WWE Monday Night RAW Power Rankings
John Cena - WWE Heavyweight Champion
1. Jeff Hardy - Intercontinental Champion
Due to the fact that Cena just defeated his current Number 1 Contender, Umaga, at New Year's Revolution and no new contender has been named yet, Jeff Hardy, as Intercontinental Champion, will fill the void of the top contender. It's also possible that, due to WWE's recent history of putting "weak" title matches on their annual Royal Rumble PPV, it's quite possible that Umaga will get a rematch for the title at the next PPV. Hardy picked up an impressive victory over Johnny Nitro in a Steel Cage match at New Year's Revolution so his feud with Nitro could very well be over for the time being.
2. Chris Masters
Masters moves into the Power Rankings following his impressive New Year's Revolution victory over former Intercontinental and United States Champion Carlito. Masters lost his chance at the WWE Championship late in 2006 when he failed to best Champion John Cena in a Masterlock Challenge and due to the fact that a soldier recently broke the Masterlock (with assistance from John Bradshaw Layfield) at the WWE's annual Tribute to the Troops you can expect Masters to be looking to avenge his loss and capture the title that has aluded him.
3. Kenny Dykstra
This former Spirit Squad captain has scored pinfall victories over 16-time World Champion Ric Flair at the final live RAW of 2006 and at New Year's Revolution, propelling him to 3rd in the Power Rankings. Dykstra is on a quest to become the official 3rd member of Rated RKO and capturing the WWE Championship would certainly give his membership a boost. Dykstra is already one of the youngest title holders in WWE history having won the World Tag Team Championships at age 20 (Rene Dupree is the youngest at 19). He could be looking to add to that record by becoming the youngest World Champion in WWE history.
4. Randy Orton - World Tag Team Champion
Due to the current lack of top level singles contenders World Tag Team Champion Randy Orton has moved onto the Power Rankings list. Orton won the Number 4 spot over his co-Champion Edge due to the fact that Edge won a shot at the WWE Championship in a 30-Man Battle Royal in December and was defeated by Cena in the subsequent match. Orton is the youngest World Champion in WWE history but he hasn't held that title since 2004. "The Legend Killer" will ALWAYS be on the hunt for the top prize in the game - even if he's currently pretending to be distracted by the tag team scene.
5. Carlito
Even though Carlito lost his New Year's Revolution match against Chris Masters he managed to dominate most of the feud, ensuring his spot on the Power Rankings. Carlito is a former 2x United States Champion and former Intercontinental Champion (having won his first US Championship in his debut match on SmackDown! and the Intercontinental Championship in his debut match on RAW) but he's yet to win the big prize. Look for Carlito to exact some revenge on Masters for his NYR loss and then focus on winning the Royal Rumble, ensuring himself a shot at whichever World Championship he chooses at WrestleMania.
* * * * *
WWE Friday Night SmackDown! Power Rankings
Batista - World Heavyweight Champion
1. Chris Benoit - United States Champion
Much like Jeff Hardy, as the secondary champion on SmackDown! Chris Benoit is just filling the Number 1 Contender's void until a top contender is named by the WWE. Benoit is currently engaged in a battle with Chavo Guerrero so look for Benoit to continue that going into the Royal Rumble but the "Rabid Wolverine" will surely return his focus to recapturing the World Heavyweight Championship he lost to Randy Orton in 2004.
2. Ken Kennedy
Mr. Kennedy is currently leading SmackDown!'s Beat the Clock "tournament" to crown a new Number 1 Contender. Kennedy's time of 5:07 was enough to secure him the lead for the first week but we'll see if his time is well enough to hold the lead going into Week 2. Kennedy met current World Heavyweight Champion Batista in what turned into a viscious assault that left Kennedy bloodied and beaten in Batista's first match back from his surgery. After being dominated by The Undertaker in their feud that lasted the majority of the end of 2006 Kennedy will be looking to capture some gold in 2007 to replace the United States Championship he lost to Chris Benoit in October.
3. King Booker
The former World Heavyweight Champion turned Batista away at Survivor Series and in a rematch on SmackDown! but he wasn't able to overcome The Demon at Survivor Series or in his rematch on SmackDown! following the PPV. Normally Booker would be at the bottom of the contender's list following his failed title shot but he's currently in 2nd place in the Beat the Clock "tournament". It took Booker 5 years to capture his first World Championship in the WWE so don't expect the King to give up on recapturing the gold so easily.
4. Kane
After dominating Montel Vontavious Porter in an Inferno match at Armageddon, Kane began the Beat the Clock "tournament" by setting an impressive time of a little over 7 minutes. His time would stand for a few matches until it was beat by King Booker and again by the current leader Mr. Kennedy. Look for Kane to turn up the heat in Week 2 and form a real threat to the World Heavyweight Championship. Kane's first (and currently only) reign as World Champion came in 1998 and lasted for a little less than 24-hours. You can expect the Big Red Machine to want to avenge that short reign and build his already impressive legacy with a solid run at the top of the blue brand.
5. The Undertaker
After dominating the WWE scene for a over a decade and a half, The Undertaker should and will always been looked at as a threat to any champion. 'Taker dominated Ken Kennedy in their feud throughout the end of 2006 and, because of this, has secured a spot in the Power Rankings. With WrestleMania quickly approaching you can bet that "The Deadman" will be more worried about extending his 14-0 mark rather than capturing the World Championship that has evaded him since 2002.
* * * * *
ECW on Sci-Fi Power Rankings
Bobby Lashley - ECW World Heavyweight Champion
1. Rob Van Dam - Number 1 Contender
Due to the fans voting on a recent edition of ECW on Sci-Fi, Rob Van Dam has been named the official Number 1 Contender to Bobby Lashley's ECW World Heavyweight Championship. Van Dam captured his first World Championship in June of 2006, actually winning 2 World titles in one match (the ECW World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship), and unfortunately for him lost both titles the very same month. Since that time Van Dam has failed to recapture the gold he lost. He recenty had a title match against Bobby Lashley that ended in a draw. Due to this no-finish, Van Dam is still the Number 1 Contender and will get his rematch very soon.
2. Test
In a match to impress the fans voting for the new Number 1 Contender, Test secured a pinfall victory over Sabu and Rob Van Dam in a triple threat match. Test may have won the match but Van Dam won the voting, sending the "Impact Player" into championship purgatory. Test had an impressive showing in the Extreme Elimination Chamber and, because of this, will be looking to make an impact in the Royal Rumble match as well and secure a match against the ECW Champion - no matter who it is.
3. Sabu
Known as "The Suicidal, Homicidal, Death-defying madman", Sabu will be looking to capture the World Championship that has been out of his grasp for the last few years. Originally scheduled to take part in the Extreme Elimination Chamber at December to Dismember, Sabu was taken out of the match before it really even began. Sabu then took the pinfall loss in a triple threat match against Rob Van Dam and Test but still managed to come in 2nd in the Number 1 Contender voting. Look for Sabu to try and make a mark on the World Championship scene and try to secure a spot under the WrestleMania lights.
4. CM Punk
Punk made an impressive debut in ECW, going undefeated for quite sometime. He was eliminated early in the Extreme Elimination Chamber but that didn't stop Punk from coming back out on TV and making a mark by engaging in a hard hitting battle with resident ECW badass Hardcore Holly. Punk's Anaconda Vice is sure to carry him to the ECW World Heavyweight Championship - but he's gotta focus first. Look for Punk, like the rest of the ECW roster, to make a major impact in the Royal Rumble and prove that they're a real force to be reckoned with in the WWE as a whole.
5. Kevin Thorne
Thorne has had a great run in ECW thus far. He went undefeated for months before finally tapping to CM Punk, something that he shouldn't be ashamed of. Since losing to Punk, Thorne has gotten back to his winning ways, taking victories over ECW originals Balls Mahoney and Tommy Dreamer, among others. With Ariel at his side, Thorne is sure to embark on a path of destruction against the lower card wrestlers of ECW but I don't think he has what it takes to contend with the big boys like Van Dam and Lashley.
