For the first time this season, the WRL wakes up to the same No. 1 team it had a week ago. The Monarchs stay on top, Brady Sits Down to #1 reaches 5-0, and Week 5 sends several familiar contenders moving in opposite directions.
For the first month of the season, reaching No. 1 in the WRL Power Rankings seemed less like claiming a throne and more like accepting a challenge. THE Ohio River Monsters opened there and immediately lost. Bearcats took over, won the following week, but still watched CHAOS pass them. CHAOS reached the top and promptly lost to The Lone Rangers. Four weeks produced four different leaders.
Then the Monarchs got their turn.
One week after climbing from sixth to first, the Monarchs defeated the very team that began this entire season at No. 1, beating THE Ohio River Monsters 171.42-157.18. When the rankings recalculated, the Monarchs were still there — No. 1 again at .958, becoming the first team in 2026 to hold the top Power Ranking for consecutive weeks. They lead the WRL in both total points and cumulative All-Play, while the only category keeping them from a clean sweep belongs to the one team that still has not lost a game.
Brady Sits Down to #1 is 5-0.
For the first time this season, the throne held.
Red Dragon: The Monarchs Stay on Top
The centerpiece of Red Dragon was the matchup between the current No. 1 and the original No. 1. THE Ohio River Monsters have traveled a long way from the 234.56-point explosion that opened the season, but they gave the Monarchs everything they could handle before falling 171.42-157.18. The Monarchs improved to 4-1 and, more importantly for the season-long narrative, became the first WRL team to defend the No. 1 Power Ranking from one Wednesday to the next.
Their grip on the top spot is built on more than the standings. The Monarchs now lead all 36 teams in total scoring and All-Play, which means their 4-1 record is backed by the strongest cumulative performance against the entire WRL field. Brady's perfect record keeps the race at the top interesting, but through five weeks the Power Ranking formula still favors the Monarchs.
The closest finish in Red Dragon — and anywhere in the WRL this week — came from Virginia Blackbeards and Villains. The Blackbeards escaped 163.30-161.08, a margin of just 2.22 points, and extended their winning streak to three games. That run has pushed them to No. 9 in the Power Rankings, while Villains remains inside the Top 15 at No. 14 despite the narrow loss.
At the other end of the emotional spectrum, Mad Scientist finally got one. After beginning the season 0-4, including last week's brutal 185.02-point loss to the Monarchs, Mad Scientist defeated Garbage Points 129.32-101.58 for their first victory of the season. The 129.32 winning score was the lowest by any victorious team in Week 5, earning Mad Scientist the latest Ugly Win of the Week. After the way their season began, nobody in that locker room is likely to complain about style points.
The rest of Red Dragon produced plenty of offense. Boss Hoggs scored 193.26 in a 193.26-145.24 win over E-Thugs and climbed to No. 5 in the rankings. Rum Runners bounced back from their first loss by beating Nauti Dawgs 183.26-106.06, while the Dawgs remain the lone winless team in the WRL. Boats N Hoes also delivered one of the strongest performances of the week, defeating Coolidge Scorpions 189.90-126.34.
Five weeks in, Red Dragon owns the No. 1 team, two more teams inside the Top 5, and several clubs beginning to build real momentum as the schedule leaves divisional play behind.
Black Dragon: Perfection Survives
There is only one undefeated team left in the 36-team WRL, and that distinction still belongs to Brady Sits Down to #1.
Brady improved to 5-0 with a 179.24-94.80 victory over Diablo Valley Detectives, whose 94.80 was the lowest score anywhere in the league this week. The Detectives certainly did themselves no favors by starting a quarterback who was on bye, but Brady did what undefeated teams are supposed to do when given an opportunity: they took care of business. The win moves Brady from No. 4 to No. 2 in the Power Rankings at .931, setting up an increasingly interesting contrast between the league's only perfect record and the Monarchs' superior total-points and All-Play numbers.
The biggest performance in the entire WRL came from Lunatics, who exploded for 196.66 points in a 196.66-142.46 victory over Lucky Ass Ferg. That showing launches the 2023 champion back into the Top 15 at No. 11 and narrowly edges Rochester Rabbits for the week's scoring crown.
Bearcats also stayed near the top by surviving Aviators 174.88-169.84 in one of the week's better games. Bearcats remains No. 3 overall at .921, while the Aviators' slide reached four consecutive losses despite a competitive Week 5 showing. The opposite trend belongs to Groot, who beat Maniax 168.76-136.96 and has now won four straight after losing the opener.
Elsewhere, Here For The Beer defeated Teds Lasso 161.88-152.94 and climbed to No. 10 in the Power Rankings. Music City Miracles handed defending champion Turd Ferguson a third consecutive loss with a 140.60-125.12 victory. After five weeks, Black Dragon remains the home of the league's only undefeated team, but underneath Brady the region is filled with streaks heading hard in both directions.
Gold Dragon: The Rabbits Finally Break Through
The week's biggest Gold Dragon story belonged to a team that entered Sunday still looking for its first victory.
Rochester Rabbits did considerably more than simply get into the win column. They erupted for 196.24 points, the highest total in Gold Dragon and only 0.42 behind Lunatics for the best score anywhere in the WRL, while crushing The Lone Rangers 196.24-128.30. After four losses, the Rabbits' first victory arrived with authority.
The ranked matchup between CHAOS and NY Jackets did not provide nearly as much drama. CHAOS handled the Jackets 131.06-108.88, rebounding from their first loss and remaining sixth in the Power Rankings. The Jackets, who had climbed as high as seventh after a remarkable recovery from their Week 1 league-low score, fall to No. 13 after a rough outing.
Gridiron Grinders added another loss to Unicorn Legends' recent slide, winning 180.94-158.34 and handing the Legends their third consecutive defeat after a 2-0 start. Despite the losing streak, Unicorn Legends remains just inside the Top 15 at No. 15.
Fast Johnnie Syndicate continued their steady season with a 163.04-136.56 victory over Crayon Crusaders and holds No. 7 in the Power Rankings. Southern Sirens edged Totally Turtley 156.94-147.58, while Mantis Mayhem defeated Average Joes 156.54-126.20.
Gold no longer has an undefeated team, but CHAOS and Fast Johnnie remain firmly in the league-wide conversation, while Rochester Rabbits finally provided the kind of performance that could change the direction of a season.
Power Rankings: Same King, New Chase
For the first time in 2026, the top of the WRL Power Rankings did not change hands.
The Monarchs remain No. 1 and actually improved their Power score from .940 to .958. Brady Sits Down to #1 climbs two positions to No. 2, and Bearcats remains third. Rum Runners and Boss Hoggs give Red Dragon three teams inside the Top 5, while CHAOS falls from second to sixth despite getting back into the win column.
After Week 5, the Top 15 is:
- Monarchs — .958
- Brady Sits Down to #1 — .931
- Bearcats — .921
- Rum Runners — .870
- Boss Hoggs — .866
- CHAOS — .847
- Fast Johnnie Syndicate — .838
- Groot — .801
- Virginia Blackbeards — .773
- Here For The Beer — .727
- Lunatics — .699
- Aviators — .639
- NY Jackets — .569
- Villains — .523
- Unicorn Legends — .519
The most interesting argument now sits right at the top. Brady owns the best possible win-loss percentage at 5-0, but the Monarchs' advantage in total points and All-Play keeps them ahead in the full three-category calculation. One team owns perfection. The other owns the throne.
For now, both can claim something nobody else can.
Week 6 Preview: Heavyweights Outside the Divisions
With the first round of divisional matchups complete, Week 6 returns the WRL to games against opponents from other divisions. Teams will not see another divisional opponent until Week 9, giving the next three weeks a different rhythm before those familiar battles return.
The unquestioned Game of the Week comes from Red Dragon, where No. 1 Monarchs face No. 4 Rum Runners. Beyond the rankings, both teams are led by Hall of Fame GMs, adding another layer to a matchup between two of the strongest teams through five weeks. The Monarchs have finally made the No. 1 ranking stick; Rum Runners now gets the first opportunity to take it away.
Black Dragon offers an equally important test for the league's only perfect team. No. 2 Brady Sits Down to #1 faces No. 11 Lunatics, and the timing could hardly be better. Brady enters at 5-0, while Lunatics enters after producing the highest score in the WRL in Week 5. If anyone wants to end perfection, dropping 196.66 the week before getting the opportunity is a pretty convincing audition.
Gold Dragon's ranked matchup sends No. 7 Fast Johnnie Syndicate against No. 13 NY Jackets. Fast Johnnie has quietly remained one of Gold's most consistent teams, while the Jackets need to prove last week's 108.88-point stumble was just that — a stumble — rather than the beginning of another downturn.
Five weeks have finally given the WRL something it had not seen yet: stability at No. 1. The Monarchs kept the throne, Brady kept the zero in the loss column, and the separation between contenders and everyone chasing them is beginning to feel a little more real.
Week 6 now puts both claims under pressure.
