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Survivor Series was an interesting show, with a bunch of really fun matches and interesting storytelling devices. Raw absolutely wiped the floor with Smackdown, beating them 6-0 (Not counting the pre-show) and utterly humiliating them. Matches like Daniel Bryan vs Brock Lesnar, Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey and Seth Rollins vs Shinsuke Nakamura certainly showed us why Survivor Series and brand warfare is still as popular and exciting as ever, even if the latter might not have legs to its story for much longer.
There have been various similarities between this Survivor Series and the previous two Survivor Series events, both of which followed the same brand warfare concept. Things like victories, eliminations and scenarios have been common with the show's counterparts from a year or two ago, aside from the fact that Raw won the battle every single time.
The Blue brand has fared worse and worse every time at Survivor Series, so perhaps we could be done with this concept as a whole. Anyway, here are five interesting facts about Survivor Series 2018, and the last two Survivor Series events as a whole.
#5 This was the third year in a row where Raw won the women's 5-on-5 elimination match
It is no surprise that Raw has been the superior brand at Survivor Series for three years now, but there is only one battle that they have won every year since the brand warfare concept started. The women's 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match has always ended with the females on the Red brand standing tall.
It is a sizeable rift in quality and standing between the women on Raw and Smackdown, aside from an obvious few In all, four women have survived these matches with all of them doing it once each.
In 2016, Charlotte Flair and Bayley won the match for Team Raw before the Queen assaulted the Hugger post-match. Last year saw the then-undefeated Asuka coming from behind to become the sole survivor for the Red brand.
This time though, the Empress would fall at the final hurdle as everyone's least favourite wrestler Nia Jax defeated her to become the sole survivor in the women's elimination match, to a huge chorus of boos. Every other type of brand vs brand match has either not happened every year, or has been won by both Raw and Smackdown.
#4 The captain of the Smackdown Women's team was the first person eliminated for the second year in a row
Continuing with the vastly superior standing the Raw women are given over the Smackdown women, this trend has been a bother to the Blue brand. Their luck with female captains has not been the best.
The previous two skippers of the Smackdown women's team were the first person eliminated from their respective matches. During the Survivor Series kickoff show, Naomi was revealed to be the captain of Team Smackdown. However, she was quickly and surprisingly eliminated by Tamina. This was a repeat from the happenings of last year's Survivor Series.
Becky Lynch was Smackdown's captain last year but was eliminated by a shocking roll-up by Bayley in only a matter of minutes. It was unthinkable, considering the position Becky is in currently, but she had been languishing throughout 2017.
The Smackdown women's captain curse actually goes back further to 2016, when Nikki Bella was taken out backstage before the match even began. This would lead to coach Natalya, who was the one who attacked her, to take the Fearless One's place in the team, in a match where Team Blue obviously lost.
#3 Shane McMahon faced 3-on-1 odds for the second year in a row
When WWE says Shane McMahon is the best in the world, you may think they are joking. However, the facts suggest that WWE actually value him as such. The Smackdown commissioner has outlasted his fellow Blue brand teammates at the previous two Survivor Series events.
Team Blue has been decimated for a while now, dating back to the overwhelming invasion and assault that Raw carried out on them. The main event elimination match was the beginning of Smackdown's downfall in the war of brands.
Shane O'Mac, who started the bitter rivalry between Red and Blue last year, was left alone against Kurt Angle, Triple H and Braun Strowman at the end of the men's 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match last year.
After some confusing developments, the Game and Strowman would stand tall over the beaten down commissioner. This year, it would be even worse as the WWE World Cup winner was up against Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre. Needless to say, he was gone in a matter of seconds.
#2 Buddy Murphy vs Mustafa Ali was the first championship match on the Survivor Series main card since the Cruiserweight title match in 2016
With the rivalry between Raw and Smackdown being played out every year at Survivor Series now, there has not been much title match action at the November supershow. However, the Cruiserweight Championship match between Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali was a breath of fresh air and a break from the annihilation of Smackdown by Raw.
We saw great fast-paced action from two fantastic pro wrestlers who gradually won over the crowd. This was the first championship match of any card at the Survivor Series main show for two years.
The last title match to take place at Survivor Series before Sunday was in fact for the 205 Live crowns, before the show had even existed. Kalisto challenged The Brian Kendrick in a match that had serious brand implications.
Before this, The Miz defended his Intercontinental Championship against Raw's Sami Zayn on the same show, with the same brand warfare concept. If WWE feels they can get more out of this concept, then do not expect to see any title matches at next year's Survivor Series as well. Except for the Cruiserweight title.
#1 Seven people have wrestled on the same Survivor Series team every year since the return of the brand split
Brand loyalty is one thing that has been brought up countless times over the last few Survivor Series events, with wrestlers fighting for the show they were on. A handful of wrestlers have fought for the show they are on for three straight years.
They have been a part of their respective 5-person team every year since the second brand split commenced. The Smackdown and Raw men's teams have changed significantly over the years, but there has been one constant in both sides for three years now. Shane McMahon for Smackdown and Braun Strowman for Raw.
They have also crossed paths at every one of these matches. In 2016, Shane O'Mac elbow dropped Strowman through the announce table which would result in the Monster's countout elimination from the match.
In 2017, the former Raw Tag Team Champion was one of two survivors for Team Raw with McMahon being the last one eliminated from Team Smackdown. Funnily enough, both of those things happened at this year's Survivor Series, with Strowman pinning the Smackdown commissioner to win the match for Raw.
While there are similarities in the men's teams, the women's teams are more uniform. Literally half of the participants in every match of its kind are the same women, wrestling for the same team. Smackdown's Carmella and Naomi have been part of every women's Survivor Series team for the Blue brand, not winning a single one of them.
Over on the other side, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Nia Jax have represented Raw in team competition at every Survivor Series event since 2016. Bayley and Jax have won matches at the November supershow, so perhaps it is Sasha's turn next year.
These seven men and women have been consistent representatives of their brands at Survivor Series. How many of them will still hold this record come next year's Survivor Series?
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