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

WWE celebrated Christmas by putting its female wrestlers in Santa outfits, dressing a miniature bull like a reindeer and letting the beastly Luke Harper loose.

It was a week full of holiday-themed goofiness, but Harper's hard-hitting style and the NXT Women's Championship match provided violent highlights amid all that. The former member of The Wyatt Family composed two excellent matches. Charlotte and Sasha Banks nearly outdid their bout at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution.

The main roster Divas division and WWE's tag teams suffered the brunt of the lazy booking that is commonplace this time of year. Cheap laughs and sex appeal dominated WWE programming. 

That makes it more impressive that Harper, Charlotte and Banks managed to stand out, to draw our attention away from skimpy costumes and men crashing into Christmas trees.

Best: Luke Harper's Rugged Artistry

Jaw-rattling strikes and clotheslines with the force of a sledgehammer highlighted the week's best matches. Luke Harper twice delivered physical, intense bouts.

On Monday's Raw, he lost to Dolph Ziggler in a memorable Intercontinental Championship clash.

Those two have consistently delivered against each other. This latest collision served to showcase Harper as a monster and Ziggler as a gutsy champion.

In the sequence of the night, Harper took a superkick to the mush and still managed to whip around and floor The Showoff with a discus clothesline. 

Harper also provided Tuesday's Main Event with its best offering, a hard-hitting match against Jack Swagger. Swagger's technical skills meshed well with Harper's brute force. A belly-to-belly suplex from the top rope was the biggest highlight of a showing that should inspire WWE to book a feud between these two at some point.

Add those matches to Harper's ongoing statement that he deserves more spotlight going forward.

Worst: Tag Team Division Becoming a Joke

Even with the emergence of Cesaro and Tyson Kidd and the increasingly personal nature of the feud between The Usos and the tag champs, it's hard to take the tag team division seriously right now.

A little person wearing reindeer antlers pinned a former tag team champion. The announcers and Big E's partner continue to focus on his sweating rather than his skills. 

The New Day trio is flopping as a whole.

There is no depth to their gimmick. Big E's mid-match sweat-rag routine is getting no response. Their feud with Goldust and Stardust already feels lifeless.

It certainly doesn't help that Goldust and Stardust lost on Monday's Raw when El Torito pinned the former. WWE is treating the Rhodes boys like a sideshow act rather than a serious threat. It's not giving Big E and company anything to work with.

Throw in a mini-bull in reindeer gear, and fans can't help but prefer NXT's brand of tag team wrestling.

Best: The Party Is Officially over

Adam Rose's chance to delve into a darker, more vicious character is upon us. After weeks of teasing a split between the party enthusiast and The Bunny, WWE featured the inevitable violent breakup on Monday's Raw.

The Bunny still wore a neck brace from his run-in with Kane last week. When Rose went berserk following another loss, that prop served to up the vileness of his attack on his rabbit pal. 

This feud promises to be silly, but Rose's character was failing to catch on. He gets to now slip on a heel role and look to gain some momentum.

As Leo Kruger, he was far more compelling. He can tap into that predatory persona going forward. If WWE lets him destroy The Bunny, he may be able to salvage his career.

Worst: Divas Overshadowed by Christmas Gimmick

Luke Harper and Dolph Ziggler didn't wear Santa hats when they battled on Monday's Raw. Roman Reigns and Big Show didn't dress up like elves when they clashed on the same night.

Even when WWE played up the Christmas theme in Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt's Street Fight, it was a means to further the nutty nature of their feud. Violence and comedy merged in a brawl involving Christmas trees and Kendo sticks painted up like candy canes.

The Divas, meanwhile, got the usual "sexy costume party" treatment. After a Santa's Helper Battle Royal at the Tribute to the Troops special, WWE booked a six-Diva tag match on Raw where the women all donned Christmas outfits.

Alicia Fox, Emma and Naomi vs. Cameron, Paige and Summer Rae was a solid match. It was hard to take it seriously, though, with Fox's Santa hat drooping from her head as she hit her finisher and with Emma looking like she assists a mall Santa on the side.

Pro wrestling needs comedy and palate cleansers between its more intense moments. That role doesn't always have to go to the women, though.

Best: NXT Women's Championship Rematch

The Christmas Day edition of NXT featured just one match—Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks.

That alone made it well worth watching Thursday's show. Once again, the women from developmental delivered a compelling, powerful piece of art in the ring. They didn't quite reach the level of electricity that that they did at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution, but they came close.

Banks was the aggressor for much of the night.

She was a python wrapping around her foe, pulling her body back awkwardly. Charlotte's leg got caught in the ropes, and her back rattled against the mat when Banks superplexed her. Still, the champ prevailed.

The women did such a fine job that it was easy to forget that Ric Flair stood at ringside.

They both showed that they are far and away NXT's two best Divas. Beyond that, NXT continues to show WWE how women's wrestling is done. 

On the main roster, women are relegated to filler/eye-candy duty. NXT fans know they can be so much more than that.