Breaking Down Best and Worst WWE Matches, Superstars for the Week of January 4

WWE SmackDown outshone its big brother in the ring as 2016 got underway.

Monday's Raw generated more discussion with its newsworthy moments, from a faction forming to Chris Jericho stepping back on stage. SmackDown, though, outdid Raw between the ropes—delivering two slide-to-the-edge-of-your-seat championship matches.

Becky Lynch couldn't overcome Charlotte's underhanded tactics. Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens couldn't finish their WWE Intercontinental Championship match. They were too busy trying to break each other in half.

Classic booking techniques worked superbly in both cases. Skilled performers, increasing animosity and high stakes were key to WWE's formula on SmackDown's two top contests.

Having Mauro Ranallo emote into the microphone certainly helped, too. The new announcer's handprint was all over those bouts and all over SmackDown.

Best: Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch (SmackDown)

The story of Becky Lynch and Charlotte going from friends to foes is hitting its stride.

A narrative WWE has paced well of late saw Lynch look for revenge and the Divas Championship on Thursday's SmackDown. The focused, fiery babyface was in control for much of the bout. Charlotte, though, had some assistance from Ric Flair and illegal leverage via the ring ropes to help her survive.

This was a classic tale of frustration for the hero against the heel champion.

Charlotte flourished as the cheating, cocky antagonist. And if Lynch keeps delivering performances at this level, she's going to win over more and more of the crowd.

ProWrestling.net's Jake Barnett had high praise for the bout. He wrote, "This might be my favorite women's match since these two have been called up from NXT."

Lynch did look much more like she did at NXT. And, while Charlotte isn't consistent at this point in her career, she stepped up in a big way when facing someone of Lynch's caliber.

This felt bigger than the majority of women's matches on the main roster. It was the perfect precursor to a rematch between these two at the Royal Rumble.

Lynch vs. Charlotte is the kind of match SmackDown needs to feature in the future to make elevate its subpar status—lengthy, significant and powered by high stakes. 

Worst: Titus O'Neil vs. Stardust (Raw)

No one expected Titus O'Neil vs. Stardust to be Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat, but this clash on Monday's Raw was a throwaway bout when it didn't need to be.

WWE has had The Prince of Dark Matter and O'Neil cross paths backstage several times. There seemed to either be an alliance or a rivalry brewing. Rather than build on that naturally and have it finally escalate in an in-ring showdown, the company just tossed this matchup out there.

The announcers didn't talk up the wrestlers' recent history nearly enough. There was no mention of O'Neil's current winning streak.

As a result, the match felt random and inconsequential. It was the kind of contest one sees on Superstars each week.

Chalk this up as a wasted opportunity.

O'Neil vs. Stardust was never going to be the rivalry of the year, but this was a display of minimal effort from WWE Creative. A midcard feud suffered the glossed-over treatment once again.

Best: Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens (SmackDown)

The battle for the WWE Intercontinental Championship between Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens is the best rivalry going right now.

The wrestlers' hunger for the title popped onscreen as they collided on the main event of Thursday's SmackDown. Owens and Ambrose displayed their usual good chemistry, but this match marked an ongoing shift in their narrative.

Things are becoming more violent, unhinged and personal between them.

The fact that champion and challenger didn't even notice the referee counting to 10 as they slugged it out at ringside is a testament to that. As good as the action was before the bell, the brawl afterward was even better. Owens and Ambrose wailed on each other, resembling two rabid animals looking to dig into each other's flesh.

WWE did a lot of smart things here.

For one, not having Owens lose allowed him to keep his momentum. The double count-out kept this story surging along, with fans anticipating the next collision. 

And having the rivalry grow more brutal represents smart usage of both men. Ditching wrestling for fighting fits both their characters, and their ever-increasing intensity is making this feud appointment television.

Worst: Chris Jericho's Tepid Return

Chris Jericho returned to Raw Monday night, and to say his first performance back underwhelmed is being kind.

One of WWE's best talkers wielded a flaccid microphone. His banter with The New Day was juvenile, annoying and simply not funny.

He told the tag team champs that their horns look stupid. He riled them up by calling them "rooty tooty booty." And much of the rest of the exchange was recycled lines.

As Jason Powell wrote on ProWrestling.net, "Jericho's material was basically his 'best of' lines."

Y2J stands by his work. He addressed criticism of the promo on his Talk is Jericho podcast (h/t Cageside Seats for the transcription).

Jericho said: "If that's bad humor and you didn't laugh, oh, I'm sorry. Go watch some [Søren] or something like that. Go watch some Peter Sellers movies or something because I thought it was funny and it was a catchphrase that was chanted throughout the show and they'll probably make a damn T-shirt of it."

He doesn't get it. There's a middle ground between grade-school humor and existential philosophy.

If folks didn't find Jericho finding words that rhyme with booty funny, it doesn't mean they don't understand that wrestling is inherently low-brow.

Bashing his comeback performance is not a denouncement of Jericho's well-renowned gift of gab. This was just one of his least interesting promos. Even the best flop at times.

Best: Mauro Ranallo Makes an Immediate Impact

SmackDown received an infusion of energy when Mauro Ranallo joined the commentary team.

In his debut at the announce table, the MMA and boxing commentator elevated the action on screen. His passion proved infectious. His focus on the action was refreshing.

He did well to intertwine current narratives, contrast Jerry Lawler's goofiness and convey the importance of a match's big moments. 

Voices of Wrestling's Ru Gunn summed it up, writing that SmackDown was "massively improved by Ranallo's sensical commentary."

Ranallo sounded as if he was in genuine awe of the athletes. He brought a more sports-like feel to the matches, as well. Even a random eight-man tag featuring The Miz and R-Truth felt more significant with him calling the action.

With the addition of Ranallo, SmackDown just became more must-see television.