Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of April 6

WWE counteracted the sting of AJ Lee's career ending by excelling in its presentation of emerging stars Neville and Hideo Itami.

Neville twice stepped into the ring this week, once with the world champ. It's a relief to to see the company take him seriously after fans worried that WWE would turn him into a cartoon of the squared circle. As for Itami, he delivered the best match of the month so far and had a chance to show fans his personality.

In addition to those successes, WWE also made smart moves with The New Day and Sheamus.

Too bad the creative team didn't do as well for the majority of Raw. Monday's show was a major letdown after all the buzz-creating editions that came before and after WrestleMania. 

All things must end, though, be it WrestleMania season or the career of a trailblazing Diva.

Best: First Leg of Neville's Journey

Seth Rollins was just as shocked as the audience to see Neville come down the aisle on Monday's Raw. The WWE champ was to face a surprise opponent, and few fans would have guessed it would have been The Man That Gravity Forgot to take that spot.

This was a shrewd move.

Rollins got to look like a dominant champ by handling the rookie and hitting a Curb Stomp for the win. For Neville, he got a high-profile match early in his WWE run.

Bo Dallas or Adam Rose sure didn't come in and take on the top champion when they debuted.

Neville looked good in the battle but got to dish out more offense on Thursday's SmackDown against Curtis Axel. His clash with Rollins earned him a moral victory thanks to holding his own while the one opposite Axel showcased him as a formidable competitor.

This is all light-years better than what WWE could have done with him. Thankfully, he's not sporting a Mighty Mouse gimmick or being played like a comic-relief character. 

So far, WWE is doing right by Neville. 

Worst: A Lackluster Raw

WrestleMania season is officially over. Nothing says that quite like the quality of Raw dropping and the show becoming an uninspired, forgettable affair.

Neville vs. Seth Rollins and John Cena vs. Stardust were both good matches but not enough to make up for a night where too little happened and too little electricity flowed through the screen. Plodding bouts featuring Kane and Big Show deflated the show, as did a general lack of creativity.

Monday's Raw comprised too few big moments and surprises.

Opening the night in such formulaic fashion didn't help. Not every episode needs to begin with a dragged-out promo. The writing team needs to turn to variety and innovation in the coming weeks. And featuring zero minutes of Daniel Bryan in the ring compared to almost 20 minutes' worth of Kane and Big Show wrestling can't continue.

Best: Getting to Know Hideo

If fans can watch only one match of WWE's many hours of programming throughout the week, the best choice would be Hideo Itami vs. Neville on Wednesday's NXT.

Intensity and a quick pace powered this tournament bout. Neville was his usual high-flying self, and Itami looked the best that he has since joining NXT. Crisp, brimming with energy and moving around the ring like a comic-book character come to life, Itami flourished.

After watching him twice compete in the ring, fans then saw him from another angle.

A short special aired on NXT featuring a backstage look at his WrestleMania experience. He was funny and endearing as he played with his kids and met the other wrestlers. This kind of glimpse at Itami's personality needs to continue.

The audience will pull for him if WWE can show off his charm as it did here.

Worst: No More AJ

The rumors of AJ Lee leaving WWE have been floating around for some time. They became a reality over the weekend.

WWE announced that AJ "has decided to retire from in-ring competition with WWE."

And so with no fanfare or farewell match, AJ's career was over. It's not surprising considering that her husband, CM Punk, and WWE are in an offscreen feud, but it's still a blow to the gut.

AJ was a key component of the Divas division over the past few years as its top talker, its champion and its most dynamic figure. She was an ever-present part of WWE as a whole too. AJ was everything from Raw general manager to the narrative boost that made the CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Kane feud far better.

Sure NXT has a number of promising talents ready to make up for her absence, but seeing an artist put away her brushes for good at such a young age is hard.

Best: Embracing, Using Negative Chants

When Sheamus returned from injury, he looked like he belonged on History Channel's Vikings. A Mohawk jutted from his shaved head, and rubber bands separated his red beard into scraggly tails.

Fans rejected the makeover last week, chanting, "You look stupid!"

WWE has wisely incorporated this into his current gimmick. On Thursday's SmackDown, Daniel Bryan urged the crowd to repeat the chant. Sheamus seemed to bask in the negative response.

Rather than fight the tide of opinion, it makes more sense to swim with it. That's what the company did here and with The New Day as well.

Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods have flopped as an overly positive, clap-happy trio. Fans have begun to sing "New Day sucks!" WWE hasn't ignored that but instead used it as a narrative impetus. The group has been annoyed and angered by the chant.

A more aggressive side of the team hints a heel turn.

That's the absolute right move. If fans want to boo something, use that.

The New Day needed some spark anyway, and being the group fans love to hate much like Rocky Maivia years ago will be a major improvement for it.