That was a good match though.

The Cara win did seem kinda random but that's how booking is sometimes.
Speaking on Cody and Ryder sometimes I think people in the back see others getting momentum too quick for their taste and they stop it dead in it's tracks. Back in 2011 I thought Cody was being groomed for the Main Event scene...now dude is still in the mid card. Ryder was getting huge chants for a while then he won the US title and they repeatedly had Kane destroy him over and over again. He randomly lost the belt to Swagger and everyone else in that feud got elevated but him. Cena's still in the main event, Eve went on to become Divas Champion and Kane went on to become Tag Champion with Daniel Bryan. Ryder's the only one in that storyline that came out worse.
Speaking of momentum being cut short it seems like they did Ziggler like that too, put him in a feud with Cena and his newly acquire 'help' Big E and AJ barely do anything.
In comparison, I don't think Cesaro's case is that bad. As far the champs go, Barrett's the guy that seems stagnant. Well him and Kaitlyn, we barely even see her on tv anymore and this is coming off how hot she was when she won the title from Eve. They actually built up to that nicely, her title reign has been a bunch of nothing so far though.