Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of Aug. 10

The list of those who contributed to WWE's biggest highlights this week starts off with expected names in Cesaro and Kevin Owens, includes the emerging Bayley and ends with a man not even on the roster—Stephen Amell.

The actor lunged into the squared circle more effectively and with more impact than most folks would have bet. His wholehearted jump into the WWE world had fans abuzz.

Cesaro and Owens provided much of the in-ring excellence on Raw and SmackDown. Bayley continued her compelling rise to title contention.

But things weren't all rosy as SummerSlam drew ever closer. Mistiming involving the Money in the Bank cash-in and lazy booking with the world champ made sure there was plenty to complain about as well.

Best: Stephen Amell Proves He Belongs

Those with low expectations when it was announced that Stephen Amell of Arrow fame would be a guest on Monday's Raw had good reason to feel that way. Fans have seen a long line of underwhelming celebrity appearances.

This was not one of them.

Seconds after Stardust pushed Amell in the face, he jumped out of his seat and leaped over the ring ropes as he sought some payback. From that showcase of athleticism to the impassioned speech he would soon give backstage, everything about his entry into the WWE landscape clicked.

WWE is wisely not having him face Stardust alone, hiding his in-ring limitations by having him team with Neville at SummerSlam.

The fire he showed on Monday's Raw, how seriously he took this latest role and how surprisingly comfortable he looked as part of the WWE circus made his big moment one of the best celebrity angles we have yet to see.

Worst: The Longest Cash-in Attempt of All Time

If there ends up being a Slammy Award for the most awkward Money in the Bank cash-in attempt, Sheamus has that trophy locked up.

After preventing Randy Orton from defeating Seth Rollins for the WWE title, he then looked to pin the champ himself. A Brogue Kick laid out Rollins. Then Sheamus handed the referee the briefcase he won earlier this summer.

The ref looked at him as if to say, "So you want to cash in?" Sheamus nodded and shouted. The ref still held on to the briefcase. 

One could imagine him saying, "Are you sure you want to cash in? Are you absolutely sure? You really don't want to just jump into this kind of thing."

It soon became clear what all the hesitation was all about. Orton denied Sheamus his cash-in by hitting him with an RKO.

The end result is a moment that makes it hard to suspend disbelief. Why would the ref take so long? What could he and Sheamus have been discussing all that time? It should have been as simple as Sheamus handing him the briefcase and the referee signaling for the bell to ring.

Aside from that drawn-out bit of drama, the moment suffered from a lack of logic. It would have made more sense for Orton to wait for Sheamus' cash-in to be official and then RKO him to make sure that the attempt to become champion failed.

With all the timing miscues that led to this, it now becomes a punchline rather than a 2015 highlight.

Best: Bayley the Babyface

Bayley knocked off her latest foe, earning an NXT Women's Championship match in the process.

She has been the most compelling part of NXT as of late. She's mastered the use of facial expressions and body language to tell a story in the ring. Her bouts then feel more dramatic and more significant.

Bayley and Becky Lynch delivered one of the best bouts all week. The stakes were high, the story was simple, and the two wrestlers gave standout performances.

Lynch came off like a hard-nosed opponent who nearly used her strategy of going after Bayley's arm to win. The babyface came off as resilient and a believable threat to the champion.

It's increasingly clear that WWE is gearing up for Bayley to dethrone Sasha Banks. That's what this whole Sami Zayn-like road to the title has been all about. And with more quality work like she had here and against Charlotte last week, Bayley is making WWE look smart for putting her in that spot.

Worst: On and On and On

Credit: WWE.com

Fans who tuned in to Thursday's SmackDown may have thought that they had accidentally turned on Monday's Raw instead.

Both shows started in just the same way: Seth Rollins came out to the ring and delivered a long promo.

It's not that Rollins is doing poorly with these speeches; it's that they feel like the writing team is just being lazy. Rollins' kicking off the show by way of a long-winded rant is overused at this point. And these go on for too long.

That's even become an on-air joke. Cesaro mocked Rollins for talking too much on Monday's Raw. Neville did the same on Thursday night.

There's no reason that WWE can't start one of its shows with wrestling rather than talking. There's no reason that a contract signing, Miz TV or something akin to Mick Foley's "This is your life" segment can't sometimes be the opening act.

Plugging in some member of The Authority as the first thing the audience sees is a tiresome crutch at this point.

Best: Cesaro and Kevin Owens Doing Work

Cesaro and Kevin Owens twice had chances to showcase their artistry on TV. Both times they delivered some of the week's best offerings.

On Monday night, the two foes battled with Randy Orton in a Triple Threat match. The winner would earn a title shot against Seth Rollins that night. Some fans will complain about the outcome (an Orton victory), but it's hard to not enjoy action like what unfolded among this trio of Superstars.

Well-paced and heavy on highlights, the match was exciting from bell to bell.

Cesaro and Owens then met on opposite teams to close Thursday's SmackDown. Again, they entranced the crowd with brawling, power moves, energy and effort. The crowd was chanting "This is awesome!" by the end of the night.

This recent stretch of great showings is reminiscent of The Shield tearing down the house on TV again and again not long ago.

The King of Swing and the former NXT champ will get their next shot to do just that again soon. WWE announced on Smackdown that they are now officially going to collide at SummerSlam.