Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of July 13

As ratings continued to plunge, WWE soldiered on, delivering episodes of Raw and SmackDown that suitably hyped this Sunday night's Battleground pay-per-view, which airs exclusively on the WWE Network. And in the process, it delivered a mixture of both good and bad television.

The future of women's wrestling was changed in an instant as Becky Lynch, Charlotte and NXT women's champion Sasha Banks all made their main roster debuts on Monday night. They are determined to ignite their careers while also bringing an end to Team Bella's reign of dominance.

Cesaro continued his streak of outstanding televised matches, working with Rusev on both Monday and Thursday night.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, R-Truth and King Barrett wrote the latest chapter in a rivalry no one wants to see, while Stardust made a disappointing return to Raw, live from his hometown in Atlanta.

As has been the theme with WWE programming for the last year, the week of July 13 was an up-and-down one from a creative standpoint. Which segments hit, and which missed their mark?

Take a look for yourself as Superstars and Divas enter the Battleground on Sunday.

Best: The NXT Generation of Divas

The arrival of the NXT Divas to the main roster on Monday night's Raw not only signaled a new beginning for a stagnant women's division in WWE but also served as proof positive that hard work and dedication to one's craft pay off.

Thus far in 2015, no collection of talent has done more to win the respect of fans and peers than the developmental Divas. At TakeOver live specials, house shows and weekly episodes of NXT, Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks have been the most talked-about talents, thanks to their show-stealing performances.

At a time when WWE's main roster women consist of reality stars and talented workers who are stuck wallowing under the reign of the Bellas, the NXT Divas completely changed what it means to be a woman in Vince McMahon's company, thanks in large part to the trust Triple H instilled in them.

Their arrival on Raw and the subsequent brawl that ensued before Team Bella was sent scurrying sure felt like a moment in time that will have long-lasting effects on the way women are treated on the main roster. Of course, that depends on the way McMahon and his crack Creative staff view their importance in a month or so.

For now, three of the core four Divas in NXT can rest peacefully, knowing they were responsible for this week's best segment of television.

Worst: Signing on the Dotted Line

There is nothing worse in today's WWE product than a contract signing.

Why? Because it is the laziest form of booking practiced by the company's Creative staff. The writers use it as a crutch rather than come up with anything else to possibly fill the show-closing segment.

Monday was a shining example of just how stale and repetitive the concept has become.

After starting the show off with a dueling promo, both Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman essentially repeated the same thoughts during the contract signing that they did some three hours earlier. Nothing was accomplished during the segment, other than Kane's broken ankle, which could have been done earlier in the show.

The sentiments were not the only repetitive thing. So was the post-beatdown from Lesnar in which Rollins verbally berated Kane as medics tended to him, reigniting the dissension between them just two weeks after WWE Creative went through all the trouble to reunite The Authority.

It was a lazy segment that did nothing more (or less) to make the viewer want to tune in to Battleground.

Worst of all, it was a waste of one of Lesnar's dates.

Best: Cesaro and Rusev Bring the Awesome

Cesaro has been on the roll of a lifetime as of late, working a series of matches with John Cena that resulted in two of the best televised matches of the year. Monday night, he battled Rusev and Kevin Owens in a Triple Threat match to determine who would face Cena in the United States Championship Open Challenge.

For over 20 minutes, the Swiss Superman and his opponents wowed audiences with nonstop action. Owens bailed, leaving Cesaro and Rusev to continue waging war. Things did not go the King of Swing's way on that evening, as a superkick from the Bulgarian Brute ended his aspirations.

Just three days later, Cesaro defeated Rusev in another high-quality, hard-fought and hard-hitting match on SmackDown.

With a card in disarray following the knee injury suffered by Ryback, it appears as though a slot may have opened up at Battleground.

Considering the level of performance delivered by the international stars this week, it would behoove WWE to find something for both Cesaro and Rusev to do.

Even if that means putting them together one more time.

Worst: A Royally Awful Feud

The feud between King Barrett and R-Truth has no business being on television.

Barrett, the 2015 King of the Ring, should be in the midst of his biggest push since the days of the Nexus. Instead, he has become a joke, a glorified jobber who has lost more than he has won since capturing the crown.

Monday night on Raw, he lost another match to R-Truth, which left fans to scratch their heads in disbelief. After all, Barrett is a competitor in the prime of his career, someone who has proved the ability to talk and work quality matches with a variety of opponents.

Truth, on the other hand, is a grizzled veteran who serves as more of a comedy act than anything at this point. His "King What's Up" gimmick, complete with a plunger replacing a royal scepter, is straight out of the mid-'90s.

And that is not a good thing at all.

Barrett cut a decent promo to help put over the Kickoff match during Thursday's SmackDown, but nothing he could do or say was bound to convince fans to care about any of the nonsense surrounding the bout.

Best: The Build to Reigns vs. Wyatt

There are still a lot of questions remaining in regard to the Roman Reigns-Bray Wyatt match at Battleground, but for the most part, WWE Creative did a great job of shining the spotlight on the program and putting heat on the second-most important match on Sunday's card this week.

Monday night, Reigns showed the much-needed ferocity and fury that had been missing to that point. To do so, he played the same mind games that Wyatt has become so synonymous with, and the overall angle was well-done.

Thursday night, the feud took center stage, dominating SmackDown from start to finish and really solidifying it as one of Battleground's marquee matches.

On a card with a considerable lack of star power, the Reigns-Wyatt program really needed a boost this week. WWE, to its credit, did everything in its power to increase awareness and excitement for the bout.

Worst: Stardust's Uninspired Return

The death of WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes stunned the pro wrestling industry. Suddenly, one of the most influential men to ever lace a pair of boots was gone, and it was hard for his two sons, Dustin (Goldust) and Cody (Stardust).

Monday night, after weeks away from the squared circle, Cody made his return in his hometown of Atlanta.

Instead of giving him something interesting to do, perhaps stripping the paint away and allowing the man underneath to be himself, WWE went on with business as usual. He cut a bizarre promo backstage, during which he channeled his father in a nice tribute, and then headed to the ring and proceeded to work as a heel.

In his hometown, with all the emotions surrounding his return.

It was a disappointing use of the talented young star, especially given the circumstances. At the very least, he won, so there was that.

Luckily, SmackDown would prove much better as WWE jump-started a feud with Neville, giving both men something to do for the time being.