411’s WWE RPI Rankings 09.08.13

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

Overview of this week’s rankings
John Cena remains at the top of the RPI rankings for the seventh consecutive week despite being out of action. Daniel Bryan jumped to the second spot after earning 3.6 RPI points with a win over Seth Rollins and draw against the Big Show. Randy Orton and all three members of the Shield follow closely behind.

Given the current angle with Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton and the new “Corporation”, both Bryan and Orton appear to be on the winning side of things more often than not. Bryan has only lost two matches in the last two months (one of them being against Randy Orton at SummerSlam) while Orton has only lost four. With such a high winning percentage, anybody put into a match against these two will benefit greatly (even though they are likely to lose). The amount of time dedicated to a Daniel Bryan match puts his competitors in a very favorable spot; not only do they get to showcase their talents in a longer match but the rub from Bryan’s in-ring capabilities could catapult them to the next level. Would anybody complain if we got to see another gauntlet match with the likes of Antonio Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, or Kofi Kingston?

Brodus Clay and Tensai have gained the most over the last four weeks mostly by having old losses occurring more than two months ago. But we really haven’t seen much from Tons of Funk recently. Languishing in the pit of midcard-dom. Meanwhile, Justin Gabriel and The Miz have lost the most over the last four weeks. Not all that surprising I suppose.

WWE Superstar	RPI Ranking	Winning %	Win-Loss-Draw Record
1) John Cena	70.5	0.800	4-1-0
2) Daniel Bryan	68.6	0.875	17-2-1
3) Randy Orton	63.9	0.794	12-4-1
4) Roman Reigns	63.8	0.750	9-3-0
5) Seth Rollins	63.7	0.714	10-4-0
6) Dean Ambrose	61.3	0.636	7-4-0
7) Rob Van Dam	61.0	0.786	10-4-0
8) Erick Rowan	60.8	1.000	4-0-0
9) Luke Harper	60.8	1.000	4-0-0
10) Chris Jericho	57.8	0.400	2-3-0
11) Alberto Del Rio	57.7	0.588	9-6-2
12) Kane	57.6	0.714	5-2-0
13) Ryback	56.9	0.500	5-5-0
14) CM Punk	56.3	0.750	5-1-2
15) Brodus Clay	55.0	0.333	2-4-0
16) Tensai	55.0	0.333	2-4-0
17) Christian	55.0	0.611	11-7-0
18) Mark Henry	54.2	0.625	5-3-0
19) Sheamus	53.6	0.500	2-2-1
20) The Great Khali	51.3	1.000	4-0-0
21) Kofi Kingston	50.6	0.556	5-4-0
22) Dolph Ziggler	50.1	0.529	9-8-0
23) Curtis Axel	50.0	0.679	9-4-1
24) Wade Barrett	49.4	0.250	3-9-0
25) Big Show	48.5	0.700	3-1-1
26) The Miz	47.9	0.667	6-3-0
27) Cody Rhodes	47.5	0.538	7-6-0
28) Jimmy Uso	46.0	0.563	9-7-0
29) Jey Uso	45.4	0.529	9-8-0
30) Antonio Cesaro	45.3	0.417	5-7-0
31) Titus O’Neil	44.4	0.385	5-8-0
32) Fandango	43.9	0.250	4-12-0
33) Big E Langston	43.8	0.444	4-5-0
34) Darren Young	43.4	0.357	5-9-0
35) R-Truth	42.6	0.500	3-3-0
36) Damien Sandow	41.5	0.143	1-13-0
37) Jack Swagger	41.4	0.200	3-12-0
38) Jinder Mahal	37.3	0.000	0-8-0
39) Sin Cara	37.2	0.357	2-4-1
40) Heath Slater	35.6	0.038	0-12-1
41) Zack Ryder	33.5	0.200	1-4-0
42) Drew McIntyre	33.3	0.000	0-11-0
43) Justin Gabriel	28.1	0.313	2-5-1

WWE Divas	RPI Ranking	Winning %	Win-Loss-Draw Record
1) Layla	56.8	0.750	4-1-1
2) Naomi	55.6	0.500	2-2-2
3) AJ Lee	54.9	0.500	4-4-1
4) Brie Bella	54.5	0.500	2-2-2
5) Natalya	48.4	0.611	5-3-1
6) Alicia Fox	45.8	0.300	1-3-1
7) Kaitlyn	41.0	0.450	4-5-1

Top ten movers over the last 4 weeks

Gainers		Sliders
1) Brodus Clay	+3.9	1) Justin Gabriel	-2.8
2) Tensai	+3.3	2) The Miz	-1.8
3) Kofi Kingston	+3.3	3) Damien Sandow	-1.7
4) Daniel Bryan	+2.3	4) Heath Slater	-1.4
5) Darren Young	+2.3	5) Drew McIntyre	-1.2
6) The Great Khali	+1.7	6) Jack Swagger	-1.2
7) R-Truth	+1.5	7) Curtis Axel	-1.2
8) Dean Ambrose	+1.5	8) Big E Langston	-0.9
9) Roman Reigns	+1.5	9) Fandango	-0.9
10) Dolph Ziggler	+1.3	10) Antonio Cesaro	-0.9

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.