Breaking Down Best and Worst WWE Matches, Superstars for the Week of December 14

WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2015 and the Raw that followed it will long be remembered as occasions when the company got it right with Roman Reigns, when his long journey to the world championship finally climaxed and the crowd finally saw him as a conquering hero.

Reigns' labored through fan backlash and refined his game all year. That all culminated in a pair of stellar performances, two fat exclamation points at the end of an emphatic statement.

After weeks of slugging programming, WWE sparked something special. In addition to Reigns' rise, the tag team division seized the audience's attention at TLC, and the NXT women's division did the same in London.

It was enough to almost not notice how underwhelming Ryback has been and how foolish it was for Vince McMahon to trample on two midcarders to spotlight his own arrival.

Those slip-ups didn't get in the way of a strong week for WWE. Just when it seemed like the ratings couldn't fall any further and the energy surrounding the product couldn't get any weaker, a shift happened.

Suddenly, WWE is heading into 2016 with momentum, with Reigns at the helm.

Best: Tag Team Ladder Match (TLC)

The New Day, The Lucha Dragons and The Usos opened TLC with a stunner.

The trio of teams battled in a frenzied ladder match powered by a daredevil style. While that stipulation has been well-worn, they all managed to be creative enough to make it memorable. A whirlwind battle thrilled.

The highlights came in bunches.

Sin Cara hit a Salida del Sol off the top of a ladder that will challenge for moment of the year. Xavier Woods threw a trombone to save the champs. The dives and crashes just kept coming.

And WWE got the booking right, too.

The New Day is too hot an act to take the tag titles from it just yet. WWE made it look dominant here while still showcasing the other teams' strengths. The New Day walked away more legitimate champions, armed with plenty to brag about.

Worst: R-Truth vs. Bo Dallas (Raw)

WWE made it clear that fans shouldn't care about R-Truth and Bo Dallas. 

Vince McMahon's return to Raw didn't just overshadow them; it stomped them flat into the mat. Cameras cut away from the bout to show McMahon arrive in a limousine. Then he walked into the ring and canceled the action.

It felt like he and WWE were saying, "This is a meaningless match. Let's move on to the important stuff."

R-Truth vs. Dallas is no marquee matchup, but why make it so clear that they are so disposable? Why signal to the audience that these men are worth so little?

Good luck trying to get fans to invest in anything either of them do moving forward. 

Best: Asuka vs. Emma (NXT TakeOver: London)

Following TLC's lead, NXT TakeOver: London kicked off with an enthralling bit of action.

Asuka continued her dominance since arriving to NXT. This time, she faced a tough challenge from Emma.

A showcase for both woman saw Emma continue to flourish as a nasty, cold-blooded heel. Asuka, meanwhile, was infectiously fun as a kick-happy gladiator. Intensity throbbed; the crowd's energy amplified the in-ring drama.

ProWrestling.net's Zack Zimmerman summed it up well when he wrote, "Excellent match. I had set my expectations high, knowing what both ladies are capable of, and they delivered in every way."

By the end of it, WWE came away knowing that it has two potential stars to lead its women's division down the road.  

Worst: Ryback Falling Behind

As 2015 winds down, a host of Superstars have made their mark, hinting at neon futures.

Roman Reigns spent the year proving himself worthy of a main event spot. Kevin Owens is thriving as one of WWE's best heels. The New Day has been masterful.

Ryback, on the other hand, has mostly just been there. He's been far too mediocre of late, stringing together forgettable performances.

This week, he produced a so-so tag match on Monday's Raw, a disappointing bout against Rusev at TLC and was merely fine in singles action on Thursday's SmackDown. He didn't do anything that sparked conversation, even with a number of opportunities.

For a guy who looked close to climbing to the top tier, Ryback has been looking quite ordinary.

Best: Roman Reigns Completes His Journey, Turns Crowd Around

In the same city that booed him viciously when he won the Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns received a hero's welcome when he won the world title.

WWE helped him get to that point with a rebel-against-authority storyline adapted to suit Reigns. At TLC, he went on a rampage, tearing Triple H apart. On Monday's Raw, he punched out Vince McMahon to assure himself the title win. 

Kenny Herzog wrote for Rolling Stone, "It was like watching a carefully engineered, hyper-condensed version of what took Dolph Ziggler years to painstakingly engender leading up to his surprise World Championship victory the day after WrestleMania XXIX. Really, it was genius."

But credit also has to go to Reigns for once again stepping up when called.

His assault on Triple H worked so well because he was such a convincing beast. He exploded with fury that felt real. He maximized that chance.

The same goes for his fight to championship gold the next night. That uphill climb wouldn't have worked unless Reigns could pull in the crowd and play his part of take-no-prisoners warrior as well as he did. Making the crowd root for him so hard after all the backlash he received at the beginning of the year was a tremendous accomplishment. 

Beyond that, he has managed to turn Raw around, moving it from sagging to must-see.