411’s WWE RPI Rankings 09.22.13

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

Overview of this week’s rankings
What an amazing week with 35 matches! And who’s at the top of this week’s RPI rankings? YES! YES! YES! Daniel Bryan knocked off John Cena (who had eight straight weeks on top) to assume the mantle at the top of the RPI rankings. But the race to the top is close with Randy Orton is nipping on Daniel Bryan’s heels as he is 0.8 RPI points behind the top spot. John Cena, Rob Van Dam and Roman Reigns round out the top five.

Zack Ryder (remember him) made the biggest jump over the last week. Mind you, he’s still won only 1 match and lost 4 in the last two months but with his match against Erick Rowan and Luke Harper (who are still undefeated with 5 wins), he catapulted 10 RPI points.

Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay and Tensai) on the other hand made the biggest drop over the last week. It’s sad to think how far these two have fallen after hyped “debuts”. They don’t even seem to be in the tag team hunt. Tensai has flashes of his old days in Japan with Karl Anderson and perhaps a split will benefit Tensai. Brodus Clay on the other hand; if you have to put spikes on your singlet to get over, it’s over…

How about another surprise; Great Khali (yes, that Great Khali) is currently undefeated over the last two months and sits at 12th in the RPI rankings over the likes of Mark Henry, Wade Barrett, Dolph Ziggler and CM Punk (to name a few). I’ll let that sink in for a moment…

WWE Superstar	RPI Ranking	Winning %	Win-Loss-Draw Record
1) Daniel Bryan	68.9	0.886	19-2-1
2) Randy Orton	68.1	0.833	12-2-1
3) John Cena	66.2	0.667	2-1-0
4) Rob Van Dam	63.7	0.806	13-4-1
5) Roman Reigns	62.5	0.694	12-5-1
6) Seth Rollins	62.5	0.694	12-5-1
7) Alberto Del Rio	60.4	0.647	11-6-0
8) Bray Wyatt	59.9	1.000	3-0-0
9) Dean Ambrose	59.1	0.595	12-8-1
10) Christian	59.1	0.769	10-3-0
11) Curtis Axel	57.9	0.750	10-3-1
12) The Great Khali	55.6	1.000	3-0-0
13) Erick Rowan	54.7	1.000	5-0-0
14) Luke Harper	54.7	1.000	5-0-0
15) Cody Rhodes	54.4	0.700	7-3-0
16) Mark Henry	54.0	0.714	5-2-0
17) Kofi Kingston	53.9	0.600	9-6-0
18) Wade Barrett	53.0	0.200	2-8-0
19) Dolph Ziggler	51.8	0.400	8-12-0
20) Santino Marella	51.6	1.000	4-0-0
21) CM Punk	50.4	0.583	3-2-1
22) Ryback	49.2	0.444	4-5-0
23) The Miz	48.9	0.722	6-2-1
24) Damien Sandow	47.7	0.200	3-12-0
25) Antonio Cesaro	47.5	0.375	6-10-0
26) Big Show	47.4	0.700	3-1-1
27) Brodus Clay	47.0	0.286	2-5-0
28) Tensai	47.0	0.286	2-5-0
29) Jey Uso	46.9	0.611	11-7-0
30) Jimmy Uso	46.9	0.611	11-7-0
31) Darren Young	45.9	0.438	7-9-0
32) Big E Langston	45.8	0.500	5-5-0
33) Titus O’Neil	45.4	0.438	7-9-0
34) Kane	45.0	0.500	2-2-0
35) Zack Ryder	44.8	0.200	1-4-0
36) Jack Swagger	44.4	0.250	5-15-0
37) Fandango	43.7	0.188	3-13-0
38) R-Truth	40.7	0.300	3-7-0
39) Sin Cara	39.6	0.400	2-3-0
40) Jinder Mahal	36.6	0.000	0-9-0
41) Heath Slater	35.0	0.033	0-14-1
42) Drew McIntyre	33.2	0.000	0-12-0
43) Justin Gabriel	31.3	0.188	1-6-1

WWE Divas	RPI Ranking	Winning %	Win-Loss-Draw Record
1) AJ Lee	55.6	0.556	5-4-0
2) Layla	53.5	0.625	5-3-0
3) Kaitlyn	49.5	0.500	3-3-0
4) Natalya	46.4	0.542	6-5-1
5) Brie Bella	46.2	0.500	4-4-2
6) Naomi	45.8	0.455	4-5-2
7) Alicia Fox	43.0	0.200	1-4-0
8) Aksana	42.4	0.200	1-4-0

Top ten movers over the last 4 weeks

Gainers		Sliders
1) Zack Ryder	+3.7	1) Kane	-3.8
2) Cody Rhodes	+2.8	2) Ryback	-2.3
3) The Great Khali	+2.6	3) Big Show	-2.1
4) Damien Sandow	+2.5	4) CM Punk	-1.9
5) Kofi Kingston	+1.9	5) Roman Reigns	-1.8
6) Wade Barrett	+1.6	6) John Cena	-1.2
7) Randy Orton	+1.5	7) Jinder Mahal	-0.9
8) Christian	+1.2	8) R-Truth	-0.8
9) Sin Cara	+1.1	9) Drew McIntyre	-0.8
10) Jack Swagger	+1.1	10) Jimmy Uso	-0.7

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.