Cesaro vs. Sheamus and the Best WWE Matches for Week of September 8

As WWE focused on hyping Sunday's Backlash pay-per-view and setting up Clash of Champions on September 25, the Cruiserweight Classic outclassed all the in-ring action on Raw and SmackDown, including another quality installment in the series between Sheamus and Cesaro.

The Cruiserweight Classic quarterfinals delivered two thrillers where friends were forced to collide and warriors left each other hobbled in the pursuit of victory. Lesser-known names like Noam Dar and T.J. Perkins tore the house down in the process.

Sheamus vs. Cesaro III would have been the week's best bout had it not been for the continued superb showings from the cruiserweights.

Watching Dar, Perkins, Rich Swann and Zack Sabre deliver more emotion and electricity than their full-time WWE counterparts made it easy to be psyched about Raw's welcoming the cruiserweight division. Soon enough, Monday nights are going to feature the kind of mat-based masterpieces the CWC tournament has provided over the summer.

Honorable Mention

• Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch and Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss, Natalya and Carmella (SmackDown)
• Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari vs. TM-61 (NXT)

All the women set to face off in the Six-Pack Challenge at Backlash met in tag team action on Tuesday's SmackDown.

The Superstars shared the spotlight well. Naomi kicked things off with her boots smacking against Alexa Bliss. Becky Lynch thrived as the babyface in peril. Carmella capped off the bout by forcing Nikki Bella to tap out.

Solid aggression and the commentators' emphasis on the ongoing struggle to rule the women's division made for a strong showing.

The list's other matches, though, provided more eye-catching action. This felt more like a warm-up for the upcoming Six-Pack Challenge.

When Nick Miller and Shane Thorne battled two guests from the Cruiserweight Classic on Wednesday's NXT, the result was the night's best match. 

High-flying and high-octane, this was a fun tag team bout. Everyone involved got a chance to shine, too.

The lack of backstory kept it from being better, however.

Zack Zimmerman of ProWrestling.net wrote, "The CWC team looked good, as did TM61, but they were kind of just like four guys out there wrestling well. There wasn't necessarily a reason to care or root or invest one way or the other. "

High stakes and longstanding rivalries catapulted other matches past this one on the rankings.

5. Bayley vs. Charlotte (Raw)

A showdown many expected WWE would save for Backlash came early. Bayley took on Charlotte in non-title action on Monday, providing a glimpse of how good a pay-per-view clash between them could be.

Charlotte dominated much of the bout. She zeroed in on Bayley's knee, much like her Hall of Famer father did for so many years, softening her up for the Figure-Eight.

That forced Bayley to fight uphill on a bad leg. She flourished as the gutsy babyface. Charlotte looked right at home playing her sadistic foil.

WWE wisely gave this match much more time than the average women's match, and the result was one of the night's best contests.

The fluky distraction ending took it down a notch, though, allowing other Raw matches like Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn to rank above it.

4. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (Raw)

Anytime Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens step into the ring, the audience knows something excellent is on its way.

This was by no means anywhere near as good as their Battleground instant classic, but the two rivals told an intriguing story to cap off Monday's Raw.

Zayn's ankle issues cost him here. WWE has wisely played up Zayn's storyline weakness over the course of the last few weeks. The injury made Zayn's battle more difficult and gave Owens a vulnerable spot to attack.

The two enemies came at each other with seething intensity. Zayn suplexed Owens on the outside. Owens roared as he bested The Underdog From The Underground.

This was a smart way to kick off Owens' reign as universal champion. However, it didn't have quite the level of adrenaline that Cesaro vs. Sheamus III did.

3. Sheamus vs. Cesaro (Raw)

Sheamus crushed Cesaro once more.

In the third battle of their Best-of-Seven Series, Cesaro's bad back prevented him from stopping his slide. The Swiss Superman fell into an 0-3 hole in the most compelling match on Monday's Raw. 

He and Sheamus delivered their usual flurry of hammering blows. Cesaro cranked up the intensity, clearly desperate for a win to attempt a comeback.

His frustration, Sheamus' vicious attack on Cesaro's spine and the drama of the hero stumbling again made for another strong showing between these two. The image of The King of Swing barely able to stand as Sheamus kicked him square in the jaw was powerful.

The quarterfinals of the Cruiserweight Classic, however, offered its own moving visuals, outdoing Raw and SmackDown's best efforts.

2. T.J. Perkins vs. Rich Swann (Cruiserweight Classic)

On paper, T.J. Perkins vs. Rich Swann wasn't one of the many dream matches the Cruiserweight Classic tournament has featured. But both men made WWE look smart to advance them this far.

The two friends started their battle out slowly. They looked more concerned with showing each other up and dancing at first, but the aggression later picked up.

Perkins' and Swann's styles meshed well. Kicks, flips and a foot-on-the-gas pace powered the bout, but so did good storytelling.

An errant moonsault left Swann with a bad knee. That was especially bad news, considering that Perkins has eliminated his competition via the kneebar. 

Swann had the crowd buzzing. Perkins pulled off his best match of the tourney. Indy wrestler Gran Akuma summed it up well when he tweeted, "Both were equally awesome."

And in a moving final image, Perkins embraced his fallen foe, emotional and apologetic for having to step over him to get to the finals. That's just the kind of exclamation point so many of the CWC matchups have had.

Even with all that, two master technicians from across the pond one-upped Perkins and Swann. That's a testament to how good Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Noam Dar was.

1. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Noam Dar (Cruiserweight Classic)

In the quarterfinals of the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, the Noam Dar who had failed to show up in previous rounds emerged in a big way.

Dar thrived against Zack Sabre Jr. in a stellar display of technical wrestling. With so much focus on mat work and escaping holds, this match was slower than some might prefer, but it was so artful and well-executed that even the most casual of fan had to appreciate it. 

Daily DDT tweeted that it was definitely Dar's "best performance of the CWC." The same should be said for Sabre, despite his flourishing in the tourney's earlier rounds.

Each grappler added a touch of viciousness to all the scientific wrestling. They did well to play up how well they knew each other. 

And the high stakes of the matchup was clear in the strained, intense faces on both men. T.J. Perkins vs. Rich Swann had the edge in emotional ending, but Sabre Jr.'s victory was the more mystifying showing overall.

When the cruiserweight division comes to Raw on September 19, the rest of the roster is going to have to step up its game. The CWC has steadily been filled with gems like Sabre Jr. vs. Dar.