RAW. Photo by WWE.com
Welcome to the RAW Division Rankings for the August 28 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
Enzo Amore after 205 Live looks like he’s being groomed as the next guy to face Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship. That’s probably the worst mistake the WWE has ever made in this division, other than not giving Austin Aries a chance to win the title. The former tag team specialist is in the same boat as his partner Big Cass, in a sense that he isn’t a good singles competitor. He’s good on the mic and is horrible in the ring. What on earth can he do to be warranted a potential title opportunity to face Neville for the gold?
Brian Kendrick handed a vicious beat down to Jack Gallagher and scored an impressive victory over the top contender. The former Cruiserweight Champion needed to make a statement on 205 Live as he’s been overshadowed by his fellow cruiserweights the past few months. This feud was meant to showcase the vicious side of Kendrick and the darkness the lies behind the noble Jack Gallagher. 205 Live has done a fantastic job in showcasing feuds that add different layers of storytelling that you don’t quite see that often in WWE programming.
The same could also be said with Rich Swann and TJP. Their “friendly” rivalry has also intertwined Ariya Daivari in their match-ups which has put all three men in equal footing. Each man has cost the other victories in their respective matches for weeks but there is one silver lining to this story, the friendship between TJP and Rich Swann is slowly breaking down. If TJP wants to cement himself as the top heel in the division, backstabbing Rich Swann with his mind games is the road he needs to be driving on.
These are the rankings for the division this week.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Neville (22 Wins – 9 Losses)
Contenders
- Top Contender: Akira Tozawa (23 Wins – 7 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: Jack Gallagher (21 Wins – 12 Losses)
- Contender No. 3: Rich Swann (19 Wins – 9 Losses)
- Contender No. 4: TJP (18 Wins – 19 Losses)
- Contender No. 5: Cedric Alexander (17 Wins – 9 Losses)
- Contender No. 6: The Brian Kendrick (13 Wins – 13 Losses)
- Contender No. 7: Mustafa Ali (16 Wins – 16 Losses)
- Contender No. 8: Ariya Daivari (11 Wins – 19 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Gran Metalik (9 Wins – 8 Losses)
- Pretender No. 2: Enzo Amore (8 Wins – 15 Losses)
- Pretender No. 3: Drew Gulak (7 Wins – 18 Losses)
- Pretender No. 4: Tony Nese (13 Wins – 24 Losses)
- Pretender No. 5: Noam Dar (8 Wins – 24 Losses)
- Pretender No. 6: Lince Dorado (3 Wins – 17 Losses)
RAW. Photo by WWE.com
The RAW Women’s Division
Highlights of the Division
The RAW Women’s Championship match was rightfully the main event of RAW but the wrong woman walked out with the title. This was a problem that the WWE was supposed to rectify back at Summerslam when Sasha Banks won the title. Alexa Bliss was booked as a horrible champion after her win over Bayley back in Extreme Rules, so what difference would it make with her second title reign?
Nia Jax attacked her best friend Alexa Bliss after the match to rightfully position herself as the next title contender. The problem with that is Sasha Banks is still owed a rematch for the gold. This could be the perfect storm in turning Nia Jax into a babyface in her title chase. The fans seemed to gravitate towards her holding up the championship over the prone Alexa Bliss, that’s an image that the WWE should be playing up on in the build-up towards No Mercy.
As for Emma, she finally won her second match of the year but it was in sloppy fashion. She came out with a brand new theme song which will hurt her credibility as well as ranting after her win. If the WWE wants to book Emma as a delusional competitor who is taking sole credit of the Women’s Revolution than that might be the death knell of her RAW stint.
These are the rankings for the division this week.
RAW Women’s Champion: Alexa Bliss (10 Wins – 14 Losses)
Contenders
- No. 1 Contender: Sasha Banks (18 Wins – 11 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: Bayley (13 Wins – 10 Losses) (INJ)
- Contender No. 3: Nia Jax (16 Wins – 13 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Alicia Fox (4 Wins – 7 Losses)
- Pretender No. 2: Mickie James (6 Wins – 13 Losses)
- Pretender No. 3: Dana Brooke (5 Wins – 8 Losses)
- Pretender No. 4: Emma (2 Win – 8 Losses)
RAW. Photo by WWE.com
The RAW Tag Team Division
Highlights of the Division
The tag champs and the No. 1 contenders traded victories and losses in singles action but it did nothing in the tag team division. All four men are accomplished singles competitors and what transpired on RAW just shows that both teams are evenly matched. That is good news for Sheamus and Cesaro as many fans have thought they might be an afterthought once Summerslam concluded. The key for this championship feud is to make sure that the former tag team champions are still perceived as a threat to regain back the gold they lost.
With Jeff Hardy challenging the Miz for the Intercontinental Championship, what is next for the Hardy Boyz? There could be a scenario where the Hardys could break up if Jeff is successful in winning the title next week. It’s been rumored for a while that both Matt and Jeff could go their separate ways but that shouldn’t happen unless something drastic happens between the two brothers. Together as a team or separated as singles competitors, both men are in dire need of a character makeover.
Meanwhile, for the Rest of the Division
It’s a bit concerning now that Gallows and Anderson were treated like jobbers to John Cena and Roman Reigns on RAW. The former tag team champions were supposed to be a force to be reckoned within the division and now are treated as afterthoughts in a meaningless tag team match. The WWE has no clue what to do with these two talented men at all. They teased their Bullet Club two-sweet hand sign to Finn Balor in the battle royal but that’s what it was, a tease. It’s safe to assume that those three men will not join forces in the meantime and this formidable team will be directionless for the next few weeks.
These are the rankings for the division this week.
RAW Tag Team Champions: Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (3 Wins – 0 Losses)
Contenders
- Top Contender: Cesaro and Sheamus (9 Wins – 9 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: The Hardy Boyz (8 Wins – 6 Losses)
- Contender No. 3: The Revival (5 Wins – 0 Losses)
- Contender No. 4: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (10 Wins – 15 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Heath Slater & Rhyno (4 Wins – 5 Losses)
- Pretender No. 2: Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel (2 Wins – 2 Losses)
RAW. Photo by WWE.com
The RAW Mid Card Division
Highlights of the Division
The Intercontinental Championship was front in center at the opening of RAW with a battle royal to determine the No. 1 contender for the Miz next week. Out of all the people who were in that match, Jeff Hardy nabbed the surprising win by tossing out the predictable favorite Jason Jordan. The Miz versus Jeff Hardy for the title next week is something nobody had ever envisioned but it’s a fresh match-up nonetheless. Jeff has lost a lot of his athleticism over the years so this upcoming match-up will be slow but the Miz should be favored to retain the gold. The Intercontinental Champion shouldn’t be dropping the title anytime soon.
It’ll be fascinating to see what happens to Jason Jordan next. It was nearly a month ago that everyone was optimistic of what kind of direction the former Smackdown Tag Team Champion would take. Right now, he might be taking the shorter end of the stick compared to his former partner Chad Gable who’ll be teaming with the returning Shelton Benjamin. It’s safe to say that the WWE made a huge mistake in splitting up American Alpha from the get-go, they could have thrived in the shallow RAW Tag Team Division. Now Jason Jordan is only relevant on RAW because his “dad” is the General Manager.
Meanwhile, for the Rest of the Division
Elias will need to be in a relevant feud, sooner rather than later. It’s nice and all that he has his own segment on RAW and gets interrupted by guys like R-Truth and Heath Slater every week but the man needs some progression. This shtick he’s doing will become stale in the next few weeks and people will use that segment as a washroom break unless he’s in a meaningful feud. I’ve suggested this for weeks but a feud with the Titus Worldwide brand would be fantastic. Apollo Crews has been sitting on the sidelines for more than a month now and it’s the perfect time to watch his story unfold with the Titus brand. These two superstars would benefit greatly from this feud.
These are the rankings for the division this week.
WWE Intercontinental Champion: The Miz (9 Wins – 15 Losses)
Contenders
- No. 1 Contender: Jeff Hardy (12 Wins – 6 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: Elias (7 Wins – 4 Losses)
- Contender No. 3: The Big Show (4 Wins – 6 Losses)
- Contender No. 4: Kalisto (8 Wins – 11 Losses)
- Contender No. 5: Apollo Crews (7 Wins – 8 Losses)
- Contender No. 6: Big Cass (13 Wins – 11 Losses) (INJ)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Jason Jordan (11 Wins – 9 Losses)
- Pretender No. 2: Titus O’Neal (2 Wins – 9 Losses)
- Pretender No. 3: Goldust (1 Win – 3 Losses)
- Pretender No. 4: R-Truth (0 Wins – 5 Losses)
- Pretender No. 5: Curt Hawkins (0 Wins – 17 Losses)
RAW. Photo by WWE.com
The RAW World Title Picture
Highlights of the Division
John Cena and Roman Reigns cut one of the greatest promo segments in RAW history. Many people are furious that both men will be facing each other at No Mercy instead of Wrestlemania but thank god that isn’t happening. The WWE needs to capitalize on dream match-ups like this because there is no guarantee we would see awesome segments like what we saw on RAW. Cena got the best out of that promo exchange with Roman Reigns but the Big Dog will need an exclamation point at No Mercy. If Reigns loses to Cena, that scathing verbal beat down the Big Dog received will be tied to his career for a long time.
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman cut another promo on Braun Strowman, adding credence to the No. 1 contender and his chances at No Mercy. No matter what the scenario, Braun Strowman must defeat Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. It’s extremely silly to have Lesnar hold on to the title all the way to Wrestlemania on a limited schedule. He already did that with the WWE Championship a few years ago and at that time there was no brand extension. Guys like Braun Strowman or Samoa Joe would be stuck in limbo for months with no direction. If Lesnar holds on to the gold after No Mercy, that will be a reality.
Meanwhile, for the Rest of the Division
Bray Wyatt screwed Finn Balor out of the chance to be the No. 1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship. This adds another layer in the ongoing rivalry between these two pretenders in the main-event picture. Some people have complained why this feud is continuing even after Balor released the Demon and took out Wyatt at Summerslam. It’s honestly simple, it’s because both men have the potential to revitalize their stale positions on the roster with an interesting story. This is the perfect opportunity for both men to elevate themselves into bigger stars.
These are the rankings for the division this week.
WWE Universal Champion: Brock Lesnar (3 Wins – 1 Loss)
Contenders
- Top Contender: Braun Strowman (10 Wins – 7 Losses)
- Contender No. 2: Samoa Joe (11 Wins – 9 Losses)
- Contender No. 3: John Cena (11 Wins – 4 Losses)
- Contender No. 4: Roman Reigns (13 Wins – 13 Losses)
Pretenders
- Pretender No. 1: Finn Balor (13 Wins – 7 Losses)
- Pretender No. 2: Bray Wyatt (9 Wins – 9 Losses)
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What are your thoughts on this week’s RAW rankings?