Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of Oct. 6

Save for Dolph Ziggler fending off another challenger for his Intercontinental Championship, the week in WWE didn't offer much in the way of in-ring action to applaud.

Instead, it was a surprise return from The Rock and Edge and Christian's antics on the WWE Network that delivered most. The former helped ease the pain of a subpar edition of Raw. The latter diverted our attention to just how poorly today's SmackDown compares to the show's peak. 

It was a week long on the ridiculous, complete with wine bottles smacking against butts and little people battling in animal costumes.

At least The Showoff had another chance to shine. His collision with Bo Dallas had little competition for the week's best match.

Best: Another Intercontinental Championship Defense

After trading the Intercontinental Championship with The Miz, Dolph Ziggler has become WWE's resident fighting champion.

He defended the title against Bo Dallas on Tuesday's Main Event. That marked the third IC title bout in as many weeks.

Meanwhile, bookers have seemingly forgotten about United States champion Sheamus, and Brock Lesnar hasn't been around.

Ziggler vs. Dallas was a fun, well-paced offering. Dallas had a few moments where it looked like he might pull off the upset. Ziggler, though, smacked his foe's head to the mat with a Zig Zag for the win.

It's a welcome sight to see WWE keep the champ so busy. This is the kind of added spotlight having a midcard title is supposed to deliver. 

Worst: 'Celebrities' on Raw

Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford appeared on Monday's Raw in a segment that Jim Ross described on his blog as "uncomfortable to watch."

It's hard to understand what the point was in having the women from Today on the show. They are not the type of celebrities who attract new viewers. They weren't entertaining in the least either.

The ratings reflect WWE fans' disinterest in Hoda and Kathie Lee. ProWrestling.net reports that Monday's Raw scored a 2.63 rating, down from last week, which garnered a 2.83 rating.

WWE is forging on, trying to infuse semi-celebrities into its product. Next week's Raw is set to feature NeNe Leakes and Todd Chrisley.

If you don't know who those people are, you're not alone.

Best: The Rock Shows Up on Raw

No one electrifies like The Rock.

When Rusev bad-mouthed America and called out Big Show on Raw, a legend came to the ring instead. The Rock arrived unannounced to Monday's Raw, inspiring the fans in Brooklyn, New York, to get mighty rowdy.

It almost didn't matter what he did or said. Just seeing him in the ring again was a great moment on its own.

He fired off insults and catchphrases in a fun, memorable segment. Rusev got a huge notch added to his belt, having tangled with The Great One.

If only WWE could surprise us with future Hall of Famers each week, it'd be easier to ignore Raw's current stagnant energy.

Worst: Gator vs. Bull

You can't blame the fans inside the Barclays Center for chanting, "This is stupid!" when Mini-Gator battled El Torito.

Pro wrestling benefits from humor and occasional ventures into the ridiculous, but WWE has too often turned to silly gags as of late. Sticking Hornswoggle in an alligator costume and putting on a "look, they're really small" spectacle with him and El Torito is lazy and just not fun at all.

WWE already drained all it could from this feud. There's no need to return to it, gator twist added or not.

Monday's Raw did not feature The Wyatt Family wrestling. The Big E, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston alliance didn't make it onscreen. The same goes for the NXT stars sitting backstage.

Still, WWE found enough time to trot out its little people in animal costumes for the kind of match that makes fans embarrassed to have been a part of it.

Best: Edge and Christian's SmackDown Special

Edge and Christian celebrated the 15th anniversary of SmackDown as one would expect. They goofed around, reflected on their own triumphs and made fans wistful for the days when SmackDown was must-watch television.

They hosted a SmackDown special exclusive to the WWE Network.

This was a smart use of both stars. They made the special fun and never looked like they were just reading from cue cards.

It's programming like this that will lead more folks to subscribe to the WWE Network. It was the kind of buzz-creating show that has those who didn't see it feel like they really missed out on something.