Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of Feb. 10

Hype for future collisions and strong showings on WWE's "B" shows powered the best of the week.

While Raw remains the place for the company's biggest stars and stories, SmackDown, Main Event and NXT offered ample reasons to watch WWE Superstars battle. The Wyatt Family and Antonio Cesaro (now just Cesaro) were among the highlights of the week's programming thanks to great chemistry.

The week's less impressive moments centered around misuse.

WWE failed to maximize Dolph Ziggler's, Emma's and Betty White's best traits. While there is plenty of second-guessing to do in those cases, the collection of standout matches the week offered did well to offset WWE's missteps.

Best: SmackDown, Nearly All of It

Picking a match of the night from the bounty that was the Feb. 7 edition of SmackDown is the kind of decision that can cramp one's brain.

Sheamus vs. Ryback was an entertaining, hard-hitting match. Strangeness collided in Goldust and Bray Wyatt's short but compelling bout. 

The story of the tension between Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns continued when they took on Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston. Reigns hit Ziggler with the spear and tagged in Ambrose to let him get the pin, seemingly mocking his tag team partner. 

Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro could have easily been the main event. Their chemistry buzzed onscreen. Their history together begs for a full-scale feud between them at some point. 

The night ended with Randy Orton and Christian revisiting their rivalry. Their battle wasn't anything new but had enough energy to keep the audience engaged. 

WWE let its Superstars shine throughout the episode. The matches weren't hurried, the stories weren't overcomplicated and the filler was kept to a minimum. 

This SmackDown was a reminder of how leaning on wrestling is the smoothest path to successful WWE programming.

Worst: Wasting Betty White

Betty White is among the funnier people on TV. One certainly couldn't tell that from her appearance on the Feb. 10 Raw.

Big Show walked her out to the entrance ramp to open the show.  She soaked in some chants from the fans and told everyone she was going to kick some ass but never did.

She did little in her segments.

The writers could have given her so much more than switching out a laxative-laden cup of tea. White would have excelled at the sort of antics WWE let Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young pull over the years.

Instead, the company seemed to be content with using her name rather than her talent.

Best: The Wyatt Family-Shield Feud Gains Momentum

The Shield and The Wyatt Family keep promising that their match at Elimination Chamber is going to be a war. It sure feels like it will be.

WWE did well to escalate the tension between the two groups and get fans psyched for that battle. Bray Wyatt sat in his rocking chair and described the members of The Shield as little toy soldiers on Monday's Raw. The Shield responded confidently.

The two groups didn't collide, but WWE teased that they would with a beautifully intense staredown on Raw.

The sparks that are flying between the two trios are fascinating. WWE has been smart to limit the physicality of the feud, only making the anticipation for their eventual collision balloon.

Worst: Dolph Ziggler Barely Puts Up a Fight

Whether one thinks Dolph Ziggler is a headliner or not, it's difficult to argue that he's one of WWE's best in-ring performers. His amateur background, athletic acumen and high energy make him a valuable commodity as a producer of great matches.

Monday's Raw continued WWE's trend of underutilizing him.

Ziggler only had a burst of offense before Alberto Del Rio put him away. His role seems to be shifting more and more into jobber territory.

Only the lowest of the bottomfeeders should be bested so easily. He lasted about as long against his old rival as Santino Marella did against Fandango, and Ziggler needs to be in a spot where that is never the case.

Best: The Wyatt Family vs. Sin Cara and Los Matadores

The lineup for the Feb. 12 edition of Main Event likely had a number of fans checking out the Winter Olympics instead. The excellence of The Wyatt Family vs. Sin Cara and Los Matadores will make those doubters regret that choice.

Los Matadores had yet to have a standout match, but that changed when they collided with the bearded brawlers.

The Wyatt Family dominated much of the action as one would expect, but the masked high-flyers kept showing signs of resilience and guts. Their speedy offense played well opposite the hammering style of Bray Wyatt's clan.

Juxtaposition worked to perfection, especially when Wyatt turned his devilish gaze toward the living cartoon that is El Torito.

This was a fun and compelling match, a surprise treat for the dedicated WWE fan who tunes in to everything the company produces.

Worst: Emma Still Doesn't Wrestle

Emma has moved from holding signs in the crowd to winning a dance-off but has yet to wrestle on the main roster.

Aksana worked both Raw and Main Event this week. Nikki Bella wrestled on SmackDown and Raw. Emma, meanwhile, remained on the sidelines.

Bringing up Emma was the right move, but WWE has to get her in the ring. She was one of NXT's better overall wrestlers and would improve the Divas division if given some ring time on the main roster.

WWE is seemingly trying to slowly introduce her to the portion of the audience not familiar with NXT, but the best way to do that is to show off her wrestling skills, letting her put a few foes in the Emma Lock. 

Best: Cesaro and Sami Zayn Build Toward Rematch

Sami Zayn's latest challenge to Cesaro generated the first-ever "pinky promise" chant and great buildup for their upcoming 2-out-of-3 Falls rematch. 

Zayn and Cesaro stared each other down once again, this time on the Feb. 12 episode of NXT. Cesaro continued to deny Zayn a chance to redeem his loss to him from last year. The Swiss Superstar said he was being pathetic and obsessive about it.

He told Zayn that he'd be great, but never as good as him.

Triple H intervened. He booked the match because both he and the WWE fans want to see it.

Zayn and Cesaro's chemistry clearly extends to non-wrestling segments as well. This is a classic rivalry in the making, something WWE needs to tap into more and showcase on the main roster as well.

This story is a great way to slide Zayn onto Raw, either chasing the man he couldn't beat or demanding a call-up after toppling Cesaro at NXT: Arrival.