Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of Oct. 20

WWE had been limping toward the finish line that is Hell in a Cell. But in a matter of days, it piled on the intrigue.

Some bouts still have little reason to invest (e.g. The Usos vs. Goldust and Stardust), but new storyline developments made Rusev's battle with Big Show and Randy Orton taking on John Cena again more enticing.

Rusev drew out Big Show's fury. Triple H held out a juicy carrot in front of Cena and Orton.

WWE's less successful moments came from Summer Rae and JBL, with the former seemingly getting worse in the ring each week and the latter asked to play a game show host.

JBL's ill-advised turn as WWE's Bob Eubanks was a prime example of shoddy buildup. Luckily, the company counterbalanced that with some on-target shots.

Best: Randy Orton vs. John Cena Subplots

When WWE announced Orton would be facing Cena at Hell in a Cell, fans let out a collective sigh.

That combination has been used to the point where there is not a single spark left to exploit. It's not as if the Hell in a Cell stipulation made any sense either. Their rivalry was at its peak years ago. 

This was now just a sequel to a movie that's popularity had long since faded.

WWE couldn't cure that sense of deja vu completely, but it did well to inject some life into the matchup. Triple H announced on Monday's Raw that the winner of this bout will go on to face Brock Lesnar for the world title.

Suddenly, there were real stakes for Orton and Cena. This went from feeling like an exhibition to a playoff game for that reason.

It's also unclear what X-factors will come into play on Sunday. Seth Rollins Curb Stomped his ally's head on Monday. Orton made the mistake of attacking Paul Heyman.

Those all point to a potential face turn for Orton and a possible showdown between him and Lesnar, as well as other developments that could unfold inside the Hell in a Cell. 

Orton vs. Cena may still not be brimming with buzz, but it's a more appealing attraction than it was before Raw. 

Worst: Summer Rae in Regression

At NXT, Summer Rae looked like she might be one of the better Divas on the main roster. She wasn't going to bypass Natalya as a mat wrestler or AJ Lee in terms of presence, but there were high hopes for the rising prospect.

Watching her now, one wonders if perhaps a body snatcher got to her. She just doesn't seem like the same competitor. 

Her match against Brie Bella on Monday's Raw made the wrong kind of statement.

It said that Summer has gone backward in her development. She delivered weak kicks, looked awkward at times and often popped up too quickly after Brie hit a big move. 

She's capable of far better, as we saw at NXT. Pitting her against her old foes at Full Sail University, Paige and Emma, could be the key to returning to form.

Best: Seth Rollins Rolls

Count on Rollins to make the most of his ring time.

In a trio of matches from Friday to Tuesday, the man who broke up The Shield took hold of the audience. Rollins was one of the in-ring highlights of each show that he appeared on.

He battled Dolph Ziggler on SmackDown, composing an exciting, fluid matchup. On Monday's Raw, he played a significant role in a Street Fight that gathered momentum and upped its aggression level late. He capped that off with a strong showing against Jack Swagger on Tuesday's Main Event.

Rollins has proved himself to be reliable in the ring as a guy who looks good against a variety of opponents.

He'll have a chance to put the ultimate exclamation point on this stretch of quality outings on Sunday. He and Ambrose's Hell in a Cell clash promises to be a Match of the Year contender.

Worst: Know Your Bro

The good news is that WWE now has the blueprint for how not to book a tag team rivalry.

The feud between The Usos and Goldust and Stardust has been a snoozer since Night of Champions. Before that event, the story was one of The Usos seeking revenge for a cowardly attack from the increasingly vile challengers. The narrative since has been nonexistent.

The "Know Your Bro" segment on Tuesday's Main Event was not the cure-all the tepid feud needed.

JBL hosted a game show reminiscent of The Newlywed Game. To say it was stupid is to be kind. A Uranus joke, a lot of hissing and JBL dancing were the "highlights" of the bit.

Whether one thought this was funny or not, it's much harder to argue that it was the smart way to build toward this tag team title bout.

Think back to all the great tag team feuds of all time. Count up all the times a game show segment was key to their success. It won't take long.

WWE had an array of options to paint this picture with, and it chose to do so with the most unappealing color in the palette.

Best: Rusev vs. Big Show Hitting the Mark

WWE found a way to draw more emotion from the tired "USA vs. the evil foreigner" story.

Rusev threatened to tear down the United States flag on Monday's Raw. That alone forced the audience to take notice and wonder, "Are they really going to cross that line?"

A serviceman came out to stop Rusev, but he received a kick to the temple for his trouble. As much as we know that it wasn't a real soldier taking that blow, it was hard not to be taken aback by that sight.

Great stories often have powerful images, and the villain flooring a solider like that certainly falls into that category. The heart pulling wasn't over, though. Big Show grabbed the mic in a rage and decried Rusev's actions.

It was one of his most powerful promos to date.  

The motivation for Big Show to clobber The Bulgarian Brute at Hell in a Cell is now clearer and more moving. It's narratives like this one that allow fans to get swept away by what happens onscreen. Big Show fans or not, most folks in the crowd (especially Americans) are going to be rooting for him in a big way on Sunday.

Making a victory mean as much as WWE did with this match is the mark of successful wrestling storytelling.

The pay-per-view has angles aplenty to nitpick. This is one that is rolling along and gathering momentum as it goes.