WWE Programming's Best Match for Week of September 6

As Monday Night Raw continues a poor run of programming, it once again falls to WWE's secondary programming to supply the best in-ring content of the week.

The sheer heft of a three-hour slot on Monday night sometimes makes Raw feel rather sluggish in comparison to the smaller, punchier weekly shows that WWE produce. If you're looking for strong wrestling and you're not too bothered about in-ring segments and angles, sometimes looking past WWE's flagship product is the way to go.

Honourable Mentions

While none of the individual matches on this week's NXT stood out in particular, the six matches featured on the broadcast were perfectly executed as a means of hyping the impending Takeover II event. All the major players set for title matches at the event were given solid wins but ones that didn't completely write off their competition.

The build to Takeover II has been rather masterful, with every match on the card being difficult to predict ahead of time. This last edition of NXT before the event on Thursday was a fitting final chapter, and it certainly bodes well for another standout show.

Elsewhere, Sin Cara and Justin Gabriel—two superstars who have found a renewed vigour on NXT in recent months—had a good match on Superstars.

Two talents such as this might not often appear on Raw or SmackDown, but featuring them in a lengthy match on a show like Superstars is a great way of exposing them to audiences through their in-ring talent. Matchups like this might never headline a pay-per-view, but they could certainly do their part in making overlooked weekly programming a must-watch.

Match of the Week for September 6: Dolph Ziggler vs. Cesaro on SmackDown

In addition to participating in an entertaining tag match also featuring Sheamus and The Miz, these two ever-dependable superstars put together a spirited opening match on this week's SmackDown.

Much has been made of Ziggler's ability to make his opponent's offence look great, but it can sometimes lead to his matches seeming unbalanced. However, with Cesaro affording him the same courtesy in this bout, we were treated to a high-impact encounter with a great deal of back-and-forth.

With both men being very proficient at tailoring his style to an opponent's, this match managed to get into gear very quickly and didn't let up at any point. Plenty of ingenious counters and clever interplay between the pair's signature moves led to a match that could easily lead to a long-running series.

A smartly booked finish left both men looking strong ahead of their respective title matches at Night of Champions and proved to be a satisfying end to the individual bout. This match was evidence that sometimes the strong booking of NXT does transfer over to the big leagues—as well as a reminder that competition for the secondary titles in WWE is overflowing with talent capable of putting on an excellent match.

Did another match stand out to you this week? Let your voice be heard in the comments section below.