wrestling / Columns

The 411 WWE Raw Rankings 10.31.07

October 31, 2007 | Posted by Larry Csonka

Special thanks to THE WIFE for her awesome graphics and contributions to the column.

The Criteria:
The Csonka Commission will try to use a formula of some of, if not all of the following to determine the rankings:
-Wins and Losses
-Popularity
-Shoe Size
-Strength of Schedule
-Golf Handicap
-Championship Pedigree
-Defeating Champions in Non-Title Affairs
-Christi’s assessment of their ring gear
-If you are named #1 Contender by the Promotion

CHAMPION: Randy Orton
Championship Won: October 7th 2007
Major Defenses: – V. w/Umaga vs. HHH 10.08.07
V. HBK 10.28.07

The Contenders:

1. HBK – Last Ranked: 3rd While HBK was robbed of the WWE title at Cyber Sunday, it was announced Monday by Vince McMahon that he would get a title shot at the Survivor Series. HBK won the fan vote and with the Chairman making the match, he is the easy choice as #1 contender.

2. Jeff Hardy – Last Ranked: 2nd In a nod to the old school top 10 lists, the secondary singles champion; in this case the IC Champion automatically garners the #2 contender’s spot.

2. HHH – Last Ranked: 1st HHH has fallen from the top spot, but that is by no fault of his own. He is coming off of an impressive victory over Umaga at Cyber Sunday, but with HBK named #1 contender, he falls to second this time around.

4. Ken Kennedy – Last Ranked: 5th Also the #1 contender for the IC Title, Ken Kennedy makes another appearance in the WWE title rankings, improving to the 4th spot. While he won’t be seeing a WWE title shot anytime soon, he is improving his status and if he can capture the IC title, Ken Kennedy could be heading for the WWE title sooner than some think.

5. Umaga- Last Ranked: 4th Umaga topples down the ladder this time around as while he can kill small English jobbers, he is failing when it comes to major competition. The once dominant force is in a rut and needs something big to happen to get out of it..

CHAMPION: Jeff Hardy
Championship Won: September 3rd
Defenses: -V. Shelton Benjamin 9.17.07

The Contenders:

1. Ken Kennedy – Last Ranked: 2nd Ken Kennedy scored a big win over Jeff Hardy at Cyber Sunday, and with Umaga losing that vaults Kennedy into the #1 position this time around. Kennedy has earned the title shot with the win at Cyber Sunday, and has the momentum in his favor. But will it be enough to take down the popular Jeff Hardy?

2. Umaga – Last Ranked: 1st Umaga topples down the Heavyweight list as well as takes a fall here in the IC Division. While he doesn’t fall as far here, his stock is dropping rapidly. The Wild Samoan needs to go on a rampage and start laying people out, or he may find himself with Carlito, on the outside looking in..

3. Hardcore Holly – Last Ranked: 3rd Holly has looked great since his return and has not lost since joining the Raw brand. He may be looking to tag more with Cody Rhodes, but is a very viable contender for the IC Title Holly is a dangerous veteran and not to be taken lightly.

4. Santino Marella- Last Ranked: N/A Santino has been able to get some wins and is starting to get noticed. While he is a former IC Champion, he had been out of action for a while, but always able to talk to us and run down Stone Cold Steve Austin. The two will have a confrontation next week, and I am sure discuss the Condemned.

4. Cody Rhodes – Last Ranked: 5th After having some losing efforts against Hardcore Holly, Rhodes finally earned the respect of the veteran and now look to have formed a tag team. Cody’s stock is on the rise and if he can learn from Holly and put that knowledge to use, the second generation start could be a true threat to the IC Title.

CHAMPIONS: The Redneck Whirling Dervish (Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch)
Championship Won: June 4th
Defenses: -V. The Hardy’s 6.24.07
V. London and Kendrick 9.16.07

The Contenders:

1. The Highlanders – Last Ranked: 2nd Out of their exile on Heat, The Highlanders have rushed the tag title scene and are now the recognized #1 contenders. They have victories over London and Kendrick, and then laid them out this week to send a message to the champs that they were coming for them. A team that a year ago was in the tag title hunt was lost, but they have fought their way back and could see the title shot they have been asking for become a reality.

2. London and Kendrick – Last Ranked: 1st London and Kendrick had a bright future when they came from Smackdown, where they spent nearly a year as tag team champions. But they haven’t had an easy time on Raw. In recent weeks they have lost in singles and tag action to the Highlanders, and thusly have lost their top spot in the rankings.

3. Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes – Last Ranked: N/A This new team of Rhodes and Holly went out of Raw this week and scored a win over The World’s Greatest Tag Team. With the singles win by Rhodes the previous week, that is enough to debut them in a tie with The World’s Greatest Tag Team. The feud is far from over, and the team coming out of this feud with the big win will be headed towards a possible tag title shot.

3. The World’s Greatest Tag Team – Last Ranked: 3rd The World’s Greatest Tag Team has seen much better days. They have not been able to get any momentum and have suffered singles losses and now a tag team loss to the new team of Rhodes and Holly. While there is no place to go but up, we don’t have much faith that they are going anywhere soon.

CHAMPION: Beth Phoenix
Championship Won: October 7th 2007
Defenses: – V. Candice Michelle 10.22.07

The Contenders:

1. Mickie James – Last Ranked: 2nd With the recent injury to Candice Michelle, Mickie James now claims the top spot as a challenger to Beth Phoenix’s WWE Women’s title. Beth Phoenix is a former champion and is always a danger to recapture what was once hers. With Candice out of action, the door is now wide open for Mickie to go on the attack.

2. Melina – Last Ranked: 3rd The recent injury to Candice Michelle also allows former champion Melina to climb a spot in the rankings. Melina is a feisty and dangerous competitor and with Candice out, a new spot opens. She could be easily be a danger to the “Glamazon.”

3. Candice Michelle – Last Ranked: 1st The horrific injury that Candice Michelle has suffered will keep her out of action anywhere from 6-8 weeks. The former champion doesn’t need surgery, but has a long road of rehab ahead of her. If the division was more competitive she would be knocked to the bottom, but as it stands, a one-armed Candice is more a threat to the title than either Jillian of Maria.