With a lacking product last week, both shows started and ended red hot. Here’s how the WWE Power Rankings played out this time.
10. Matt Hardy
It was just another video promo, yet it got deeper into what the Hardy compound is. We were introduced to new players, that being Matt’s wife, children, and father. This all comes to a head next week for an exciting outcome.
9. Seth Rollins
Though he didn’t win the match, he had it in the palm of his hand. The earlier Miz TV segment saw Rollins get the exclamation point by laying out Balor. He was pretty strong in it all.
8. Bludgeon Brothers
Well, they are certainly living up to their name of billing. After interrupting the tag team championship match at Fastlane and injuring three out of five people involved in the event, they came to SmackDown to finish off Jimmy Uso and Big E. They are bludgeoning everyone one in their way, breaking down and piling up bodies left and right. They’ve now caused injuries to the top teams in the tag division.
7. Shinsuke Nakamura
It’s been a while since we saw anything significant from the King of Strong Style. Not only did he talk about his dream match at WrestleMania against AJ Styles, he also saved him at the end of the match, hitting a Kinshasha, followed by another promo with his opponent backstage.
6. Nia Jax
Nia is on a rampage after finding out what Alexa Bliss and Mickie James have said about her. She’s shown great emotional range in both sadness after losing, to absolute rage when destroying the dressing room in search of Bliss. Jax has made you really feel for her, getting this estrangement very over.
5. Finn Balor
By the end of Raw, it was Finn who laughed last as he got the roll up over Seth Rollins. Anytime you defeat a big-time superstar like that, it’s a big moment. He also didn’t hesitate to remind Rollins who won at their 2016 SummerSlam Universal Title Match.
4. Roman Reigns
It’s difficult to build up a WrestleMania main event feud when your opponent doesn’t show up each week, but despite that, Reigns is pulling it off. His realm of breaking kayfabe went up a notch when he went backstage to Gorilla position to confront Vince McMahon about Brock Lesnar’s continued absence. He has since been suspended, though I doubt anyone would expect him not to show up next week. This has gotten the fans on Roman’s side.
3. Braun Strowman
Without a clear road to WrestleMania, Braun made his own by winning the tag-team battle royal even though he didn’t have a partner, not that he needs one. This was fantastic booking as Braun dominated the entire event as we wait to see how this unfolds. Will they let him fight without a partner? If he does need one, who will it be?
2. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn
Understandably its kind of cheating to have people at the same spot, but when they worked together for the most significant part of SmackDown in weeks, there’s an exception. Sami and KO put their differences aside and closed the show by dismantling Shane McMahon, which included putting his head through a chair while throwing him into the turnbuckle and power bombing him onto a metal box backstage. This has set repercussions that Daniel Bryan surely will address next week, with all of us hoping it means he returns back to the ring.
1. John Cena
Cena was electric throughout this entire segment. It started with going into the crowd and having a sip of beer from a fan, then it extended to starting numerous chants from the crowd including “this is awesome” “let’s go Roman” and fittingly, “Let’s go, Cena, (Cena sucks”). The crescendo, of course, was once again calling out the Undertaker, questioning him for caring too much about his ego possibly getting hurt. It was Cena calling out his manhood, and then brought in the reality era when he mentioned videos on Taker’s wife’s (Michelle McCool) Instagram of the deadman working out. It’s apparent we will get these two at WrestleMania, but once again, Cena’s segment was the talk of the town.
Exciting times are ahead of us for the weeks to come. Plenty of matches have already been made but there are still a few yet to be announced that we should see soon. The storylines are growing, each one better than the last.