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 April 5), 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 – Triple H (1)
Intercontinental Champion – Chris Jericho (same)
1. Randy Orton (WWE Champ) – Loses the title at Backlash, however has a cage match at Judgment Day to look forward to
2. John Cena (2) – Got punted out of the Fatal Four-way after making JBL submit
3. John Bradshaw Layfield (3) – Tapped in the STFU, but sure showed Robbie who’s boss
4. Shawn Michaels (4) – Was he acting? Is he really hurt? Y2J surely made his observation known
5. William Regal (NR) – The new King sure showed his dominance the past few weeks
6. Umaga (5) – Thankfully, he’s not a registered voter
7. Mr. Kennedy (7) – Not even invited to the KotR, but I’m sure his new movie will be GREAT!!
8. Paul Burchill (9) – Uses the curb stomp on Hacksaw & Super Crazy to move up the rankings a bit
9. Snitsky (8) – By not wrestling, he is only hurting himself (see what I did there, it’s funny!)
10. Val Venis (NR) – Hey, he was on TV a few weeks ago!
Woman’s Champion – Mickie James (4)
1. Beth Phoenix (Champ)
2. Ashley (2)
3. Melina (3)
4. Katie Lea (NR)
5. Jillian (5)
World Tag Team Champions – Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes (same)
1. Santino Marella & Carlito (4)
2. Paul London & Brian Kendrick (1)
3. Cryme Tyme (2)
4. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch (3)
5. The Highlanders (NR)
Unranked Wrestlers/Personalities:
-Charlie Haas
-‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan
-Jerry Lawler
-Jim Ross
-Lillian Garcia
-Mr. McMahon
-Ron Simmons
-Steve Austin
-Super Crazy
-Todd Grisham
Inactive Wrestlers/Personalities:
-Candice Michelle (Injured since March 2008)
-Jeff Hardy (Suspended, Non-Kayfabe)
No longer listed on WWE.com as part of the Raw Roster or appearing on TV:
-Drew McIntyre (Reportedly sent back to FCW)
-Mike Adamle (Moved to ECW Roster)
World Heavyweight Champion – VACANT
United States Champion – Matt Hardy (5)
1. The Undertaker (World Hvt. Champ) – Stripped of the Title by a vengeful GM
2. Edge (1) – Feels he is the rightful champion, and has convinced Vickie as well
3. The Big Show (3) – Taking out Khali, and now going after Henry..it’s like a dream come true!
4. Batista (2) – Fell prey to HBK’s superkick
5. Montel Vontavious Porter (US Champ) – Finally gets dethroned by Matt Hardy, what’s next for this future Main Eventer?
6. Finlay (6) – Seems to be having more fun now that he & Hornswoggle are back on SD full time
7. CM Punk (4) – Came up short in the KotR, lost a big match to Edge, and got beat up pretty bad by Palumbo…hasn’t been a good couple of weeks for CM
8. Mark Henry (7) – The ‘Silverback’ is having some issues with Big Show
9. Vladimir Kozlov (NR) – Continues to dominate everyone he faces
10. Chuck Palumbo (10) – Big beat down of CM after his DQ loss
ECW Champion – Kane (same)
1. Chavo Guerrero (1)
2. Kofi Kingston (3)
3. Shelton Benjamin (2)
4. Mike Knox (NR)
5. Elijah Burke (5)
WWE Tag Team Champions – The Miz & John Morrison (same)
1. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins (2)
2. Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore (3)
3. Jesse & Festus (1)
4. Deuce & Domino (4)
5. Tommy Dreamer & Colin Delaney (5)
SmackDown’s Unranked Wrestlers/Personalities:
-Cherry
-Eve Torres
-Funaki
-Hornswoggle
-Jamie Noble
-Jonathan Coachman
-Justin Roberts
-Kenny Dykstra
-Maryse
-Michael Cole
-Michelle McCool
-Mick Foley
-Natalya
-Theodore Long
-Vickie Guerrero
-Victoria
SmackDown’s Inactive Wrestlers/Personalities:
-Gregory Helms (Injured since May 2007)
-Ranjin Singh (Injured since March 2008)
-Rey Mysterio (Injured since February 2008)
-The Great Khali (Inactive as of May 2008)
-Torrie Wilson (Injured since December 2007)
No longer listed on WWE.com as part of the SmackDown Roster or appearing on TV:
-Chavo Guerrero (Moved to ECW)
-Dave Taylor (Released, Non-Kayfabe)
-Kane (Moved to ECW)
ECW’s Unranked Wrestlers/Personalities:
-Armando Estrada
-Kelly Kelly
-Layla
-Lena Yada
-Matt Striker
-Nunzio
-Stevie Richards
-Tazz
-Tony Chimel
ECW’s Inactive Wrestlers/Personalities:
-Big Daddy V (Injured since March 2008)
-Boogeyman (Injured since November 2007)
No longer listed on WWE.com as part of the ECW Roster or appearing on TV:
-Balls Mahoney (Released, Non-Kayfabe)
-Joey Styles (Removed from ECW’s Roster)
-Kevin Thorn (Reportedly sent back to FCW)
*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.
