Happy July 4th everyone! I hope each and every one of you guys gets the chance to relax and celebrate the great country that we live in today. Can you think of a better way to relax than by taking a glance at this week’s WWE Power Rankings on The Sports Chief? I can’t think of one. This week’s programming in WWE was a huge step in the right direction. The Paul Heyman era has officially begun on RAW and it absolutely showed. It appears that they’re going to try to counteract AEW with an edgier product and it’s about time. WWE hasn’t had any real competition in nearly 20 years and now that they have it, it will get very interesting. Both shows were considerably better and both shows had a different energy surrounding them. We’ll get a better look at it next week, but things are looking up for the WWE. Here are my WWE Power Rankings.

- 10: Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman (NR)

This was a given, right? I haven’t seen an opening with this much intensity in a very long time on a wrestling show. RAW started with a Falls Count Anywhere match between these two powerhouses and they literally brought the house down. They broke through the LED background and they literally made a bang. It was a nice touch to add pyro to ring in the new era of Heyman, let’s just hope we see more in the future.

- 9: Maria and Mike Kanellis (NR)

When was the last time we saw Maria Kanellis on WWE programming other than 205 Live? It appears that she and her husband will be on RAW for a little while with a bizarre storyline. Can this be a good thing? I think so, but will it get weird? I absolutely think it will. The duo had a match with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch on Monday night, but lost after Maria announced that she was pregnant during the middle of the match. After the match, Maria verbally abused her husband and it appears that we will see more of this on Monday nights.

- 8: Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch (1,2)

These two have been exclusively together on programming for a few weeks now and they are getting a good amount of airtime. They weren’t particularly impressive this week, but they didn’t have to be. It was more about getting Maria and Mike over for their new storyline. They have a big match against Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans in an Extreme Rules Mixed Tag Match next week, so we should see them featured quite a bit next week.

- 7: Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre (NR)

Some of you probably think these guys are overrated this week, but they were used a lot on TV this week. They were treated to another Undertaker appearance this week on RAW, so things are starting heat up on that front. They will be teaming up next week at Extreme Rules to face Taker and Roman Reigns. The match is obviously going to be carried by the younger talent, but the drawing power still lies with The Deadman and Shane O’ Mac.

- 6: Heavy Machinery (8)

It is clear that they are trying to push them into the title discussion and they totally deserve it. They had a huge victory in the main event of SmackDown against the team of Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler. Otis and Tucker have gotten more television time as of late and it is refreshing to see. We’ll see if they are the ones to take the SmackDown Tag titles at Extreme Rules.

- 5: Ricochet (9)

Ricochet came up with another big win on Monday night against AJ Styles. It looks like we could get a lengthy feud out of this and I’m glad to see it. Ricochet and Styles match up well and if done right, it could be a rivalry that we all remember. I don’t know how long they’ll keep the belt on Ricochet, but let’s enjoy it.

- 4: Samoa Joe (NR)

I wanted to rank him last week, but I couldn’t find a place for him. This week he is number 4 on the list. Samoa Joe is so good at playing the bad guy that you have to appreciate him every time he is on TV. Joe was on both shows this week and the spots he appeared in were executed wonderfully. I don’t know what the odds will look like in the match between he and Kofi at Extreme Rules, but I think he has a good chance of becoming the new WWE champion. We’ll see what transpires next week, but I like his chances.

- 3: Kofi Kingston (5)

Kofi also appeared on both shows and honestly, I could’ve grouped The New Day together in this one. Kofi was on the losing end of the 6-man tag match on RAW when Samoa Joe made him go unconscious. He got the better of Joe on SmackDown and the segment was very entertaining. A key example of an edgier product was Kofi giving Joe a certain hand gesture during their verbal dispute. His finger wasn’t shown on the replays, but you clearly saw that he raised it. This is a perfect execution of and edgier segment without going over the PG barrier. Hopefully we see little things like this to add to the product in the future.

- 2: Kevin Owens (NR)

It looks like we are starting to see the beginning stages of KO as a face. Owens is a special competitor and he could literally run with anything that he is given. Since making his return he has been undervalued, so I hope we start to see him in more meaningful segments like he was in the opener and main event on Tuesday night.

- 1: The Club (10, NR)

What a turn of events! The Club is officially a thing in WWE and are now the biggest heels in the WWE. The WWE was in dire need of a heel faction and if they do it right, they will get that and then some with The Club. In case you didn’t know, The Club will consist of AJ Styles and the team of Anderson and Gallows. Anderson and Gallows are finally getting some much-needed airtime and having them together with Styles is something that fans have been wanting to see for quite a long time. They have history in Japan and some think that there is a possibility that Finn Bálor could be added to the group as well. This will be sort of a nod to vintage WWE content of factions taking charge of weekly programs and it should be interesting to see what’s next.

Yacs

WWE Power Rankings: Week of July 4th