Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of April 27

Powerhouses, women warriors and a newly crowned king grabbed hold of WWE fans at the close of April.

Extreme Rules disappointed in its level of violence, but WWE made up for it with the surprise of bringing back the King of the Ring tournament. That allowed Neville to shine, Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus to add to their bad blood and for Bad News Barrett to charge toward summer with momentum (and a scepter) in hand. 

Big Show had a surprise of his own, stealing the show at Extreme Rules. Over at NXT, the Divas flourished at Full Sail University.

Even on a week flush with programming, from a pay-per-view to a live interview with Stephanie McMahon, it was the King of the Ring that generated the most buzz. That's welcome news for Barrett, a man known for delivering the bad kind.

Best: King of the Ring

The tournament was hurried and didn't feature a who's who of stars, but boy was it fun. Several times over, the event reminded fans why they missed King of the Ring so much.

R-Truth scoring an upset, Dolph Ziggler making sure Sheamus didn't advance and Neville making a surprise run to the finals were among the biggest stories of the course of the two-day tourney.

A number of good matches came out of it. Neville's three matches, especially his loss to Bad News Barrett on Tuesday night, were all noteworthy. Ziggler and Barrett delivered as well.

The best thing about welcoming back the concept, though, was that it elevated members of the roster. Neville comes out of it looking like a contender. Barrett now has a significant addition to his resume, one that could potentially be his ticket to true stardom.

Whether or not it does that, this was a smart move. The King of the Ring has always been entertaining and a boost for several of its combatants. Here's hoping we don't have to wait five years for the next one.

Worst: A Lack of Brutality

Credit: WWE.com

John Cena celebrates a win over Rusev.

Extreme Rules has delved into wrestling's most savage side even during the PG Era. Just last year, Daniel Bryan hurled Kane through a burning table.

WWE turned down the violence knob in 2015, though.

Making Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler a Kiss Me Arse match rather than something edgier was one reason for that. Randy Orton and Seth Rollins' battle inside a steel cage was decidedly unlike a Cage match in terms of intensity. John Cena and Rusev had a chain tying them together, but that didn't lead to the kind of brutality one would expect. 

Fans weren't expecting a bloodbath at any point, but this was one of the softer versions of the event to date. It was Big Show and Roman Reigns who brought the most extreme elements of the night.

Best: Roman Reigns vs. Big Show

Not many folks had their money on Roman Reigns vs. Big Show being Extreme Rules' best bout of the night.

The two brawlers outdid their peers, though, thanks to them wrecking each other. By the end of the Last Man Standing match, tables and the guardrail had been destroyed. Reigns looked like a bigger star by the end of it as well.

This was supposed to be a stepping stone for him, and it certainly accomplished that. He looked like a gladiator in his defeat of the giant, pushed now to the WWE title picture.

That's now three consecutive standout pay-per-view matches for Reigns. It's time to start believing in The Juggernaut. 

Worst: Damien Sandow's 4th Grade Gimmick

WWE hasn't built on what Damien Sandow generated as Damien Mizdow. His feud with The Miz was a washout, a hurried, underwhelming story that could have been so much more.

Following that, the plan appears to be to have Sandow play an annoying version of his stunt double persona. He childishly mimicked Curtis Axel and later did the same to Renee Young and others. That's far from the best use of his skills.

Judging by what he did with the throwaway stunt double gimmick, though, he could well make this silly shtick work. It's just foolish to make everything an uphill climb for him.

Best: NXT Showcases Its Divas

Credit: WWE.com

NXT continues to outshine WWE's main roster when it comes to showcasing its women. Wednesday's NXT was further proof of that.

Dana Brooke outlasted Bayley. The newcomer showed promise even though she is still raw. Later in the night, Becky Lynch throttled Sarah Dobson, a guest from the world of indy wrestling. Lynch clamped on a nasty-looking Fujiwara armbar to continue her recent winning streak. 

Bayley, Alexa Bliss and Carmella all contributed to the show via backstage segments.

Interesting characters and good mat work from the Divas division made for good TV. Raw and SmackDown could certainly learn from their little brother.

If NXT can cram that much women's wrestling into its one-hour slot, there's no reason that WWE can't give Natalya and company more space to work during Raw's three hours.