411’s WWE RPI Rankings 06.29.13

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

Overview of this week’s rankings
CM Punk and Christian take the first and second spot in this week’s RPI rankings knocking Roman Reigns to fourth overall. Neither Punk or Christian have lost since coming back to action. And with Christian seemingly feuding with the Shield (and more specifically Dean Ambrose), it may not be long before Captain Charisma has the highest RPI ranking.

And can anyone explain what is going on with Ryback?! With matches against Justin Gabriel and The Great Khali, this kind of booking is not normal for a superstar who headlined the last two PPVs with John Cena. As a result, Ryback is ranked 29th in the RPI rankings behind a slew of other competitors. The best way to keep someone low on the totem pole is for them to beat opponents who have an unrealistic chance of even putting up a fight. Given that Ryback has had good matches against the likes of Daniel Bryan and others, it begs the question of whether Ryback can hold his own in the ring or if he’s destined for squash matches in adfinitum.

The PrimeTime Players (Titus O’Neil and Darren Young) and Damien Sandow have made steady gains in their RPI rankings over the last four weeks. Largely, these gains have been due to facing higher RPI-ranked opponents. If any of these three WWE superstars can churn out some wins, they will rapidly rise up the rankings.

WWE Superstar	RPI Ranking	Winning %	Win-Loss-Draw Record
1) CM Punk	67.5	1.000	3-0-0
2) Christian	60.7	1.000	5-0-0
3) Mark Henry	60.5	0.571	4-3-0
4) Roman Reigns	59.6	0.735	12-4-1
5) Randy Orton	58.6	0.696	15-6-2
6) Sheamus	57.1	0.882	15-2-0
7) Daniel Bryan	56.8	0.450	8-10-2
8) Chris Jericho	56.6	0.767	11-3-1
9) John Cena	55.7	0.417	2-3-1
10) Kane	55.3	0.412	7-10-0
11) Ricardo Rodriguez	54.2	0.875	3-0-1
12) Seth Rollins	54.0	0.611	11-7-0
13) Alberto Del Rio	53.6	0.647	10-5-2
14) Damien Sandow	53.3	0.333	5-10-0
15) The Miz	52.4	0.900	9-1-0
16) Dean Ambrose	52.1	0.571	11-8-2
17) Zeb Coulter	51.9	0.125	0-3-1
18) Jack Swagger	51.8	0.400	3-5-2
19) Big Show	51.7	0.200	1-4-0
20) Curtis Axel	51.6	0.800	12-3-0
21) Dolph Ziggler	51.5	0.333	2-4-0
22) Jimmy Uso	51.1	0.615	8-5-0
23) R-Truth	50.5	0.857	6-1-0
24) Jey Uso	49.9	0.583	7-5-0
25) Cody Rhodes	49.6	0.278	5-13-0
26) Titus O’Neil	48.2	0.375	3-5-0
27) Big E Langston	48.0	0.292	3-8-1
28) Kofi Kingston	47.7	0.318	3-7-1
29) Ryback	47.5	0.591	6-4-1
30) Wade Barrett	47.4	0.077	1-12-0
31) Sin Cara	47.3	0.333	3-6-0
32) Darren Young	46.3	0.250	2-6-0
33) Fandango	46.3	0.611	5-3-1
34) Antonio Cesaro	45.7	0.400	6-9-0
35) Heath Slater	41.3	0.250	2-6-0
36) The Great Khali	40.8	0.500	2-2-1
37) Tensai	40.7	0.545	6-5-0
38) Justin Gabriel	39.5	0.400	4-6-0
39) Brodus Clay	37.8	0.455	5-6-0
40) Drew McIntyre	37.0	0.000	0-6-0
41) Jinder Mahal	32.9	0.000	0-6-0
42) Zack Ryder	32.6	0.000	0-8-0
43) Triple H	32.5	0.000	0-4-0
44) William Regal	29.0	0.000	0-3-0

WWE Divas	RPI Ranking	Winning %	Win-Loss-Draw Record
1) AJ Lee	66.1	0.714	4-3-0
2) Naomi	56.5	0.800	4-1-0
3) Cameron	54.8	0.750	3-1-0
4) Layla	52.2	0.750	3-1-0
5) Natalya	49.7	0.500	3-3-0
6) Nikki Bella	49.0	0.250	1-3-0
7) Brie Bella	46.8	0.200	1-4-0
8) Kaitlyn	45.1	0.778	7-2-0
9) Tamina Snuka	40.5	0.000	0-3-0
10) Aksana	38.1	0.000	0-5-0

Top ten movers over the last 4 weeks

Gainers		Sliders
1) Triple H	+1.8	1) Curtis Axel	-3.5
2) Damien Sandow	+1.8	2) Dolph Ziggler	-3.1
3) Justin Gabriel	+1.7	3) Brodus Clay	-2.6
4) Titus O’Neil	+1.4	4) Dean Ambrose	-2.4
5) Darren Young	+1.2	5) Tensai	-2.0
6) Antonio Cesaro	+1.1	6) Fandango	-2.0
7) Heath Slater	+0.9	7) Kofi Kingston	-1.7
8) R-Truth	+0.9	8) Sin Cara	-1.7
9) Cody Rhodes	+0.9	9) Big E Langston	-1.5
10) Jey Uso	+0.6	10) Wade Barrett	-1.5

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 2 months from Monday Night Raw, Smackdown, Superstars, Main Event, Saturday Morning Slam, and pay-per-views. Superstars must have competed in at least 3 matches over the past 2 months to be included in the overall RPI rankings.