WWE Programming's Best Matches for Week of July 18

Last week, you named Cesaro vs. John Cena from Raw as the best match of the last seven days, narrowly beating out Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens at Beast in the East by just a couple of hundred votes.

Interestingly enough, the latter match had months of build behind it while the former was a surprise on the night. Conventional logic says a longer build would result in a more satisfying match, but the way the voting went last week suggests otherwise.

Regardless, we've seen the effect a great match can have on a wrestler play out over the week that followed. Cesaro has been on fire, proving that ring work can forge a connection with the audience, not just your chops on the microphone.

Candidate No. 1: Cesaro vs. Rusev vs. Kevin Owens on Monday Night Raw

One of the most effective narrative techniques in pro wrestling is subversion of expectations. Over a period of several months, audiences have been conditioned to expect a singles match for the United States Championship to be a highlight of Raw.

This week, that proposition was deftly switched out for a Triple Threat match to decide Cena's challenger between three of the premier in-ring talents in WWE. Fans had the script flipped on them, which only enhanced the impact the match had.

These three tore one another apart for the opportunity to take a swing at Cena, and the results were nothing short of unmissable. In yet another excellent demonstration of his character, Owens even dropped out of the match in progress.

For one, that raises further questions of whether Owens can walk the walk as well as talk the talk, the crux of his performance as a villain. Furthermore, it benefits both Cesaro and Rusev, who are portrayed as the sort of competitors who could ruin Owens' chances at Battleground a week prior to the event.

However, that would all be for naught if Cesaro and Rusev were incapable of carrying on the match as a singles contest. Fortunately, since the Swiss Superman is perhaps the best all-rounder on the roster and the Bulgarian Brute is one of its most promising up-and-comers, that was not the case.

Candidate No. 2: Cesaro vs. Rusev on SmackDown

Not content with tearing down the house on Raw, two of Europe's finest faced off once again on SmackDown—and yes, the crowd did respond with USA chants.

Both men brought the same level of intensity that was present on Raw. For Cesaro, it's easy to see why losing his tag team partner to injury just as they hit their greatest level of popularity would provide him with the drive to achieve as a singles performer.

Rusev has similarly obvious inspiration. His feud with Cena and split from valet Lana threatened to torpedo his character, but unlike others who have found themselves in a similarly aimless situation, he has a foundation of compelling ring work to rebuild from.

Both wrestlers shone in this bout even though Cesaro seems to be the breakout star of the summer. Great matches go beyond wins and losses; a logical back-and-forth can present the sort of contest that makes all parties involved seem like viable competitors.

However, that balance is far from easy to strike. It takes a master of both the art and the audience to truly understand how to weight a match such that both sides come away with something to celebrate.

This was a perfect example of that sort of bout. It was a completely compelling TV match and hopefully a sign of a lengthy feud between the two in the near future.

Candidate No. 3: Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks on NXT for the NXT Women's Championship

There are a few pairings in WWE that are a dead cert to produce an excellent match based simply off the familiarity of the competitors involved. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens is one of them. Luke Harper vs. Cesaro is another.

Unlike those two examples, Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks isn't a rivalry that was cultivated on the independent scene, but it's no less capable of producing great matches. This week's title bout on NXT was no exception.

Both of these women made a memorable appearance on Raw this week, and based on the level of competition on show in their NXT match, it's no wonder why they're being called up to the main roster. If you're looking to the antidote to the two-minute Divas match, it's the women of NXT.

At this point, Banks and Charlotte know each other well enough that their matches are technically outstanding. There's rarely a moment when offence doesn't look on point, which is no small feat given the robust war crates that both bring to the ring.

However, neither would rely on their standards to pull them through in a hotly anticipated match like this. Look to the memorable powerbomb sequence from this match as a great example of creativity in a long-running rivalry.

We've seen Charlotte and Banks share the ring many times, but it still has a sense of occasion about it. That's the mark of a classic feud—and it only comes about when the wrestlers involved can live up to their billing whenever they face one another.

Which of these candidates deserves to be match of the week? Make sure to vote in the poll and state your case in the comments section below.