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I received messages about the delay of this article and so at the outset, forgive me. I had other things to get off my chest and as a result, published this and this first. What did I think of Survivor Series overall? The wrestling was not bad, but the booking was quite puzzling.
I shall separate the best from the worst in this post event review feature. Please feel free to share your thoughts about the event as well. Did you think Survivor Series this year is a show you'll recommend to your friends and colleagues?
RAW and SmackDown Live went head to head in this massive event. Which brand came out on top?
It was a wave of red, through and through.
#1 Best: The main event match
When the match was announced, I expected it to be a total squash. In fact, when the match began, I expected it to be a squash based on how it was playing out. But it turns out that Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar was a far more competitive match than I could have ever imagined it to really be.
The announcers also did a fantastic job of saying how Lesnar was completely butchering Daniel Bryan. Fans at home knew his history of concussions and the beginning of the match actually looked very uncomfortable to watch and sit through. But Bryan would seize the advantage with a low blow.
Ultimately, Brock Lesnar came out on top, just like we'd all expected him to. However, when all was said and done, this seemed like a match that could have gone either way.
Does Lesnar work much better with smaller men than he does with the Monsters?
#1 Worst: The clean sweep
Listen, I understand that RAW's 6-0 clean sweep over SmackDown Live is leading to some major storyline development down the line. I am intrigued to find out how it actually plays out. I'm just a little disappointed that SmackDown Live was squashed in this embarrassing manner. Why would we be invested in another edition of brand warfare next year?
Had RAW won 4-2 or even 5-1, it would have added some amount of interest in SmackDown Live, down the line. In fact, the one person to have suffered a loss could have been punished on RAW as well. It would have been a rather interesting storyline development.
Whatever the case may be, I hope that the payoff to the storyline is worth it. WWE needs to justify why RAW destroyed SmackDown Live so easily.
Or they may lose viewers on both brands down the line...
#2 Best: Rousey vs. Flair
Everybody wanted to see Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series. However, Lynch suffered an untimely injury and had to sit out of this event. Charlotte Flair stepped in and from the opening bell, proved why she's one of the best sports entertainers in the whole world.
The heel turn at the end was a deft little touch too. This sets up the groundwork for a further clash between the two women down the line, perhaps at Evolution next year? There was no conclusive winner for the match, even though Ronda Rousey technically won on paper.
Special marks to Ronda Rousey whose selling for the match was absolutely sensational and exemplary. It's impossible to believe that she wasn't a wrestler until earlier this year and only made her official debut at WrestleMania 34.
#2 Worst: Not counting the Kickoff show win
All of us have to sit through many hours of WWE programming as fans. Especially when it comes to pay-per-views, we have to put the rest of our lives on hold because they're 4+ hour events. In addition to this, Survivor Series had a 2 hour long Kickoff show too.
I just mentioned that RAW scored a clean sweep over SmackDown Live at Survivor Series. This is not the whole truth however, as SmackDown Live did win the match on the Kickoff show. We later learned that the match would not be counted in the tally.By e
By essentially letting us know that the Kickoff show match did not matter, WWE effectively told us that the tag team division is not important. This is a shame because The New Day, The Usos and The Revival were quite brilliant during the said match.
#3 Best: The incredible 205 Live match
I must admit that I haven't watched 205 Live every week. But I had a chance to interview Mustafa Ali not long ago and he won me over with his humility and his inspiring message. I did start following the show since then, off and on, and have been very invested in Ali's work. He had a massive title match against Buddy Murphy at Survivor Series.
And the two men did not disappoint on such a grand stage. Both men put on a performance to remember, because they knew they had the whole world watching. I am a lot more interested in Murphy's reign than I once was.
So many 205 Live performers are currently working with the main roster guys. I would love to see these two men mix it up with some superstars from SmackDown Live and RAW.
Imagine AJ Styles vs. Mustafa Ali in a singles match.
#3 Worst: No build for most matches
There was almost no time to hype Survivor Series. Bear in mind, Crown Jewel happened only earlier this month. Therefore, a match like Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, which should have been much bigger, did not feel special at all. This was particularly stark for the not so highly anticipated Tag Team Champion vs. Tag Team Champion match between AoP and The Bar.
So many matches suffered as a consequence of there being no hype or build around them. Why would I care to see two heel tag teams take each other on, when they've never interacted in the past, prior to this? Why should I suddenly care about teams like The Colons and The Club, who've been left by the wayside all this while? Not the best booking from WWE, quite honestly.
#4 Best/worst: The Sole Survivor
Accidents do happen in the wrestling business and such is the nature of the beast. However, the need of the hour is to have them curtailed and probably not encourage such behaviour in the future. However, if you do push someone who just hurt your hottest performer, are you sending out the right message?
I'm talking about Nia Jax, who pummeled Becky Lynch in the face, albeit by accident on RAW. She emerged as the sole Survivor at the Traditional 5-on-5.Women's Survivor Series match. I suppose the bigger goal in mind was to have her look strong for her future match against Ronda Rousey.
However, I do wonder if Sasha or Bayley may not have benefitted from the victory to a greater extent than her. Each of them hasn't really had an opportunity to shine in quite a while.
Maybe everyone should pray to The Goddess of WWE.
