WWE's Best and Worst Booking Decisions for the Week of July 26

WWE is pushing hard toward its annual SummerSlam event, and now that the showcase will be four hours long, the company has made another move to produce the pay-per-view in a similar fashion to WrestleMania.

While the only official match at this point is The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar, WWE advanced storylines this week, looking to push the matches that will help fill out the rest of the card.

In the main event of Monday Night Raw, John Cena suffered a nasty broken nose while successfully defending the United States title against WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins.

On SmackDown, the team of Cesaro and Dean Ambrose emerged victorious over Rollins and Kevin Owens. In that bout, Cesaro got a pinfall victory over Owens, and a match between the two men seems likely for SummerSlam.

In reviewing the rest of the action from the week, what was the best booking decision WWE made? How about the worst? See if you agree with our choices. If not, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Best Booking Decision: Sasha Banks Goes over Paige

Credit: WWE.com

In recent weeks, WWE has been heavily promoting a new revolution in the Divas division, and to this point, the entire angle has been booked very well. The main reason for that has been the fact that the three girls who just joined the roster—Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Becky Lynch—have all looked very strong since debuting.

WWE has often made the mistake of quickly burying new talent. That hasn't been the case here. What kind of revolution would it be if these ladies were losing each and every match to the Divas who've been there for quite some time—female wrestlers many viewers were likely getting bored with?

All three women looked great on Monday night. The team of Charlotte and Lynch defeated Nikki Bella and Alicia Fox when Lynch made Fox tap out to her armbar. However, it was Banks who made the biggest impression.

Regular viewers of WWE NXT know how good Banks has been. The current NXT women's champion has certainly earned the spot she is in. But a loss to Paige would have quickly knocked her down a few rungs on the ladder.

Defeating Paige, a former two-time Divas champion, would provide a nice feather in Banks' cap. But would WWE actually book the match to go that way? It seemed like a prime spot for a disqualification finish or a no-contest in order to protect both girls.

Instead, Banks was able to get the win after first escaping a submission attempt by Paige and then pulling Paige down across both of her knees before applying the Bank Statement. Not only did Banks win the match, but she did so by submission.

What Does It Mean Going Forward?

Many of Paige's supporters would likely not agree with this decision, but it puts her in a position to seek revenge for the defeat.

WWE has the majority of its Divas involved in this angle at the moment, which means fans will see every possible combination of matches at least once. With that said, the big-money feud for the future in the division is Paige vs. Banks. The first big win went to Banks, but down the road this match will be forgotten.

"

Note to WWE: My wife (a non fan) stopped, sat down and was glued to Paige vs. Sasha Banks. Badassery draws.

— Ryan Dilbert (@ryandilbert) July 28, 2015"

For now, it makes Banks look even stronger, and she needs that. Having partners such as Naomi and Tamina Snuka on her side means she will likely find herself on the losing end of this battle in the long run.

Banks has a great future. It's fine to have her drop some tag team matches, but WWE needs to put her over in singles action much more often than not.

Worst Booking Decision: Kevin Owens Already Facing Randy Orton

Credit: WWE.com

Yes, being able to promote this match as the "first time ever" that Kevin Owens and Randy Orton faced off was a way to keep viewers tuned in to the program. However, that was about the only good reason to put it on the show.

Owens has the ability to be the top heel in WWE sooner rather than later. His recent feud with Cena was proof of that. As a result, there are several huge matches in store for Owens down the road, and one of those would be with Orton.

One of WWE's biggest faults with its current product is it gives away too much for nothing. Even if the business has evolved immensely in the last 25 years, wouldn't it be refreshing if the company were to choose to make fans wait for things every now and then like it used to in the old days?

Owens and Orton is a feud that, if booked properly, could headline just about any pay-per-view event. But if the match has already happened dozens of times on free television before that, should fans care?

Owens has issues with Cesaro, and Orton is building a program with Sheamus, so this match was used as a way to enhance both storylines by having Sheamus and Cesaro get involved in the aftermath. Any savvy fan knew there likely wouldn't be a winner in this one.

Which raises the question: Why do it? Why not do something backstage or even an in-ring promo? Even if the match was short, WWE has already taken away something from fans by giving them a glimpse of this match in a meaningful moment.

Owens is going to go on to great things in WWE. But that doesn't mean he needs to be in the ring with one of the top stars each and every week. His feud with Cesaro is perfect, and a match between the two at SummerSlam could be the best match we see in 2015. But let's save matches with guys such as Orton for a later date.

What Does It Mean Going Forward?

Knowing the way WWE uses its top Superstars, fans should get used to seeing Owens in spots like this. He's already been in the ring with Cena, Orton, Dolph Ziggler and Rusev. By the end of 2015, he will have faced every major star on the roster, even if most of the matches haven't meant anything.

WWE has lost the art of anticipation. That happens when you have five hours of television each week. Still, it would be nice to see the promotion take a different approach, even if it were just every once in a great while.

Certain matches and feuds would be so much more exciting if they did.