Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of August 3

Anticipation for SummerSlam swelled when Paul Heyman sold WWE fans on a match he called "too big for WrestleMania," but the same was far from true when a tag team clash for the pay-per-view became official this week.

Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper is not exactly the dream match folks were hoping for when this story began. But where that bout lacks in that coveted big-fight feel, Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar makes up for it, thanks in part to the star power involved but also because Heyman is a master of promotion, a microphone wizard.

Other highlights included Neville's near-win on Monday's Raw and Bayley's continued climb to contention.

Those were the moments that had the WWE Universe inching toward the edge of the seats, that left their palms sweaty. They, along with Heyman's near-perfect rant, gave fans a reason to cheer, which was much needed following Roddy Piper's passing over the weekend. 

Best: Neville Nearly Champion

The formula for making the early part of Monday's Raw one of the better moments on WWE TV in 2015 was simple.

Book an impromptu WWE title match. Throw in a cult favorite talent into the bout. Have him tease fans with what seemed like a sure win several times over.

One can nitpick how much offense Seth Rollins got in, but the fact remains his collision with Neville was compelling from bell to bell. Neville looked like a major force here, spinning, soaring and kicking his way to dominance in the title match. The two men had the crowd holding its breath, wondering if the unlikeliest of scenarios was about to play out—The Man Who Gravity Forgot dethroning Rollins on live TV.

The result gives Rollins a clean and Neville a moral victory. Along the way, champion and challenger provided Raw with a highlight-drenched match.

Worst: Underwhelming SummerSlam Bout

Credit: WWE.com

Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper should be a fine match, but it doesn't feel like a marquee bout fit for SummerSlam.

Blame the Internet for part of that. Expectations were high when fans started buzzing online about the possibility of Sting entering this feud and The Wyatt Family getting a new member. That six-man collision would have been tremendous.

This match feels like something that might headline SmackDown. It's The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family trimmed down to two members apiece.

There are still two weeks left to hype this and add subplots, but for now there's an air of disappointment around it. This is something we have seen before in a different form. 

Best: Paul Heyman Kills It on the Mic

Paul Heyman has long stood alone on his own tier when it comes to WWE's best talkers. 

He keeps elevating that tier. He continually adds to his growing collection of classic moments. That happened again on Monday's Raw as Heyman hyped Brock Lesnar's upcoming showdown with Undertaker.

His passion and verbal acumen made that speech a thoroughly convincing one. He made it sound as if this was a battle for the ages, a can't-miss event, and as he put it, a match "too big for WrestleMania."

WWE didn't need to have Undertaker appear or any new incident between the foes; it simply had to ask Heyman to do his carnival barker routine, and suddenly the main event feels more massive.

In just this promo alone, Heyman hit more home run lines than some wrestlers do in their entire careers.

After that performance, WWE needs to consider giving him a cut of what they make from SummerSlam. He was the expert salesman getting us to reach for our wallets, ready to hand over a fistful of cash.

Worst: Slap, Catfight, Repeat

WWE Creative is getting lazy with the Lana-Summer Rae angle. Each time out, the narrative unfolds in much the same way: Summer angers Lana. Lana slaps her. A catfight ensues.

These scraps don't make the expected Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev match any more interesting. It seems to be building instead toward a collision between Lana and Summer. We've already seen the peak of that rivalry, though.

It's not as if these two women are going to follow this up with a Street Fight.

Rusev is too often relegated to the background in this story, and Lana's babyface character is one-dimensional. There's little reason to invest in her or her pursuit of Summer.

There needs to be something new added to the mix soon. It sure wouldn't hurt to have Ziggler back either.

Best: Bayley's Road to The Boss

In a classic pro wrestling story, Bayley is working her way up to championship contention.

She knocked off Emma last week and wanted next to prove herself against Charlotte. Bayley had struggled against the former NXT women's champ in the past so a win here would be extra significant. 

Bayley vs. Charlotte was one of the week's better matches, managing to captivate by way of wanting to see this rising babyface succeed. She earned Charlotte's respect by the end of it and some additional momentum as well.

William Regal soon announced Bayley would be battling for the No. 1 contender's spot against Becky Lynch.

WWE is doing an excellent job in letting Bayley earn her shot against Sasha Banks. She's adding some impressive notches on her belt with these wins and looking more and more like a legit threat to the champ. That's Pro Wrestling Booking 101.

And it's working. It's easy to root for Bayley, and it's easy to sucked into this story.