Breaking Down Best and Worst WWE Matches, Superstars for the Week of November 16

The tournament to crown the next world champ delivered both a peak and a valley in the ring before WWE Survivor Series.

Cesaro and Roman Reigns tore down the house Monday night. Two big-time athletes were tasked with putting on a memorable match despite a predictable result, and they did just that.

Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio, on the other hand, floundered with their opportunity. Their tourney clash was the kind that leaves a crowd groaning.

Alexa Bliss and Kevin Owens thrived as narcissistic, nasty heels. Charlotte found herself struggling to garner success of her own thanks to the WWE writing team's unfortunate choice.

It was a week when WWE didn't do a great job of pumping up Survivor Series but provided quite a number of strong performances to admire. Reigns, Owens, Cesaro and Bliss all looked worthy of future championship reigns. 

Best: Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro (Raw)

Roman Reigns and Cesaro provided thrills even without the element of surprise. Reigns' moving on in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament was the expected outcome, but he and Cesaro made getting to that point spectacular regardless. 

The athletic marvel that is Cesaro busted out a cartwheel in a fast-paced battle that mixed big spots with grit. 

This was the best contest of the tournament so far. It most felt like two titans giving all of themselves in the hopes of becoming champ. 

For Reigns, it's yet another good match to add to his collection. It's one more bit of evidence that he's ready to make the ascension WWE is sending him on.

As for Cesaro, this clash was another reminder that he needs more spotlight. When Reigns is busy fighting for gold, WWE needs to give The King of Swing something significant to do too.

Worst: Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio (Raw)

Alberto Del Rio's win over Kalisto in the WWE title tournament quarterfinals is the kind of match both men likely wished they could incinerate all the footage of.

It was awkward, sputtering and filled with slip-ups. Kalisto botched a springboard elbow. The two wrestlers collided by mistake on another occasion. And at one point, Del Rio inadvertently pulled off Kalisto's mask.

He then had to slip the mask on while pretending to be attacking him at the same time.

One has to wonder how poorly this will reflect on Kalisto. The luchador was in the midst of a mini-push with an upset win over Ryback and more focus on him than before. WWE may see this as a reason not to trust him more in solo bouts moving forward.

If he can't work with a guy who cut his teeth against luchadors, that's certainly a bad sign.

WWE should make an effort to pair these two up again. Let them prove that this garbage match was just a fluke.

Best: Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss (NXT)

When women like Alexa Bliss obsess over it, the NXT Women's Championship feels like the sought-after prize that it should be.

Bliss, an increasingly masterful, confident heel, had her best match to date, a hard-fought loss to Bayley for the title on Wednesday's NXT. Bayley played her usual resilient-hero role, gutting it out against a game challenger.

The level of aggression was attention-grabbing. The chemistry between them suggests a longer rivalry between the two is a must.

And it was a welcome sight to have a title match outside of a special event. This is something NXT does more often than WWE, and it adds to how special its TV shows feel at times.

Eva Marie is next up. That match won't be nearly as good as this one. It's a test for Bayley as much as it is for the oft-maligned Marie.

If the champion can help lead Marie to something solid, she's sure to get a wealth of points backstage.

Worst: The Charlotte Debacle

The blame doesn't belong to Charlotte for the tasteless, cheap use of her late brother in a controversial segment on Monday's Raw, even if WWE doesn't agree.

The company released a statement (h/t F4WOnline) in response to backlash for the segment: "Subject matter this personal is only approved as a result of the strong advocacy of the talent themselves.  Notwithstanding that, WWE is ultimately responsible for what airs in its programming.”

That sure sounds like WWE is passing the buck. 

Charlotte was able to weigh in, as PWInsider's Mike Johnson explained. He wrote, "The idea was something that was presented to Charlotte and the angle was something she was able to give feedback on, both in terms of the verbiage she felt comfortable using and with the way the angle was presented."

WWE never should have even put her in that tough position, though. 

It would have been hard for her to pass on the idea of exploiting her brother's death as storyline fodder. She just got to the main roster; her clout is not yet established. John Cena could outright reject an angle. So could Brock Lesnar.

Not Charlotte, at least not yet.

And so the finger-pointing has to be aimed at Vince McMahon. He approved the idea. He directed the ship in this direction.

There was no need to go this lazy route and have Paige anger Charlotte by mentioning her brother (who died of a heroin overdose). And McMahon should have at the very least consulted Reid's parents. He clearly didn't.

Reid and Charlotte's mother tweeted that the segment was "disrespectful," "cruel" and "disgusting." It's hard to argue with her.

If Charlotte pushed for this idea, she made a major mistake. If this was pushed onto her, the mistake is McMahon's. Either way, WWE should have found another path to building the Paige vs. Charlotte match, one that didn't lean on disrespecting the dead.

Best: Kevin Owens Making the Most of His Spotlight

The smug, brash Kevin Owens is making his case as the man capable of taking over for Seth Rollins as WWE's top heel.

This week, he showed off both his verbal prowess and how compelling he is when he starts beating someone down. It was a busy stretch for the intercontinental champion. He produced a standout performance while beating Neville in the quarterfinals of the WWE title tournament, delivered strong work in a tag team match against Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose on Thursday's SmackDown and was one of the best parts of the Miz TV segment to open that show.

He and Neville again clicked with each other. They keep providing WWE with reasons to put them in a full-fledged feud.

Owens topped it all off with a memorable interview with Michael Cole.

The IC champ was hungry, focused and his usual dismissive self. He called Ambrose's lunacy an act. "If you think Dean Ambrose is crazy, just wait till you see what happens on Sunday," he then told Cole.

He played up his recent Twitter spat with actress Melissa Joan Hart. "Who is she?" he scoffed. His animosity was aimed at Hart, Ambrose and Cole, with no shortage of it to go around.

Being so antagonistic makes him fun to watch; he's a powder keg who is poised to go off at any moment. Ambrose and Reigns remain the favorites going into Survivor Series, but Owens would be a smart wild-card option as WWE champ.