Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of June 9

The man who claims to have built The Shield, "The Man Who Gravity Forgot" and a pair of European bruisers delivered WWE's best highlights during the second week of June.

Seth Rollins thrived in both the ring and in a suit. Sheamus and Bad News Barrett's latest collision and a rematch from NXT Takeover were both worth celebrating.

WWE's newest attempt to drum up heat for Rusev fell flat. The stock of available jobbers for him to devour is now depleted after the company let go of several low-level Superstars. There are, though, names on that list that will have fans tossing around the term "wasted talent."

The following is a look at the week's highs and lows, poor decisions contrasted with stellar matches.

Best: Sheamus vs. Bad News Barrett (Raw)

WWE has had Bad News Barrett and Sheamus meet often.

When they compose such a compelling display of violence and theater as they did on Monday's Raw, it's easy to see why. The men holding the intercontinental championship and U.S. title met early in the show with a spot in the WWE title ladder match on the line.

Barrett slammed Sheamus onto the barricade and slithered back into the ring, hoping for a count-out victory.

"The Celtic Warrior" barely made it back inside. Barrett then smashed his longtime foe into the ring post and pounded him with right hands. He had his fingertips on victory with Winds of Change and Wasteland, but failed to finish Sheamus off.

The hard-hitting action ended with a drained Sheamus slumped over Barrett while the referee counted to three.

Both Barrett and Sheamus' resumes in 2014 have been impressive. They are both getting a number of opportunities to enter brawls, and they have entertained just about every time. Even with the loss, Barrett's momentum is strong, and he's likely to knock around whomever the company sends after him at Money in the Bank.  

Worst: Lana Takes Jabs at Obama

Making fun of President Obama's workout habits is not so much a case of going too far, but going in the wrong direction.

On Monday's Raw, Lana played up how weak she thinks America is by showing clips of Obama working out with weights that couldn't have been more than five pounds. She called him a "sissy" and showed images of Vladimir Putin being strong. That move fits with her character, but what does it really accomplish for Rusev?

It's not as if Obama is universally loved right now anyway.

The focus is straying too far from Rusev. We need to see him do more than roll over Zack Ryder. We need to have reasons to dislike him beyond him being associated with Russia.

Going the cheap "insult the president" route is tacky and ineffective. Brock Lesnar, Umaga and Mark Henry all found better ways to turn the crowd against them, most of which included destruction and mercilessness. 

Best: Seth Rollins Shines on His Own

After tearing away from The Shield, Seth Rollins has looked like a top-tier star.

On last Friday's Smackdown, going up against Dolph Ziggler, he was one half of the show's best offering. Great pace and chemistry powered a dramatic match. Tuesday's Main Event then featured those two foes once more in a match that wasn't as thrilling as their SmackDown bout, but still a showcase for both men.

More than those in-ring collisions, it was his promo on Monday's Raw that showed WWE made the right choice in having him venture on his own.

He was cold, unfeeling and confident as he sat down with Michael Cole in the ring. His dismissive laughter and intense glare were perfectly done. He seems to be empowered by his split from The Shield, charging forward with the kind of presence that separates a headliner from a midcarder.

Roman Reigns was supposed to be a big beneficiary of the Evolution vs. The Shield feud, but so far it's been Rollins who has most improved his stock.

Worst: A Glut of Releases

Credit: WWE.com

Jinder Mahal, Hornswoggle and Drew McIntyre, only one of whom still has a job with WWE

On Thursday, WWE.com announced that the company released a total of 11 talents.

Many of these names, from JTG to Curt Hawkins, weren't surprising. Those guys hadn't been on Raw or SmackDown for months.

One has to feel for the wrestlers who were just victims of bad booking or a lack of real opportunity.

Evan Bourne didn't make a single appearance after recovering from his foot injury. Couldn't he have been used to add depth to the tag team division or at least been a part of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal?

Yoshi Tatsu was a fun performer who now becomes another Japanese non-success story with the company. Having Haku's son play a Mexican gangster character was a silly idea that got in Camacho's way.

The most frustrating release was Drew McIntyre. WWE had him tied down with the silly 3MB gimmick, eventually asking him to roll over for El Torito. The end result is that he became expendable and a wrestler many will label as a case of WWE wasting someone's potential.

Seeing hard-working pros out of a job is unsettling, although the indy circuit, Japan and TNA offer alternative places to travel. Even though it stings now, many of the talents let go will be freed by this move and better off for it.

Best: Adrian Neville vs. Tyson Kidd II (NXT)

For Brodus Clay, Camacho and Yoshi Tatsu, NXT became the place where their WWE careers puttered out. For Tyson Kidd, it's offering him a chance to redeem, rejuvenate and elevate himself.

After an excellent match against Adrian Neville at NXT Takeover, he and the NXT champ outdid themselves on Thursday's NXT.

What began as a display of quality technical wrestling became a moving bout. Kidd struggled to defeat Neville. A legdrop from the top rope seemed to have earned him the victory, but Neville's foot was on the ropes.

Kidd grew frustrated, thinking of smashing his opponent's face with a chair. Natalya talked him out of it, but the moment distracted him enough to suffer a kick to the jaw and a match-ending Red Arrow. It was Kidd's best singles match to date and a showcase of Neville's improving story-telling skills.

The lessons learned from this clash include the fact that both Neville and Kidd are on the rise and to miss out on NXT is to miss out on some of WWE's best action.