Cesaro vs. Sheamus and the Best WWE Matches for Week of Sept. 29

Sputtering climaxes held back a number of WWE bouts from reaching their peaks, most notably Cesaro vs. Sheamus at the Clash of Champions pay-per-view Sunday.

Cesaro and The Celtic Warrior clobbered each other once more in what was supposed to be the final match of their best-of-seven series. The battle engaged, thrilled and wowed...until the end.

WWE tagged a "to be continued..." at the end of a series finale when referees called off the action with no winner.

The company has made a habit of scripting unsatisfying finishes to quality bouts. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins at Clash of Champions would have been miles better had its last chapter not been marked by overbooking. Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles on SmackDown would have climbed higher up this list had it ended in a less fluky fashion.

The ending of Cesaro vs. Sheamus allowed another showdown on the same PPV to outshine it, making room for Raw's women to steal the show.

Honorable Mentions

• Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn (Clash of Champions)
• Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins (Clash of Champions)

Jericho took down Zayn in a match where the veteran got the best of the emerging star.

Strong chemistry and solid storytelling boosted the bout. Jericho played his part of the crafty, cheating villain well. Zayn pulled off the role of never-say-die babyface as usual, but he didn't get a chance to fully generate drama during the contest.

The match ended before it could truly get going. 

This looked to be an early chapter in a rivalry that will stretch on for months and be great moving forward.

Owens and Rollins headlined later that night with the Universal Championship on the line. The top-flight performers produced their usual excellence, but WWE muddled their efforts with poor booking.

The focus pulled away from champion and challenger. Jericho interfered. Stephanie McMahon emerged to offer a replacement referee. 

What was supposed to be compelling chaos came off as overwrought. 

The inevitable Owens vs. Rollins rematch promises to be far better without those obstacles.

5. T.J. Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick (Clash of Champions)

T.J. Perkins' all-out offense and Brian Kendrick's excellent heel work made for a fun, electric Cruiserweight Championship match.

Kendrick grounded his opponent into the mat whenever he could. He tortured the champ and seemed to delight in the pain he caused. Perkins, meanwhile, flew around the ring and dished out an exciting in-ring arsenal.

The lack of buildup hurt the clash, though. WWE threw this together less than a week after Perkins won the Cruiserweight Classic tournament.

The story in the ring was strong, with each man setting up the other for his signature submission hold, but it lacked the proverbial big-fight feel. TV matches later in the week didn't have the advantage of hype, either, but they were part of a larger story and connected with the crowd better. 

4. Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles (SmackDown)

Dean Ambrose ended SmackDown with a PPV-worthy match for the second straight week. He took on AJ Styles for the WWE World Championship in a rematch of their Backlash title bout. 

Ambrose has been recharged by the title hunt. He was aggressive and wild-eyed, an eye-catching animal in attack mode.

Styles added to his case for WWE's best Superstar of the year, as he once again brought out the best in his opponent.

Total Wrestling magazine tweeted about the clash: "Top-quality match here between Styles and Ambrose. No phoning it in because it's a TV match."

However, John Cena's arrival dampened the electricity. WWE advanced the Cena vs. Ambrose vs. Styles rivalry by having the 15-time champ distract and disrupt the action, but it meant this particular part of the story would feature a less-than-climactic ending.

Styles took advantage of Ambrose's lapse in focus and rolled him up for the win. Fans will be hoping for something more definitive in the final moments of these men's battle at No Mercy on Oct. 9.

3. The New Day vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (Raw)

Frenzied, chaotic and dramatic, The New Day vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson on Monday's Raw was everything their Clash of Champions match should have been.

Gallows and Anderson are finally looking like the fearsome predators they were in New Japan Pro Wrestling. This was their best WWE effort thus far, a foot-on-the-gas chase for the Tag Team Championship.

Kofi Kingston and Big E responded well to the jump in adrenaline in this clash. 

Big E collided into the ring post. Each team made a number of oh-so-close near-falls. And it all ended with 
the lasting image of blood spread across Kingston's face.

At Clash of Champions, their title match ended with a trombone shot to the head. Here, the champs played gladiators who survived a hell of a test to continue their historic reign.

2. Cesaro vs. Sheamus (Clash of Champions)

Not surprisingly, nobody touched Cesaro and Sheamus in terms of intensity. The finale featured the best smashmouth action of their best-of-seven series.

The bout was violent, creative and engaging from the opening bell. 

Cesaro landed on his head in a scary moment. Sheamus zeroed in on The King of Swing's back again. They clubbed and clocked each other until it looked as if we would all have to rearrange our Match of the Year lists.

Then it all fizzled out with a no-contest. The referees stopped the action, leaving the series tied at 3-3 with no real conclusion. 

Pro Wrestling Illustrated tweeted: "Cesaro and Sheamus were having a real barnburner. With a real finish, it could have been a classic."

WWE followed up on the controversial ending by pairing up Cesaro and Sheamus as teammates. That's quite the interesting twist, and they will be a fun, hard-hitting pair, but it doesn't take away from their Clash of Champions showdown ending without a climax.

1. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley (Clash of Champions)

Charlotte fended off Sasha Banks and Bayley to keep the Raw Women's Championship in her grip. In the process, she and her opponents outdid everything on the Clash of Champions card.

The folks at Busted Open radio tweeted: "Charlotte is an absolute star. She is great in the ring and so athletic. The women stole the show again."

One of the best things about the match, though, was that each woman was on equal footing. Each looked strong at points, and each was within seconds of winning several times.

The subplots powered the bout, too. Bayley and Banks' respect for each other quickly fell away. The friend and tag team partners hesitated to fight at first, but they barked at each other. Charlotte's protege, Dana Brooke, tried to assure her mentor a victory, but Bayley and Banks were able to shake off her interference.

The women upped their levels of viciousness. Their chemistry crackled on-screen.

And Charlotte put an exclamation point on it all by hitting a moonsault onto both her foes.

There were no authority figures to overshadow the action like with Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens. There was no doubt about the winner as there was with Cesaro vs. Sheamus. The Queen blasted Bayley with a boot to the face to continue her reign. 

And with that, the PPV hit its peak.

Bayley, Banks and Charlotte are sure to collide again. Eventually, it will be at the close of the show, where they belong.