Pro Wrestling Rankings June-26: Тhe constellations aligned this week for Will Ospreay

Will Ospreay

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion has been on an amazing roll of late with his in-ring performances, but even he couldn't have predicted the wave of momentum he'd see coming out of his back and forth Twitter banter with WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins, calling out Rollins' claim that WWE produces the best wrestling in the world.

When Rollins dismissed Ospreay as a "little man" and as a dime store version of WWE's Ricochet, the sheer momentum of the global audience that pushed back against Rollins not only put the WWE star in the rare position of being rejected by online fans but also raised Ospreay onto a new pedestal with an insane amount of support by those who believe in the Aerial Assassin.

Now, Ospreay has to take that rebellious energy into the ring and use it to empower himself as he prepares to defend his championship against Australian star and longtime rival /fighter/robbie-e/4493/">Robbie Eagles]]]], live on FITE, at New Japan's Southern Showdown Down Under this Saturday.

No matter the circumstances, the constellations aligned this week for Ospreay, sending the high-flying star into the FITE Rankings stratosphere.

Kofi Kingston

The reigning and defending WWE Champion steps inside a steel cage this weekend at WWE's Stomping Ground in Tacoma, Washington, facing long-time rival Dolph Ziggler. Kingston has been one of the most inspirational personalities this year in professional wrestling but with Ziggler, his past returns to haunt him yet again.

With victory, Kingston can emerge with all old demons laid to rest, charging towards a bright future, continuing to be one of the defining personalities of 2019.

Seth Rollins

It should have been just another rudimentary, normal week for the WWE Universal Champion. He was linked to his real-life girlfriend Becky Lynch on WWE programming. He defeated Baron Corbin in the main event of Stomping Ground and set the stage for the Extreme Rules PPV in Philadelphia.

But, a strange thing happened on the way to Monday Night Raw. Rollins decided to fight back against some of the criticism of WWE online, including the comments made by his former partner Jon Moxley. That placed Rollins into the rare spotlight of being on the outs with the fan base that usually rallies behind him and set the stage for a Twitter war against New Japan's Will Ospreay.

All of this raised Rollins' profile in a way that he certainly hadn't planned for, but in pro wrestling, the ends justify the means when the name of the game is making waves.

Becky Lynch

The Man continues her run atop of WWE as the hottest performer in perhaps the entire company. This week, she opened and closed WWE Stomping Ground and even as she's linked more on camera with real-life boyfriend Seth Rollins, she outshined him as the bigger star on WWE's Raw.

Lynch filmed a new ESPN commercial and headed to Tokyo and Singapore for WWE this week, continuing to trailblaze and set the tone for not just WWE's female contingent but the company's entire cast of characters.

As she continues her wars with Lacey Evans, Lynch is bringing her up to the next level, the true goal of a top star in any company. Lynch has hit the rarified air of being a WWE franchise unto herself.

The Undertaker

No matter what you were expecting on this week's edition of Monday Night Raw, the last thing you expected was for the lights to go out and The Undertaker to appear. Rescuing Roman Reigns from Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre, The Undertaker set the stage for a tag team bout at Extreme Rules next month.

After the lackluster train wreck against Bill Goldberg left fans questioning what could be next for the Deadman, he's already stomped out talk that he was done by injecting himself into one of the most important storylines in WWE.

Indeed, the Dead Man is still walking, fighting and chokeslamming.

Jon Moxley

After a number of biting interviews where he slices down WWE with some of the most insightful criticism about that company to date, Jon Moxley will make his official All Elite Wrestling in-. FITE, taking on another unorthodox brawler in Joey Janela. While the former Dean Ambrose has already left carnage in his wake with his shocking appearance at Double or Nothing, the in-ring adventures of Jon Moxley kick off this weekend.

Anarchy sparks war and Moxley is prepared for war.

Matt Taven & Jeff Cobb

This week, Ring of Honor presents one of its biggest events of the year, the 2019 Best in the World PPV, headlined by former Olympian [[Jeff Cobb as he challenges ROH World Champion Matt Taven. It will be Taven's first PPV title defense and Cobb's first PPV main event, linking the two as the most important performers on the show during a time period where ROH is rebuilding itself for the future.

No matter who emerges victorious, as long as their battle is one that makes the audience sit up and take notice, Cobb vs. Taven could plant the ROH flag and set the stage for ripple effects that are yet to be felt but will certainly be remembered as Ring of Honor looks to stand tall post-Elite exodus.

The moment is there for them to make immortal when the bell rings this Friday on FITE.

Drew Gulak

One of the most underrated utility players in professional wrestling, Drew Gulak finally made his way into the WWE time capsule with a WWE Cruiserweight Championship win at the Stomping Ground PPV, defeating Akira Tozawa and Tony Nese.

Gulak now finds himself in a new role as the nucleus of the entire 205 Live series. For someone who can excel at playing a personality, comedy or just being a tremendously well rounded in-ring grappler, the Philadelphia native now earns new stripes as the leader of the 205 Live brand.

With former champion Nese now hunting the new titleholder, the discerning audience that follows WWE's Cruiserweights are all but guaranteed additional great Drew Gulak matches in the near future with a lot more amazing moments still to come as Gulak continues to carve his own unique legacy in pro wrestling.

LACEY EVANS

In a relatively short amount of time, Evans has become one of the best antagonists in all of professional wrestling.

Whether it be tormenting Becky Lynch or appearing as Baron Corbin's new muse on Monday Night Raw, Evans had been elevated to pay-per-view main events. Evans did a great job as the villainous referee at the WWE Stomping Ground PPV, and for someone with just a short amount of national experience, she's mastered the art of manipulating the audience.

Making the fans hate you is true art form. Evans has taken her first steps into a larger world as a legitimate star. Extreme Rules will be her latest test, but Evans has already strutted through fire unscathed and should not be overlooked.