411’s WWE RPI Rankings 05.06.13

Click here for the entire spreadsheet containing win/loss records and detailed calculations for the past three months.

Overview of this week’s rankings
The Undertaker remains on top of this week’s RPI rankings but all three members of the Shield are close behind with their wins over Daniel Bryan, John Cena, and Kane. Speaking of Team Hell No and the Tag Team Division, it is startling to consider than they have not faced Rhodes Scholars a single time in the last three months. Based upon RPI rankings, it could easily be argued that Rhodes Scholars are the number 1 contenders for the Tag Titles. It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for the four of them heading into Extreme Rules.

The Rock has taken the biggest tumble over the last four weeks. This isn’t altogether surprising with his loss against John Cena at Wrestlemania and the string of losses suffered by his previous opponent, CM Punk.

RPI rankings successfully predicted the winner in 11 out of 15 matches over the last week, slightly less than what would be predicted based solely on win/loss percentages (13 out of 15 matches correctly predicted).

WWE Superstars

1) Undertaker	74.4
2) Roman Reigns	67.8
3) Dean Ambrose	64.8
4) Seth Rollins	64.6
5) John Cena	63.6
6) Mark Henry	62.3
7) Alberto Del Rio	59.6
8) Jack Swagger	58.7
9) Ricardo Rodriguez/El Local	56.9
10) Big Show	56.0
11) Ryback	55.3
12) Sheamus	55.2
13) Yoshi Tatsu	54.9
14) Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson	54.4
15) Zeb Coulter	54.2
16) Randy Orton	54.1
17) Dolph Ziggler	51.1
18) Damien Sandow	50.7
19) Fandango	50.6
20) Chris Jericho	49.5
21) Big E Langston	49.0
22) Rey Mysterio	48.9
23) Kane	48.9
24) Antonio Cesaro	48.8
25) R-Truth	48.8
26) Sin Cara	48.7
27) CM Punk	48.6
28) The Great Khali	48.1
29) Daniel Bryan	47.9
30) Cody Rhodes	47.8
31) Wade Barrett	47.6
32) Kofi Kingston	47.5
33) The Miz	46.4
34) Tensai	45.6
35) Justin Gabriel	45.0
36) William Regal	44.7
37) Jey Uso	43.0
38) Brodus Clay	42.8
39) Jimmy Uso	42.6
40) Billy Gunn	42.4
41) Road Dogg	42.4
42) Drew McIntyre	42.1
43) Hornswoggle	42.1
44) Santino Marella	41.8
45) Jinder Mahal	41.7
46) Darren Young	41.0
47) Zack Ryder	40.4
48) David Otunga	40.3
49) Epico	39.9
50) Primo	39.3
51) Titus O’Neil	39.3
52) Michael McGillicutty	39.1
53) Heath Slater	38.8
54) JTG	34.5

WWE Divas

1) Nikki Bella	63.0
2) Brie Bella	56.9
3) AJ Lee	56.1
4) Naomi	53.6
5) Tamina Snuka	51.0
6) Cameron	50.9
7) Kaitlyn	48.0
8) Layla	44.8
9) Rosa Mendes	42.4
10) Natalya	41.6
11) Aksana	40.5
12) Alicia Fox	39.6

RPI Explained
The ratings percentage index (RPI; out of 100) is a method which ranks teams or individuals based upon their wins, losses and strength of schedule. It is used by the NCAA to aid in the selecting and seeding of teams appearing in tournaments such as basketball’s March Madness.

Why are RPI rankings superior to simple win-loss records? Imagine a superstar that wins matches only against jobbers. Sure, their win/loss record will be stellar but by facing opponents who always lose, their RPI will not be as high as a superstar who wins half their matches but always faces opponents with stellar win/loss records. Using a statistically valid approach to examine WWE superstars will allow fans to determine if their favorite wrestler is being booked appropriately and whether their stock is rising or falling.

The factors involved are:
* 1) the superstar’s winning percentage (25%)
* 2) the average winning percentage of the superstar’s opponents (50%)
* 3) the average winning percentage of the superstar’s opponents’ opponents (25%)

Win-loss records are calculated for every WWE superstar over the past 3 months from Monday Night Raw, Smackdown, Superstars, Main Event, Saturday Morning Slam, and pay-per-views. Superstars must have competed in at least 2 matches in the last 3 months to be included in the overall RPI rankings.