Wrestling Power Rankings: Top 25 WWE, AEW, Impact Wrestlers for Week of Sep. 7

Sometimes I envy the writers tasked to create rankings like this for conventional sports. There, the work is relatively simple: Wins and losses are an easy guide, with the list falling generally in line with the standings.

Wrestling, in many obvious ways, is a different animal all together. Wins and losses matter—and how a wrestler is pushed is certainly part of the equation here.

But Ric Flair lost hundreds of matches over his career and remained an enduring star. So, success in wrestling is about more than having your hand raised at the end of the night.

At AEW's All Out, for example, FTR beat Kenny Omega and Adam Page for the tag team belts. Omega, however, ranks above Tully Blanchard's proteges on this list anyway. When the night ended, it was his abandonment of Page that stood out, overshadowing even their impressive victory.

As you can see, there is no real formula in place for these rankings. It's all based on feel, either alchemy or sleight of hand depending on how happy you are with your favorite's placement. Power rankings are based in the now, not informed by historical success or projections of future glory, the ultimate "what have you done for me lately" list.

Where a wrestler exists in their promotion's hierarchy matters. In other words, the main eventer gets preference over the curtain-jerker.

Performance also matters. Wrestlers occupying similar slots will be prioritized based on the quality of their wrestling and character work. That, of course, is often a matter of personal preference, which leads us to the final criteria.

While my own opinion obviously influences this list, I don't rely solely on my own judgement. I keep a careful eye on the internet wrestling community to see what is moving the needle and what has go-away heat. When in doubt, the fans' voices ring loud and clear. 

With the methodology now, perhaps, a bit more transparent, let's take a look together at the top 25 wrestlers of this moment. Did I hit the mark? If not, let me hear it in the comments.

25. Finn Balor

Promotion: NXT 

Last Week: Not Ranked

Analysis: While no longer a Prince, Balor is still clearly wrestling royalty. While the finish of the NXT Ironman match left some unsatisfied, the in-ring performance from the Irishman was unimpeachable. He's now one match away from holding NXT gold.

            

24. The Fiend

Promotion: SmackDown

Last Week: 8

Analysis: After a week when Bray Wyatt has gone from universal champion to complete afterthought, I suspect this ranking will change soon when he starts a new program. But, right now, the once scorching hot Fiend is ice cold.

          

23. Sami Zayn

Promotion: SmackDown

Last Week: 24

Analysis: SmackDown has been firing on all cylinders since the return of Roman Reigns. That, at least, is the critical consensus in the wrestling media. But, with much less fanfare, the return of Zayn has also added a lot to a show that is suddenly a lot of fun to watch.

             

22. Adam Page

Promotion: AEW

Last Week: 13

Analysis: The first solo rating for our anxious millennial cowboy. Not only did he take the pinfall costing his team the world championship belts, but he was also left laying in the ring by his furious partner, Kenny Omega. In the last two weeks, he's lost his place in The Elite, his title and his partner. There's nowhere to go but up.

           

21. Deonna Purrazzo

Promotion: Impact

Last Week: 17

Analysis: The Virtuosa celebrated herself with a black-tie affair on Impact before being rudely interrupted by a returning Tenille Dashwood. The women of Impact have been a bright spot for that promotion on a weekly basis, and Purrazzo appears to be an elite talent.

20. Big E

Promotion: SmackDown

Last Week: 10

Analysis: The supposed push doesn't appear to have been much of a shove. It appears The New Day's next breakout star will have to muddle through a feud with Sheamus before really being launched to singles stardom. While it's too early to say WWE has dropped the ball already, this week's cake-based shenanigans left a lot to be desired.

          

19. Brodie Lee

Promotion: AEW

Last Week: 7

Analysis: Lee was red hot after demolishing Cody for the TNT Championship, but instead of a compelling new opponent to sink his teeth into, he was left to feud with his rival's team of misfit toys at All Out. And, while Dustin Rhodes is certainly a better choice than QT Marshall, his title shot is just killing time until the promotion can figure out what to do next.

        

18. Adam Cole

Promotion: NXT

Last Week: 19

Analysis: Cole's last-second heroics earned him a title shot this week on NXT. During the Ironman match he showed, once again, that he's the perfect vessel for the preferred wrestling style of the NXT brass. One of the most consistently excellent performers over the last two years and a pillar of the brand's presentation.

             

17. Eric Young

Promotion: Impact

Last Week: Not Rated

Analysis: The new Impact champion won the title from Eddie Edwards in one of the week's very best television matches, then demolished the former kingpin after the match just for kicks. Of all the recent refugees from WWE's COVID-related purge, Young has adapted the quickest to his new surroundings.

             

16. Jey Uso

Promotion: SmackDown

Last Week: Not Rated

Analysis: It was great to see Uso get a chance to step up, step out and shine in singles competition and earn a title shot. Too bad I have a terrible feeling his cousin, Roman Reigns, is going to use him as an object lesson, showing the world that even family isn't safe from the new universal champion.

15. Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax

Promotion: Raw

Last Week: 21

Analysis: The new women's tag champs had an absolutely scorching title defense against The Golden Role Models. While Jax has faced criticism in the past, a tag team is the perfect way to minimize her weaknesses and play to her strengths as an enormous, powerful, soul-crushing wrestler. Though the match itself was overshadowed by what was to come, this column is always going to be quick to recognize truly superlative in-ring action. 

             

14. Hikaru Shida

Promotion: AEW

Last Week: Not Rated

Analysis: Shida and Thunder Rosa would have torn the roof off of Daily's Place if it wasn't an open-air venue with their title contest at All Out. I watched the match twice just so I could be confident in this assertion—this was the best women's match in AEW history. Of course, the win leaves Shida in a familiar conundrum, with no apparent opponent on the horizon and no long-term storyline to sink her teeth into.

              

13.  FTR

Promotion: AEW

Last Week: 15

Analysis: I thought for sure FTR's title bout with Kenny Omega and Adam Page would be little more than a backdrop for The Elite drama. Instead, it was just a straight-up wrestling match. FTR proved to be the better team—only afterwards did the storyline pull attention away from the ring. That's the best way to do it in my opinion. 

             

12. Chris Jericho

Promotion: AEW

Last Week: 9

Analysis: Well, we got the enduring image of Chris Jericho taking a pratfall into a giant vat of disgusting-looking orange liquid. Certainly this has to spell the end to a feud with Orange Cassidy that dominated the summer in AEW. Can we all move on now? 

              

11. Sasha Banks

Promotion: SmackDown

Last Week: 3

Analysis: It's been a rough run for The Boss. She's lost both belts, been betrayed by her best friend and taken to a local medical facility after a brutal beating at the hands of Bayley. I wasn't sure which Golden Role Model was going to be the heel in their inevitable clash—but I'm glad it ended up being Bayley, who really seems to be enjoying her first extended run as a villain.

10. Drew McIntyre

Promotion: Raw

Last Week: 4

Analysis: The WWE champion has largely been absent from the build to his rematch with Randy Orton, with Keith Lee serving as a capable stand-in. The Scot has been a great champion and should be proud of holding it down during a very difficult time in the promotion's history.

        

9. Seth Rollins

Promotion: Raw

Last Week: 12

Analysis: Rollins has accomplished a lot in a stellar career. But, for all his various in-ring highlights, the way he's helped guide Dominik Mysterio to multiple fantastic matches to launch the young man's career might be the most impressive thing he's ever done in a wrestling ring.

            

8.  Kenny Omega 

Promotion: AEW

Last Week: 13

Analysis: Omega came up short against FTR, but this power ranking involves much more than wins and losses. When he walked out of the ring and then completely out of the building, the former IWGP champion became the talk of wrestling, usurping FTR's momentary glory and all but announcing "Hey, big things are about to happen."

             

7.  Orange Cassidy 

Promotion: AEW

Last Week: 5

Analysis: Once again, Cassidy got the best of Chris Jericho. It's been a fun feud for certain, but it remains unclear what you do with him going forward. It's a tricky situation. If he moves into a new feud immediately, it betrays the lethargic character that brought him to the dance. I'd suggest a break and reset, then a return to action when fans again pack the venue to cheer for his tepid thumbs up.

          

6.  Keith Lee

Promotion: Raw

Last Week: 11

Analysis: Lee has jumped right into the WWE main event scene without even pausing on the undercard. His in-ring work was never my concern—but on the mic, his unique cadence and delivery has really helped the former NXT champion stand out. Here's hoping he can maintain this momentum so we can all continue to bask in his glory.

Asuka

Promotion: Raw

Last Week: 16

Analysis: Despite being champion, it appears creative doesn't have anything for one of the best wrestlers on the planet.

                

Dominik and Rey Mysterio

Promotion: Raw

Last Week: 18

Analysis: Rey's unfortunate injury cuts short what might have been an excellent tag team run. Dominik, by all appearances, has the potential be a part of this list for years to come.

          

Darby Allin

Promotion: AEW

Last Week: 20

Analysis: AEW's plans for this truly unique talent appear to change weekly. The possibilities are infinite.

            

Io Shirai

Promotion: NXT

Last Week: 22

Analysis: Another champion not really fully integrated into the WWE story-telling apparatus. The language barrier is a real issue when it comes to presenting a fully realized character.

              

Jeff Hardy

Promotion: SmackDown

Last Week: 23

Analysis: The upcoming feud with AJ Styles and Sami Zayn looks like the kind of thing that could propel Hardy way up this list.

             

Breezango

Promotion: NXT 

Last Week: 25

Analysis: Actually had a very solid match on this week's NXT. But the competition was fierce this week, with an AEW pay-per-view making their talent the talk of the sport.

AJ Styles (SmackDown): Currently tied to Jeff Hardy and Sami Zayn in a battle for two versions of the intercontinental championship. Once the matches start, I anticipate Styles asserting himself and entering the list in a major way.

Braun Strowman (SmackDown): Like The Fiend, what's next for Strowman isn't entirely clear.

Cody (AEW): His presence was overwhelming at All Out despite a physical absence. No doubt will push himself right back to the top upon his return.

The Young Bucks (AEW): With an FTR feud looming, this seems like the last week the Bucks won't be featured prominently in AEW storylines.

Promotion: AEW

Last Week: 14

Analysis: Time to retire the talking point that MJF is all mouth and no action. The guy can just straight up wrestle and proved it in the main event of All Out against Jon Moxley. 

And, listen—we all make mistakes. But that loss falls squarely on the broad shoulders of Wardlow. He not only failed to deliver Maxwell his ring but also distracted the referee allowing the champion to cheat to win. MJF, perhaps, might consider replacing the big man with a higher quality goon.

Promotion: SmackDown

Last Week: 3

Analysis: Bayley would be the top villain in all of professional wrestling right now if Randy Orton wasn't in the middle of a career-best run on Raw. Perhaps sensing her partnership with Sasha Banks was nearing its end after losing the tag titles, she decided on a strike-first policy. The beating she delivered was more than a message—it was a declaration of war.

Promotion: Raw

Last Week: 6

Analysis: Orton earning a title shot was a great piece of booking by WWE. It would have been easy enough to simply insert him into a rematch with McIntyre after his backstage attack a couple of weeks ago. Instead he had to fight for his opportunity, elevating Keith Lee in the process. Simple yet brilliant.

Promotion: AEW

Last Week: 2

Analysis: After a successful title defense against MJF, Moxley will appear to return to the "hoss of the month" formula that has defined his reign when he takes on Lance Archer as his next challenger. 

The MJF match was the best of his championship run, well-wrestled with a clever, satisfying ending. Archer will be a step backwards, biding time until the next big thing comes along.

Promotion: SmackDown

Last Week: 1

Analysis:  After winning the Universal Championship last week, Reigns devoted his time on SmackDown to solidifying his new character, a slyly arrogant, insanely gifted wrestling prodigy he was seemingly born to play. Reigns and Paul Heyman appear to be a marriage made in heaven.