Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of Feb. 24

A historic launch, marvelous matches and NXT's finest moment provided the best reasons to be a WWE fan this week.

The Wyatt Family and The Shield proved to be the highlight of Elimination Chamber. Sami Zayn, Cesaro and others flourished at NXT: Arrival. The loaded WWE Network kicked off.

That streaming service was a part of the week's worst moments as well. As expected, it's launch was not without technical issues, tempering the enthusiasm for the game-changing way to watch WWE.

WrestleMania's main event and Elimination Chamber's undercard also disappointed, giving negative fans plenty to gripe about.

There was plenty to revel in, though. The ring was made a theater for a number of Superstars who worked to create memorable matches that energized the audience.

Best: Christian vs. Sheamus Rounds 1, 2 and 3

Sheamus and Christian showed the kind of chemistry together that elevates a feud from good to stellar.

Their series of clashes began on SmackDown with each Superstar in search of momentum before Elimination Chamber. Christian's speed and agility made for the perfect contrast to Sheamus' brute force. There was an intensity between them that they tapped into several times this week.

Sheamus got the win, but Christian attacked him post-match, reminding the audience just how desperate and frustrated he has been lately.

Inside the Elimination Chamber, Sheamus and Christian's clashes were among the most compelling. Even without a long-running story between them, there seemed to be added animosity which bettered the match.

They battled once again on Monday's Raw, putting on the match of the night.

Even as violently as Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt went at each other, no pair of foes hit each other harder or seemed to give more of themselves during the show. If WWE decides to have them continue with this rivalry, it will result in more show-stealing matches.

Worst: WrestleMania Main Event

Randy Orton retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Elimination Chamber, setting up a groan-inducing WrestleMania main event against Batista.

Fans hoping for Daniel Bryan to be inserted into what would then be a Triple Threat match felt their stomachs sink as Bryan instead challenged Triple H on Monday's Raw. As good as some of the WrestleMania card looks, its final match has all the appeal of a glassful of cod liver oil.

David Shoemaker of Grantland describes it as "a fight between two humdrum musclemen who are black holes of charisma and whose feud is a black hole of story-line momentum."

Whether or not one feels that his assessment is overly harsh, there is little good to say about a match that is clearly not the one fans are pining for. The audience has turned on Batista, booing the supposed babyface, while it has roared ever loudly for Bryan.

A number of scenarios could have Bryan sneaking into the championship match, including a Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX-style impromptu title bout.

If that doesn't happen, fervent boos are going to provide the soundtrack to WrestleMania XXX's closing moments. 

Best: The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family

Credit: WWE.com

The Wyatt Family and The Shield stare each other down.

The fire that had been growing between The Shield and The Wyatt Family morphed into an inferno early at Elimination Chamber.

The pay-per-view's best match opened with the two factions brawling. Once the chaos cooled, the battle became a showcase of every Superstar in the bout. Seth Rollins soared at his foes, Dean Ambrose unraveled in front of the crowd and The Wyatt Family came out looking like gators snapping out of the water.

Fans chanted for both sides, appreciating this masterpiece of violence and crazed energy.

Reigns and Bray Wyatt locked horns on Monday's Raw as a bonus. That match ended in a six-man brawl after Reigns and Wyatt showed fans how capable they both are of ascending to the headliner category.

Best/Worst: WWE Network

The WWE Network launched on Feb. 24. It was simultaneously one of the biggest moments in wrestling history and a Big Show-sized headache.

The launch had its share of stumbles, including issues with the system overloading when fans tried to sign up, per PWInsider, and technical difficulties with the on-demand library. NXT: Arrival, the first live event on the Network, featured crisp quality but wasn't without its own problems as well.

WWE sent out the following message, per WrestlingInc.com, to subscribers:

"

During tonight's live NXT ArRIVAL special, we unfortunately experienced technical difficulties, which are to be expected when launching a new digital network. We will work aggressively to solve these glitches and deliver quality service. 

"

The company will surely be working hard to fix all of the Network's bugs before WrestleMania. Issues occurring then would damage its reputation to no end.

Tech problems aside, the WWE Network has been an unreal treasure trove.

In between WWE's new offerings, fans can travel back through time to the Attitude Era to Hulkamania's prime or wherever else they choose. Pop in This Tuesday in Texas, Armageddon 2008 or Raw's first years.

The first WWE Countdown was surprisingly in-depth and entertaining. 

It is one of the many items that hint at the WWE Network's hugely promising future. For now, it's a deer just emerging from the womb, unsure of how to take its first steps, but soon to be dashing off with grace.

Best: The Deadman Cometh

The portion of the audience who read the "dirt sheets" already knew it was coming, but Undertaker's return was no less powerful.

On Monday's Raw, Brock Lesnar, angry over not getting a WWE title shot, threatened to walk out of WrestleMania altogether. Undertaker's gong soon clanged and fans witnessed a staredown brimming with intensity.

Lesnar signed an open contract and urged "The Deadman" to sign it. He instead stabbed the powerhouse with a pen and chokeslammed him through a table.

As nostalgic as Hulk Hogan's return was, the fact that Undertaker coming back has actual in-ring impact made it more enthralling. The expected Lesnar vs. Undertaker WrestleMania clash is now set and WWE can spend the next month hyping it.

Undertaker has routinely been one of the highlights of "The Show of Shows." The assurance that he will defend his streak this year makes the massive pay-per-view far more worthy of the must-watch label.

Worst: Elimination Chamber Undercard

Elimination Chamber 2014 will be remembered for The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield and the title clash that ended the pay-per-view, controversial ending and all.

The rest of the card will fade from the audience's memories, leaving little impact. Everything from the pre-show tag team bout to the Titus O'Neil vs. Darren Young grudge match fell flat.

Young and O'Neil didn't take advantage of the bad blood they'd been building to that point. It was an underwhelming match, which was the norm for the night outside of its two top bouts.

Batista vs. Alberto Del Rio, The New Age Outlaws vs. The Usos and Cameron vs. AJ Lee were all contests that felt more worthy of an episode of SmackDown than a major event. Should one buy the Elimination Chamber DVD or cue it up on the WWE Network, there will be plenty to fast-forward through.

Best: NXT Arrival

NXT achieved its magnum opus.

Three great matches powered the WWE Network's first live event and introduced the NXT stars to a larger audience in a fantastic way. When 2014 ends and one discusses the best matches of the year, Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn, Emma vs. Paige and Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas will all have to be in the discussion.

Cesaro vs. Zayn IV was every bit as dramatic as their instant classic last year.

Cesaro dominated, but couldn't put away the warrior. Drained and frustrated, the Swiss strongman finally put his foe away, beginning the night with a surplus of momentum.

Paige and Emma followed up on that with an excellent showing for the NXT Women's Championship. Emma looked more gutsy and compelling than she has before while Paige made sure the bout exceeded expectations. 

Neville then won the NXT Championship in a ladder match highlighted by "The Man Gravity Forgot," hitting a Red Arrow onto Dallas lying on a ladder.

The two-hour format kept filler to a minimum. WWE's pay-per-views have the proverbial tough act to follow. 

Any fans unsure of how good WWE's future will be need only tune into this show and marvel.