Weekly Pro Wrestling Rankings July 5

1. Braun Strowman

In the world of professional wrestling, it is not always what you accomplish in the ring that makes the most waves. This week, Braun Strowman was indeed victorious against Kevin Owens in the main event of Raw, but it was the shenanigans of what happened after the final bell rang that set of a ripple effect of ridiculousness and insanity that brought back echoes of the type of stunts that were so memorable during WWE's Attitude Era. When Owens failed to escape Strowman, he attempted to hide in a portable john. Strowman realized this, trapped Owens within and then dragged it back into the arena, through the backstage area and onto the Raw entrance stage. As if that feat of strength wasn't enough, Strowman charged, spearing the entire port-a-potty flying off the stage to the floor before. Low brow? Indeed. Over the top? Certainly. Memorable? Based on the amount of reaction Strowman received live and worldwide, absolutely.

2. Jay Lethal

When Ring of Honor presented Best in the World on FITE last week, Jay Lethal wasn't even involved in the ROH World Championship main event. He was set to face KUSHIDA, continuing his retribution tour. Lethal scored that win, but the biggest win came the next day at a ROH TV taping in Fairfax, Virginia where Lethal stunned the world and captured the victory in a Four Way, becoming ROH World Champion for the second time in his career. The victory changed the entire paradigm of ROH as a promotion and catapults Lethal into a top position in the FITE rankings. As ROH heads to Nashville for another big broadcast on FITE, the entire face of the company will change, rebuilt around its new nucleus, a Champion who earned him way back from the brink of oblivion.

3. AJ Styles

The reigning and defending WWE Champion circled the globe over the last week to promote WWE's massive event in Australia this October before headlining events in Thailand and Japan. He then returned to the airwaves on Smackdown Live with a memorable defeat of Aiden English. With Extreme Rules just weeks away, Styles' showdown with Rusev has become a major focal point of the show, foreshadowing what looks to be an incredibly entertaining first-time encounter for the championship. Styles is the machine that makes Smackdown run smoothly.

4. Mark Briscoe & Jay Briscoe

The forefathers of Ring of Honor in many ways, Mark and Jay Briscoe march to the beat of their own weathered, brutal drum. With an incredible encounter against The Young Bucks at ROH's Best in the World event on FITE, Delaware's favorite sons proved once again that they don't make a statement when they step into the ring, they make a nuclear exclamation. As ROH ramps up its scheduled for the summer, the Briscoes remain the gatekeepers of the ROH World Tag Team Championship, prepared to leave a path of destruction in their wake. In a world where every theme has been turned into a theme park, the Briscoes remain steadfast in their vision of being throwback, badass brawlers.

5. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns took part in two matches and a lengthy opening segment on this past week's Monday Night Raw, showing yet again the strong investment WWE has made into "The Big Dog." Whether it was setting the stage for his showdown with Bobby Lashley at Extreme Rules, going toe to toe with Drew McIntyre or helping to repair the credibility of The Revival, Roman is the river that everything flows through on Raw. Add in strong performances at all of the Raw live events over the past week and it's easy to see why Reigns is Superman-Punching his way into the imaginations of fans worldwide, whether they like him or not.

6. Dolph Ziggler

The reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion continues the comeback tour with a series of strong matches against Seth Rollins and a great tag bout alongside ally Drew McIntyre against The Shield on Raw. While Ziggler had apparently been dismissed based on how he had been portrayed, the spark of life since his shocking title win has brought forth excellent performances as well as the tease for more when he and Rollins face of at Extreme Rules in an Iron Man match. Ziggler has yet to have that one iconic performance that cements him forever in the WWE time capsule. That may soon change.

7. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)

Whether it be continuously creating a new breed of fans with their YouTube series, setting records with sales of their Funko dolls in Hot Topic stores, or weaving masterpieces like their match against The Briscoes at ROH's Best in the World event on FITE, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson are the leaders in today's pro wrestling revolution. They change the parameters of what works in pro wrestling, they push the art-form to the next level and they bring forth waves of new energy and audience members. It's impossible not to be impressed and jealous with the kingdom they have built for themselves, brick by brick, superkick by superkick.

8. Johnny Gargano

This week, Johnny Gargano scored an impressive victory over rising star EC3 on WWE NXT's weekly series, but what has captured the attention of Johnny Wrestling's fans worldwide is the actions of NXT's biggest hero during the bout. Descending into the type of antics that he usually stands steadfast against in his battles with Tommaso Ciampa, Gargano appeared to be dipping into the dark side, obviously broken by his recent loss to Ciampa at Takeover: Chicago. This type of slow, emotional story is the type of strategy that can blow back on all involved, but Gargano is so versatile at everything he does that, like a conductor, he is instead taking the audience down before he rises them back up as they live vicariously through his journey to redemption.

9. Zack Sabre Jr

Fans will often remember where they were when major moments happened over the course of the careers of their favorite performers in the world of professional wrestling. Fans of Zack Sabre Jr., the grappling wizard from Great Britain will always remember where they were when they witnessed or heard about his greatest victory to date. Sabre stunned everyone with a clean, decisive victory over former IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada during the two-day Strong Style Evolved UK festival presented by Revolution Pro and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Sabre has empowered himself yet again as he continues his rise into the upper echelon of the global wrestling scene.

10. Buddy Murphy

For months, WWE has worked to retool and revitalize their 205 Live series. Meanwhile, Buddy Murphy was toiling in the WWE NXT system. When the two were put together like chocolate and peanut butter, an explosion of creativity and work ethic brought each side to a new level. This past week, Murphy's incredibly excellent no disqualification war against Mustafa Ali brought incredible action and high-flying feats that shattered the idea that 205 Live was the brand fans could skip. Murphy is part of a new breed of Cruiserweights, an army of great athletes tired of being overlooked who are willing to leave their hearts and souls out there in the ring, physically pushing themselves to the forefront. This week's statement is only the prologue of Murphy's WWE story.