Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of Sept. 15

With Night of Champions nearing, WWE's best work should have come for the buildup to that show.

Aside from Paul Heyman's latest verbal masterwork, the week's highlights came from elsewhere. R-Truth's reinvention of himself, Big E bowling over Seth Rollins and Hideo Itami's first win were the most engaging and memorable elements on WWE TV.

Too bad that will do little to get folks hyped for the upcoming pay-per-view.

A strange strategy for booking Raw and giving too much of a taste of Roman Reigns vs. Rollins had momentum for Night of Champions head in the wrong direction. Cameron's pinning skills didn't help matters.

Powerful spears, high kicks and a gyrating stunt double helped make up for all that. 

Best/Worst: R-Ziggler

Having R-Truth play Dolph Ziggler's stunt double as a direct counter to The Miz using Damien Sandow in the same way was smart. Going back to that same well so often was not.

"R-Ziggler" mimicking The Showoff's mannerisms and move set was a blast. The commentators acted unsure which one of them was in the ring at the same time despite their distinct difference in skin color. It was a funny gag the first time.

WWE then trotted R-Ziggler out on Raw and Main Event.

Rather than make R-Truth's transformation a one-time thing exclusive to SmackDown, WWE spread it too thin. It could have been a special bonus, something that would make fans ask, "Hey, did you see what happened on SmackDown?"

They didn't have to. Nearly the exact scenario played out on Raw and then on Main Event.

It's a choice like this that makes SmackDown feel like Raw-lite. It rarely offers anything that one won't just see a few nights later.

Best: Emperor Paul Heyman

Before John Cena and Brock Lesnar brawled on Monday's Raw, Paul Heyman was the star of this story.

Cena threatened to pummel the manager if Lesnar didn't show up in time. He dragged Heyman around the arena, locked him in his dressing room and had The Great Khali serve as security. The angle felt odd with Cena going after a man who hadn't personally done him any harm.

Heyman then seemed to morph into Emperor Palatine right there in the ring.

He tried to get Cena to embrace his dark side. He coaxed and urged him to become more hateful, more like the beast he would face at Night of Champions.

His attempt to lead Cena into villainy surpassed Kane and Bray Wyatt's previous efforts.

Even opposite one of WWE's best talkers in Cena, Heyman reminded us that he is the company's top mic wizard. He has been the glue for this feud and will be the key to maximizing the entertainment value of Lesnar's title reign. 

Worst: Waiting for Halftime

A segment where Mark Henry pledged his allegiance to the U.S. flag main evented a go-home edition of Raw.

It was not a case of script pages being out of order that led to a midcard feud becoming the headlining act; it was WWE trying to combat Monday Night Football.

When John Cena told Paul Heyman that he had until "halftime" to produce Brock Lesnar, some fans assumed he meant the halfway point of Raw. Nope. He was referring to the Indianapolis Colts vs. the Philadelphia Eagles. 

As Mike Johnson reported for PWInsider, "WWE sources stated that the segment was placed where it was specifically in an attempt to get fans to watch during the half-time of last night's NFL broadcast."

One of the issues with that strategy was that it had WWE waiting around for halftime, which is not at a set time. That's likely why a six-man tag match featuring Sheamus and The Usos felt like it was dragging. They may have been instructed to stall until the Colts and Eagles had finished up the second quarter.

It's also a misguided route in that it encourages fans to leave Raw to go watch the NFL. "Come back when football comes to a stop," WWE seemed to be saying.

Poor planning also led to an average segment being the final one fans saw on the last Raw before Night of Champions.

What did this out-of-the-box approach net WWE? As Cageside Seats notes, the episode's ratings headed downward in the third hour.

Best: Big E vs. Seth Rollins (Main Event)

The week's best match pitted the first two NXT champions against each other.

Big E, who hasn't been around much of late, gave Seth Rollins a hell of a fight. His power contrasted with Rollins' speed beautifully.

In one of the bout's biggest moments, Big E speared Rollins off the ring apron, crashing outside the ring alongside his enemy.

It was even more hard hitting and faster paced than Rollins' showdown with Roman Reigns from Monday's Raw. 

The contest provided additional proof of how versatile and consistent Rollins is. He works well with just about any opponent, be it bruiser or high-flyer. 

As for Big E, this was his best effort in recent memory. He needs to be highlighted along with Kofi Kingston in the faction headed by Xavier Woods that WWE teased but then put to the side.

Worst: Cameron's Performance on Raw

WWE showed a clip from Total Divas before Cameron took on Naomi on Monday's Raw. In it, Cameron talks about wanting to go back to NXT to get more training.

Once the bout started, she proceeded to show that she needs to head down there and work on a few things.

Cameron tried to pin Naomi while her former tag team partner was lying on her stomach. That's not a mistake one sees at any level of wrestling. She later tapped out to a hold before it was applied, Naomi's new finisher apparently scaring her into submission.

The tepid action is the latest example of how the Divas-centered reality show is hurting the division.

Someone with such poor ring skills should not be showcased like this. Meanwhile, Alicia Fox, Natalya and Emma didn't step between the ropes at all on SmackDown, Raw or Main Event.

Best: Hideo Itami Debuts

The man known as Kenta for so long worked his first WWE match. Once the surreal vibe of that sight wore off, excitement kicked in.

Hideo Itami looked fantastic against Justin Gabriel on Thursday's NXT. He employed much of the same dizzying blows that he did in Japan. WWE doesn't appear to be watering down his style too much, which is great news.

He soared in the air to nail Gabriel with a kick to the chin, launched at him with a basement dropkick and riddled him with kicks to the ribs. 

It was a short, fun match that points to a future worth getting thrilled about. He surely made new fans with his first effort and will continue to do the same as the opportunities keep coming.

Worst: Lessening Interest in Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins at Night of Champions was going to be the story of the former finally getting his hands on the latter.

On Monday's Raw, Reigns not only got his hands on him early, but he pinned him cleanly. This felt like a trailer that ran nearly as long as the movie itself.

There's little reason to get pumped to see them go at it again. There was no advancement to the story during the battle. The hero toppled the villain with no repercussion. 

They now go into battle on a pay-per-view in what feels too much like a SmackDown rematch.

Why not have this first clash go to a no-contest? Why not have the lasting image be of Rollins assaulting Reigns, increasing his desire for revenge come Sunday?

As it stands, seeing Reigns vs. Rollins II won't be the impetus for many fans to order Night of Champions.