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July 12, 2018

Weekly Pro Wrestling Rankings July 12

July 12, 2018
By: Mike Johnson

Every week here at FITE, we feature the Top Ten ranked personalities in the world of professional wrestling. Unlike other combat sports, pro wrestling cannot be measured in just wins and losses, especially when the drama and excitement of the genre is specifically based around not just the physical performance, but the excitement level created by its combatants. Thus, our top ten measures the most newsworthy performers in the business, who's momentum drives not just their own career paths but the promotions they compete for.

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1. Brock Lesnar

Once again, without even appearing in a professional wrestling setting, the WWE Universal Champion has sent shockwaves through the combat sports genre. Appearing at the close of the UFC 226 PPV event, Lesnar entered the Octagon to physically push the newly crowned UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier. Hours later, it was announced Lesnar would challenge for the UFC title as soon as he was legally capable. What does this mean for his WWE run? How does WWE strategize their major events going forward? Why did WWE not even acknowledge this on Monday Night Raw? When is Lesnar actually going to wrestle again? Without even appearing before a wrestling crowd, Brock remains one of the most talked about subjects in professional wrestling. That is power incarnate. Lesnar is the pro wrestling equivalent of Marvel's Thanos, holding the power to wipe out the entire landscape of Raw with his next decision, without even showing up to work.

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2. Kenny Omega

With a successful defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the New Japan Pro Wrestling G1 Special in San Francisco this past Saturday, Omega rebounds back up the list. His victory over Cody was extremely entertaining and engaged the audience while doubling as the climax of the internal strife within Bullet Club. With the BC: Firing Squad attacking Omega, Cody and The Young Bucks to close the show and spark their own revolution within the faction, this weekend's G1 Climax tournament opening events have taken on a more dire, important status for Omega. In the thick of the madness and perhaps the best in-ring performer in the world right now, Omega is the zone like never before.

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3. The Undertaker

There is no argument that Undertaker is in the waning days of his career, but this past Saturday in New York's Madison Square Garden, The Phenom commanded the audience in a way that none of the current day WWE stars were able to accomplish. Whether it was the spectacle of his entrance, the nostalgia of the past or just sheer excitement over his first appearance in eight years in the legendary venue, The Undertaker stood tall and helped drum up the perfect mix of drama and physicality as part of the one of best MSG live main events in a long time. It was one of those moments where time stood still, the audience truly believed, and legends live forever. The real question is, what's next?

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4.Seth Rollins

The former WWE Intercontinental Champion continues to tear the house down every night as perhaps the most consistent in-ring performer in World Wrestling Entertainment. Over the course of the past week, Rollins challenged Dolph Ziggler in excellent bouts at live events before tearing down the house in the main event of Raw against Drew McIntyre. With an Iron Man match this weekend against Ziggler, it's almost a no-brainer as to what performer is going to steal the show and burn it down at Extreme Rules in Pittsburgh.

Drew Mcinytyre

5. Drew Mcintyre

Since returning to the main roster of WWE, McIntyre has brought a brooding intensity to his performances that have set him apart from everyone else featured on WWE broadcasts. Every step, every glare, every move appears to be meticulously planned to elicit the best villainous reaction from the audience. This past Monday on Raw, however, McIntyre had his best in-ring performance to date, scoring a win over Seth Rollins. With a victory that cements his rise to the top of the Raw roster and with a drive that hasn't been seen in a long, long time, the Scottish veteran looks to be easily climbing the FITE Rankings.

Juice Robinson

6. Juice Robinson

Capturing the IWGP United States Championship from Switchblade Jay White this past Saturday at the New Japan G1 Special in California was not only Robinson's first major Championship win, but the moment that proved once and for all that his decision several years ago to walk out of WWE NXT was indeed, the right decision. Like a ninja, Robinson has stealthily risen up the ranks of New Japan. With his performance and victory, Robinson didn't just raise a well-earned Championship over his head. He raised himself to the next level, one where the still improving 29-year-old star stands tall as a globally renowned superstar.

Dolph Ziggler

7. Dolph Ziggler

The WWE Intercontinental Champion has continued to captivate fans following his comeback trail on the Raw brand. Ziggler successfully defended his IC title against Seth Rollins and Finn Balor over the course of Raw's live events in the Northeast. If work ethic is a religion, Ziggler may be its top practitioner.

Roman Reigns

8. Roman Reigns

Roman spent another weekend headlining Raw live events, capturing wins in six-man tag team bouts before facing off with Bobby Lashley in an excellent opening segment designed to drive interest towards their Extreme Rules match this Sunday in Pittsburgh. The Big Dog highlighted that brawl with a spectacular dive that took out everyone attempting to prevent the chaos from unfolding, sending them toppling like bowling pins. Old reliable strikes again.

Cody Rhodes

9. Cody Rhodes

With "All In" inching ever closer, the son of Dusty Rhodes pulled out yet another incredible performance in his unsuccessful challenge of IWGP Champion Kenny Omega at the New Japan G1 Special. In main eventing a live AXS TV broadcast, Cody once again took the audience on an incredibly fulfilling in-ring journey, even if the scene ended with the shocking attack from the Firing Squad. With the very foundation of Bullet Club changed forever, Cody and Omega now stand together, modern day Mega-Powers. Yet another well-earned moment for the Cody time capsule.

Braun Strowman

10. Braun Strowman

Strowman topples down the FITE Rankings, but the insane level of in-ring accomplishments and newsworthy stories on a week where Strowman made just a cameo on Monday Night Raw is the culprit. Strowman was among the most popular acts appearing on the Raw live tour over the weekend. The audience sees "The Monster in the Bank" as the uncrowned top star for Raw, but before he can attempt to wrest the title from Brock Lesnar, the audience will get to enjoy Strowman's beating of poor Kevin Owens in a steel cage match this weekend. While the bout is just a bridge towards Summerslam, bigger things await once it is crossed.

Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.