Breaking Down Best and Worst WWE Matches, Superstars for the Week of October 19

For every confident, well-placed step WWE makes in its march toward a new era, it makes a wobbly, foolish one.

Had one just watched Shawn Michaels publicly gut Seth Rollins on Monday's Raw, it would be easy to feel disenchanted about the future of the company. After all, a retired wrestler was trampling all over the current world champ with no resistance. It would be harder to find a clearer way for WWE to pronounce that its past is superior to its present.

But there were more uplifting moments to watch that night and later in the week. A temporary reformation of The Shield showcased what's right about WWE today. Tyler Breeze made the audience excited about what's to come.

Paige and Nikki Bella showed us what happens when booking remains logical and simple—when there are more kicks cracking against jaws than talk about a revolution.

Best: The Wyatt Family vs. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns

The Shield reunited to take down The Wyatt Family. Sort of.

Seth Rollins re-entered a partnership with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose but was still very much his slimy, back-stabbing self. That made for a compelling dynamic where all the parts of The Shield were back together, but the whole was an entirely different entity.

This was not as good as when these two groups had collided in the past, but it was far and away the most intriguing part of Monday's Raw despite a host of legends showing up. Mixed in with the usual electric action these men produce, there was a feeling that we were watching something big about to happen.

Was Rollins going to see the better of his ways? Was there going to be an all-out brawl ahead of Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt at Hell in a Cell?

Instead, Rollins abandoned his teammates, as any good heel in that spot would do. 

Ambrose splintering a Kendo stick across the giant Braun Strowman helped set the tone for the Hell in a Cell bout to come. Rollins toyed with the audience's expectations. And Strowman was bettered by the image of him holding a lifeless Reigns in his grip.

On top of that, although Raw leaned heavily on nostalgia, it ended up celebrating its emerging stars at the outset, making Reigns vs. Wyatt feel just as vital to Sunday's pay-per-view as the main event.

Worst: Baron Corbin vs. Rhyno

The NXT audience saw James Storm debut, Asuka flash her serpentine smile and Tyler Breeze threaten to cut bacon from off Samoa Joe's flab. What followed can only be described as underwhelming. Rhyno and Baron Corbin delivered a main event with minimal spark.

Both guys are the types of wrestlers who need a ring general to lead them—a showstopper to guide them to a good match. Alone, they're just big, powerful dudes who can't sustain a crowd's attention.

Corbin has been frustratingly inconsistent. One night he looks to have promise in abundance. The next he will produce something like he did here with Rhyno—uninspired, flat and forgettable.

It felt like both men were going through the motions; the supposedly epic battle ended up being more like the WWE equivalent of a Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans game.

For Corbin to live up to what WWE clearly believes him to be, he's going to have to be great outside of battles with the likes of Joe and Finn Balor. A main event star can make any opponent of any caliber look good.

The Lone Wolf is miles away from being able to do that. 

Best: Paige vs. Nikki Bella

Nikki Bella and Paige mixed it up with both pride and momentum on the line.

A logical narrative played out. Two warriors tried to bring each other to their knees. And they did so with enough flair and intensity to make it the best match on Thursday's SmackDown.

Paige was out to prove her allegiance to Charlotte and Becky Lynch. So she stepped up to face Nikki, protecting the Divas champ and her former friend. 

Nikki, on the other hand, was just looking to hurt someone en route to her title match with Charlotte.

WWE made a series of wise moves with how this unfolded.

Charlotte spent the bout watching on, unsure of how she should view Paige, a front-row witness to Nikki's power on display. Nikki's mostly dominant win makes her look like an even bigger threat to take down Charlotte at Hell in a Cell. Paige experienced more frustration, as her recent struggles are sure to lead to her growing more vicious and unhinged.

The company has to build on that and her go berserk at some point.

The women's division is often marred by ill-advised booking, but WWE smartly stuck to basic wrestling principles. Now if it only could sustain that for more than a single show. 

Worst: Shawn MIchaels Rips Seth Rollins Apart

A key symptom to the disease that is eating away at WWE was on display when Shawn Michaels dressed down the world champ.

WWE continues to value its past more than its present. It treats men such as Michaels like mythical figures worthy of a place on a golden pedestal. Seth Rollins and the rest of the current generation of potential megastars, meanwhile, are portrayed as inferior, not fit to be in the same league.

Michaels called Rollins a cheap rip-off of a real star. He ripped the champ for being unoriginal. He embarrassed him without repercussions. 

The current WWE champ will not get a chance to respond in the ring. The retired star who is already in the Hall of Fame walked away with the momentum from that interaction.

There is no logic to booking things that way—to utilizing Michaels' star power to achieve such a negative result. It's hard to know how much of that emasculation was on the script The Heartbreak Kid had to work with and how much of it he brought to the stage. 

Regardless of who bears the blame, though, this is exactly why fans find it hard to buy into today's wrestlers as being as good as those who came before them. There are constant messages to the crowd to dismiss men such as Rollins and to deify men such as Michaels. 

Best: Tyler Breeze Saunters into SmackDown

Uncertainty loomed about how the Tyler Breeze act would translate to a bigger stage. For the moment, it looks as if there's no need to worry.

Under a brighter spotlight, with a former world champion inches from his oft-manicured fists, Prince Pretty certainly looked like he belonged. 

Breeze made his debut on SmackDown Thursday night, siding with Summer Rae and shoving the point of his selfie stick into Dolph Ziggler's throat. The NXT star was not the comedy act many feared he would be on the main roster but instead the right mix of dangerous and garish.

Breeze did well to further the mastery of his gimmick that he showcased at NXT. He was a convincing threat and an eye-catching peacock. And having him collide with The Showoff just felt right.

With bouts against the show-stealer Ziggler ahead, The King of Cuteville will have ample chance to prove that he can thrive on the big league level in terms of in-ring performance, as well.