Here is the latest update of Inside Pulse Wrestling’s OFFICIAL rankings of the WWE RAW and Smackdown rosters … posted on the first Saturday of each month. Check out this link for the last rankings (as of March 1), and click here to see any changes in the RAW, SD, or ECW rosters since the last rankings report.
(Previous ranking for each superstar is in parentheses following each name. See below* for an explanation of our ranking system.)
WWE Champion – Randy Orton (same)
Intercontinental Champion – Chris Jericho (6)
1. Triple H (1) – Comes very close to winning the WWE Title back at WM, but gets punted in the head instead
2. John Cena (2) – Still looking to reclaim his titles back
3. John Bradshaw Layfield (5) – JBL has made it perfectly clear that he wants his shot at Orton
4. Shawn Michaels (3) – Huge win over The Nature Boy, but is still trying to deal with what he did
5. Umaga (4) – It’s clear that he wasn’t the correct choice to represent Raw
6. Carlito (NR) – Back in the top 10 after an extremely impressive performance in MitB
7. Mr. Kennedy (7) – Came up short in MitB
8. Snitsky (10) – He still likes to hurt people
9. Paul Burchill (9) – Has been pretty much relegated to Heat the past few weeks
10. Santino Marella (NR) – Unfortunately, Snoop Dogg is not on the active roster, or else he would have this spot
Woman’s Champion – Beth Phoenix (same)
1. Maria (1)
2. Ashley (5)
3. Melina (3)
4. Mickie James (2)
5. Jillian Hall (4)
World Tag Team Champions – Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly (same)
1. Paul London & Brian Kendrick (4)
2. Cryme Tyme (NR)
3. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch (2)
4. Santino Marella & Carlito (1)
5. Super Crazy & ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan (5)
Unranked Wrestlers/Personalities:
- Charlie Haas
- DH Smith
- Drew McIntyer
- Jerry Lawler
- Jillian Hall
- Jim Ross
- Katie Lea Burchill
- Lillian Garcia
- Mike Adamle
- Mr. McMahon
- Robbie McAllister
- Ron Simmons
- Steve Austin
- Todd Grisham
- Val Venis
- William Regal
Inactive Wrestlers/Personalities:
- Candice Michelle (Injured since March 2008)
- Jeff Hardy (Suspended, Non-Kayfabe)
- Rory McAllister (Injured since February 2008)
No longer listed on WWE.com or appearing on TV:
- Ric Flair (Forced to Retire by losing to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania)
World Heavyweight Champion – The Undertaker (1)
United States Champion – Montel Vontavious Porter (same)
1. Edge (Champ) – Lost his Title at WM, however will have his rematch at Backlash
2. Batista (2) – Defeats Umaga for Brand Supremacy, but is clearly upset at Flair’s retirement
3. The Big Show (3) – Has a giant welt from Mayweather, but looks like he is standing up to Khali
4. CM Punk (ECW 1) – Say Hello to the new Mr. Money in the Bank
5. Matt Hardy (NR) – Back to back nights of surprise appearances, followed by an in-ring return victory
6. Finlay (4) – Disappointing loss at Mania, but will return to SD full time next week with his son!
7. Mark Henry (8) – Impressive in the ECW Battle Royal, until Kane gave him the boot
8. The Great Khali (7) – Concedes in the staredown with Big Show
9. Jamie Noble (10) – Will his feud with Chuck ever end?
10. Chuck Palumbo (9) – See Noble, Jamie
ECW Champion – Kane (World Title 5)
1. Chavo Guerrero (Champ)
2. Shelton Benjamin (2)
3. Kofi Kingston (4)
4. Tommy Dreamer (NR)
5. Elijah Burke (3)
WWE Tag Team Champions – The Miz & John Morrison (same)
1. Jesse & Festus (3)
2. Zach Ryder & Curt Hawkins (2)
3. Shannon Moore & Jimmy Wang Yang (4)
4. Deuce & Domino (5)
5. Tommy Dreamer & Colin Delaney (1)
SmackDown’s Unranked Wrestlers/Personalities:
- Cherry
- Dave Taylor
- Eve Torres
- Funaki
- Hornswoggle
- Jonathan Coachman
- Justin Roberts
- Kenny Dykstra
- Maryse
- Michael Cole
- Michelle McCool
- Theodore Long
- Vickie Guerrero
- Victoria
- Vladimir Kozlov
SmackDown’s Inactive Wrestlers/Personalities:
- Gregory Helms (Injured since May 2007)
- Ranjin Singh (Injured since March 2008)
- Rey Mysterio (Injured since February 2008)
- Torrie Wilson (Injured since December 2007)
No longer listed on WWE.com as part of the SmackDown Roster or appearing on TV:
- Kane (Moved to the ECW Roster)
ECW’s Unranked Wrestlers/Personalities:
- Armando Estrada
- Balls Mahoney
- Joey Styles
- Kelly Kelly
- Kevin Thorn
- Layla
- Lena Yada
- Matt Striker
- Mike Knox
- Nunzio
- Stevie Richards
- Tazz
- Tony Chimel
ECW’s Inactive Wrestlers/Personalities:
- Big Daddy V (Injured since March 2008)
- Boogeyman (Injured since November 2007)
In this monthly feature, the Pulse Wrestling editorial board ranks the heavyweight, women, and tag team divisions on World Wrestling Entertainment’s RAW, SmackDown, ECW brands. Rankings include the top ten heavyweights on each brand, top 5 tag teams on each brand, top 5 women in the Raw Brand, top 5 ECW Title contenders in the SD/ECW*** brands, and include everyone listed on WWE.com’s RAW, SmackDown, & ECW Superstars pages, plus regular, unlisted competitors from each brand.
These rankings take into account (in order):
– Current title status**
– Declared and presumed storyline rankings
– Recent victories and quality of opponents
– Quality of matches (psychology, workrate, and entertainment value)
– Quality of TV exposure (length, placement during show, and crowd response)
**Both primary and secondary heavyweight champions are listed at the top of each brand’s rankings, with the assumption that Intercontinental or United States Champions are de facto top contenders unless otherwise stated on television or online by WWE.
***Due to the SmackDown/ECW working relationship, it will be treated as one brand in the rankings with SD SuperStars being contenders for the ECW Title, and ECW SuperStars being contenders for any of the title belts on SD. However, the rest of the roster will be listed separately. This will continue until, if ever, the working relationship ends.
