This feels familiar, doesn't it? As WWE on ESPN approaches its one-year anniversary, AJ Styles has returned to the top of the ESPN WWE Power Rankings, a spot he's occupied for the bulk of the past 12 months. His United States championship clashes with Kevin Owens have brought the prestige of the title close to where it was at the peak of John Cena's "U.S. title open challenge," and Styles has continued a streak of getting the very best out of each and every opponent who crosses his path.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the first-ever WWE Power Rankings No. 1, Seth Rollins, has fallen out of the top 10 entirely. His pairing with Dean Ambrose has shown some promise in revitalizing him and helping Rollins shake off some of the stagnation, but for now, he's out.
Who's in this time around? How about the "Beast Incarnate" Brock Lesnar? And he's not the only one.
Without further ado, here are the latest ESPN WWE Power Rankings as SummerSlam lingers just over two weeks away.
Rankings are based upon the perceived value to the on-screen product of the WWE, and determined by the voting of a panel of WWE on ESPN contributors. Number in parentheses ( ) indicates first-place votes.
Both Styles and Kevin Owens have elevated the United States championship to incredible heights as the premier title on SmackDown Live. The current champ, Styles heads toward SummerSlam as the most valuable asset on the roster from an in-ring perspective. Another chapter with Owens can only mean good things as Styles looks to repeat his flawless performance at last year's event against John Cena. (Sean Coyle)
Reigns puts on a great match night in and night out. He drives the visceral emotion -- the highs and the lows -- for fans of all ages, and he owns the mic and the stage. Seriously, love the character or not, respect what he's been able to do for the WWE. (Andrew Feldman)
Amazing how much further Joe has progressed in recent months than his old NXT rival Finn Balor. Although he fell to Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire, Joe has continued to make himself a staple in the main-event scene and will do so at least through the Fatal 4-way at SummerSlam. (Matt Wilansky)
What else can we say about the guy, who clearly outmuscles everyone in his path? The only question is how much longer we have to go until he and Brock Lesnar finally go one-on-one. (Wilansky)
If this week's edition of Raw is any indication, the end could be near as far as this WWE go-round for Brock. But for right now, he is the Universal Champion and his booking since mania has succeeded making him look as strong as ever. Brock should be in his element against three other big men who love to throw down at SummerSlam. (Peter Rosenberg)
It hasn't been the clearest path up the ladder for Nakamura, but with Tuesday's win over John Cena, he has himself a date with Jinder Mahal for the WWE championship at SummerSlam. For as good as the (still too short) match with Cena was, awful Cena neck bump aside, the crowd reaction was as tepid as Nakamura's gotten since his main roster call-up. Nakamura should be well within his element in Brooklyn, however, and that should do just as much for him as his win over Cena in strapping the rocket booster to his long-term prospects. (Tim Fiorvanti)
Remember when we were complaining that a jobber became the champion? Yeah, forget all that negativity. Mahal has stepped in and owned his title reign and honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing him becoming a powerful enough bad guy to where the Singh brothers become an afterthought. He can do this on his own. (Feldman)
Owens dropping this far down the list is a bit deceiving, as he's played just as much a role in making the United States championship the premier title on SmackDown as Styles has over the past couple of months. It seems like the last stop on that train will come at SummerSlam, and if rumblings of a Shane McMahon clash are to follow, it can only mean bigger and better things in Owens' future. (Fiorvanti)
The only woman to have held both the Raw and SmackDown Live Women's Championships is approaching 100 days as the champ on the red brand. She is on top of her game, especially from a verbal perspective. She is the best talker in the Raw women's division and she continues to get better in the ring with each performance. Whether she leaves SummerSlam with the championship or not, Bliss should continue to carry the division on her shoulders. (Coyle)
Cena is the best wrestler he has ever been. Just like he did with AJ Styles and Kevin Owens, Cena "made" Nakamura in defeat Tuesday night on SmackDown. (Rosenberg)
Dropped from rankings: Seth Rollins, Big Cass, Baron Corbin
Honorable mention: The Miz, Rollins, Sheamus & Cesaro, Bayley, Dean Ambrose, Finn Balor, Big Cass