WWE Power Rankings: Rock takes top spot

January, 29, 2013

Jan 29

10:23

AM ET

Courtesy of WWEJohn Cena rises up our WWE rankings after winning the Royal Rumble on Sunday.

What’s the point of having a WWE Hall of Fame if you’re not going to include “Macho Man” Randy Savage? To me, Savage is top 10 all-time, no question, and with Savage’s rare mix of athleticism and showmanship, you can even make the argument that he’s one of the top five acts the business has ever seen.

“The tower of power, too sweet to be sour, funky like a monkey, oh yeah!”

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The Rock

Courtesy of WWEThe Rock rises to the top of our rankings after defeating CM Punk at the Royal Rumble.

So many classic “dig it” moments and matches etched in time, from Steamboat vs. Savage at Wrestlemania III (still my personal favorite), to the ongoing feud between Savage and Hogan (be a man!), to his trademark pose while perched on the top rope as he hyped up the crowd before dropping the flying elbow. When I think of the most colorful characters professional wrestling has to offer, I instantly think of Randy Savage (and I didn’t even get to the cowboy hats and sequins).

It’s funny because when I think about the first time I met the intense superstar, backstage before a WCW pay-per-view at the Cow Palace, he was all business talking wrestling (he attempted to stare through me with his intimidating eyes). But when I brought up his minor league days playing catcher in the Cardinals, Reds and White Sox organizations, that’s when I felt I got my first true glimpse of the man behind the persona.

“Hitting curveballs can be brutal,” he said, throwing in a trademark “oh yeah” at the end with a wide grin.

“That’s when I knew I’d be better off hitting people for a living.

“But I loved every second playing baseball; every teammate, every bus ride, every game. It was one of the best times of my life.”

Savage died in 2011, but his memory lives on every time CM Punk climbs to the top rope and points to the sky before dropping one of Savage’s patented elbows.

From today’s Best in the World to the man who could’ve originated the phrase any time he hit the ring, I think everyone in the locker room knows it’s time to finally bring a little Madness back to WWE and into the Hall of Fame.

WWE Power Rankings: Jan. 29, 2013

Rank (Prv)	Wrestler	Comment
1 (5)	The Rock	It has been a decade between title reigns for The People's Champ, but Rock's Royal Rumble match against CM Punk will go down as one of his most memorable. "You don't take the title from him. I do." Epic stuff from The Great One.
2 (4)	Alberto Del Rio	If ADR keeps up his tremendous face turn, he might turn out to be 2013's most entertaining WWE performer. Si! Si! Si!
3 (1)	CM Punk	His 434-day title reign might be over, but he did more to elevate the championship in his time with the belt than anyone in the past decade. Can't wait for the Rock vs. Punk rematch at Elimination Chamber. Hopefully this time, the Spanish announcer table doesn't collapse.
4 (10)	John Cena	Your Royal Rumble winner is now in line to make Rock vs. Cena "twice in a lifetime." How about we get a Triple Threat this year to change things up a bit: Rock vs. Cena vs. Punk? I think that would really make the outcome a lot less predictable.
5 (NR)	Brock Lesnar	Closes Raw with a vicious F5 on Vince McMahon. How old does Vince need to be before he stops taking bumps? I have a feeling Mr. McMahon is going to celebrate his 100th birthday by getting suplexed through a table.
6 (NR)	Chris Jericho	Shocked the wrestling world when his music hit during the Rumble, then lasted over 45 minutes in the match. A feud with Dolph Ziggler has the potential to steal the show on any card they wrestle.
7 (2)	Dolph Ziggler	The Royal Rumble iron man (almost 50 minutes of work) is rewarded with a program against Y2J … as if making out with A.J. Lee on every show isn't reward enough already.
8 (3)	The Shield Dean Ambrose Roman Reigns Seth Rollins	Brutalized Cena, Ryback and Sheamus in one vicious Raw sequence. Dream Survivor Series match would pit Heyman's Guys versus Vince's Guys, with Lesnar, Punk and The Shield vs. Cena, Rock, Ryback, Sheamus and Triple H.
9 (6)	Sheamus	Followed up an awesome performance in the Rumble (37 minutes, 5 eliminations) with a wicked tables match against Damien Sandow. Now that's how you put someone through a table, fella.
10 (NR)	The Big Show	Big Show needs to be celebrated for putting Alberto Del Rio over and helping build him into a bigger star than I ever thought possible. This is what should've happened with Cena and Ziggler.

Want to talk wrestling with Jon Robinson? Hit up him up on Twitter.

Previous rankings:
Jan. 8, 2013
Jan. 15, 2013
Jan. 22, 2013

Jon Robinson

Playbook

Ever since he first handed the ball to Bo Jackson in "Tecmo Bowl," Jon Robinson has been mesmerized by the world of sports video games. He's been covering the gaming beat professionally for over 15 years, starting his career writing as "Johnny Ballgame" for GamePro magazine before becoming the founding editor of IGN Sports. Robinson co-wrote the book "The Madden Phenomenon," and his two latest works, "Rumble Road" and "WWE My Favorite Match," were released by Simon & Schuster in July 2010 and July 2012.

Tags:

The Rock, WWE Power Rankings, WWE, wrestling, Jon Robinson

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