Breaking Down Best and Worst WWE Matches, Superstars for the Week of December 7

As WWE TLC 2015 drew near, Roman Reigns stood at the center of both a key high and key low during the week.

The company allowed him to do what he does best (namely bash heads in the ring) and he thrived, producing one of the more compelling bouts on TV. WWE, though, also asked him to do what he is not equipped to do—hold the audience's attention with a long promo.

Not surprisingly, the results proved painful.

WWE's decision-makers had a number of other hits and misses. Pairing Dolph Ziggler with Kevin Owens and letting them battle for a long stretch was smart. Having both Tommy Dreamer and Braun Strowman wrestle twice on a single night was just the opposite.

Hopefully, WWE is learning from its mistakes, recognizing Reigns' limitations, seeing that Owens begs to have a big share of the stage and that Strowman vs. Dreamer is not how to keep an audience around.

Best: Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens (Raw)

Kevin Owens remains one of the best assets WWE has right now. It's smart to lean on him, allowing him to have lengthy matches to show off his skills.

He and Dolph Ziggler battled on for a long stretch during the early part of Monday's Raw. It was a grinding, physical affair that allowed both men to look good.

Owens decimated Ziggler. Compellingly vicious, he beat up on Ziggler, scraping his forearm against his face, tagging him with right hands. The Showoff benefited, too, though. He was made to look hugely resilient by how often he held off defeat.

This contest was meant to push the champ before his upcoming showdown with Dean Ambrose. That's exactly what midcard titleholders need ahead of big bouts, not the usual non-title losses they typically pile up.

Worst: Tommy Dreamer vs. Braun Strowman (Raw)

Tommy Dreamer is at the point in his career where he is best suited as a tag team partner and a novelty act. Braun Strowman is a good fit as an enforcer who only briefly steps into the ring.

WWE seemed to understand that early on. It pitted both men against each other in a wild four-way clash featuring 16 men.

Then the company counterbalanced that wise choice with a baffling one. For the last match on Raw, it went with a singles match between these two. Dreamer and Strowman are among the two wrestlers who are lowest on the list of performers fans want to see twice on one night.

The match had no energy. It was a lifeless finish to a subpar show.

Why feature these two in such a high-profile spot? And as A.V. Club writer Kyle Fowle put it, "Instead of having Dreamer and Strowman wrestle AGAIN, why not toss literally anyone else out there? Neville. Slater. Dallas. Young."

This was a poor use of WWE's roster and a poor way to sustain the audience's attention. The numbers bear that out.

Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net noted, "Monday's WWE Raw scored a 2.15 rating, down from the 2.21 rating the show drew last week." Most telling is that the numbers dropped toward the end of the show. WWE can't blame fans for leaving, though.

After over two-and-a-half hours worth of Raw at that point, WWE needed to hit fans with something explosive and memorable. Instead, it offered up a green, one-note wrestler against a guy whose peak was 15 years ago. 

Best: Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio (SmackDown)

A match like this is a huge part of the reason WWE is so convinced that Roman Reigns is the next megastar.

He and Alberto Del Rio didn't outdo their excellent clash at Survivor Series, but they provided the most must-see bout on Thursday's SmackDown. Strong chemistry powered a match that often dipped into slugfest territory.

Del Rio showed off just how valuable a roster member he is, someone who's able to have stellar matches against a long list of opponents. Reigns was his usual high-energy, larger-than-life self.

And WWE was wise to have no clear winner here.

Reigns is set to face Sheamus for the WWE title at TLC. Del Rio is gearing up to defend the United States Championship against Jack Swagger. It makes little sense to have either of them stumble this close to the pay-per-view.

Instead, WWE had the tensions between The League of Nations and Reigns' crew boil over. This is a direction the company needs to go in more often. The Reigns-Sheamus rivalry has been underwhelming, to be kind. It's when their respective stables clash, though, that there's excitement to be had. 

Worst: Roman Reigns Struggling in Ill-Fitting Role

WWE is gutting Roman Reigns' momentum.

As it did on Monday's Raw, the company continues to be put him in a position to fail. It's baffling that WWE would make a guy whose biggest weakness is his mic work deliver extended promos again and again.

He was tasked with having a war of words with Sheamus to close Monday's Raw. The segment was among the worst Raw has seen all year. It dragged. It was awkward.

Reigns folded in the moment.

Note that when WWE put up a video highlight of the moment, it didn't include a word of Reigns' speech. It cut straight to the brawl that followed.

It's hard to blame him, though. That's just not what he's good at. As Jim Ross wrote on his blog, "For Roman to be put in a position to carry a long in ring promo isn't fair to him or his fans."

WWE made it worse by feeding him lines that belong on an elementary school playground. It's as if the writers are asking him to be the worse side of John Cena. And it's not as if Reigns was working with a verbal master.

Sheamus shouldn't be talking for long stretches either.

Making Reigns a long-winded, smart-cracking, grinning babyface is foolish. 

Bill Belichick would never ask Tom Brady to play tight end. Directors would never ask Arnold Schwarzenegger to play Hamlet. And WWE shouldn't be asking Reigns to be Cena 2.0.

Best: Alberto Del Rio Rediscovers His Dark Side

Backstage, with Zeb Colter cowering in his motorized scooter, Alberto Del Rio flashed his fangs.

He broke away from his new manager with an emphatic warning. Suddenly, the flag-waving, border-protecting "MexAmerica" citizen was gone. And in his place stood the ideal Del Rio—cold-blooded, sadistic, compelling.

WWE made the right move by having him be a lot more like the version of Del Rio that slapped Ray Gonzalez's son during an angle at Puerto Rico's WWC promotion and less of the one-dimensional character he had been playing since his return.

Del Rio made the company look smart. He instantly flourished as a more clear heel.

Berating Colter was the best moment since he came back. He topped that with some strong work in the ring, killing it on SmackDown against Roman Reigns. Hopefully there is more of this Del Rio to come.

Ideally, WWE will keep Del Rio far away from ill-advised pairings and confounding storylines like the MexAmerica angle that had been holding him back.