The Usos vs. American Alpha and the Best WWE Matches for Week of April 13

Farewells and welcomes comprised much of the top WWE matches during a week of roster shake-ups.

Kevin Owens' final bout on Raw was a quality one. Drew McIntyre's first NXT match thrilled. And Sami Zayn didn't waste time in creating art on the SmackDown stage.

The Usos and American Alpha both stayed put and produced one of their best efforts against each other.

The SmackDown rivals, though, were among the few who didn't get repositioned during the Superstar Shake-up. WWE sent Owens and Zayn to SmackDown. Dean Ambrose, meanwhile, slid over to the red brand.

In many cases, these transplanted wrestlers delivered right away.

Who crafted the best in-ring drama? Who gave the audience a better combination of memorable moments, engaging action and strong storytelling? The following is a look at the week's best bouts, including The Usos and American Alpha's latest collision. 

Honorable Mention

Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax (Raw)

The Revival vs. The New Day (Raw)

Monday's Raw turned out to be the swan song for both Flair and The New Day on the red brand. In both cases, they delivered solid matches, but ones that were outshone by the week's very best offerings.

Flair and Jax told a good story of the former's frustrations in trying to take down a giant. The Queen's emotion spilled onto the screen as she ran into a brick wall on live TV.

This was a nice win for Jax, who is in the midst of an emphatic push. The action could have been smoother, however, as Jax's greenness hasn't quite gone away. 

The New Day lost in its Raw send-off, too.

Their clash with the two-time NXT champions felt like a sneak peek of the masterpiece these squads could have down the road. Their chemistry was excellent. The Revival's mastery of the ring led to Xavier Woods taking the bulk of the punishment.

The clear highlight was Woods leaping at his foes, only to suffer a Shatter Machine.

5. Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens (Raw)

Intercontinental champion Ambrose met U.S. titleholder Owens in Raw's main event.

Although it took a good while to really pick up, Ambrose vs. Owens ended up being the night's top match. Ambrose's all-out, reckless style excited. He nailed KO with a clothesline off the top rope and leaped around the ring area with no regard for himself.

A number of Dirty Deeds teases added tension to the contest.

Strangely enough, the announcers didn't play up Ambrose and Owens' previous rivalry to add some depth to their battle. And the match suffered from a lack of stakes and buildup. 

As Graham Matthews wrote for Next Era Wrestling: "You would think they would have hyped it up more than they did, because it didn't feel like a big deal."

4. TJ Perkins vs. Jack Gallagher (205 Live)

205 Live is so often home to excellent matches and not given enough attention. That was the case again on Tuesday night when TJ Perkins outlasted Jack Gallagher.

This bout was a good mix of Gallagher's goofy antics, a technical wrestling display and in-ring drama. Gallagher headbutting Perkins in the gut on a bad leg in desperation was one of the finer moments in that collision.

There were times where the action lacked energy, however. It dragged a bit here and there. 

Even so, Gallagher and Perkins put on a quality main event. The match did well to showcase Perkins' new persona, showing off increased cockiness and dissolving morals.

The week's top matches had more adrenaline throughout, but this was well worth watching.

3. The Usos vs. American Alpha (SmackDown)

SmackDown has been too slow to capitalize on The Usos and American Alpha's rivalry. The high-energy, intense showdown these two produced on Tuesday night is something we should have seen months ago.

This was classic tag team wrestling with the heels working Chad Gable in their corner for much of the bout.

American Alpha's flurries had the crowd roaring. Gable and Jason Jordan nailed their foes with suplexes in stereo on the outside.

The final moments where The Usos halted the wave of momentum with some swift superkicks were beautiful.

As fun as this was, two main events filled with heavy strikes edged it out on the list. 

2. Drew McIntyre vs. Oney Lorcan (NXT)

After parting ways with WWE in 2014, McIntyre has been busy tearing it up in the United Kingdom and Impact Wrestling. He continued his hot streak in his first NXT match.

The Chosen One and Oney Lorcan smashed each other with hard-hitting, nasty strikes. Flesh drummed against flesh. Lorcan was left bloody.

While hung up in the corner, McIntyre flipped Lorcan over his head in one of the moments that left the crowd chanting, "This is awesome!" 

World Wrestling Network executive Gabe Sapolsky tweeted: "Drew McIntyre vs Oney Lorcan on tonight's NXT was awesome. Make sure to see it."

McIntyre was clearly brought in to fill the void left by the departing Shinsuke Nakamura. This bout was an indication of how smart a choice that was.

1. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin (SmackDown)

The hunt for Owens' United States Championship began shortly after KO arrived on the blue brand. The closing match on Tuesday's SmackDown pitted Sami Zayn, AJ Styles and Baron Corbin against each other for the right to be named the No. 1 contender. 

Boy, did they all deliver. 

Zayn kicked off his SmackDown with a gutsy performance, coming within seconds of victory several times. Corbin used his striking ability to excite. Styles was his usual masterful self. 

The action was fluid and high-octane. Great near-falls added drama. As LaToya Ferguson of the A.V. Club summed up: "True heaven is the Triple Threat main event of this week's show."

It's odd seeing Styles go after the U.S. title, but if this is the kind of performance he's going to have chasing that crown down, he's going to quickly boost its prestige.