With the debate around Roman, I started thinking last night how does the WWE actually rank their wrestlers in terms of priority. That can mean booking, card placement, external media, or any other way you feel is appropriate.

For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to leave the McMahon family (including Hunter) out of my rankings, because I think we know they feel they’re the top draws.

1) Brock Lesnar. Even on the way out the door (allegedly), Brock is still THE MAN in the WWE. He’s the top draw, and his booking and match style reflects that.

2) Roman Reigns. The man that the WWE wants to be their next face, has earned it in the ring, but can’t connect with the fans.

3) Ronda Rousey. Rousey is their new cross-over star, and she’ll be the flagship female star moving forward.

4) John Cena. He’s winding down, but the external commitments arguably make him more valuable to the WWE moving forward.

5) Charlotte. They clearly want her to be “The Ric Flair” of the Women’s Division, and she’s booked like a badass.

6) Braun Strowman. No matter what, they always let Braun get his heat back.

7) AJ Styles. They’ve entrusted the B-Show to him, and he’s done a solid job carrying it for nearly two years now.

8) The Miz. He may be mid card forever these days, but he’s the best promo in the company, and he’s the face of the media tours. His booking and card placement doesn’t reflect his true value.

9) Kevin Owens. His booking the last year in a super long feud with the McMahon family isn’t an accident. I think he started as a Triple H guy, but Vince allowing the headbutt wouldn’t have happened without Vince loving him.

10) Daniel Bryan. I debated New Day, Usos and Rollins, but I think the WWE knows the value of a Daniel Bryan with their fans.

I noticed that Asuka's now out of the Top 10. I wonder how much that loss is gonna hurt her going forward.

Apr 9, 2018 17:11:03 GMT CM Punk'd said:

I noticed that Asuka's now out of the Top 10. I wonder how much that loss is gonna hurt her going forward.

Now out of the top ten? Like she was there before in non existant rankings? 

I don't think KJ is too far off at all , I think Daniel could/should be higher. A lot of that depends on what type of schedule he can work and how much the WWE is going to trust him to stay healthy. I'd probably move him up there , at least neck and neck with Braun at the moment and the potential to get into the top three. 

Is Undertaker excluded because he's only a one match per year guy? Would he be #11? Or impossible to rank?

I'd also be curious to see where Orton ranks. Clearly not in the top ten, but how far outside of it?

Apr 9, 2018 17:23:36 GMT 🤯 said:

Is Undertaker excluded because he's only a one match per year guy? Would he be #11? Or impossible to rank?

I'd also be curious to see where Orton ranks. Clearly not in the top ten, but how far outside of it?

#27 at least. 

I don't watch a lot of Smackdown , just pieces and people that interest me - so needless to say it's been awhile since I watched Orton and I was so fucking bored by the 45 second mark last night. 

Rusev should be up there , that guy is OVER and another longtime favorite of mine. He might be #11 to be honest , despite shitty booking. Also Alexa for pure talent alone and being able to get anything out of Nia deserves to be up there , probably ahead of the aforementioned Asuka. 

I’m specifically ranking guys based on internal value, not overness. I don’t think the WWE values Rusev at all. They fucking buried him last night when it was such an easy booking decision to run without rusev day.

I left Taker our just because he is a conundrum.

My next 10, in no particular order, are: Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Rollins, New Day, Usos, Balor, Orton, Zayn, Nakamura, and Elias.

So you're saying there is no internal value , or value to the WWE if someone is over? I don't disagree as they generally prove that rule but it should stand for something. Also Nia needs to be in the next ten , she pinned Alexa clean last night and the WWE continues to show us she is going to be a huge part of the women's division going forward.

True to the point of the booking last night , Jinder winning and setting up a feud is one thing but there is really no reason for him to pin Rusev. Hopefully it culminates in Rusev getting the rub back and does so before the shine wears off.

Eh, I don’t think overness is unimportant, but I don’t think it automatically adds value (in their eyes).

How many guys have been buried because their overness didn’t fit the company’s plans?

Also, I should’ve had Jinder in the next Top-10.

Zack Ryder is the glaring one , but even he got an eventual moment in the sun out of it. They used his overness to pop a Wrestlemania crowd in the opener so they seen SOME value in it. The idea that someone being that over doesn't have value (in their eyes) is part of the problem with the company - overness matters to presentation , perception and even match quality. In a company that struggles so much to find stars the audience connects with you'd think they would jump at the chance to push someone who is actually over.

And I don't mean just the main event guys , I mean up and down the card. Not everyone who is over needs to be champion either , just used better. Anyways I'm getting off course.

Jinder sadly probably belongs in the Top 20 , this international appeal schtick gets real old too.

KJ nailed it, in my fairly uneducated opinion. I imagine Bryan will be zooming up the list over the next six months. It's hard to judge Cena's worth because he's a part timer now, so I'd be inclined to drop him below Charlotte and Braun, although the difference in their "internal star power" is minimal.

Apr 9, 2018 17:42:26 GMT UT said:

So you're saying there is no internal value , or value to the WWE if someone is over? I don't disagree as they generally prove that rule but it should stand for something. Also Nia needs to be in the next ten , she pinned Alexa clean last night and the WWE continues to show us she is going to be a huge part of the women's division going forward.

True to the point of the booking last night , Jinder winning and setting up a feud is one thing but there is really no reason for him to pin Rusev. Hopefully it culminates in Rusev getting the rub back and does so before the shine wears off.

Do we know she's going to be a big part of the womens division moving forward?  Obviously in the short term she will be as she is the champ but I can't see WWE really building a division around Nia. Honestly I could see her lose the belt back to Bliss in the rematch and then just fade back in to the background.  I just don't see much upside to Nia Jax.

1. Roman Reigns
It wouldn’t surprise me if he mainevents more Manias than Hogan.
Fans will come around just like they did for Cena and he’ll be considered one of the greats.

2. Brock Lesnar

As much as I love Brock, he doesn’t come cheap and his alleged poor attitude and behaviour must be worth putting up with in the eyes of the WWE.


3. John Cena
Cena couldn’t attend the house shows in Australia after Rollins broke his nose. They announced this at the start of the show and offered refunds to anyone that wanted one. No card subject to change, that’s how much they think Cena is worth.

4. Randy Orton
Orton is a great hand, and WWE utilise him wherever needed. Need a main event? Randy’s a safe choice. Need someone to help younger talent? Randy’s your guy. He’s so brilliant and flawless in the ring it makes him seem lazy. He’s accomplished pretty much everything you can in WWE, and he’s arguably the biggest draw that’s full time.


5. Dolph Ziggler

What? Dolph? Ziggler is pretty much a jobber to the stars, and he excels in that role. He was obviously worth keeping around for a lucrative deal, and while he doesn’t win big matches WWE know his worth. Need someone to look good? WWE knows Dolph can sell Ice to Eskimo’s so he’s your guy.

6. AJ Styles
It’s such a sign of the times that WWE have made AJ who pretty much was THE face of TNA such a huge star in WWE. He even managed to get Brock to give him a great match which he doesn’t seem to like to do against smaller guys.

7. Kevin Owens

Despite looking like the exact opposite of a WWE guy, KO has been treated like a big deal as soon as he debuted, and involved with some of the highest profile people in WWE. It’s obvious they have big things planned for him in the future.

8. Asuka
Yes, she lost at Wrestlemania but that’s 1 loss..at Mania.
Giving her the longest streak in WWE history and such strong booking, including winning the first ever women’s rumble shows how much value they see in her.

9. The Miz

Need someone to carry a mid-card division? Here’s your answer.
One of the best guys to use for press outside WWE that isn’t a maineventer, there’s a reason he’s been with the company for so long.

10. Braun Strowman

Despite some questionable booking lately, he’s one of the most over faces in WWE, though sadly it looks like he’ll eventually be in the Kane/Big Show role of being the guy that the new champion always beats..that’s still a very valuable position in WWE’s eyes.