411’s WWE RPI Rankings 10.13.13

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

Overview of this week’s rankings
Like the viper he is, Randy Orton snuck around Daniel Bryan to secure the top spot in this week’s RPI rankings followed by Daniel Bryan, Bray Wyatt, Golddust (!) and Rob Van Dam. While Bray Wyatt ranks high because of his perfect record in the last 2 months (4 wins, 0 losses), Golddust benefited from the strength of his opponents (namely, the Shield).

It seems as though the top ten movers and sliders really demonstrate who the WWE is high on going forward. Big Show, R-Truth and Bray Wyatt moved up the most and with what we’re seeing in the storylines, this looks fairly accurate. Meanwhile, the sliding end includes Tons of Funk, the Great Khali, Curtis Axel, and Alberto Del Rio which also seems fairly accurate. With the scheduled match between Del Rio and the returning John Cena set for Hell in the Cell, who knows what the future holds for Del Rio. Will he lose the strap after a long run at the top? Personally, I hope yes. There are many superstars that are more over than Del Rio whether as a face or a heel. Anyone else think Del Rio has become stagnant?

WWE Superstar	RPI Ranking	Winning %	Win-Loss-Draw Record
1) Randy Orton	69.5	0.781	11-2-3
2) Daniel Bryan	67.9	0.800	15-3-2
3) Bray Wyatt	65.9	1.000	4-0-0
4) Golddust	62.6	0.500	2-2-0
5) Rob Van Dam	62.3	0.722	11-5-2
6) Seth Rollins	60.7	0.660	16-8-1
7) Roman Reigns	59.5	0.673	17-8-1
8) Cody Rhodes	58.8	0.600	6-4-0
9) Dean Ambrose	57.5	0.589	16-11-1
10) Wade Barrett	57.2	0.200	1-4-0
11) Mark Henry	55.3	0.750	3-1-0
12) Christian	55.3	0.571	4-3-0
13) CM Punk	55.1	0.643	4-2-1
14) Alberto Del Rio	55.1	0.789	15-4-0
15) Big Show	54.9	0.786	5-1-1
16) Kofi Kingston	53.8	0.500	11-11-0
17) The Miz	52.9	0.611	5-3-1
18) Erick Rowan	52.0	0.857	6-1-0
19) Luke Harper	52.0	0.857	6-1-0
20) Curtis Axel	51.5	0.694	12-5-1
21) Dolph Ziggler	50.9	0.391	9-14-0
22) Jey Uso	49.9	0.563	9-7-0
23) Darren Young	49.3	0.500	8-8-0
24) Jimmy Uso	48.7	0.533	8-7-0
25) Antonio Cesaro	48.6	0.550	11-9-0
26) Santino Marella	48.4	0.700	7-3-0
27) Titus O’Neil	48.4	0.471	8-9-0
28) Jack Swagger	47.8	0.526	10-9-0
29) R-Truth	47.6	0.286	4-10-0
30) Ryback	47.6	0.444	4-5-0
31) Kane	47.2	0.667	2-1-0
32) The Great Khali	47.0	0.714	5-2-0
33) Diego	45.9	1.000	4-0-0
34) Fernando	45.9	1.000	4-0-0
35) Fandango	42.9	0.333	5-10-0
36) Big E Langston	42.1	0.500	7-7-0
37) Damien Sandow	41.8	0.211	4-15-0
38) Jinder Mahal	40.9	0.071	1-13-0
39) Zack Ryder	38.6	0.091	1-10-0
40) Drew McIntyre	36.9	0.083	1-11-0
41) Heath Slater	36.7	0.059	1-16-0
42) Brodus Clay	36.6	0.125	1-7-0
43) Tensai	36.6	0.125	1-7-0
44) Justin Gabriel	32.3	0.091	1-10-0

WWE Divas	RPI Ranking	Winning %	Win-Loss-Draw Record
1) AJ Lee	59.5	0.600	6-4-0
2) Cameron	54.8	0.800	4-1-0
3) Layla	50.6	0.429	3-4-0
4) Tamina Snuka	49.2	0.500	2-2-0
5) Brie Bella	47.3	0.615	7-4-2
6) Natalya	47.1	0.577	7-5-1
7) Kaitlyn	46.1	0.333	2-4-0
8) Naomi	45.6	0.500	5-5-2
9) Alicia Fox	43.3	0.167	1-5-0
10) Aksana	41.5	0.125	1-7-0

Top ten movers over the last 4 weeks

Gainers		Sliders
1) Big Show	+2.9	1) Brodus Clay	-3.5
2) R-Truth	+2.3	2) Tensai	-3.5
3) Bray Wyatt	+1.7	3) The Great Khali	-2.6
4) Wade Barrett	+1.6	4) Curtis Axel	-2.2
5) Jinder Mahal	+1.5	5) Alberto Del Rio	-2.0
6) Cody Rhodes	+1.3	6) Zack Ryder	-1.8
7) CM Punk	+1.3	7) Damien Sandow	-1.7
8) Darren Young	+1.3	8) Big E Langston	-1.4
9) The Miz	+1.2	9) Christian	-1.2
10) Drew McIntyre	+1.1	10) Roman Reigns	-1.0

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.