Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of Sept. 22

The best WWE action of the week came courtesy of a melee, a maniac and a man's public suffering.

Sheamus remains U.S. champion after delivering a wow-worthy brawl. Mark Henry flourished as an in-ring actor. Dean Ambrose once again made being unhinged must-watch TV. 

Those three men were a part of the biggest highlights of Night of Champions, Raw and Main Event.

That pay-per-view ended with a letdown, WWE clumsily working out of the corner it booked itself into.

The next night, Dolph Ziggler ended The Miz's Intercontinental Championship reign at just a single day. As great as their match was, it's hot-potatoing the title that is turning it into an insignificant prize.

Damien Sandow's continued success as "Mizdow" gets an honorable mention as one of the week's best offerings. He's turned a throwaway comedy role into a means to resurrect his career.

Perhaps now it won't be long before he's given a chance to take on Sheamus and try to top what The Celtic Warrior and Cesaro pulled off on Sunday night. 

Best: Cesaro vs. Sheamus (Night of Champions)

Credit: WWE.com

Cesaro stands over a fallen Sheamus.

Night of Champions' top match came early on with Cesaro nearly claiming the United States Championship as his own.

He and Sheamus have shown great chemistry in the past, clubbing each other in good contests. This surpassed all of their previous work together. Intensity, hard strikes and moving in-ring theater were the keys to doing so.

Sheamus' brawls are generally a physical spectacle, and few guys can work that style better than his opponent that night.

The King of Swing infusing some fun, little-used moves like the alpamare waterslide made the match feel more special. That's true of the energy each man brought to the ring that night as well. Without much buildup, without much fanfare beforehand, Sheamus and Cesaro made sure this clash felt momentous.

Near the end, battered and drained by the battle, Sheamus urged Cesaro come at him, gesturing at him from the corner. That punctuated the action, cementing Sheamus' status as a fearless, fight-loving champion.

WWE just needs to now give him more opportunities to fill his time as the titleholder with more memorable outings like that one. Perhaps it's Rusev's turn to mix it up with him.

Worst: John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar's Convoluted Ending

Credit: WWE.com

John Cena battles Brock Lesnar.

Fans expected this collision to be different from SummerSlam, but not in such a negative way.

After Brock Lesnar dominated John Cena in their first go-round, it seemed we were in for a more competitive and likely more compelling match. Instead, WWE seemed unsure of how to handle the ending. The company chose an unsatisfying and frustrating one.

Rather than have Cena win the world title back right away or allow him to lose again, WWE sent in Seth Rollins with his briefcase in hand.

He interrupted the match, tossed Cena aside and hit the Curb Stomp on Lesnar. He never got a chance to cash in his Money in the Bank contract. Cena saw to that.

The result was an ending that was not an ending.

Disqualification finishes in pay-per-view world title matches don't happen often, and with good reason. They're anti-climactic. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required) (h/t Wrestling Inc), the last time that happened was in 2010 with Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett.

That's not a match most fans hold in high regard compared with the great title bouts in WWE history. That will be true for Lesnar vs. Cena as well.

It was a letdown following massive hype, a stack of soggy pancakes at the end of a good meal.

Best: And the Oscar Goes To...Mark Henry

In the process of losing to Rusev twice in two nights, Mark Henry reminded us just how great of an actor he is.

Before his match with Rusev at Night of Champions, he bowed his head as Lilian Garcia sang the national anthem. He emoted focus and frustration, tears eventually sliding down his face. He did more in that moment to build up this bout than WWE had done in the weeks leading up to it.

WWE pitted him against The Bulgarian Bruiser on Monday's Raw, offering him a chance at redemption for his loss at the pay-per-view.

It was not a five-star classic, but their clash featured Henry placing another lump in the crowd's throats. Taking advantage of an injury he caused at Night of Champions, Rusev pounded on his Henry's back again.

The World's Strongest Man then struggled to move, clutching his side in pain. When Rusev locked in The Accolade, Henry screamed like an animal caught in a bear trap before passing out.

Never before has that move seemed so powerful.

Few wrestlers would have turned rolling over Rusev into something worth talking about. That is how you maximize your minutes, on the losing side or not.

Worst: WWE Hurting Intercontinental Championship Legacy

The Miz and Dolph Ziggler have done everything they can to make their two recent Intercontinental Championship matches as powerful as they could be.

WWE's treatment of that title that has made their efforts less meaningful, though. First off, why in the blue hell would you send out country group Florida Georgia Line to do commentary for the IC title bout at Night of Champions?

Not surprisingly, their banter distracted from the action. Then they got involved, knocking around Damien Sandow.

That made Miz winning the championship the secondary story. It made the match feel like some filler offering on Raw.

Florida Georgia Line has nothing to do with Ziggler and Miz's feud.

Just because you're in Tennessee doesn't mean you have to throw in some country music personality to try to be relevant. This isn't like having Mike Tyson join in on the fun; it's something that will only reach a certain segment of the crowd. 

On Monday's Raw, Ziggler won the title back, and even though their match was even better this time, it was hard to care.

The IC title has been going back and forth too much as of late. After Curtis Axel and Big E's two decently long reigns, WWE is back to short, forgettable turns with the title.   

It's a mistake to go for the short-term excitement of multiple title changes rather than build up a champion and make his eventual loss a huge deal.

Best: Dean Ambrose Back to Being a Must-See Lunatic

Beginning with his thrilling return at Night of Champions, Dean Ambrose was the star of the week.

He went right back to hunting down Seth Rollins, giving fans a lasting image to hold onto when he leaped onto a pile of security guards.

The next night, his quest for revenge continued. With John Cena at his side, he chased Rollins out of the arena. Again, he left the audience with something to remember—him flying into the back of a car as it sped off.

He followed that up by popping out of a black box to attack Rollins again and entertaining as The Miz's antagonist on Tuesday's Main Event.

His rage and frenzied energy was compelling at every turn.

With Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan out with injuries, WWE needed a babyface to step up, and Ambrose did. He looks mighty comfortable in the spotlight, giving the company reason to keep him there.