Power Rankings — Week of November 05, 2023

Power Rankings — Week of November 05, 2023
Ricky Cañeso Jr.

Welcome to the Midcarder Power Rankings. Every week, our wrestling experts—Cameron Carstensen, David Carstensen, and Justin Glazner—will rank the top wrestlers in the world in order from No. 1 to No. 25. We’re taking into account recent performance, championship reign, win/loss records, backstage shenanigans, message board buzz, and much more to rank the top performers, every week.  This week, Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn burn it down, Devil Worshippers continue to meddle with MJF, and  War (Games) is declared. Did your favorite crack the rankings this week? Find out below.

Welcome to the most accurate wrestler power rankings on the World Wide Web:


01

02

+1

LAST WEEK

25-5

2023 TV RECORD

Seth Rollins

World Heavyweight Champion

WWE RAW
Seth Rollins

With a strong performance at Crown Jewel, and an instant classic on RAW against Sami Zayn, it’s no surprise Seth Rollins tops the list at no. 1. He is, arguably, the best in-ring performer on the planet, and no one's close. And with a upcoming War Games match against Judgment Day, he’s likely to hold onto this spot for a while. — CC

02

01

-1

LAST WEEK

19-14

2023 TV RECORD

LA Knight

WWE SmackDown
LA Knight

The amazing outing of Seth Rollins against Sami Zayn outshined LA Knight against Grayson "What's With The Spongebob Motif" Waller this week. LA landed some hard verbal zingers against Waller. I dare not spoil it for you... you have YouTube, go look for it, it's worth it, and I can't do it justice inside a ranking. Otherwise, is he still the top guy on SmackDown? YEAH! — JG

03

04

+1

LAST WEEK

5-2

2023 TV RECORD

Roman Reigns

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion

WWE SmackDown
Roman Reigns

The Tribal Chief managed to move up the rankings despite being on another extended leave. His presence is felt on SmackDown even when gone, and with LA Knight promising he isn’t done with Roman and the Bloodline, we could see LA work his way back to the Head of the Table. Are we heading towards a WrestleMania main event against Cody, LA or his cousin? 8 ball says “Ask again later”. — DC

04

14

+10

LAST WEEK

20-18

2023 TV RECORD

Sami Zayn

WWE RAW
Sami Zayn

A personal favorite of mine, seeing Sami Zayn shoot up these rankings was cathartic. Coming off a sensational match against Seth Rollins on RAW, and with his inclusion in War Games at Survivor Series, suddenly the thought of Sami holding a major single championship again doesn’t seem too far fetched. — CC

05

03

-2

LAST WEEK

18-7

2023 TV RECORD

Gunther

WWE Intercontinental Champion

WWE RAW
Gunther

I hate seeing that Gunther has to drop in the rankings. I also hate that he hasn't wrestled for very nearly a month. (We've seen longer lately.) In fact, except for Ludwig Kaiser wrestling and defeating Apollo Crews on Main Event (it counts as TV, folks!), Imperium didn't wrestle at all this week. I understand the "how can I miss you if you won't go away" logic. Just don't stay away too long, please? — JG

06

06

LAST WEEK

11-11

2023 TV RECORD

Shinsuke Nakamura

WWE RAW
Shinsuke Nakamura

Despite telling everyone he needs to be awakened, Shinsuke Nakamura was wide awake this week on RAW against Tozawa (Who's amazing, by the way, rankings be damned!). Shinsuke has consistenly been one of the most entertaining parts of RAW for the last few months, and has become a personal favorite of mine. His work, both in-ring and out, has reached the upper echeleon, and a potential Survivor Series dream match could propel him higher. — CC

07

05

-2

LAST WEEK

41-7

2023 TV RECORD

Orange Cassidy

AEW International Champion

All Elite Wrestling
Orange Cassidy

Even though he didn’t defend his AEW International Championship this week, Orange Cassidy still maintained a high spot in our rankings. With Jon Moxley recovered from his concussion and looking to squeeze some juice, their anticipated rematch at Full Gear could spill “Freshly Squeezed” back up the rankings. — CC

08

16

+8

LAST WEEK

17-3

2023 TV RECORD

Rhea Ripley

World Women's Champion

WWE RAW
Rhea Ripley

Another non-wrestling week for someone, but she's gone UP in the rankings? How is this?! Pretty simple, really. The "Totally Leaderless" Judgment Day's de-facto leader has a new contender in Zoey Stark. Zoey claimed she had Rhea beat at her last match (the Fatal 5 Way at Crown Jewel). Rhea's response was that she DID beat FOUR people, and Zoey couldn't beat one. That's a build. — JG

09

20

+11

LAST WEEK

22-4

2023 TV RECORD

Cody Rhodes

WWE RAW
Cody Rhodes

Adrenaline in my soul, 11 spots up for Cody Rhodes! The American Nightmare’s week may not at first glance warrant such a climb up the rankings, however, may I argue his case with one word: WARGAMES!!! Wrestling for the first time in his father’s creation, with a who’s who of the RAW roster, Cody will no doubt create another special WWE moment. — DC

10

NA

LAST WEEK

46-36

2023 TV RECORD

Judgment Day (Finn Bálor & Damian Priest)

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions

WWE RAW
Judgment Day's Finn Balor & Damian Priest

How about that? A Championship team wrestles on TV and enters the rankings! Señor Money In The Bank gets his briefcase back, and with Bálor, they beat The New Day in a non-title match. Further, I guess Priest and Seth Rollins will probably be a match soon. What a deal! — JG

11

10

-1

LAST WEEK

2-3

2023 TV RECORD

Logan Paul

WWE United States Champion

WWE SmackDown
Logan Paul

MIA from SmackDown the week, Logan Paul was seen in attendance at UFC 295 with his newly won WWE United States Championship. Another stellar performance against Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel, Logan has announced he has retired from boxing to pursue a “full-time” WWE career. So… expect more of the Maverick, I guess? This is a good thing, maybe? — DC

12

11

-1

LAST WEEK

18-3

2023 TV RECORD

MJF

AEW World Heavyweight Champion

All Elite Wrestling
MJF

MJF had a throwaway match this week on Dynamite against Daniel Garcia, although it was nice to see the World Champ wrestle on TV, even if he didn’t have his belt. MJF is clearly a star, but his never ending feud against Bullet Club Gold, awkward Acclaimed story, and this Devil Worshipper nonsense has left me wondering if his light has dimmed. — CC

13

12

-1

LAST WEEK

14-7

2023 TV RECORD

Drew McIntyre

WWE RAW
Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre slid down the rankings this week, with no RAW appearance after his loss to Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel. The Visionary, however, made sure to point out how highly he thought of Drew for not joining Judgment Day. I’m sure that’s in no way related to the fact Judgment Day are now one man short for War Games. — DC

14

17

+3

LAST WEEK

23-16

2023 TV RECORD

Dominik Mysterio

NXT North American Champion

WWE RAW
Dominik Mysterio

Dirty Dom only slid up a little bit here because so many slid down, if we're being completely blunt. He's in the WarGames match and he was involved in the Finn Bálor and Damian Priest match. Basically, that's your week for Dominik Mysterio. Still a heat magnet, though. — JG

15

7

-8

LAST WEEK

41-8

2023 TV RECORD

Will Ospreay

IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion

New Japan Pro Wrestling
Will Ospreay

Another case of nothing-doing for this week. New Japan's "Anjo Rainy Days" event - Kazuchika Okada's hometown show - did not feature the Commonwealth Kingpin. Their next event is on November 17, and Will Ospreay is not listed on the card. There is no card listed for the next event, November 19. The World Tag League series begins November 20 and ends December 10. While literally every promotion has interest in acquiring Ospreay's services however they can, there's many reports that WWE has made preliminary overtures to that end. Will we see Ospreay again soon? And where? — JG

16

08

-8

LAST WEEK

48-20

2023 TV RECORD

Alex Shelley

IMPACT World Champion

TNA Wrestling
Alex Shelley

Alex Shelley had another solid outing this week on IMPACT! by successfully defending his IMPACT World Championship against Jonathan Gresham. When others at his stage of his career begin to slow down, Shelley has done no such thing, and seems hellbent on proving he’s much more than a tag team specialist. A successful title defense at Hard To Kill against Moose could propel him back into the Top 10. — DC

17

25

+8

LAST WEEK

38-49

2023 TV RECORD

Damage CTRL

WWE Women's Champion (Iyo Sky)

WWE SmackDown
Damage CTRL

Despite not getting Bayley’s OK, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky added both Kairi Sane and Asuka to Damage CTRL. Could this be the beginning of the end for the group? Is Bayley soon-to-be bounced? Could we see her against Iyo Sky at WresleMania? So many potential directions. Color me intrigued. — CC

18

09

-9

LAST WEEK

16-8

2023 TV RECORD

Becky Lynch

WWE RAW
Becky Lynch

Well, then. Becky Lynch was to join a RAW battle royal for a #1 contender spot at Survivor Series. She said she was going to win. Nia Jax took exception and reminded everyone she broke Lynch's face. Becky replied by mentioning going to WrestleMania while Jax got fired. OK. Then Xia Li took The Man out before she ever got to the ring. No NXT appearance, but Lyra Valkyria mentioned her. And, umm... that was literally Big Time Becks' TV week, folks. — JG

19

19

LAST WEEK

4-5

2023 TV RECORD

Christian Cage

AEW TNT Champion

All Elite Wrestling
Christian Cage

Christian Cage appeared on Collision ringside as Nick Wayne took on Dalton "Please Do Something With This Guy" Castle. At the end of the show, he did a staredown on Sting, Adam Copeland, and Darby Allin. That's your TV week for Christian Cage, folks. Wait, I pretty much just said something like that before, didn't I? No matter. His presence and story hooks keep him where he is in the rankings. For now. — JG

20

NA

LAST WEEK

23-6

2023 TV RECORD

Samoa Joe

All Elite Wrestling
Samoa Joe

The Samoan Submission Machine successfully defended his ROH TV Championship by choking out Keith Lee this week on Dynamite (in a dream match five years too late), only to then relinquish the belt to continue pursuing the AEW World Championship. Does this make sense to you? Why did he relinquish the title after fighting so hard against Lee to retain it? These are questions I can’t answer. — CC

21

18

-3

LAST WEEK

1-2

2023 TV RECORD

John Cena

WWE SmackDown
John Cena

Likely the last time we see Mr. U Can’t See Me in the rankings in 2023, John Cena lost to Solo Sikoa at Crown Jewel, and is teasing retirement. This has no correlation with the the actor’s strike ending, he’s just really weighing things, you guys. But you know we’ll see him again. Likely at WrestleMania. — CC

22

13

-9

LAST WEEK

18-12

2023 TV RECORD

Pretty Deadly

WWE SmackDown
Pretty Deadly

The “Fun Time Boys”, as my wife likes to call them, find themselves sliding down the rankings with no SmackDown appearance this week. Another week without a meaningful appearance could land WWE’s hottest tag team outside of the rankings until they’re more prominently featured. NO, BOY! — DC

23

15

-8

LAST WEEK

13-16

2023 TV RECORD

DIY

WWE RAW
DIY

Last week, DIY defeated Imperium in their tag tag return. This week, they lose to the Creed Brothers via interference from Ludwig Kaiser onto Johnny Gargano for reasons (well, probably only one reason, Imperium losing to them last week). The match was pretty good otherwise. That's unfortunately all we got, and that's unfortunately all I've got. — JG

24

24

LAST WEEK

74-27

2023 TV RECORD

Bullet Club Gold

All Elite Wrestling
Bullet Club Gold

The Bang Bang Gang find themselves again this week at no. 24, and risk falling entirely off of the rankings. Despite increased television time, and a featured program, their act remains in arrested development. “Switchblade” Jay White and The Gunns both wrestled on Dynamite in very forgettable matches, and their feud with MJF has taken a back seat to the mysterious Devil Worshippers. With Full Gear this week, here’s hoping they book end this story with MJF and send Bullet Club Gold back down the card. — DC

25

NA

LAST WEEK

7-10

2023 TV RECORD

Dragon Lee

WWE SmackDown
Dragon Lee

Dragon Lee flies into the no. 25 spot after another solid performance on SmackDown against Cedric Alexander. Being heavily featured on SmackDown, and with Rey Mysterio looking to call it a career in the next year, Lee seems positioned to cross paths with Mysterio, perhaps as a partner and then a future opponent? — DC


Honorable mentions: Devil Worshippers, Creed Brothers, Jay Iso, Zoey Stark, Lyra Valkyria, Chase U, The Bloodline, The Righteous