Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of July 20

Undertaker stepping out of the darkness once more led to one of the year's high points, but only if one ignored the odd timing of that emergence.

His comeback and pursuit of Brock Lesnar is best enjoyed by those who are willing to look past plot holes. Nitpicking aside, he and Lesnar delivered one of 2015's biggest, most electric segments on Raw. 

The women's division is creating its own sparks. At Battleground, Raw and SmackDown, Sasha Banks and company gave fans real hope that WWE can have a legit women's wrestling scene. They join Kevin Owens as one of the highlights of the post-Battleground week.

Unfortunately, the conversation over the next few days won't be about excellence at playing a heel or pulling fans in—it will be about the controversy surrounding Hulk Hogan.

Best: WWE's Women Finally Getting Real Spotlight

The fans demanded that WWE give the Divas a chance. At first, the company offered little in the way of change—a slightly longer match here, a touch more airtime there.

After last week's influx of talent from NXT, though, the change has been more pronounced and significant. WWE appears to be going all-in on what it's billing as a revolution.

Battleground featured a strong Triple Threat match that saw Sasha Banks and Charlotte wow the crowd. Monday's Raw featured two Divas matches, and both were a part of a larger story centered on three warring factions that actually appears to be going somewhere. On SmackDown a few days later, the women again got substantial ring time and made good use of it.

In all three cases, the women's part of the program wasn't treated like a signal to go grab a snack. There is good quality wrestling here, not just eye candy and palate-cleanser matches.

Whether this lasts or not remains to be seen, but for now, the women's division is one of the highlights of each show.

Having Banks, Charlotte and Becky Lynch in the fold certainly helps in that regard. The company's making sure to highlight them and their cohorts, though, is what has really made a difference.

Worst: The Deadman's Logic

Lost in the excitement of seeing the legendary Undertaker back in a ring are the flaws in the narrative surrounding his return.

He told fans on Monday's Raw that he assaulted Brock Lesnar because he was tired of hearing him and Paul Heyman brag about beating him at WrestleMania. But those two have been doing just that since last April.

It took 15 months of boasting to finally enrage Undertaker? The Deadman has a lot more patience than most of us.

And oddly enough, there was zero mention of Undertaker's kayfabe brother in his explanation of his actions. The Beast Incarnate had just days before broken Kane's ankle. Even if Kane is a heel, Undertaker should be bothered by that attack. Throw it in as a subplot; don't just ignore it.

Then again, it was hard to focus on those elements of the story when the two leviathans started bashing into each other on Raw.

Best: A Good, Old-Fashioned Pull-Apart Brawl

Fights happen all the time in the WWE world. However, brawls rarely have the kind of charged-up feel that Undertaker and Brock Lesnar produced on Monday night.

Credit their star power, the intensity they exuded and the fact that it took security guards, WWE officials and the majority of the roster to pull these men apart.

This was two giant movie monsters destroying the city below them as they do battle. This was a celebration of wrestling's larger-than-life quality—a set of dynamite going off that leaves us waiting for the next explosion.

Whether WWE can maintain this momentum throughout the feud and the collision at SummerSlam will match this scrap in terms of entertainment value is uncertain. For now, it's best to savor this brawl between beasts.

Worst: Hulk Hogan Racism Scandal

Evan Agostini/Associated Press

Fans woke up Friday morning to stunning news. WWE had scrubbed Hulk Hogan off its website and swiftly distanced itself from the Hall of Famer.

A joint investigation between Radar Online and the National Enquirer revealed an alleged conversation where Hogan went on a racist tirade that included use of the N-word.

Word of Hogan no longer appearing on the WWE website soon spread. Josh Cohan of ABC News tweeted that WWE had officially terminated its deal with The Hulkster. And as Marissa Payne of the Washington Post notes, even Curtis Axel's Hogan-themed gimmick is no more. 

Hogan has since apologized, via a statement given to People, in which he said, "This is not who I am."

WWE went with its only logical course of action. The firestorm surrounding Hogan will still hurt the company, but at least it can look decisive here. 

This is certainly not want fans who grew up idolizing Hogan wanted to hear about him. It's a stunning, uncomfortable story. And now Hogan has to begin the long process of rehabbing his image.

Best: Kevin Owens at the Top of His Game

Much of the talk regarding Kevin Owens coming out of Battleground has been about his loss to John Cena that night. WWE did miss an opportunity to propel Owens with a big win, but nonetheless, the bruiser is flourishing.

He and Cena delivered yet another Match of the Year candidate on Sunday.

Owens then spent his time on NXT, Raw and SmackDown making sure we know that he's the most grating heel in the company right now. He's convincingly arrogant, whiny and cowardly but dangerous at the same time.

This week, he made a habit out of leaving battles early. He's acting out the opposite of Cena's "never give up" mantra.

And whether he's mocking Cena mid-match or yelling at Rusev to lose weight as he drags him in the ring, Owens is rocking it as a villain.

Hopefully, WWE sees this excellence and keeps him near center stage. His combination of ring skills, mic expertise and heel acumen is rare. Owens keeps making the case that he's the kind of talent that one builds around.