Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of POWER RANKINGS from Smark Out Moment! Each week, we will break down the current roster and examine who has gone up the WWE hierarchy and who has unfortunately taken a step down the ladder. Factoring in things such as wins and losses, suspensions, injuries, making a name for one's self, being humiliated, and more, who is at the top of the food chain and who needs to make up some ground next week?

Here is the key code for the rankings shorthand when referencing their position in relation to the previous week:




If the Power Rankings was simply based on promo ability, Daniel Bryan would be number one for life at this point. But, he didn't wrestle on SmackDown Live and, although he got a cheap shot on AJ Styles before their Royal Rumble clash, others had stronger weeks in the ring.


Another Raw Tag Team Championship defense for the team many once predicted would be broken up almost immediately. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable overcame The Revival's underhanded techniques on Monday, thanks in part to special referee Curt Hawkins.


It feels like AJ Styles hasn't wrestled in ages, confined currently to backstage brawls and aggressive promos with his WWE Championship opponent Daniel Bryan. This week, with Vince McMahon watching on, Styles was punked out by Bryan.


Whether you believe in Finn Balor or not, his Power Ranking position is on the up after a victory over Braun Strowman on Raw, albeit by DQ following Brock Lesnar's interference. Despite being left laying by an F-5, Balor did run wild on two towering monsters at one point, which is a big positive.


The SmackDown singles champions really fancied a week off heading into the Royal Rumble, as Women's Champion Asuka also didn't compete in a match. However, she was on the worse end of a heated brawl around ringside with her challenger Becky Lynch.


Now with Intercontinental gold wrapped around his waist, Bobby Lashley finally has something to show off other than his ass cheeks. After an unexciting posedown with Apollo Crews, Lashley defeated him fairly comprehensively to start his reign on the right foot.


The Man once again started SmackDown with a fiery promo, which eventually led to an even fierer brawl with SmackDown Women's Champion Asuka. Big things are expected for Becky Lynch at the Royal Rumble - will she leave it a champion, a challenger, or with nothing?


Although few would bet on Sasha Banks beating Ronda Rousey at the Royal Rumble for the Raw Women's Championship, she will always be responsible for putting the first 'L' in Rousey's WWE tenure. In the tag team main event, Banks forced Natalya to tap out.


While she's still yet to be pinned or made to submit, Ronda Rousey's win record was tainted by her first loss on Raw this week. Teaming with Natalya, the Raw Women's Champion could do nothing to prevent her friend tapping out to Sasha Banks and Bayley.


The man who many consider the favorite in this year's Men's Royal Rumble, Seth Rollins gained some crucial momentum on Raw by defeating a man he's likely to meet in the Rumble - Drew McIntyre. It wasn't decisive, but a big win over a big Scot secures him top spot on this week's Power Rankings.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Hideo Itami - Hideo Itami gained a psychological edge heading into the Cruiserweight Championship Fatal Four-Way at Royal Rumble by defeating both Kalisto and Akira Tozawa on 205 Live.

Samoa Joe - After last week's beating of Mustafa Ali, Samoa Joe kept it in the ring on SmackDown Live, forcing the plucky underdog to tap out to the Coquina Clutch. Joe wasn't done there, as he ruined the main event by assaulting Andrade and Rey Mysterio, before eating an RKO.

Mandy Rose - In SmackDown's biggest soap opera story right now, Mandy Rose once again got one over Naomi this week by defeating her one-on-one, with a big assist from Sonya Deville along the way.

Velveteen Dream - He may not grace us with his presence at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, but we got to see the Velveteen Dream in action on Wednesday, defeating Bobby Fish with the Purple Rainmaker.

Bayley - Finally, although Sasha Banks took all the headlines in Raw's main event, Bayley was there to team with her best friend and share in the spoils of victory over Ronda Rousey and Natalya.

BIGGEST MOVES THIS WEEK