RAW. Photo by WWE.com
Welcome to the RAW Division Rankings for the July 31st episode.
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
Akira Tozawa has been on a roll this week by nabbing two huge wins on RAW and 205 Live and cementing himself as the No. 1 Contender for the Cruiserweight Championship. It’s safe to say at this point in time that Tozawa might be on his way to knocking off Neville for the title at Summerslam based on his recent momentum. The fans have gravitated towards the Japanese superstar and dramatically raised his entertainment stock value with his association with the Titus Worldwide Brand. It seems fitting that the WWE might be looking to change-up the 205 Live scenery with the crowning of a new King of the Cruiserweights—and his name isn’t Neville.
Tony Nese scored a decent win over the Cruiserweight Classic runner-up Gran Metalik on 205 Live. The renewed push of the Premier Athlete was something the WWE was invested in earlier this year before Wrestlemania but gave up on quickly afterward. If the company wants the fans to be invested in this bright star then they’ll need him to be on a consistent win streak to even up his horrible win/loss record. He’ll still be considered a pretender till he notches up big wins for the foreseeable future.
TJP and Rich Swann will be facing each other next week on 205 Live but with no real implications behind the match-up. So far this rivalry has been “friendly” rounded up to a game of one-upmanship. Both these former Cruiserweight Champions should add more stakes to their high-profile match on 205 Live next week. In the end, the story needs to take a direction because we’ve seen their matches before—this one coming up should be different.
These are the rankings for the division this week.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Neville (21 Wins – 8 Losses)
Contenders
- No. 1 Contender: Akira Tozawa (21 Wins – 6 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: Jack Gallagher (21 Wins – 11 Losses)
- Contender No. 3: Rich Swann (17 Wins – 7 Losses)
- Contender No. 4: TJP (17 Wins – 19 Losses)
- Contender No. 5: The Brian Kendrick (10 Wins – 13 Losses)
- Contender No. 6: Cedric Alexander (13 Wins – 8 Losses)
- Contender No. 7: Mustafa Ali (15 Wins – 15 Losses)
- Contender No. 8: Ariya Daivari (10 Wins – 16 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Gran Metalik (5 Wins – 8 Losses)
- Pretender No. 2: Drew Gulak (7 Wins – 14 Losses)
- Pretender No. 3: Tony Nese (12 Wins – 20 Losses)
- Pretender No. 4: Noam Dar (7 Wins – 21 Losses)
- Pretender No. 5: Lince Dorado (3 Wins – 16 Losses)
RAW. Photo by WWE.com
The RAW Women’s Division
Highlights of the Division
Bayley might have gotten a disqualification victory over Nia Jax but the feud with Alexa Bliss has added more layers to this evolving story. With the Women’s Champion egging on the absence of Sasha Banks on RAW, it could be the foundation block of the Boss turning heel on her best friend Bayley. The rivalry between Bliss and Bayley should have ended back in Extreme Rules but the addition of a potential Sasha Banks heel turn and cost Bayley the title should be entertaining.
Emma is still campaigning for a shot of TV time on RAW through social media and the fans have gravitated towards it. She’s done a wonderful job of trying to get Kurt Angle’s attention by posting memes of her trying to date Jason Jordan and that could work to her advantage. She could be inserted into the feud between Jordan and the Miz, which could keep the Australian preoccupied in backstage segments and possibly wrestling in the ring in the near future.
In the RAW Fallout video posted on YouTube, Dana Brooke was confronted by Titus O’Neill as a possible prospect for the Titus Worldwide Brand. It was very interesting to see Titus try to life coach Dana from the mismanagement that has plagued her young and promising career. This would be the perfect way to reboot Dana Brooke as a babyface and having her trying to fit in with Apollo Crews and Akira Tozawa could possibly be extremely funny.
These are the rankings for the division this week.
RAW Women’s Champion: Alexa Bliss (9 Wins – 13 Losses)
Contenders
- No. 1 Contender: Bayley (13 Wins – 10 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: Sasha Banks (15 Wins – 10 Losses)
- Contender No. 3: Nia Jax (14 Wins – 12 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Alicia Fox (4 Wins – 5 Losses)
- Pretender No. 2: Mickie James (5 Wins – 11 Losses)
- Pretender No. 3: Dana Brooke (4 Wins – 7 Losses)
- Pretender No. 4: Emma (1 Win – 5 Losses)
RAW. Photo by WWE.com
The RAW Tag Team Division
Highlights of the Division
Sheamus lost in singles action against Seth Rollins and that might be the trigger to get both Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to the tag division. The rumors have been swirling around for weeks that the potential Shield reunion might come to fruition if they face the tag team champions at Summerslam. It’s an interesting way to utilize both Rollins and Ambrose since their both out of title picture of their respective divisions. As for Sheamus and Cesaro, this match-up would be a perfect opportunity to have fantastic matches with competitors in their prime, unlike with their recent feud with the Hardys.
The Hardys scored a much-needed win on but their three-way rivalry with the Club and the Revival is far from over. It seems like all three teams are gearing up for a potential triple threat tag team match in the next few weeks or possibly for Summerslam. If a potential No. 1 Contenders spot is up for grabs for all three of these teams, it’ll be a perfect brass ring for them to chase while the tag team champs are busy with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins.
But the one thing that needs to be teased even further is the metamorphosis of the Hardys. It seemed like they were teasing more of their “Broken” gimmick on the RAW Fallout video but based on news reports that might not be happening anytime soon. There could be an avenue where the Hardys introduce a new variation of their popular personas and something they could experiment on in their feuds with the Revival and the Club.
These are the rankings for the division this week.
RAW Tag Team Champions: Cesaro and Sheamus (9 Wins – 8 Losses)
Contenders
- Top Contender: The Hardy Boyz (7 Wins – 4 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: The Revival (5 Wins – 0 Losses)
- Contender No. 3: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (9 Wins – 14 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Heath Slater & Rhyno (4 Wins – 5 Losses)
- Pretender No. 2: Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel (1 Win – 1 Loss)
RAW. Photo by WWE.com
The RAW Mid Card Division
Highlights of the Division
The Jason Jordan story has definitely picked up some steam this past Monday night when he was a guest on Miz TV. It seems a little too soon for Jason Jordan to be feuding with the Miz shortly after making his RAW debut by defeating Curt Hawkins last week. But if the story develops into Kurt Angle handing his son a title opportunity versus the Miz then that’s a developing story worth watching. It’s hard to envision Jordan leapfrogging a lot of promising young contenders like Apollo Crews, Kalisto, and Elias, but if the overzealous RAW General Manager wants to see his son become a champion that badly: The Miz’s promo on Jordan getting opportunities handed to him was 100% accurate.
Big Cass did get a disqualification win over the Big Show but what’s more concerning is the lack of progression of the story. We’ve seen both Big Cass, Big Show and Enzo Amore all lay each other out in the ring for a few weeks now and this match hasn’t really moved the feud to a different direction. Also the fact that the ring work of Big Cass isn’t ready to be considered to be main-event worthy on Monday Night RAW. He is no Braun Strowman where he could put on a great match with another big man like Big Show, he still wrestles like he’s a tag team specialist coming off of a hot tag. The jury is still out if Cass can turn this around and prove the doubters wrong.
Meanwhile, for the Rest of the Division
Elias not only had a name change but also a big win over perennial contender Kalisto. It’s hard to envision who is next for the Drifter since he’s notched up big wins over Dean Ambrose and Finn Balor the past few months. A feud with Titus Worldwide’s Apollo Crews could be a fun match up with two completely different personas. Both men could definitely benefit from this matchup and move one step closer to getting an Intercontinental Championship shot.
These are the rankings for the division this week.
WWE Intercontinental Champion: The Miz (9 Wins – 13 Losses)
Contenders
- Top Contender: Dean Ambrose (7 Wins – 13 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: The Big Show (4 Wins – 3 Losses)
- Contender No. 3: Elias (5 Wins – 3 Losses) (Up 1 Spot)
- Contender No. 4: Kalisto (7 Wins – 9 Losses)
- Contender No. 5: Apollo Crews (6 Wins – 7 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Big Cass (12 Wins – 11 Losses)
- Pretender No. 2: Jason Jordan (8 Wins – 7 Losses)
- Pretender No. 3: Enzo Amore (5 Wins – 14 Losses)
- Pretender No. 4: Titus O’Neal (2 Wins – 9 Losses)
- Pretender No. 5: Goldust (1 Win – 2 Losses)
- Pretender No. 6: R-Truth (0 Wins – 3 Losses)
- Pretender No. 7: Curt Hawkins (0 Wins – 14 Losses)
RAW. Photo by WWE.com
The RAW World Title Picture
Highlights of the Division
Roman Reigns earned a huge win over Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman in the triple threat match on RAW, but he shouldn’t be considered the favorite to win at Summerslam. The Big Dog is still the least popular superstar out of the four title contestants at Summerslam and has already been the world champion on a few occasions. The issue everyone has with Reigns is that his character growth has been roughly the same the past few years. As for Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman, they are fresh competitors that have yet to win a world title on the main roster. The stories and money that could be potentially made off of their title run if they win would be huge for the WWE. Food for thought when considering who should be the Universal Champion at Summerslam.
Also, will Brock Lesnar leave the WWE and head back to the UFC? Jon Jones called him out after his big title win at UFC 214 so there might be a serious possibility that Lesnar will lose the Universal Championship at Summerslam and leave the WWE. But the question is if this is a swerve by Brock Lesnar to leverage his deal with the WWE over the UFC? Paul Heyman somewhat implied it on RAW so we shall see next Monday night.
Meanwhile, for the Rest of the Division
The feud between Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt still doesn’t have a narrative on why anybody should care about their potential clash. If Bray Wyatt gave a valid reason on why he initially attacked Balor back in May and again in mid-July, we could justify it as two men who have personal animosity and want to impose their will on each other. But the problem is with a lot of Bray Wyatt’s feuds is that he rambles way too long with no meat behind those words.
One suggestion the WWE could do to justify this feud is to bring up the proclamation Wyatt made after he lost in Extreme Rules: that he would target every man who cost him a shot against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship.
Remember that he lost to Roman Reigns on RAW that same night and then turned his attention to Seth Rollins soon afterward. If he can bring up that point, that he’s on a crusade to destroy all the men who cost him his victory at Extreme Rules, then the story between Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt has a logical narrative to continue on.
These are the rankings for the division this week.
WWE Universal Champion: Brock Lesnar (2 Wins – 1 Loss)
Contenders
- Top Contender: Samoa Joe (11 Wins – 7 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: Braun Strowman (9 Wins – 6 Losses)
- Contender No. 3: Roman Reigns (11 Wins – 11 Losses)
- Contender No. 4: Bray Wyatt (8 Wins – 8 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Seth Rollins (10 Wins – 9 Losses)
- Pretender No. 2: Finn Balor (11 Wins – 5 Losses)
What are your thoughts on this week’s RAW Rankings?