Breaking Down Best and Worst WWE Matches, Superstars for the Week of November 2

Championship pursuits powered WWE's best matches as November got underway.

Paige found herself in a crowded ring with a chance at Charlotte on the line. Apollo Crews had his biggest match at NXT yet, coming inches away from grabbing the gold. 

In both cases, the stakes boosted the storylines. Strong energy surrounded both bouts. The action meant more than the average contest, and the performers delivered in big spots.

On the flip side, Thursday's SmackDown offered a misplaced, non-memorable midcard clash. And a hard-to-watch bit of action on NXT had Eva Marie drawing boos for the wrong reason.

Bray Wyatt, meanwhile, spent his Monday drawing lightning from the sky.

The Eater of Worlds inherited the powers of an immortal. Marie is struggling to take in the basics of the mat game. Let's dive into those two wrestlers' performances and WWE's biggest explosions and biggest duds of the week.

Best: Fatal 4-Way (Raw)

Echoing the Fatal 4-Way that saw Roman Reigns earn a shot at Seth Rollins last week, WWE pitted Paige, Becky Lynch, Brie Bella and Sasha Banks against one another for the right to be the No. 1 contender to the Divas Championship.

This bout worked for all the same reasons that the men's one did. It had high stakes, a strong collection of talent and fast-paced, fluid action. 

The potential challengers for Charlotte's title delivered more hard-hitting wrestling than normal. They hurled their foes into the ring steps, steel post and barricade. The significance of the bout was clear, and so was the desperation of everyone involved. 

Paige and Lynch's feud served as a subplot. The Brit called her former ally a "stupid cow" in the middle of the battle, and the two brawled out of the ring.

This was Lynch's best performance on the main roster to date. Banks looked great as usual. Paige played the scavenger quite well.

With a clear prize awaiting the victor and more than 13 minutes to work with, per ProFightDB.com, the women nailed this match. 

While some fans surely wanted Banks to get the win here, it's smart of WWE to be patient. Save Banks vs. Charlotte for later, perhaps at WrestleMania. In the meantime, Banks can earn her way to that battle by knocking off Natalya, Lynch and others. 

Worst: Ryback vs. King Barrett (SmackDown)

Neither Ryback nor King Barrett did a poor job here. It was just a match that had little meaning and too little time.

The Big Guy didn't get a momentum-building dominant win. This was not a compelling back-and-forth bout either. ProWrestling.net's Jason Powell was spot on when he wrote of it, "There wasn't much to the match."

Per CageMatch.net, the clash lasted just over two minutes and felt like filler more than entertainment.

Now that Ryback's feud with Kevin Owens appears to be over, it's not clear what's next for him. If WWE wanted to build him back up in order to position him for another title shot, this wasn't the way to do it. The company would have been better served making this a more competitive match or scrapping it in favor of a true squash.

Best: Apollo Crews vs. Finn Balor (NXT)

Finn Balor and Apollo Crews both made loud statements about how much they will factor into WWE's future.

This electric, full-throttle matchup thrilled from bell to bell. Champion and challenger looked even throughout. Their similar styles meshed well together, and they seem to feed off each other, cranking up the energy as they went along.

The bout felt big, partly because the NXT Championship was on the line and partly because of the strength of these two indy darlings' presences. 

The ending cut the fun short with Baron Corbin running in to prevent a real winner. That route made sense, though. There's no need to have Crews lose yet. It's too early to crown him, too.

Add in the fact that Samoa Joe turned on Balor afterward, and NXT has set up the title picture quite well moving forward. Joe vs. Balor and Crews vs. Corbin are now on the horizon.

A part of what has made NXT so successful is that it so often keeps things moving like this—toward what's next.

Worst: Eva Marie Stumbles

Eva Marie looks lost. She is a Single-A batter trying to hit major league pitching. She's just not even close to being ready for the spotlight right now.

She has a star quality about her, and she has a highly marketable look. But even with recent one-on-one training with Brian Kendrick, her ring work is not up to par.

In a showdown with Gionna Daddio (billed as a local competitor), she was awkward and slow. She had no snap to her movement and no confidence on the canvas.

She's like an actor who is just reading her lines for the first time.

Her selling was melodramatic. When she tried to taunt the crowd, it felt put on.

There is a lot of work to be done with Marie. Still, though, WWE stubbornly showcases her before it's time.

Best: Bray Wyatt Has Powers Coursing Through His Veins

Bray Wyatt's character has veered down an intriguing path.

He hasn't just kidnapped Kane and Undertaker. As he told the world on Monday's Raw, he devoured and is now harvesting their souls. That act has netted him new abilities and more power than ever before. 

WWE has had those legends pass down their powers. Wyatt now summons fire, thunder and electricity just as The Brothers of Destruction have for years.

This angle is unique and creative, and makes Wyatt appear special and mighty above the mortals around him.

It feels like The Eater of Worlds is finally getting the real push he needs. He is becoming the monster he has long told us he was. 

And Wyatt is thriving because of it. He looks energized and impassioned by this new narrative. He's been firing off some of his promo work yet.

WWE wisely followed Wyatt's display of what he's capable of with The Wyatt Family getting a clean sweep victory over the Lucha Dragons and The Prime Time Players on SmackDown. The monsters need more of this. And for this to truly work, Wyatt needs a big win in the end—to put away Undertaker for good.