Braun Strowman vs. Kalisto and the Top WWE Matches for Week of April 27

Braun Strowman ruled WWE Raw once more.

The Monster Among Men had the final word in a Dumpster match on Monday night. His intensity, a shocker of a result and a post-bout crash made that clash the highlight of the week.

Jack Gallagher, though, wasn't about to let Strowman have all the fun. The Gentleman twice delivered in the ring when he faced both the cruiserweight and United Kingdom champion.

Dumpster drama aside, Monday's Raw was a major letdown of a go-home show. The red brand limped toward Sunday's Payback pay-per-view, but there were still a number of quality contests to enjoy throughout the week.

Thank SmackDown, NXT and 205 Live for much of that.

Read for a look at the best matches in the week leading up to Payback. In-ring action, big moments, storytelling and chemistry determined who came out on top.

Honorable Mention

• Finn Balor, Seth Rollins and Big Cass vs. Samoa Joe, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (Raw)
• AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin (SmackDown)

A solid six-man match was one of the better efforts on a lackluster Raw. 

Balor replaced Enzo Amore after the heels attacked. Raw general manager Kurt Angle adding The Demon King to the team was exciting. There were plenty of dives and high-flying moves, but this wasn't especially memorable overall.

Geno Mrosko of Cageside Seats called it "a meaningless six-man where some stuff happened that I already forgot."

Styles and Corbin's rematch was decent as well.  

Styles' speed matched well with Corbin's power, and the foes jelled together. Kevin Owens' assault of The Phenomenal One helped advance the feud over the United States Championship.

Other matches, however, had a better stock of moments and higher stakes, allowing them to surpass these two matchups.

5. Naomi vs. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown)

Charlotte Flair and Naomi outdid last week's meeting, thanks in large part to the SmackDown Women's Championship being on the line. 

The rivals also showed off more chemistry this time. Champion and challenger looked more at ease, meshing well in a classic good-versus-evil contest.

Flair punished her foe with a methodical offense. Naomi battled back to survive. This looked to be well on its way to being a barnburner, but it wasn't allowed to reach its climax.

The new faction of Natalya, Carmella and Tamina burst in to end things early. While that made for a good cliffhanger for the SmackDown brand, it kept Naomi and Flair being able to climb higher on this list.

4. Tyler Bate vs. Jack Gallagher (NXT)

NXT played home to the United Kingdom stars in a dazzling athletic contest.

Pete Dunne and others looked on as Tyler Bate defended the UK title against 205 Live's Gallagher. The bout showed off the more serious side of Gallagher, as the foes impressed with technical wrestling artistry.

The match featured some beautiful exchanges, The Gentleman's trademark headbutts and a callback to an older style. 

The announcers helped play this up as a battle of power and prowess, with Bate eventually overpowering the submission specialist. Still, this didn't have nearly as much energy and intensity as Gallagher against Neville. 

It felt like an exhibition match more than a championship one to a degree. 

3. Jack Gallagher vs. Neville (205 Live)

Neville and Gallagher have made a habit of killing it when they meet in the ring. That remained true when The Gentleman took on the cruiserweight champ.

In another display of dominance, Neville outlasted his fellow Brit in a hard-fought, flesh-reddening bout. Gallagher issued nasty headbutts. A cocky, boisterous Neville egged on his foe.

And in a fun moment, Neville tossed Gallagher's umbrella, William III, up the entrance ramp.

The rivals had great chemistry. Even without much of a story to work with, they wowed once more. Indy wrestler Gran Akuma tweeted: "Neville/Gallagher continued the trend of great 205 Live main events. Loved the finish."

The collision of cruiserweights, though, found itself trumped by bigger moments and the use of weapons in a battle between former members of The Wyatt Family.

2. Randy Orton vs. Erick Rowan (SmackDown)

In a warm-up for battling Bray Wyatt in the House of Horrors at the Payback PPV, Randy Orton took on one of Wyatt's minions.

And Erick Rowan proved to be a tough test during their No Disqualification match. The two foes collided ringside, flung ring steps at each other and liberally used a Kendo stick as a weapon. There was a good amount of violence and fun spots. 

Orton suplexed Rowan onto the announce desk. The rivals amplified a table spot by delaying it.

This was the top match of the night and Rowan's best singles performance to date.

Now it's Orton and Wyatt's turn to follow that up. LaToya Ferguson of the A.V. Club asked: "How awkward will it be if/when the House Of Horrors match is nowhere as good at this episode's No DQ match between Orton and Rowan?"

1. Braun Strowman vs. Kalisto (Raw)

Strowman vs. Kalisto was supposed to be a massacre.

It's a testament to Strowman's momentum how anticipated this was. WWE has done such a good job portraying The Monster Among Men as an overwhelming predator that this felt as it would be much like watching a shark tear through a pod of seals. 

Instead, Kalisto gave a gutsy performance. He had the giant reeling at times. And a number of teased wins for The King of Flight built suspense.

The eventual result was a shocker, with David lucking out against Goliath. 

The bout managed to both give the underdog a major victory and make Strowman look monstrous. After losing, The New Face of Destruction locked Kalisto in a dumpster and flung him off the stage in one of 2017's most memorable moments so far.

Along the way, Strowman topped the list of best WWE matches for the second week in a row. It's clearer and clearer that he's a red-hot act the company must make full use of going forward.