the gold once more, will he be able to retain the championship next week or will Kevin Owens be a four-time US Champion?
The strange booking of Sami Zayn, Mike Kanellis, Tye Dillinger and Aiden English is mind-blowing in the mid-card division. All four men have been casualties of WWE’s 50/50 booking where each competitor trades wins and losses every week with no sustain momentum to latch on to. Sami Zayn and Tye Dillinger might have won their recent tag team match against English and Kanellis but they’ll need to maintain their trajectory for the next few weeks. These men are probably aren’t connected to the long-term plans of Summerslam but they shouldn’t be subjected to this type of booking either.
Meanwhile, for the rest of the division.
Baron Corbin suffered two bad losses to Shinsuke Nakamura but many people are pointing that he still has the Money in the Bank briefcase. That’s a poor excuse to maintain for a guy who can potentially be the next WWE Champion by Summerslam if he cashes it in. The problem is that Corbin might suffer the same fate that plagued former MITB winner Damien Sandow years ago where he eventually lost when he cashed in the contract against John Cena. The Lone Wolf hasn’t maintained any type of push since winning the ladder match and hasn’t looked like the guy who destroyed the Smackdown roster last year. These next few weeks are crucial in foreshadowing what type of champion Corbin will be in the new future. Will he dominate his competition like he did last year or suffer huge defeats and be the next Damien Sandow?
Let’s see the rankings for the division this week.
WWE United States Champion: AJ Styles (14 Wins – 12 Losses)
Contenders
- No. 1 Contender: Kevin Owens (14 Wins – 14 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: Sami Zayn (12 Wins – 16 Losses)
- Contender No. 3: Baron Corbin (7 Wins – 16 Losses) (MITB Winner)
- Contender No. 4: Chris Jericho (5 Wins – 9 Losses)
- Contender No. 5: Rusev (3 Wins – 9 Losses)
- Contender No. 6: Mike Kanellis (1 Win – 2 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Tye Dillinger (5 Wins – 3 Losses) (Up 1 Spot)
- Pretender No. 2: Dolph Ziggler (5 Wins – 15 Losses)
- Pretender No. 3: Chad Gable (7 Wins – 8 Losses)
- Pretender No. 4: Aiden English (3 Wins – 7 Losses) (Up 3 Spots)
- Pretender No. 5: Sin Cara (2 Wins – 7 Losses)
- Pretender No. 6: Luke Harper (2 Wins – 11 Losses)
- Pretender No. 7: Erick Rowan (1 Win – 6 Losses)
Smackdown. Photo by WWE.com
The SmackDown Live World Title Picture
Highlights of the Division
The Punjabi Prison Match was lacking any type of ring action but made up for it with amazing storytelling and insane spots. Jinder Mahal made the most out of that match and has firmly established himself as a thinking-man champion. Some people have said that his title reign is eerily similar to the JBL championship run in 2004/05. Both were mid card talent that captured the WWE Championship, had a decent main event run and formed a stable to retain their gold. The key to Mahal’s championship reign is if he could retain the title at Summerslam. Guys like Shinsuke Nakamura, John Cena, and Baron Corbin are all gunning for his crown, will the Maharaja retain it?
As for John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura, both men will face off next week to determine who will face Mahal at Summerslam. This type of match should be reserved for a pay per view but the importance of this bout should be seen on television. Shinsuke Nakamura has fully established himself as a true contender since arriving on Smackdown. The WWE fans haven’t followed along his career path in Japan and NXT to warrant him the main event slot alongside Jinder Mahal. So in the end, John Cena should and must win next weeks match and face the Maharaja for the WWE Championship at Summerslam.
Meanwhile, for the Rest of the Division
Randy Orton suffered a setback in not regain the WWE Championship at Battleground. So what is next for the former 13 time WWE Champion? It clearly depends on what transpires next week on Smackdown Live. He could feud with the loser of the US Championship match or the No. 1 Contenders Match for the WWE Championship. An interaction backstage with any of the four men should trigger this feud with the Viper. His anger of not capturing the WWE Championship should fuel him to aim his venom to any Smackdown superstar who will get him back to the title hunt.
Let’s see the rankings for the division this week.
WWE World Champion: Jinder Mahal (13 Wins – 10 Losses)
Contenders
- Top Contender: Randy Orton (10 Wins – 8 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: John Cena (8 Wins – 4 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Shinsuke Nakamura (8 Wins – 2 Losses)
Next: WWE Raw Rankings for July 25
What are your thoughts on this week’s Smackdown Rankings?