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Who sits atop our WWE Raw power rankings heading into Backlash?
With the Greatest Royal Rumble finished, it’s time for the superstars of WWE Raw and SmackDown Live to look towards Backlash. Believe it or not, the pay per view event is less than a week away. Crazy, right? So let’s look at where the roster stands heading into the weekend.
Every week after Raw, we’ll take a look at the roster to find out who is in the best position moving forward. But, much like the creative team, we’re not paying attention to wins and losses only. They matter a bit, but a strong loss is better than a lousy win, at least as far as I’m concerned. Championships? They have their place, but just because a particular superstar has a heavy piece of gold around their waste doesn’t guarantee them a spot at the top. And if a superstars doesn’t have a match, they can still move up or down based on what they did in a given week.
So what does contribute to our rankings? Long term potential is key — how is a superstar’s position today leading to tomorrow? The past helps, too — just because someone has a big win one week doesn’t negate 17 weeks of losses before that. Think of ESPN’s NFL power rankings, where a 5-3 team could be ranked higher than a 6-2 team.
Let’s take a look at the updated power rankings for WWE Raw, following the April 30 episode.
20. Titus O’Neil (last week: unranked)
Titus O’Neil used the momentum from his Greatest Royal Rumble appearance to slide into this week’s rankings. Oh, god, that was terrible, I’m sorry.
In a backstage promo, O’Neil showed that he was a good sport about the most GIF-able moment in the last 20 years before being interrupted by Baron Corbin. One good turn deserves another, though, so Titus made an appearance in Corbin’s match to settle the score.
It’s entirely possible that the whole slip/slide/pratfall thing is going to become really annoying really fast. WWE has never exactly been known for being subtle; they’ll beat you over the head with a lousy joke until you beg for mercy. But for now, it’s funny enough, and big man is getting a T-shirt out of the whole thing. So he definitely deserves to be in the Top 20 this week.
19. Natalya (last week: not ranked)
Also joining the rankings this week is the Queen of Hearts, who emerged victorious against Mickie James (knocking the six-time champ off the list in the process). The match was whatever, but it put Nattie in a position to be at very least adjacent to the top of the women’s division on Raw.
I still think the Natalya/Ronda Rousey “friendship” is going to spectacularly go wrong before too long. But until then, we’ll probably get at least a handful of tag matches from the two superstars, and those can’t be bad. Can they?
18. Bobby Roode (last week: 17)
Last week, Bobby Roode lost a shocker to Elias. This week, Bobby Roode lost to Elias in shocking fashion. Believe it or not, those two similarly-appearing sentences are about as different as can be.
In the first clash, Roode interrupted Elias early in his musical performance, and suffered a defeat when Elias took a shortcut. Roode was granted a rematch, choosing to wait until most of the pre-match entertainment had finished before hitting the ring.
And he was summarily whooped across the ring, gasping for air from a concentrated attack to the throat. The match ended via ref stoppage when Roode was seriously injured, but the damage had been done. Not only to Roode’s throat, but his ranking.
17. Baron Corbin (last week: 16)
As mentioned above, Corbin decided to interrupt Titus O’Neil backstage and ridicule him for being a klutz. To get him back, the entirety of Titus Worldwide came down to the ring as Corbin faced No Way Jose.
Because The Lone Wolf doesn’t take any opponent seriously, his focus was on the antics outside the ring — leading to a rollup loss to his dancing opponent.
Although Baron Corbin may be in a foul mood now, he’s not in a great place since joining the Raw roster. Turning things around is key for the former US Champion.
16. Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt (last week: 15)
In Saudi Arabia, Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt won the vacant Raw Tag Team Championships when they defeated SmackDown Live superstars Sheamus and Cesaro. It was the only title to technically change hands at the Greatest Royal Rumble, and the finish was more predictable than the boat sinking at the end of Titanic.
To follow up their victory, The Deleters of Worlds hung out backstage reading books and showing some photoshopped images from throughout history. As funny as it is to see Bray Wyatt helping George Washington cross the Delaware, or Hardy leering at the sailor kissing a nurse on V-Day in Times Square, it does nothing for the champions.
Put simply, the reigning champions weren’t even the strongest tag team on the show this week. It’s early enough in their reign to change this, but it still must be done.
15. Ruby Riott (last week: not ranked)
Ruby Riott and Sasha Banks had what may have been the match of the night were it not for the main event. Everything about it was wonderful, from the focused attack to numbers advantage to innovative offense. It was a great way for Riott to really introduce herself to the larger Raw audience.
Normally, I’d have put Riott higher up on the list — wait until you see where Sasha ended up thanks to this match. But because she hasn’t really been featured consistently since the Superstar Shake-up (yes, I know it’s only been two weeks), I’m reserving judgement until a few more weeks pass. But don’t be surprised if Ruby jumps up quickly following Backlash.
14. Jinder Mahal (last week: 19)
For the first time as a Raw superstar — going back to his time pre-2017 as well — Jinder Mahal looked like he belonged in the main event. He got a decent reaction for a few reasons (challenging Roman Reigns, Canadian wrestling in Canada, etc.), which was shocking as hell. But in general, Jinder put on a good performance this week.
Sure, his team ended up on the losing end of the equation. But think about what the match was: three “hometown heroes” going up against one of the most popular superstars in WWE, one of the most powerful superstars in WWE, and Roman Reigns. It was a great rub for everyone involved, because just about everyone contributed positively.
Whether this “main event push” for Jinder sticks or not remains to be seen. As for this week, though, he was on a major roll.
13. Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler (last week: 5, 6)
Last week, Drew McIntyre cracked the Top 5 on our rankings, with Ziggler right behind him at number 6. The duo looked great in their tag team debut, and a fiery promo from both after the match only helped more.
So of course, this week the pair were relegated to a selfie promo backstage, with no interaction with the live crowd. Hmm. At least there were no ridiculous words popping up on the screen.
12. Authors of Pain (last week: not ranked)
On the Raw after WrestleMania, Akam and Rezar made their main roster debut by annihilating Heath Slater and Rhyno. After the match, they dismissed long-time manager Paul Ellering, deciding they needed a ghostwriter no longer.
The following week? Another squash victory over Slater and Rhyno, and then a week off last week. The stop/start thing is making it hard for the dominant team to build any sustainable momentum.
But this week, a decisive victory over Jean-Paul and Francois puts the Authors of Pain right back on track. A hot promo after the match showed they mean business, and they were by far the most impressive tag team on Raw this week.
11. Brock Lesnar (last week: 11)
Brock Lesnar is once again back to not showing up on WWE Raw. Big surprise. So why would I keep him lurking near the Top Ten?
Well, for one reason, he’s still the Universal Champion, for better or worse. It’s the de facto top championship on Raw, even if it’s rarely defended on the show (outside of pay per view). And even in absentia, the title is the main goal of many superstars.
Another reason Brock ranks so high? He’s basically Poochie — when he’s not on screen, everyone’s talking about him. Roman Reigns spent much of his show opening promo talking about The Beast Incarnate. And later on, Seth Rollins all but challenged Brock to a fight. It doesn’t matter if he’s in the middle of the ring shadowboxing, or sitting at home with his family like Clint Barton, Brock is the talk of the Raw roster.
10. Roman Reigns (last week: 12)
Ah, Roman Reigns. Possibly the most controversial figure on Raw on a regular basis. He doesn’t get the reactions that one assumes the front office wants him to get — no matter who is across the ring from him. And despite being practically preordained to become Universal Champion, he’s failed to capture the title at every turn.
His latest loss at GRR was maybe a botch. At least that’s how WWE is playing it up. But passing himself off as the “real” Universal Champion is a good way for Roman to get some heat back. His promo wasn’t anything special, but it plants the seed of doubt, even if Reigns himself doesn’t admit it. It opens up new directions for his story to go following his match with Samoa Joe at Backlash.
Plus, Reigns got the Braun Strowman rub from the six man tag match.
9. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (last week: 18)
No doubt bolstered by being in the area where they grew up, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn had one of the week’s largest jumps up in the rankings. Not only did they go from “talk show hosts” to “legitimate challengers to top superstars on Raw,” but they got to speak to the crowd with passion.
Being on the losing side of the match is of little consequence here. The fact of the matter is that both superstars got a chance to remind everyone exactly what they’re capable of. Whether it was being in Montreal, or getting a shot in a quasi-main event, Owens and Zayn were on fire this week. With any luck, it’s a sign of things to come.
8. Nia Jax (last week: 8)
No changes at all in this portion of the rankings. I put the rankings together, and I’m just as surprised as you are. But I couldn’t think of a single reason that either Jax nor Bobby Lashley should rise or fall this week. Just the way the cookie crumbles, I guess.
As far as Nia goes, she simultaneously addressed her current feud (which should have already ended, but whatever) and established a possible next step for her title reign. A cold as ice, dagger-like stare at Ronda Rousey makes you wonder if either superstar is ready for that match, but it would be a spectacle either way.
Heading into Backlash, it seems that many programs are kind of in holding patterns. Usually, it’s WrestleMania that represents the “season finale,” and the shows after that are the new direction. But this year, a Superstar Shake-up was followed by the Greatest Royal Rumble, and Backlash is a week after that. And co-branded pay per views ups the ante, so everything is in flux until after that wild schedule is done. Nia Jax is a big part of that.
7. Bobby Lashley (last week: 7)
What about Bobby Lashley? Well, somehow he’s made his big comeback just to be “Braun Strowman’s new Nicholas.” He’s doing great work, but he doesn’t seem as important as he should. It’s still early in this most recent run, but he needs to re-establish himself as a singles star sooner rather than later.
6. Ronda Rousey (last week: 2)
Ronda Rousey is still one of the main components of the women’s division on Raw. And to be frank, taking things slow with Rousey is probably for the best. Give her time to get acclimated to the world of pro wrestling, without exposing her too much and damaging one of the best aspects of her character — her no-nonsense, “I’m going to rip your arm off” aura.
Still, this week felt a little like a step backwards for Rousey. Rather than appear with either much fanfare or totally unexpectedly, Rousey was in Natalya’s corner when the Queen of Hearts faced Mickie James. Uh, okay.
It was mainly a way to counter the presence of Alexa Bliss, and of course Rousey had to chase her down to prevent outside interference. There was less physicality from Rousey after the match than last week, as well. The ups and downs are expected, though, especially so early in Rousey’s career.
5. Elias (last week: 4)
Last week, the commentary team constantly referred to Elias as a “main eventer,” which was a little weird, but okay. This week, that refrain wasn’t there, but Elias still displayed all the tenacity and toughness of a main eventer (well, future main eventer, at least).
In his victory over Bobby Roode, Elias had real command of the psychology of the match. The consistent attack on Roode’s neck and throat (even if a lot of it was via chinlock) showed a tenacity you don’t usually see from a guy who sings before concerts. It’s wonderful to see another side of Elias, who truly can be a big player on Raw for the foreseeable future.
4. Sasha Banks (last week: 9)
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Outside of the main event, Sasha Banks and Ruby Riott had the match of the night. As I mentioned during the Riott entry, it’s been somewhat uneven for the leader of the Riott Squad so far on Raw. But as far as Banks goes, it’s been steady as she goes for a while now.
What I really liked about The Boss this week is that her “feud” with Bayley was continued even though only one of them appeared on the program. Sasha said she couldn’t get in touch with Bayley about being in her corner, so she faced Ruby — and Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan — all by her lonesome.
With Sasha carrying a storyline in Bayley’s absence, plus killing it in the ring, of course she has earned recognition as one of the strongest superstars on the roster right now. Factor in her history of being atop the Raw women’s division, and she pushes closer to the top of the rankings.
3. Finn Balor (last week: 13)
No one had a better jump this week than Finn Balor, who went up ten places since last time. Hey, having match of the night will do that, you know?
Besides having a fantastic showing in the main event, Balor deserves points for his command of promo segments, and ability to evolve as a performer and character. His phrasing (“I like that BUT…” had me rolling) is matched only by his adorable “Finn Freeze” pose. And when the Finn Freeze comes after a sneak attack on a supposed ally, it’s that much better.
The new edge to Balor’s character — being willing to attack from behind and possibly take a shortcut — should be a nice change of pace. He’s still basically the same character, just a little more cynical. And that’s great.
2. Braun Strowman (last week: 1)
Please no one tell Braun Strowman he lost his spot on top of the rankings. I actually enjoy living and breathing and not having any broken ribs.
It’s less a statement on Strowman doing something wrong or disappointing that he drops down a spot this week, and more Seth Rollins being freaking amazing all around (more on that in a bit). Braun did basically the same thing he had done last week: he ran through Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn like they were paper. The runaway train vibe really resonates with Braun, it’s a great new wrinkle to his character.
My only nitpick? He’s basically in a tag team right now with Bobby Lashley, weeks after claiming he could win the tag titles on his own. Why the regression?
(Oh, and teaming with blood rival Roman Reigns is easily explained. See, Braun still isn’t finished with Reigns after all, and he’s protecting him until he decides to finish the job.)
1. Seth Rollins (last week: 3)
This was the biggest no-brainer since the New York Islanders fired Garth Snow (wait, that still hasn’t happened?). Forget triple threat — Rollins was practically a quintuple threat this week on WWE Raw.
Starting with his promo, he clearly established himself as worthy of being the top babyface on the show. He verbally attacked Brock Lesnar. He tried to put over Roman Reigns as best he could. And most importantly, he showed he has a ridiculous knack for interacting with the live crowds.
Then we get to the match, which wow. Rollins and Balor have had no shortage of great matches, but this one may have been better than all the rest. And as the reigning Intercontinental Champion — the only real singles championship on the show at the moment — Rollins has no problem carrying things.
Next: WWE Raw Review: April 30, 2018
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