The Judgment Day gets the spotlight in this week’s WWE Superstar Rankings, a much-deserved acknowledgement of their steady presence in recent months. Fans were left scratching their heads when the group was originally started by Edge and quickly saw Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley turn on him with the addition of Finn Balor. It’s very possible things might not have clicked with the new direction and the group would have languished in the midcard before being forgotten, but instead they’ve been a focal-point of Raw, often with multiple storylines simultaneously.
All of that being said, the rivalry with Edge ran its course and keeping Rey Mysterio involved as his son Dominik attempted to carve out a new identity just wasn’t quite working. Moving Mysterio to SmackDown and bringing back the O.C. to challenge The Judgment Day was a masterstroke by Triple H. Balor has a long history with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson from their time in the Bullet Club in Japan (in addition to their previous WWE work) and he’s shown excellent chemistry in the ring with A.J. Styles over the years. The in-ring work should be excellent, and we’ll finally get some fresh matchups for Damian Priest and Dominik, as well. The O.C. also provides moments of levity, which Edge and Mysterio just couldn’t provide given how their respective stories were written.
As you’ll see below, the highlight of the week for many was seeing Rhea Ripley slam the 6-foot-8, 300-pound Luke Gallows on Raw. Between her impressive physicality and her “control” of Dominik, she’s shaping up to be the breakout star of the group. If and when she returns to in-ring action on a regular basis — her match against Roxanne Perez on NXT was her first in four months due to brain and teeth injuries — she’s a logical candidate to take the Women’s Championship away from Bianca Belair. For now, though, we’ll sit back and see how The O.C. can come up with a solution for Ripley leading into WWE Crown Jewel on Saturday, November 5, live on Peacock.
With those kudos out of the way, let’s get into this week’s rankings. Be sure to read on beyond the table for our write-ups.
Change Key:
NC = No Change from last week
NR = Not Ranked last week
Plus = Moved up from last week
Minus = Moved down from last week
| Rank | Superstar | Brand | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seth “Freakin’” Rollins — United States Champion | Raw | NC |
| 2 | Roman Reigns – Undisputed WWE Universal Champion | SmackDown | +1 |
| 3 | The Bloodline — Undisputed Tag Team Champions | SmackDown | +1 |
| 4 | Bianca Belair — Raw Women’s Champion | Raw | -1 |
| 5 | Damage CTRL — Women’s Tag Team Champions | Raw | +1 |
| 6 | Imperium - Intercontinental Champion | SmackDown | -1 |
| 7 | The Judgment Day | Raw | +2 |
| 8 | Bobby Lashley | Raw | -1 |
| 9 | Ronda Rousey — SmackDown Women’s Champion | SmackDown | -1 |
| 10 | Braun Strowman | SmackDown | NC |
| 11 | Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett | SmackDown | NC |
| 12 | Rey Mysterio | SmackDown | +4 |
| 13 | Matt Riddle | Raw | NC |
| 14 | Bray Wyatt | SmackDown | NC |
| 15 | Baron Corbin | Raw | +5 |
| 16 | Brock Lesnar | Raw | +1 |
| 17 | Omos | Raw | NR |
| 18 | The Brawling Brutes | SmackDown | -3 |
| 19 | Drew McIntyre | SmackDown | -1 |
| 20 | Logan Paul | SmackDown | NR |
1. Seth Rollins — United States Champion, (NC)
He is a Visionary, He is a Revolutionary, He is the WWE United States Champion, and he is still atop our weekly rankings. Seth “Freakin” Rollins continues to roll after effectively ending his feud with Matt Riddle last week in his first title defense. This week he aimed his target at his newest challenger, Mustafa Ali. Ali took on Austin Theory one-on-one where Rollins did some guest commentary in support of his former disciple.
In what was a solid back-and-forth match, Ali was setting up to end things when Rollins got involved by distracting the referee and Ali which led to Theory hitting the A-Town Down to pick up the win. However, Rollins was not quite done with Ali, ceremoniously tossing him around the ringside area all while saying Ali doesn’t belong in the ring with him. After trying to leave on a high note, Rollins found out that Ali isn’t going away easily and surprised the champ leading to a brawl on the stage. This rivalry continues to build and when these two finally go at it in the ring it has show-stealer written all over it.
2. Roman Reigns — Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, (+1)
We haven’t seen “The Tribal Chief” in a few weeks but his presence has been felt through The Bloodline. Now as he is set to make his return to SmackDown, Roman Reigns moves up a spot in the ranks this week. Reigns will have a lot to sort out with his group after Jey Uso went against his orders to leave Logan Paul alone. With things picking up quickly on the road to Crown Jewel, expect “The Head of the Table” to right the ship with his group.
3. The Bloodline — Undisputed Tag Team Champions, (+1)
Speaking of Reigns’ group, The Bloodline also moves up one this week. “The Enforcer” Solo Sikoa kicked off SmackDown picking up the victory against Sheamus. After taking out Butch and Ridge with the announce table that left an already hurt Sheamus at the mercy of The Bloodline. After trapping Sheamus’ arm in a chair “Main Event” Jey Uso then swung for the fences with a chair of his own to show that you don’t cross or disrespect that family.
After reveling in what they just did “The Honorary Uce” Sami Zayn was ready to call it a night for the group. Jey had other plans, though, wanting to do the same to Logan Paul as soon as he arrived at the arena. Sami tried to talk Jey down reminding him that Reigns’ told them not to engage Paul. That wasn’t quite what Jey had planned, He attacked Paul from behind but in a flash was left looking up at the lights after a right hand. What consequences await both Sami and Jey this Friday with Roman’s return? We will just have to wait and see.
4. Bianca Belair — Raw Women’s Champion, (-2)
“The EST of WWE” takes a small step back this week in the rankings after a loss to Bayley one-on-one. Now of course we have to say Bianca Belair had the match won but the return of an unhinged Nikki Cross took out the champion. This will be another thing that Bayley can tout against Belair she has now pinned Bianca twice while Belair has not pinned her yet. This feud is coming to a head with one more title match all but confirmed.
5. Damage CTRL — Women’s Tag Team Champions, (+1)
Looking at the other side of the coin, Damage CTRL takes a step forward this week. As mentioned “The Role Model” Bayley was able to get the win against Belair this week. Dakota Kai and IYO SKY successfully defended their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships against a very game Shotzi and Raquel Rodriguez. Things are starting to take shape for this trio and who knows maybe Bayley does win the title from Belair. If she can do so this group will certainly take over control of the women’s division.
6. Imperium — Intercontinental Champion, (-1)
It was far from the ideal week for Imperium. They only saw action in one match and had no promo time. In that one match, group scapegoat Ludwig Kaiser was beaten by a crafty Rey Mysterio who was able to eliminate Gunther and Vinci from the equation by harkening back to old buddy Eddie Guerrero. But as smart as Mysterio’s chair trick made him look, it made Gunther and Vinci looked equally foolish. Coming off a fantastic program with The Brawling Brutes, it’s a bit deflating that the group’s next rivalry seems to be with Mysterio who, while a still-entertaining Hall of Famer, literally just finished a similar overwhelming odds vs. a stable storyline on Raw.
7. The Judgment Day — Raw, (+2)
Speaking of that Raw stable. The Judgment Day continue to rise after getting more quality screen time over on the red brand. Dominik Mysterio had a nice promo that became a highly-entertaining exchange between former Bullet Club buds Balor and The O.C. We then got a really fun matchup between Balor and Karl Anderson that featured Rhea Ripley SLAMMING LUKE GALLOWS in what had to hands-down be the moment of the week. Balor got the underhanded win via a low blow to Anderson from Ripley as well. Things keep coming up Judgment Day and boy how far this group has come in just six months.
8. Bobby Lashley — Raw, (-1)
Bobby Lashley wasn’t on TV this week, instead getting a promo package for his Crown Jewel matchup against Brock Lesnar on Raw. Said package and storyline really doesn’t seem to want to sink its teeth into the history these two have, at least not yet. Perhaps and hopefully that will come later, but for now it doesn’t serve as enough for Lashley to hold onto last week’s spot or move up. Given the intrigue of this matchup and Lashley’s recent U.S. Championship hot streak, we’re only dropping him one spot for now.
9. Ronda Rousey — SmackDown Women’s Champion, (-1)
Well, Ronda Rousey‘s a heel again. The Baddest Woman on the Planet wasn’t in action this week, but cut a scathing promo on the WWE Universe. The move is a bit odd, because Liv Morgan seemed to be the one getting more a “eh” or hate response in Ronda’s previous rivalry, positioning her to remain a face. The promo itself also felt pretty cookie-cutter and bland. It’ll be interesting to see where this goes, but it’s not off to a great start.
10. Braun Strowman — SmackDown, (NC)
No movement for Braun Strowman here, which is what could also be said for both he and new rival Omos literally as neither giant wanted to cede any ground when the two stood toe-to-toe with each other on SmackDown. The moment was a surreal one, as it’s so rare to see someone else towering over Strowman. And Braun did a solid job of keeping up with MVP on the mic before The Nigerian Giant emerged from backstage. The clash between these two behemoths at Crown Jewel, which was made official in this segment, will be a spectacle for sure, but the question is will the quality of the match live up to the optics?
11. Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett - SmackDown, (NC)
Last we saw Kross, he was attacked by Drew McIntyre in the parking lot leading to Rey Mysterio replacing him in a fatal four-way and earning No. 1 contender status for the Intercontinental Championship. McIntyre appeared in a backstage segment on SmackDown last Friday where it was announced that he’ll collide with Kross once again, this time in a cage match at Crown Jewel on November 5th. However, he also said that WWE management has advised them to stay away from each other until the match. That might not do any favors to help a rivalry which hasn’t connected as hoped until this point.
12. Rey Mysterio — SmackDown, (+4)
Inactivity from Kevin Owens and Edge and lack of recent in-ring work from Drew McIntyre has allowed Rey Mysterio to continue to rise in the ranks. To his credit, Mysterio has been on fire in the ring as well as he leaves the Dominik/Judgment Day rivalry behind him. After winning as a last-minute replacement in a No. 1 contender Intercontinental Championship fatal four-way for his return match on SmackDown, the legendary luchador was victorious against Ludwig Kaiser last Friday. And he used a trademark tactic from his late friend Eddie Guerrero in order to do it, as he faked that he was hit by a chair in order to get Imperium members Gunther and Giovanni Vinci ejected from ringside. It helped turn the tables in Mysterio’s favor, as he eventually was able to hit a 619 and a splash for the win. Gunther’s rivalry with Sheamus was a ton of fun, but the contrast with Mysterio has a chance to be very entertaining. This refresh is working for the Future Hall of Famer.
13. Matt Riddle — Raw, (NC)
From the Fight Pit to the Rhythm Section? Really? If you were hoping Matt Riddle’s win over Seth Rollins in the Fight Pit would vault him into some sort of new stratosphere as a singles competitor, well, it’s not happening just yet. As of now, he’s shoehorned into an angle with the returning Elias, possibly as a tag team or magical musical duo. Riddle interrupted Elias’ musical return last week, but this time he came to his aid after he was being attacked by Alpha Academy. We know Riddle can do the goofy unlikely alliance. He’s done it multiple times across the main roster and NXT. This style suits him well for now if this is where he needs to be on the card, but we can’t help but want more for the “Original Bro.”
14. Bray Wyatt — SmackDown, (NC)
Bray Wyatt has yet to jump back into the ring since his return, but he’s still the most buzzed-about name on the roster right now. That’s a testament to the strength of his character and creativity. Kudos also go out to the folks behind the scenes who have created a wild goose chase with every little breadcrumb through QR codes and other mediums. On SmackDown last week, we saw the arrival of the much-discussed Uncle Howdy mask as well as a backstage promo from Wyatt where he said he’s going to do “horrible horrible things” and will “never regret them.” Delivered with a wink, the final haunting words from Wyatt were,” “I am just a servant now, I go where the circle takes me.” We have no idea where this is headed, but that’s what makes it so fun. We’re all in.
15. Baron Corbin — Raw, (+5)
Baron Corbin is the biggest mover among the superstars who were featured on last week’s list. After defeating Dolph Ziggler in his return last week, “The Modern Day Wrestling God” scored a victory over Johnny Gargano on Raw this week. Of course, he needed some outside interference in order for it to happen, but Gargano pretty much asked for it by taking and parading around with JBL’s hat. The alliance with JBL appears to be a promising combination as Corbin evolves past the “Happy” gimmick, but the ring attire still leaves a lot to be desired. He’s headed in a good direction in our rankings, quite obviously, but hopefully tweaks continue to be made here.
16. Brock Lesnar — Raw, (+1)
While the Beast does move up a spot, it didn’t have much to do with anything Lesnar did as it was another week where he was absent from TV. Instead, there was a video package previewing his clash against Bobby Lashley at Crown Jewel. But even the video package left a lot to be desired. It essentially set the scene as two alpha males colliding – no depth to the story at all. They could have delved into their MMA backgrounds, and they most definitely could have built this more around Lesnar wanting to avenge his loss to Lashley from the Royal Rumble. While I have no doubt the two can have an entertaining matchup, there’s not a whole lot to sink your teeth into outside of seeing two big dudes beat the heck out of each other.
17. Omos — Raw, (NR)
Speaking of big dudes, Omos defeated four enhancement talents in a handicap match on Raw as he gears up for his match against Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel. He also stood face to face with Strowman last Friday on SmackDown, and it was a great visual. While Strowman may be a monster, he literally was looking up to Omos in the stare-down. I don’t have high hopes for this matchup, but the confrontation did start to build at least a little intrigue into their upcoming clash.
18. The Brawling Brutes — SmackDown, (-3)
After an impressive and lengthy feud with Imperium, the Brawling Brutes keep slipping down the rankings. They moved on from Imperium into another high-profile feud, this time against the Bloodline. The only problem is that the Bloodline seems to have their number. The numbers game proved to be too much on SmackDown this week as Solo Sikoa picked up a huge win over Sheamus, and after incapacitating Ridge Holland and Butch, the Usos and Sami Zayn joined Sikoa to take out the Celtic Warrior, specifically targeting his arm. If Sheamus ends up missing some time, the Brutes could find themselves on the outside looking in for these rankings.
19. Drew McIntyre — SmackDown, (-1)
It was a relatively quiet week for McIntyre. A week after injuring Karrion Kross in a car accident, McIntyre challenged his rival to a Steel Cage match at Crown Jewel. Something just hasn’t really been clicking in this feud, and I’m not sure the cage match will change that. Maybe it will just be best for that to be the final chapter in this feud and let the two Superstars travel down different paths moving forward.
20. Logan Paul — SmackDown, (NR)
The social media megastar was back on WWE TV this week as he closed out SmackDown. Logan Paul came out to talk about his upcoming championship match against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel but was interrupted by Jey Uso. Despite the Roman Reigns warning the Bloodline that he didn’t want anyone getting involved with Paul, Jey lived up to his name as a hot head and defied those orders. Sami Zayn came out to try and stop him, but in the end, Paul caught Jey with a thunderous right hand, dropping the tag team champ. If he can land a punch like that against Reigns, will we see a new champ?
On the cusp: Kevin Owens, The O.C, Austin Theory, Mustafa Ali, Nikki Cross, Liv Morgan, Legado del Fantasma w/ Zelina Vega, Elias, Johnny Gargano
Who’s NXT: Bron Breakker, Toxic Attraction (including Mandy Rose), Wes Lee, Pretty Deadly, Roxanne Perez, Creed Brothers, Kayden Carter & Katana Chance, JD McDonagh, Carmelo Hayes, Cora Jade, Apollo Crews
