Breaking Down Best and Worst WWE Matches, Superstars for the Week of October 12

The week that was in WWE delivered the expected as familiar outcomes played out between the ropes.

Once again, John Cena's United States Championship open challenge produced the most compelling action in the ring. Once again, The New Day stole the show, Rusev's character spiraled downward, and NXT made sure its warriors kept their eyes on gold.

WWE thrived with the same things it has been good at of late, just as it continued the same bad habits that have induced groans in the crowd.

The New Day keeps getting to stand on center stage and entertain. Cena keeps getting quality opponents. And the Divas division is as frustrating as ever.

Best: Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena

Two of WWE's best in-ring performers today collided, and, as one might expect, they were stellar together.

John Cena's open challenges have produced a wealth of memorable matches. Monday's Raw continued that tradition with Dolph Ziggler looking to steal the United States Championship.

The bout teased with near-falls in bunches. The match's energy surged. The two men made it clear how hungry and desperate they were to win.

And WWE was smart to choose Ziggler for this spot, as it led to more than just a good match.

It also planted seeds for a rivalry that seems to be in the works. Fans got a peek at a darker Ziggler, one willing to claw at Cena's eyes to win.

That seems to foreshadow an eventual heel turn for The Showoff. 

If that means that he goes after Cena and WWE capitalizes on the spark between them, the results promise to be excellent. Their showdown on Monday night spoke to the potential of that rivalry.

Worst: Raw Divas Matches

WWE is not learning its lesson with the Divas division.

There are still too many tag matches that don't feel like they mean anything. There is still not enough of Sasha Banks on the screen. And there is still too much back-and-forth, no-one-gets-on-a-roll booking.

That left both Naomi vs. Nikki Bella and Brie Bella and Alicia Fox vs. Becky Lynch and Charlotte feeling hollow.

In the latter bout, WWE thought it wise to have Brie pin the Divas champ. The company also gave the women only just over three minutes to work with. 

With Naomi and Nikki, the ending made little sense. Brie delivered "We want Sasha!" chants atop the announce table. Banks and Tamina then flung her to the floor.

For some reason, that distracted Naomi more than Nikki, whose actual sister was the one hurt. Nikki scored the cheap, roll-up win as a result.

WWE needs to focus more on individual feuds. Zero in on Charlotte vs. Nikki, Paige vs. Natalya and Banks vs. someone. The crowd clearly wants The Boss in the ring more, yet the higher-ups keep trotting out everyone else instead. 

And WWE needs to stop calling the division's changes a revolution until we stop seeing moves like Naomi twerking in Nikki's face. That's not progress by any stretch.

Best: NXT Championship No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal

No one is penciling the Battle Royal that capped off Wednesday's NXT in as a Match of the Year candidate, but it had a number of welcome elements. It served to clear up the title picture, set up potential feuds for the future and shine a spotlight on a rising star.

Uncertainty about the victor also helped the bout. When the field shrank down to Baron Corbin, Samoa Joe, Tyler Breeze and Apollo Crews, the audience could easily imagine any one of those guys winning.

Along the way, Breeze eliminated Joe after he himself had been tossed from the match. That's easily something to build on later, serving as the basis for an unexpected but intriguing feud.

The match made Corbin look good as he contributed his share of eliminations, including his own tag team partner Rhyno.

And in the end, NXT surprised the crowd. Crews getting the call as No. 1 contender is a curveball but a wise one.

He hasn't been around NXT long, and Corbin vs. Finn Balor would have created a more traditional babyface-versus-heel dynamic. Instead, officials opted to take a risk. NXT puts an up-and-comer in a big spot, giving him a chance to connect with the crowd and make a big statement.

Whether Crews flops or flourishes, it will be exciting to see it all unfold. 

Worst: Rusev in Ruin

Rusev used to be a monster. He drew comparisons to Umaga and Ivan Koloff. He looked to be the next great predator from a foreign land.

That's a distant memory now.

Monday's Raw featured the low point of a storyline that that has gutted his credibility as a heel. WWE chose to weave his real-life engagement with the story on screen about him and Summer Rae preparing for a possible wedding.

Summer Rae got the big moment, with the dramatic verbal attack on her former lover followed by a big slap. 

Rusev looked like a pushover. Here was a supposedly savage beast getting smacked around by a 118-pound valet.  

He loses heat thanks to hooking back up with Lana, whom WWE has pushed as a babyface for the whole summer. And after months of a melodramatic story, WWE will simply put things back the way they were before. 

The Bulgarian Brute has to be thankful. He has to be tired of not only losing as he did on Raw against Ryback and to Dolph Ziggler on Thursday's SmackDown but also being a part of this love-centered narrative that has made a joke out of him.

Best: The New Day Keeps Killing It

Borrowing a basketball coach's mindset, WWE is riding the hot hand.

It continues to give The New Day a big share of the stage. Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and Big E have made the most of that real estate.

Much of the best moments from this week's Raw and SmackDown belonged to the trio. The group confronted Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose to open Raw. Woods and crew were their usual exuberant, goofy, electric selves. They mocked Derrick Rose and Orton's past.

Even The Viper couldn't help but laugh.

That night, they were the most compelling figures in the Lumberjack match between Kane and Seth Rollins. As suck-ups to Rollins, they were really funny. They worked to balance out that humor, though, by raining some hard shots down on Kane.

They topped it all off with an entertaining six-man tag to close SmackDown. After the bout, they laid out The Dudley Boyz again, a bloody-nosed Woods smashing his trombone against his enemies.

That's again the right balance of comedy and carnage that the tag champs need to maintain. They have made a case that they should keep those championship belts even after facing The Dudley Boyz again.

The crown doesn't seem to be heavy on their head but energizing instead.