Dolph Ziggler vs. Bray Wyatt and the Best WWE Matches for Week of Aug. 4

The WWE brand split offered Dolph Ziggler and Bray Wyatt a greater share of the stage, and both men went to work right away to take full advantage.

In their clash on Tuesday's SmackDown, Ziggler and Wyatt thrived as rivals eyeing a WWE World Championship opportunity. The Showoff and The Eater of Worlds kicked and clawed their ways to one of the week's best matches. They looked comfortable in the main event.

Ziggler's triumph, though, wasn't powerful enough to beat out a thriller from the Cruiserweight Classic.

The top bout from the first round of that tournament outdid everything that aired on Raw, SmackDown and NXT as August kicked off. WWE keeps playing up the battle for supremacy between Raw and SmackDown, but thanks to talents like Tommaso Ciampa and Jack Gallagher, the Cruiserweight Classic will be in the mix, too.

So which contests most thrilled? What topped Ziggler vs. Wyatt? Read on for a list of WWE's best showdowns of the week.

Memorable moments, the power of the story, chemistry and the excitement of the in-ring action determined the ranking.

Honorable Mentions

• Jack Gallagher vs. Fabian Aichner (Cruiserweight Classic)
• Mark Henry vs. Rusev (Raw)

Gallagher's win over Aichner in the first round of the Cruiserweight Classic was an artful display of technical wrestling.

Smooth, creative transitions marked much of the bout. Gallagher, much like Zack Sabre Jr. before him, looked like a wizard of the canvas. Aichner countered with a strength advantage, hitting his foe with an eye-catching powerbomb at one point.

This was the kind of clash of styles this tournament was made for. From the announcers' desk, Daniel Bryan marveled at it all, particularly the dropkick that earned Gallagher the win. 

Henry's challenge to Rusev for the United States Championship was no classic confrontation, but it had some solid emotion.

Angry and refusing to let the New Era take over just yet, Henry went on a brief rampage in the ring. Rusev, however, prevailed. He was the younger, more agile monster—a champ displaying his usual heel excellence.

Had it been a longer, more competitive bout, Rusev vs. Henry would have likely climbed the list. Like Gallagher vs. Aichner, it was more of a warm-up to the feature attraction that followed it. 

5. Cesaro vs. Sheamus (Raw)

Cesaro and Sheamus have great chemistry, as we saw during their 2014 feud. Each man seems to inspire the other to turn up the volume on his aggression.

On Monday's Raw, the two warriors collided again, this time with a future title opportunity on the line. Raw general manager Mick Foley told them that whoever most impressed would be in line for a future championship match.

That added a sense of purpose to this slugfest. And it made Cesaro's win feel more significant than it would have otherwise.

Their battle was hard-hitting as usual. The King of Swing had a little extra oomph behind his uppercuts. Sheamus' shots on his opponent echoed.

Sheamus focused on Cesaro's surgically repaired shoulder after Foley revealed that the injury was the reason why the Swiss strongman was drafted so low. That subplot bettered the bout.

Its brevity was its main drawback. Had WWE given both men more time, we would have seen more stunning moments like Cesaro reversing a backbreaker attempt into a Neutralizer. For a match that only lasted just over five minutes, this was solid, though.

4. The Revival vs. TM-61 (NXT)

Credit: WWE.com

The Revival faces off with Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano after beating TM-61.

The Revival continues to be the crown jewel of the WWE tag team scene.

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder's throwback, smashmouth style once again made for compelling entertainment. This time around, the Australian duo TM-61 stepped up to the champs. Shane Thorne and Nick Miller were looking to establish themselves as contenders in non-title action.

The champs' rivals, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, sat waiting and watching nearby.

A simple, effective story followed the logical setup. Dawson and Wilder spent much of the bout overpowering Thorne, keeping him in their corner, cheating in order to maintain their advantage. TM-61 battled back but ultimately fell.

The contest featured a good amount of intensity for a match that wasn't a part of an ongoing rivalry. 

A lack of highlights pushed this match down the list, though. While bouts like Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins offered a number of wow-worthy moments, The Revival's latest win was more about steady excellence, with fewer notable high points. 

3. Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins (Raw)

WWE needs to book Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn on a pay-per-view. These two stars looked like complementary puzzle pieces on Monday's Raw.

The high-flying Zayn energized the crowd. Rollins was his usual top-performer self, outclassing everything else that Raw had to offer.

The narrative of the clash centered on Zayn struggling through an injured arm. With his arm limp at his side, he refused to stop fighting. Zayn flourishes in this kind of never-say-die babyface role.

On Twitter, former WCW wrestler Scotty Riggs wrote of the bout, "Amazing wrestling match, story told through action."

Longer than Cesaro vs. Sheamus and with more thrilling spots than The Revival vs. TM-61, Zayn vs. Rollins only failed to top the list because of stakes. There was no title shot on the line and no advancement in a tournament awarded to the winner.

Instead, this was Rolllins' means to gain momentum ahead of SummerSlam, a story for which it is harder to generate emotion.

2. Dolph Ziggler vs. Bray Wyatt (SmackDown)

Motivation changes everything. Dolph Ziggler vs. Bray Wyatt on Tuesday's SmackDown was a reminder of that.

The fact that Ziggler's No. 1 contender's spot for the WWE World Championship was at stake elevated the action. Intensity and a prize awaiting the winner made this so much better than their previous meetings. 

Fans also saw an especially aggressive Wyatt and more serious version of Ziggler. LaToya Ferguson of the A.V. Club pinpointed the dynamic when she wrote, "The main event between a now very desperate (and non-ass-shaking) Dolph Ziggler and (a laser-focused) Bray Wyatt is pretty darn great."

This was a glimpse of what each man can do when given a proper story, ample time in the ring and a quality opponent.

Wyatt tore off the turnbuckle cover to gain an unfair advantage, only to see it cost him the bout. That bit of irony, along with the superkicks and rapid-fire counters that filled the bout, made this more than worthy of SmackDown's main event.

The emotion of Ziggler prevailing and proving he deserves his title chance couldn't compete with a clash of brothers in arms. Nothing on Raw or SmackDown could.

1. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano (Cruiserweight Classic)

By outlasting his tag team partner and friend, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano earned a spot in the second round of the Cruiserweight Classic. Both men, though, deserve an award beyond that, something to recognize the masterpiece they created on the mat.

This was a clash of two allies looking for individual glory in the cruiserweight tournament, one that threatened to burn their friendship to the ground.

A scientific match turned vicious in a hurry. Ciampa nailed Johnny Wrestling with nasty strikes. One elbow made spit fly from Gargano's mouth.

Creative offense, strong chemistry (born from their longstanding partnership) and a maintained level of off-the-charts aggression had the crowd chanting "This is awesome!" by the end of it.

Indy wrestler Gran Akuma summed it up well when he tweeted, "Gargano-Ciampa was incredible."

A partnership looked as if it crumbled before our eyes, but after Gargano won, he and Ciampa shared an emotional, heartfelt embrace. As exciting as the rest of WWE's best action was, none of it left a lump in one's throat like that image.

Kudos to both men. They came out of this performance with a stockpile of momentum. Gargano and Ciampa delivered the best Cruiserweight Classic bout to date, and topping them will be tough.