WWE SmackDown Power Rankings: Shinsuke Nakamura One Step Away

8. Rusev

Corey Graves was joking when he said that it’s Rusev Day on every day except for the seventh day, because that’s when it’s Lana Day. But to be honest with you, I’d love to see Rusev, Lana, and Aiden English roll with that as another wrinkle to this gift of a gimmick. On SmackDown Live, Lana qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating Billie Kay in beyond shocking fashion, meaning that both Rusev and Lana are in their respective ladder matches.

Rusev isn’t one of the most likely picks to win the ladder match, but he’s a sleeper worth rooting for. After all, he defeated Daniel Bryan in the main event of SmackDown Live to qualify for MITB, and there’s a world of potential storyline-wise with Lana, English, and Rusev in possession of the coveted briefcase.

7. Jeff Hardy, United States Champion

I might have Jeff Hardy a little too low on this list, especially since he was in the top five two weeks ago. But Hardy lost some momentum by losing to Daniel Bryan, tapping out to a Heel Hook. While there’s no shame in losing to Bryan, it also feels like Hardy’s United States Championship reign might not last past Money in the Bank. That said, Hardy has been a terrific US Champion, and he’s been the best US Champion since…oh my gosh I can’t even remember the last good US Champ.

Anyway, Hardy still has it, and it’s been awesome watching him with the title on SmackDown Live. That title win over Jinder Mahal on Raw was an absolute blessing.