Breaking Down the Best and Worst of the WWE for Week of August 24
Each night that WWE was in Brooklyn over the weekend delivered something truly memorable.
The Barclays Center hosted NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, SummerSlam and then Raw in a packed stretch of days. The bouts and the moments from those shows gave fans reason to both cheer and scratch their heads.
New champions emerged; old faces popped up.
Bayley's NXT women's title win surpassed even the loftiest expectations. She and Sasha Banks crafted the kind of compelling match and emotional ride that fans are hoping for each time a big event arrives.
Strangely enough, that masterpiece preceded a point in the Divas Revolution where it's most clear that WWE doesn't know what fans want from women's wrestling.
The debate about just what is causing this angle to flop dominated much of the WWE discussion this week. What on earth WWE was thinking when it booked Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam was a hot-button topic as well.
Pessimists will remember WWE's trio of events for poor endings and a so-called revolution stalling. There was plenty to rave about, though. The New Day's masterful heel work, The Dudley Boyz changing the tag team division in an instant and Bayley vs. Banks were chief among them.
Best: The Dudley Boyz Are Back and They Brought the Tables
1 of 5Looking at The New Day, it's hard to believe that they began as a generic team in matching outfits whose most notable character trait was that they liked to clap.
Xavier Woods, Big E and Kofi Kingston have become the stars of the tag team division and one of the most entertaining acts on the roster. They took a one-dimensional gimmick and tweaked and manipulated it until it became their vehicle for success.
They were at their peak of powers of annoyance this week.
The group has taken to singing on its way to the ring. Woods plays the trombone. And as we saw at SummerSlam, Raw and in a hilarious interview with Michael Cole, they are exuberantly grating and deftly infuriating.
Those are the marks of a good heel team. While one can't help but laugh at their antics, the urge to punch them through the screen is strong.
Worst: A Revolution with No Stakes
2 of 5Looking at The New Day, it's hard to believe that they began as a generic team in matching outfits whose most notable character trait was that they liked to clap.
Xavier Woods, Big E and Kofi Kingston have become the stars of the tag team division and one of the most entertaining acts on the roster. They took a one-dimensional gimmick and tweaked and manipulated it until it became their vehicle for success.
They were at their peak of powers of annoyance this week.
The group has taken to singing on its way to the ring. Woods plays the trombone. And as we saw at SummerSlam, Raw and in a hilarious interview with Michael Cole, they are exuberantly grating and deftly infuriating.
Those are the marks of a good heel team. While one can't help but laugh at their antics, the urge to punch them through the screen is strong.
Best: The New Day Hitting Their Peak
3 of 5Looking at The New Day, it's hard to believe that they began as a generic team in matching outfits whose most notable character trait was that they liked to clap.
Xavier Woods, Big E and Kofi Kingston have become the stars of the tag team division and one of the most entertaining acts on the roster. They took a one-dimensional gimmick and tweaked and manipulated it until it became their vehicle for success.
They were at their peak of powers of annoyance this week.
The group has taken to singing on its way to the ring. Woods plays the trombone. And as we saw at SummerSlam, Raw and in a hilarious interview with Michael Cole, they are exuberantly grating and deftly infuriating.
Those are the marks of a good heel team. While one can't help but laugh at their antics, the urge to punch them through the screen is strong.
Worst: Bumbling Finishes at SummerSlam
4 of 5Looking at The New Day, it's hard to believe that they began as a generic team in matching outfits whose most notable character trait was that they liked to clap.
Xavier Woods, Big E and Kofi Kingston have become the stars of the tag team division and one of the most entertaining acts on the roster. They took a one-dimensional gimmick and tweaked and manipulated it until it became their vehicle for success.
They were at their peak of powers of annoyance this week.
The group has taken to singing on its way to the ring. Woods plays the trombone. And as we saw at SummerSlam, Raw and in a hilarious interview with Michael Cole, they are exuberantly grating and deftly infuriating.
Those are the marks of a good heel team. While one can't help but laugh at their antics, the urge to punch them through the screen is strong.
Best: Bayley and Sasha Banks Take over Brooklyn
5 of 5Looking at The New Day, it's hard to believe that they began as a generic team in matching outfits whose most notable character trait was that they liked to clap.
Xavier Woods, Big E and Kofi Kingston have become the stars of the tag team division and one of the most entertaining acts on the roster. They took a one-dimensional gimmick and tweaked and manipulated it until it became their vehicle for success.
They were at their peak of powers of annoyance this week.
The group has taken to singing on its way to the ring. Woods plays the trombone. And as we saw at SummerSlam, Raw and in a hilarious interview with Michael Cole, they are exuberantly grating and deftly infuriating.
Those are the marks of a good heel team. While one can't help but laugh at their antics, the urge to punch them through the screen is strong.
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