WWE Programming's Best Match for Week of October 11

In a week that boasted surprise returns on Raw and a major milestone for SmackDown, it could well have been harder for in-ring action to shine as bright as it might have on a different week.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case, as a variety of midcard talent were showcased in lengthy matches throughout the week. Things certainly are changing in terms of how the roster is utilized, and it would be hard to argue that it's not for the better.

Honourable Mentions

Once again, Superstars continued its streak of must-see matches with a thoroughly entertaining contest between Zack Ryder and Heath Slater. The formula is simple: competitive matches of a decent length between evenly matched wrestlers. But it works, and it's slowly turning the show into a prime bit of WWE programming.

It's great to see more of WWE's B-tier shows giving fans a reason to tune in beyond Raw replays and perfunctory squashes. NXT clearly has many such reasons, one of them being that it's the best place to watch women's wrestling that matters for a WWE fan.

Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks was a great example of this, being far longer and more entertaining than your average Divas match on Raw or SmackDown. Women's wrestling on NXT never feels like a sideshow—it's simply another component of the broadcast and typically is just as engaging as anything else that week.

Speaking of NXT, inspirational graduate of the developmental division Bo Dallas had a super match with Dolph Ziggler on Main Event this week. Of course, little else can be expected from Ziggler, but it's good to see that Dallas can hold his own opposite someone of the Showoff's quality when given the opportunity.

Raw was perhaps the weakest bit of WWE television of the week in terms of match quality. An enjoyable six-man tag team match pitting Dolph Ziggler and the Usos against Cesaro, Goldust and Stardust opened the show, but nothing over the following three hours could come close to matching it.

Match of the Week for October 11 : Los Matadores, The Usos, Mark Henry, Sheamus, Jack Swagger and El Torito vs. Goldust, Stardust, Heath Slater, Titus O'Neil, Cesaro, Damien Mizdow and Hornswoggle

While SmackDown's 15-man main event to celebrate its anniversary won't go down as an all-time classic, it was certainly a lot of fun.

Set up by an amusing dispute between John Laurinaitis the tag-happy Teddy Long, it was clear from the off that this match was meant to entertain above all else. A bout of this scale could very easily have been a mess, but the huge amount of talent in the ring made sure that wasn't the case.

Credit: WWE.com

Instead, we saw a match that used its many components to their full effect. From Cesaro getting the chance to show off his strength to Bo Dallas having a moment to play up his character, everyone was on top form and had a moment in the spotlight.

Even the much-maligned El Torito and Hornswoggle were utilized rather perfectly. Their match on Raw was rightly criticized, but that's not to say that the pair are without an upside. Their "WeeLC" match earlier this year was a delight, and Torito in particular has the abilities to pull off some spectacular stuff.

Just about every competitor in the match has been underrated or underutilized at some point, but all of them were painted in a good light in this bout. There's a real sense that WWE talent are being encouraged to treat every match as a personal showcase as of late, and it's bearing fruit in terms of what we see in the ring.

Credit: WWE.com

There's a place in wrestling for deadly serious one-on-one contests, but there's also a place for a more frivolous match like this. Once this bout got going, it was absolutely jam-packed with athleticism and innovation and was a fittingly festive match for a birthday edition of the show.

Did you love the 15-man match? Hate it? What was your favourite match of the week? Let us know in the comments section below.