AJ Styles and the Top WWE Superstar Rankings Ahead of May 16 Raw

Credit: WWE.com
Colin Cassady confronts Chris Jericho.

With WWE doing such a good job of juggling several storylines and numerous Superstars at the same time, it's gets harder to rank them by performance with each passing week.

The pacing of storylines feels more natural than it used to, and the large number of newer wrestlers on the roster has shaken things up quite a bit. We used to see the same guys in the same storylines year after year, but lately we have been getting first-time matches on a regular basis.

WWE keeps talking about its New Era, and while it's hard to take a company seriously when it pushes something like that on its fans, there might be some truth to the claim.

Let's take a look at how the Superstar Power Rankings changed this week.

Previous Rank: Unranked

For many months, The New Day carried the tag team division, but that is no longer necessary thanks to the return of The Dudley Boyz and the emergence of several new teams.

Even with some of the weight lifted, Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods are still trying just as hard to be the life of the party every single night.

WWE turned the group babyface at the perfect time because the crowd was starting to cheer regardless of how insulting the stable was.

Kingston got the chance to show off some of what made him a great singles wrestler when he faced Aiden English on SmackDown, but the group suffered a loss at the hands of The Dudley Boyz on Raw.

New Day's reign as tag champs may be coming to an end soon, but there doesn't appear to be an end in sight for the stable. We should expect it to stick around until it's no longer one of the best acts in WWE, which shouldn't be the case for a long time.

Previous Rank: Unranked

All the recent hype surrounding AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows has overshadowed The Usos a bit, but they deserve recognition for how hard they have worked during this feud.

WWE took a risk and paired up one of the most popular tag teams with one of the most unpopular babyfaces in recent memory, but to The Uso's credit, they have managed to stay over with the crowd.

Their work against Anderson, Gallows and Styles this week highlighted all of Jimmy and Jey's strengths, allowing them to finally stand out in a program in which they are only there for support.

It's only a matter of time before they are back in the hunt for the tag titles, but for the time being, they are doing a great job helping Anderson and Gallows get over with the crowd.

Previous Rank: No. 5

Anderson and Gallows are becoming more involved in the main event storyline with each passing week, but they need to establish an identity outside of being Styles' buddies, and soon.

Their ring work speaks for itself, and the fans gave them a warm welcome after the duo made names for themselves in Japan, but after Extreme Rules, they need to start setting their own goals.

Helping Styles in his feud with Reigns was a good way to introduce Anderson and Gallows to the members of the WWE Universe who didn't know who they were, but it's time to find out what makes them tick.

Having a match with The Usos on SmackDown without Reigns and Styles being distractions allowed them to shine on their own, and hopefully they'll begin to do their own thing after Extreme Rules.

Previous Rank: Unranked

Paige has been sitting on the sidelines so some of the newer women on the roster can establish themselves, but she got some of the spotlight back this week after an excellent match against Charlotte on Raw.

Paige's wrestling ability has always helped her stand out from the crowd, and her performance against Charlotte helped them deliver one of the best bouts of the week.

With so many talented women competing for screen time, it might be time to consider a second championship for the division.

It could be something along the lines of an intercontinental title equivalent, but a better option may be to create a set of women's tag belts.

With women like Paige, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Emma, Dana Brooke, Charlotte, Naomi, Tamina and Natalya as well as the eventual call-ups of Bayley, Asuka and Carmella, there is more than enough talent to justify bringing in a second championship.

Previous Rank: Various

The IC title feud has become one of the brighter spots on WWE television, and it's thanks to the efforts of Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Sami Zayn and the champ himself, The Miz.

Ranking these four men separately is pointless right now because they are all equally responsible for making this storyline so much fun. Whether it's the great matches they have been putting on, the entertaining promos between them or seeing every combination of these four men in the ring, they are all doing some of their best work to date.

Having Maryse by his side has helped The Miz regain some of the fire he had when he was WWE champion, and the three challengers are all making it hard to predict who will walk out of Extreme Rules with the title.

Previous Rank: Unranked

Chris Jericho is doing some of his best heel work in years thanks to his feud with Dean Ambrose, and it doesn't look like he'll slow down anytime soon.

The way he manages to make the crowd love him or hate him at will is a truly special talent, one few Superstars have mastered as well as Y2J.

Only Jericho could make you hate him for smashing a plant named Mitch over someone else's head. He really is the best in the world at what he does.

We always know Y2J is going to end up leaving again so he can focus on other projects, so we should enjoy him while we still have the chance.

Previous Rank: No. 8

Nobody will ever say Enzo Amore's injury at Payback was a good thing, but having a chance to show what he can do on his own has allowed Colin Cassady to become so much more than the muscle in a tag team.

His segments with Chris Jericho on Raw put him under the brightest spotlight of his career, and he seized the opportunity with both hands.

He might not have actually wrestled Jericho in the main event, but being put in that segment at all was a great sign that management is looking at Big Cass as a future singles star.

We all want him to stay with Amore as a tag team for a long time since they are so good together, but if the past week has told us anything, it's that Cassady will be just fine on his own when the time comes to split them up.

Previous Rank: No. 3

Whether you love or hate him, there's no denying how hard Reigns has been working over the past few months.

He might not change the opinion of many fans when it comes to his character, but he has definitely earned more respect by continuing to improve in the ring and keeping up with guys like Styles and Seth Rollins during their matches.

The slow transition from boring babyface into a character more concerned with his own success has been done well, and the creative team should be commended for realizing this was the best route to take his character.

Previous Rank: Unranked

No matter what the situation is, Ambrose is capable of making any segment entertaining. He proved that much by getting a plant named Mitch over with the crowd.

Heading into Payback, Ambrose and Jericho's feud felt slightly underdeveloped, but over the past few weeks, they have managed to make us care about their rivalry.

The segment on Raw where Ambrose destroyed Jericho's jacket provided a few good laughs, but it also drove the storyline forward, because Jericho did a great job making us believe he loved that jacket.

Ambrose is one of the most useful characters on the roster, and if the WWE Universe had its way, he would be WWE world heavyweight champion by the end of the year.

Previous Rank: No. 1

Styles' mere presence on the WWE roster is something many of us thought we would never see, but seeing him propelled to the top of the card within a couple of months after his debut is something nobody saw coming.

To say Styles has lived up to expectations would be an understatement. He has met and exceeded any goals anyone could have set for him when he first debuted.

He continues to deliver great matches every single week, and now that he has Anderson and Gallows by his side, The Bullet Club has had a presence in New Japan, Ring of Honor and now WWE.

The Phenomenal One isn't some nickname Styles thought sounded cool; it's a title he has earned by being one of the best performers on any roster in the world.

The build for his match with Reigns has been interesting because both men are treading the line between heel and babyface, but the crowd clearly has its favorite. If Styles wins the title at Extreme Rules, expect one of the loudest pops you have ever heard.

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