WWE Programming's Best Match for Week of December 20

With a live SmackDown on Tuesday and the annual Tribute to the Troops event on Wednesday, there was much more WWE programming this week than last.

That typically wouldn't suggest an increase in quality, but we did see several worthwhile matches across the board. Of course, the competitors involved are largely the usual suspects.

There are a group of wrestlers on the main roster who seem to have settled into workhorse roles. These are the competitors who can be relied upon to put on a great match—and they're doing so on a weekly basis.

Honourable Mentions

The best thing to come out of Tribute to the Troops 2014 was the Boot Camp match between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt. While their feud hasn't had much to go on, these two always have good matches—particularly when there's a stipulation to spice up proceedings.

Elsewhere, Bayley and Becky Lynch had a short, but sweet, match to kick off this week's NXT. Here's hoping that the reams of female talent brewing in NXT can make their way up to the main roster unscathed because there's some really great work being done by all involved.

Raw and Smackdown were somewhat lacking in must-see bouts this week, but Seth Rollins managed to contribute a worthy match to each show. His cage match with John Cena on Monday night wasn't quite as good as their Tables match the night before, but Rollins' character work—particularly toward the end—was impeccable.

On SmackDown, the Architect faced Dolph Ziggler. Predictably, the match was very good. There's potential for a great feud between these two. But for now, it seems that it'll be relegated to television rather than used to bolster a pay-per-view.

Match of the Week for December 13: Kevin Owens vs. Adrian Neville on NXT

Kevin Owens' first match since his debut saw him face former NXT Champion Adrian Neville on this week's NXT, and the result was very promising.

Owens offers something different to most NXT competitors, and he looks set to be a huge boon for the roster as long as he is part of it.

Credit: WWE.com

We know that Owens is a brawler, but his strategy of avoiding Neville in the early going demonstrated a calculated intelligence that we didn't see as much during his debut. However, as soon as Neville made a mistake, he didn't hesitate to take advantage—it's his killer instinct that makes him such a threat.

However, as is the case with NXT, it's easy for the new additions to steal the thunder of the more tenured stars on the roster—or it would be easy if the talent in question wasn't as supremely talented as Neville.

Having turned a corner after his battle with Sami Zayn, it's exciting to see the Man That Gravity Forgot as a re-energized contender, rather than a cocky champion. He's as razor-sharp as ever in the ring, but with the crowd once again behind him, he's going to be a top fan favourite for NXT.

The way this match ended might suggest that we're set for a rematch, but what happened thereafter threw a spanner in the works. Regardless, we'll certainly see these two square off once again before long—and here's hoping it won't take too long.

Did another match catch your eye this week? Did Roman Reigns' in-ring return have you believing? Did Kane vs. Adam Rose have you partying? Was two minutes just not long enough for a Bella Twins tag match? Let us know in the comments section below.