Breaking Down the Best and Worst of WWE for Week of May 18

During WWE's continued push of its network, it was NXT's stars who made the most convincing sales pitches.

Samoa Joe arrived at Full Sail University with electricity crackling around him. Kevin Owens cut John Cena down at the legs. Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch abused each other's arms en route to creating one of 2015's best matches.

A packed stretch of days saw WWE deliver Payback, Raw, NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable and SmackDown, all with its compass pointed toward Elimination Chamber.

The squared-circle buffet offered some memorable bouts and peeks at what promising stars are capable of doing. Unfortunately, Damien Sandow and Stardust had little to chew on during all that programming. They had to settle for low spots on the card instead.

On the plus side, they probably have free access to the WWE Network and could take in what Banks and Company did with their opportunities in the spotlight.

Best: Payback's Showpieces

Despite a lackluster buildup and all the missed opportunities leading up to Payback, the event ended up delivering two top-notch matches.

The New Day retained the tag titles in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match with plenty of electricity. The main event later featured the men who once formed The Shield and Randy Orton. In each bout, the performers outclassed the WWE writing team.

The stories before the action were lacking. The intensity and passion smeared onto the mat on Sunday night were the exact opposite.

The New Day had their best match to date. It featured a good pace and showcased everyone involved. 

As for the Fatal 4-Way that capped off the show, it had its issues (namely, it leaned too much on Kane), but it left fans happy in the end. A brief reunion of The Shield was part of that; Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns' one-on-one battle played its part as well.

Half the men battling for the WWE title at Payback will be doing so again at Elimination Chamber. If the roll that Ambrose and Seth Rollins have been on is any indication, expectations for that clash will be high, regardless of what kind of hype the company does or doesn't create around it.

Worst: Wasting Damien Sandow

Damien Sandow was red hot when he served under The Miz. Fans demanded to see more of him. 

WWE has swung and missed with him since.

Sandow's channeling Randy Savage is a throwaway gimmick that he will have to overcome, not something that will elevate him. That was clear this week when it netted him next to nothing.

In a pre-show match before Payback, he teamed with Curtis Axel (working a Hulk Hogan gimmick), only to find himself losing without much resistance. It didn't feel like the start of anything. It was treated as if it were as significant as The Bunny's contests.

On Thursday's SmackDown, he and Axel joined forces again, this time knocking off Adam Rose and Heath Slater. Nothing about the action or the gimmick gets one excited about Sandow going forward. It has little potential and minimal narrative options.

He's wading through this latest character, which is a bigger challenge than the stunt-double shtick.   

Best: Worlds Invaded

The feeling that anything can happen on WWE TV was in full effect this week.

On Monday's Raw, NXT champ Kevin Owens confronted John Cena in a memorable segment. It was an overlap of NXT and the main roster, with two champions facing off. Owens knocked Cena on his back and talked his way into getting a match with the megastar at Elimination Chamber.

That unexpected combination makes the pay-per-view feel special.

NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable was already excellent before Samoa Joe got in Owens' face. Having the former TNA and Ring of Honor star enter Full Sail University was a surreal experience, one that points to big things ahead.

With each surprise visitor, the shows benefited in a major way. They acted as cliffhangers for what's to come. In addition, they reminded fans that WWE is still capable of wielding the unexpected, even if the age of the Internet makes it hard to hold on to secrets. 

Worst: Stardust Descending

Stardust keeps falling down the card; WWE is treating him like this generation's Mulkey Brothers.

The amount of losses he's piling up continue to have him feel like a bottom feeder.

He fell to Dolph Ziggler on Monday's Raw, lost to R-Truth before Payback got underway and had the same result against the rapper on Thursday's SmackDown. None of those battles were memorable. He has a skeletal story to work with opposite R-Truth.

Making a wrestler as versatile and promising as Stardust be the company punching bag is a mistake. It's not putting his skills to use. 

He has a more better character with Damien Sandow at his disposal, but WWE doesn't seem interested in doing anything with it.

Best: The Women Kill It

WWE's women are making sure that change is on its way. The revolutionary vibe that NXT has started for its women's division continued.

In Philadelphia, Sasha Banks and Charlotte headlined an NXT house show. No, it's not WrestleMania or even Battleground, but it's progress. WWE gave Banks and Charlotte an opportunity that it had yet to hand out before, and champion and challenger made the most of it.

Even with Tommy Dreamer's surprise appearance, the bulk of the buzz about the show centered on the women. 

That was the case again on Wednesday night. Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn certainly had people talking, but Banks and Becky Lynch's title bout created just as much post-event hoopla.

The match displayed brutality that's not normally a part of women's matches. Banks and Lynch bashed each other's arms and wrenched each other limbs, all in the name of thrilling the crowd.

It was the latest example of Banks and Company raising the bar for the division. Expectations are changing with each home run performance like this. How the WWE brass perceives the female roster has to be shifting as well.