WWE Programming's Best Match for Week of Feb. 22

Between Fastlane last Sunday and the start of the final stretch of television ahead of WrestleMania, it's been a good week for in-ring competition in WWE. Hopefully, we'll see this continue as we head towards the biggest show of the year.

With the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and a multi-man match for the Intercontinental Championship announced this week, there's plenty of opportunity for strong singles action to build towards these bouts. Let's hope WWE make the most of the opportunity.

Honourable Mentions

With the #GiveDivasAChance Twitter campaign making headlines this week, it's appropriate that two women's matches demonstrated the gulf between developmental and the main roster. Both were matches shorter than five minutes that were well worth watching, but the reasoning behind them couldn't be more different.

Becky Lynch and Bayley met on NXT in a spirited bout that followed up on the excellent title match at Rival and hinted at the future of the division. Meanwhile, Natalya met Naomi on SmackDown in a good match, but one that was simply riding on the coattails of a feud between their respective husbands.

There are plenty of talented women on the main roster, and they're capable of putting on a good match, whether it's two minutes long or twenty; however, part of the problem is that these matches rarely mean anything and seem to be there for the sake of being there.

Elsewhere, Wade Barrett had a good week with strong performances against Dolph Ziggler on Raw and Daniel Bryan on SmackDown. Fans won't like seeing Bryan "demoted" to the intercontinental title picture, but based on his company there, it might be the best place for him to produce some excellent matches.

Finally, the inaugural Fastlane pay-per-view managed to exceed expectations with strong matches setting up the WrestleMania card. Barring a frustrating ending for fans, Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns was a good match, certainly the best singles competition the latter has had thus far.

John Cena vs. Rusev was also good despite both men holding back a little for the inevitable WrestleMania rematch. Cena could be about to undergo a career renaissance, as the veteran role ties in perfectly to his "Never Give Up" persona.

Match of the Week for Week of Feb. 22: The Usos vs. Brass Ring Club at Fastlane

Tag team wrestling—like many divisions outside of the main event—has often gone overlooked in WWE. However, things are falling into place for the Tag Team Championships to really mean something in 2015, and this title match demonstrates just how bright the division can shine.

The Usos are one of the more underrated teams of the last decade, having taken the time to develop their skills in the ring and their connection to the crowd, and they have benefited greatly from having done so. They've been the backbone of the tag team scene for some time, and they deserve a lot of praise for that.

Credit: WWE.com

Tag team wrestling is different from singles competition, requiring a different type of pacing to the ebb and flow of a match. The added complexity can make for a much more engaging competition in the correct hands or a messy, unsatisfying contest if the talent involved isn't adept at the style.

Thankfully, The Usos have such a level of confidence that they can easily shepherd a lesser team through a match, as we've seen them do plenty of times. That wasn't necessary here, as Tyson Kidd and Cesaro are no strangers to wrestling as part of a team.

Credit: WWE.com

That individual experience has merged quite neatly over the first few months of The Brass Ring Club. The pair share the intangible chemistry that's crucial to the success of any tag team, and it's a promising sign that the duo are set to be a boon to the division as a whole.

This match was a tantalizing glimpse of things to come, as two excellent teams left it all in the ring. Innovative double-team moves were particularly impressive, as ever, but the most impressive part of the bout was how smoothly all four men were integrated into the action.

The finish in particular was a complex feat of timing from two wholly covalent teams. It's great to see a tag team match won by a team working together rather than an individual, and that's exactly what we see unfold last Sunday.

With teams like The Ascension and The Lucha Dragons hitting the main roster, and several strong teams already in place like New Day and the newly-reformed Prime Time Players, the tag team division could be on track to undergo its own resurgence.

Let's hope it gets the chance to.

What was your favourite match this week? Let us know in the comments section below.