WWE SmackDown Rankings: Is Randy Orton a Contender Again?

Smackdown. Photo by WWE.com

The SmackDown Live World Title Picture

Highlights of the Division

Jinder Mahal lost his first singles match since April when he got beat cleanly against Randy Orton. This shows that Jinder Mahal can’t beat any high-profile contenders unless he has outside interference that’ll guide him to a win. It also shows that the writing is on the wall for the Maharaja as Shinsuke Nakamura should be considered the favorite to walk out Summerslam as the new WWE Champion. It seems like a foregone conclusion that the King of Strong Style should have no issue dethroning Mahal as champion since he couldn’t handle his business with Randy Orton. 

This means that Randy Orton has moved back up as a perennial title contender in the WWE Championship picture. In order for him to maintain that status, he’ll need to knock off Rusev at Summerslam. It’ll be a waste for the Viper’s momentum if he already knocked off Jinder Mahal and then subsequently loses to Rusev at Summerslam. If Nakamura or Mahal win the WWE Championship match at Summerslam, Randy Orton should be the first to get a crack at the title.

Meanwhile, for the Rest of the Division

John Cena will be facing Baron Corbin at Summerslam in which he should be considered the favorite in that match. He has nothing to lose but everything to gain in this bout, at the moment he’s considered a pretender in the WWE Title picture. If he can knock off the Money in the Bank Winner, he’ll be back as a title contender for the WWE Championship. If he loses, it won’t hurt his stock but he won’t be relevant in the Smackdown main event scene after Summerslam. Especially if Baron Corbin beats him, the Lone Wolf could nab his spot in the title picture instead.

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

WWE World Champion: Jinder Mahal (13 Wins – 11 Losses)

Contenders

• No. 1 Contender: Shinsuke Nakamura (9 Wins – 2 Losses)
• Contender No. 2: Randy Orton (11 Wins – 8 Losses) (Up 1 Spot)

Pretenders

• Pretender No. 1: John Cena (8 Wins – 4 Losses)

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What are your thoughts on this week’s Smackdown rankings?