WWE Programming's Best Matches for Week of December 26

Last week, Bleacher Report readers named a Triple Threat match between Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler as the best bout of the week—which shouldn't be too much of a surprise given the pedigree of all three competitors.

Ziggler has long been considered one of the most dependable in-ring performers in WWE, and as such he has regularly been depended upon to deliver top-notch television matches on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, Owens and Ambrose have increasingly been used in the same manner over the last few years.

It's important to have charismatic Superstars fans can rally behind and mic masters who can help build up a program—but at the end of the day, the WWE roster will always have spots for athletes who can go above and beyond between the ropes. Owens, Ambrose and Ziggler can certainly all count themselves among that number.

Contender No. 1: The Dudley Boyz & Kalisto vs. The New Day on SmackDown

It's easy to forget now the group is firmly established as one of the best things on WWE television, but The New Day was on rather shaky ground as 2015 got underway. This, the faction's final televised match of the year, demonstrated just how far the trio has come over the last 12 months.

Seldom failing to elicit a passionate response from crowds, and having felt out an admirable chemistry for competing as a unit, The New Day seems poised to excel once again as we head into 2016.

That being said, this bout seemed to have been constructed with a view to putting Kalisto front and center. The Lucha Dragon has quickly become a major fan favourite, and this sort of performance demonstrates exactly why.

Kalisto's size makes him a natural underdog in the vein of Rey Mysterio and countless other Mexican wrestlers who have passed through North America. Working in a tag team alongside Sin Cara has seemingly given Kalisto plenty of opportunity to perfect his performances as the fan favourite in peril.

The superior teamwork of The New Day put Kalisto in a seemingly unassailable position. However, with a slickly executed, rope-assisted Salida del Sol—not to mention a well-placed 3D courtesy of the Dudleys—he managed to score the win.

This competitive match was a wholly entertaining section of the television broadcast and certainly a great showcase for Kalisto. Going into the new year, it seems we can expect great things from this exciting athlete.

Contender No. 2: Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch on Raw

This week's episode of Raw featured a match that demonstrated exactly why the actual wrestling component of any given match can easily be undermined by other elements of its presentation.

A 15-minute contest between Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch would have been lapped up by any NXT crowd from Dallas, Texas to London, England. However, the same city that hosted Banks' memorable Takeover match with Bayley, Brooklyn, New York, loudly criticised this bout for being"'boring."

That chant came as Lynch was battling back after a lengthy period on the ropes, and the Lass Kicker's presentation on the main roster has to be to blame for the negative reaction. She's largely been used in service to other storylines and characters, and as such it's difficult for many to muster up much support.

"

A massive shame that Becky V Sasha got the "This Is Boring" treatment. Please keep everyone in NXT. #RAW

— Brad Preston (@MrBradPreston) December 29, 2015"

A thoroughly apathetic crowd and insipid commentary did nothing to help the competitors in the ring create something compelling, but separated from those elements, the in-ring action was actually rather good. Lynch shines when she can show off her mat wrestling, but she's far from a one-trick-pony.

Special credit also has to be given to Team B.A.D. as a faction, who are managing to grow and evolve despite not being given much to work with on a weekly basis.

All in all, this bout demonstrated the biggest strength of the women's division is still in-ring competition—and, sadly, the rest of its presentation is still lagging behind that rock-solid core.

Contender No. 3: John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio on Raw

Despite this rematch being telegraphed by Alberto Del Rio's surprising win at Hell in a Cell, there's been little attempt to hype the bout itself in recent weeks—instead, John Cena's return has been the talking point.

Pleasingly, WWE amended this strategy at the eleventh hour, with an engaging pre-match war of words putting the focus of the title fight on the rivalry rather than the return. Between the promos and the match, enough was done here to set up a feud that will occupy Cena until his WrestleMania program.

Credit: WWE.com

It's fair to say the match itself played out exactly as you would expect Cena's obligatory title rematch to. It never seemed all too likely he was going to reclaim his belt—but having spent a few weeks off television, he was always likely to be presented as a major threat.

As such, the League of Nations made an appearance to stack the deck against the challenger. In the end, even this wasn't enough to secure a conclusive victory for Del Rio, who had to make do with retaining his title via disqualification.

Credit: WWE.com

However, this didn't feel completely unsatisfactory. A sequence of false finishes and near-falls toward the end of the bout built up a palpable level of excitement, which should reap benefits should the pair compete once again at the Royal Rumble.

The bout may have been something of a stopgap, but the quality of both Cena and Del Rio meant it was crisply executed and engaging throughout. This may be a familiar pairing, but it's one we'll hopefully see a little more of in coming weeks.

Which bout was your match of the week? Don't forget to make your choice by voting in the poll and then state your argument in the comments section below—and if you're tweeting about the contenders over the next seven days, use the hashtag #BR_MOTW.