Breaking Down Best and Worst WWE Matches, Superstars for the Week of November 9

The power of the upset was on full display as Superstars sought the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and NXT tag team titles.

Too many low-card entrants and some middling matches dragged down the tournament to crown the next WWE world champ to a degree. But Cesaro's and Kalisto's wins made up for that. In two strong matches, the favorites fell while anticipation for what's ahead increased.

Cesaro has been a one-man show, whipping the crowd into a frenzied state. Kalisto earned his biggest win to date.

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder, meanwhile, looked excellent as title-seizing jackals on NXT. 

The week was not marked with all winners, though. Zeb Colter's rhetoric is already growing stale. Naomi vs. Natalya was the kind of bout that had fans crying for change earlier this year. Colter's promos and the blink-of-an-eye Divas match begged for fans to fast-forward.

Cesaro, Kalisto, Wilder and Dawson, on the other hand, provided WWE's programming with the kind of energy that comes from the unexpected unfolding.

Best: Cesaro vs. Sheamus (Raw)

It's not surprising the best match in the first round of the WWE title tournament involved Cesaro.

The King of Swing has been killing it. He looks to be having great fun each week, something that held true on Monday's Raw. He and Sheamus put on a hard-hitting, better-than-expected match.

At first, it looked to be just a means to advanced Sheamus to the next round and for King Barrett to bicker with Wayne Rooney at ringside. The two gladiators, though, made this far more than filler; they stole the show Monday night.

Sheamus and Cesaro's chemistry bolstered the most competitive bout in the early stages of the title tourney. The wild ride of a bout saw Cesaro continue his hot streak in terms of being highly entertaining. Whether he was going on a run of uppercuts or whipping out new moves, he made his win over Sheamus a must-watch event.

And now he moves on to face Roman Reigns. The outcome for that one is far more predictable, but fans will be assured of a hell of a show when those two collide. 

Worst: Naomi vs. Natalya (Raw)

Too short and too silly—Naomi vs. Natalya should have been scrapped altogether.

WWE clearly wanted to bridge to Team B.A.D.'s attack on Natalya with this match, but it could have reached that point in a far more entertaining way. This scrap was hurried and hollow. With just two minutes and six seconds to work with, per ProFightDB.com, the two women had little time to provide highlights.

And Nattie spent more time trying to egg on fans with "We want Sasha!" chants than pounding her opponent.

That move, one that Brie Bella did before her, is ill-fitting of her character. Why is a babyface trying to split up a faction by inciting jealousy? Why isn't she more concerned with facing Banks to prove herself than using her name as a distraction tool?

Banks' wrenching Natalya's back on Monday's Raw was a clear sign that those two are set to feud. Fans have to hope that WWE doesn't ask them to have any two-minute matches and that the story between them develops more layers than it has now.

Best: Ryback vs. Kalisto (SmackDown)

The biggest surprise of the tournament saw Kalisto outlast the powerhouse Ryback.

A fresh combination of opponents made this interesting right off the bat. Strong chemistry between them early on pulled the audience in. And then an unexpected narrative played out—Ryback couldn't put Kalisto away.

The drama picked up after every power move, as the underdog held on to captivate the crowd.

This result is just what the event needed. It had been marred by predictability up to this point with Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens and others scoring easily foreseen wins. Kalisto's bracket-buster was a powerful shake-up. 

Not only does this set up an intriguing clash between Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio, but it provides a statement win for someone with none to his name prior to this. Even if Kalisto loses the next time out, he has something to build on.

He can boast about overcoming a human wrecking ball.

Worst: Zeb Colter

The Zeb Colter-Alberto Del Rio story is spinning in circles. 

Their alliance has been a washout thus far. On both Raw and SmackDown this week, Colter came out and ran off the same tired lines. His call for unity between Mexico and the United States is too repetitive and bland.

Just saying "hater" over and over isn't entertainment.

Colter and Del Rio are showing more heel traits than when they first paired up by pointing the finger toward the crowd more, but it is not nearly enough. Why are we supposed to root against them? After all, they are only calling for diplomacy and international harmony.

WWE is handcuffing Colter with a bad story. And he can't seem to do anything but stumble around as a result. He needs a clearer direction in a hurry.

Best: Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder

The newest NXT tag team champs are bruisers and bulldogs; they're a throwback tag team that has been delivering standout slugfests of late.

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder aren't complete prospects. They won't wow anybody in an interview. They aren't big and lack a true star quality. Still, they are among the highlights of NXT right now, thanks to believable fierceness, as well as great energy and intensity.

When Dawson and Wilder pounce, as they did against The Vaudevillains, it's hard to look away. They are animals feasting on prey.

They put on one of their best performances to date on Wednesday's NXT. They worked seamlessly as a team and played out an in-ring narrative that was easy to get hooked on. Things were back and forth early, and then Aiden English tweaked his knee.

The sharks circled. Dawson and Wilder went to work on the vulnerability.

WWE has timed its NXT title reigns just right so far. The Vaudevillains had begun to lose momentum. Dawson and Wilder had been gathering steam.

It was smart to switch the crowns over. It'll be fun to see the hunters wear proverbial targets on their chests and observe how they handle it.