WWE Programming's Best Match for Week of February 15

With Fastlane approaching this Sunday, you might think that this week wouldn't have had much to offer in terms of in-ring action—but you would be wrong.

We saw some great bouts across the board, continuing the strong run that WWE have been on as we move deeper into WrestleMania season. The roster is filled with wrestlers who can be relied upon to put on a great match week-in, week-out, and their work is helping to make up for deficiencies in the product elsewhere.

Honourable Mentions

Several old rivalries were reignited this week, and we saw some great action as a result. Cesaro and Swagger had a very enjoyable match on Main Event—this pairing always seemed to deserve more closure to the Real Americans partnership.

Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler had a predictably brilliant match on SmackDown. These two could wrestle each other constantly for a year and the matches would still feel fresh and lively. In fact, that might be what's happening right now.

Finally, Raw saw a lively bout between Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper. This one was the brawl that you might expect from the competitors involved, with plenty of hard knocks and some great chemistry between the Lunatic Fringe and the Big Rig.

Match of the Week for Week of February 15: Kevin Owens vs. Adrian Neville on NXT

Week after week, NXT claims match of the week—but the fact of the matter is, their in-ring standards are much higher than that of the main roster. Of course, this is down to the lighter touring schedule and the increased freedom talent are given in developmental, but that doesn't change the results.

This match between Kevin Owens and Adrian Neville could have been saved for a special event, but the fact that it occurred on the show directly following the excellent TakeOver: Rival demonstrates the blistering forward momentum of NXT programming.

Credit: WWE.com

Owens has taken to NXT like a duck to water, and his work riling the crowd with old-school heel tactics has been great to see. However, Neville was the star of this match—as has been the case with many of the Jumping Geordie's recent encounters.

While there were worries that The Man Who Gravity Forgot wouldn't be able to make it in the big leagues of WWE, his masterful performances in NXT should have silenced any naysayers. His run as champion was exemplary, and since losing the belt he's only shown more fire.

This match with Owens was a perfect example of that. From his breathtaking 450 splash from the ring apron to the floor, or his mind-boggling deadlift German suplex, Neville's war crate may well be the most varied and fun to watch in the whole company.

There's a well-worn formula to how an encounter between two men the size of Owens and Neville should play out—this match ignored it, and it was all the better for that fact. The bout felt cutting-edge, and that's something that you can't say about WWE all the time; even if it's a perfect descriptor of NXT.

It seems that Neville will be headed for the main roster before too long, and hopefully he'll be given the same freedom to perform there as he is in NXT. Regardless, he'll go down as one of the definitive talents to pass through the developmental division in its early years.

What was your favourite match this week? Did Ryback vs. Kane from SmackDown light a fire under you? Was Big Show vs. Erick Rowan the week's biggest and best bout? Let us know in the comments section below.