This week’s episodes were very average on all shows. NXT was the best, but for a usually exciting weekly show, it didn’t do much for me this week. RAW wasn’t really good and I felt like it was SmackDown’s worst episode since moving to FOX. One can only hope things get better, but things feel weird around this time of year because of the Saudi Arabia PPV. In less than two weeks, Crown Jewel is going to take place. They have had sufficient time to build the show, but it really hasn’t garnered much interest. The thing I am most looking forward to in the WWE is the new video game that is coming out on Tuesday. Viewership is continuing to fall for SmackDown and who knows where that number will settle at. The problem obviously lies with the creative team. There are only a couple legitimate stars and they clearly have no desire to make stars. There is a struggle between the creative department and the talent and it is showing every week on TV. Like I said earlier, we can only hope things get better from here on out. Here are my Power Rankings for this week’s shows.

- 10: Becky Lynch (5)

Speaking of only a couple stars, Becky Lynch comes in this week at number 10. Last Friday, we found out she was going to stay on RAW, big shocker I know, and we were treated to a match between she and Charlotte Flair. It appears that the two will have more feuds to come, because it seems like they still aren’t seeing eye-to-eye. She beat Flair and earned RAW rights to the first pick on Monday night and by the way, RAW totally won the draft. The RAW Women’s champ appears to be in peak form a look for her to be at the top for a while.

- 9: Damian Priest (NR)

Priest was introduced to NXT for the first time this Wednesday and picked up a big win against The Bruiserweight, Pete Dunne. If you feel like you may recognize him, he used to go by Punishment Martinez in Ring of Honor. It feels like they have big things planned for Priest moving forward and it looks like he could get a title opportunity of some kind in the near future.

- 8: Tommaso Ciampa (NR)

Ciampa made his return to the ring after missing the last 8 months. He had a neck procedure and it looks like he will be back for good and on a quest to get back the NXT Championship after he had to give it up. He defeated Angel Garza in convincing fashion and it looks like he will have a short road back to the title. It’s good to see Ciampa back in action, because he is such a great talent and NXT is in a better spot with him as an active performer.

- 7: Kabuki Warriors (3)

After having a really strong couple of weeks, the Kabuki Warriors look to be making the most of their title reign. This week, they defeated the team of Lacey Evans and Natalya on RAW. I guess the new rosters take full effect next week, because Evans and Natalya are on separate shows, but it was a really solid match. It was the last match of the show, but not featured as the main event. The Kabuki Warriors are now on RAW and it will be cool to see where they end up in the next few months.

- 6: Buddy Murphy (NR)

It feels like it has been a long time since we have seen Buddy Murphy in the Power Rankings, but this week, he probably won the best match of both RAW and SmackDown. He defeated Cedric Alexander and I hope both superstars get featured more in the near future. They could bring a lot of excitement to RAW and they could even become US champ pretty soon. Looks like Murphy could get his chance before Alexander, but I guess we’ll see what happens with them.

- 5: Imperium (NR)

Walter wasn’t featured in their match, but Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel were accompanied by Alexander Wolfe and they looked dominant. They faced the team of Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, who aren’t slouches. They won in convincingly and it looks like they are poised to become a top tag team in NXT. I haven’t really seen a lot of action from these two guys, but I was impressed to see what they brought to the table on Wednesday night. Walter is the main guy in the group clearly and his leadership will be a big factor for them moving forward.

- 4: Bayley (1)

Bayley didn’t compete this week, but she was on Miz TV and it was a solid showing by the champ. It was strong and to the point. I’m glad she is a heel now and not whatever she was for the month or two prior to this change. I feel like she will keep the title for a little while, If they do it right, it should be a lot more meaningful than her last run as champ.

- 3: The Viking Raiders (NR)

Sometimes I feel like I overrate the Viking Raiders because I look more at their talent rather than the situation that they are in, but this week they deserved it. They became RAW Tag Team Champs on Monday for the first time. I felt like this was long overdue, because like I said, they are a really talented team. They haven’t had the best push since making their main roster debut, but it will be great to see them get a chance to defend championships.

- 2: Seth Rollins (NR)

Rollins is ranked number 2 this week, not because of a match, but because of his significance to a continuing storyline. Rollins literally burned it down this week on RAW. In the main event portion of the show, Bray Wyatt had another episode of Firefly Fun House, but this time it was different. Rollins promised to find where Wyatt was at and he did. He found Wyatt, attacked him, and burned down the Firefly Fun House. It remains to be seen what will happen next, but this was a very strong statement and worthy of a top 2 spot in this week’s Rankings.

- 1: Nikki Cross (NR)

For the first time ever, Nikki Cross is number 1. She was a big-time player on SmackDown this week. She interrupted Bayley’s promo and just after that, she won the 6-Pack Challenge for a chance to face Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Hopefully we see her featured as a singles competitor a lot more moving forward. She probably is one of the most underrated female competitors in the WWE and if she doesn’t win the SmackDown Championship, I hope she is in the title picture more often, because she really deserves it.

Yacs

WWE Power Rankings: Week of October 19th