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WWE Survivor Series 2020 would have been an average pay-per-view if not for the brilliant main event and an emotional farewell to The Undertaker. The brand wars ended with RAW proving itself to be the more dominant brand. We saw some of the best Superstars lock horns in matches that would remain memorable for a variety of reasons.
The traditional five-on-five Survivor Series elimination matches had a few surprises in store. The men’s team representing RAW completely destroyed Team SmackDown as they had an impressive clean sweep over the Blue brand. The women’s match ended on a shocking note after Lana emerged as the sole survivor and got the victory for RAW.
In this article, we will take a look at WWE Superstars who flopped at Survivor Series and those who impressed. So, without further ado, let's begin.
#4 Impressed at Survivor Series: AJ Styles
The opening match of Survivor Series saw the five-man team from RAW and SmackDown engage in the traditional five-on-five elimination match. The Superstars from the Red brand managed to get on the same page before the show and picked a huge victory over their counterparts. AJ Styles, the self-appointed leader of RAW’s team, ultimately came through and led his men to a memorable win.
Styles was also a standout performer in this entire match, especially if you watch his battle against Jey Uso and Kevin Owens. He was dominant against all the opponents that he faced, and was an architect behind several impressive spots. The closing moments of the match saw him engage in an excellent duel with Jey Uso – the only member who was left from SmackDown’s Survivor Series team.
This victory was great for the Red brand, but it was equally, if not more, big for AJ Styles. The Phenomenal One has not been involved in compelling feuds for a while now. Leading RAW to a clean sweep over SmackDown at Survivor Series will now help him further extend his claim as a leader on the Red brand.
Styles can use this dominant performance at Survivor Series to eventually challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship. In fact, he doesn’t even need to win this rivalry. It would just be the right way to use someone as talented Styles who guarantees an entertaining feud, with or without a title. Moreover, McIntyre will benefit immensely from a well-narrated rivalry against a former world champion.
#3 Flopped at Survivor Series: Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins was the first SmackDown Superstar to get eliminated from the traditional five-on-five Survivor Series match. It was also the most bizarre elimination in the entire night. Rollins first demanded Kevin Owens to tag him in the match. He then stepped inside the ring and immediately dropped down to his knees.
Rollins then went on to demand Sheamus to ‘do what he has to do’. The Celtic Warrior obliged and delivered a perfect Brogue Kick to take out Rollins. Sheamus then followed it up with a cover and eliminated Rollins via pinfall. This proved to be a huge disadvantage for the Blue brand at Survivor Series, and all its members were visibly agitated.
Seth Rollins is most likely going to take a paternity leave, but it was still a very weird way to write him off television. It would have made more sense to have him look like he sustained an injury during the match or was brutally attacked by one of his many, many enemies on the roster. Instead, WWE decided to make Rollins sacrifice himself at Survivor Series which ended up making him look extremely weak.
#3 Impressed at Survivor Series: Dominik Mysterio
Ever since his arrival in WWE, Dominik Mysterio has proved his mettle inside the ring. Tonight, at Survivor Series, he had a chance to shine, and Dominik Mysterio ensured that he made full use of the opportunity. Dominik Mysterio competed in the Dual Brand Battle Royale and went on to become the final Superstar to be eliminated from the match.
The closing moments of the match saw Dominik Mysterio fighting against Miz and Chad Gable as they were the final three Superstars left inside the squared circle in the Battle Royal at Survivor Series. Dominik Mysterio managed to kick Miz out of the squared circle after a powerful 619. However, the latter actually rolled out from underneath the rope, which meant that he wasn’t eliminated.
Following that, Dominik Mysterio was engaged in an epic to-and-fro with Chad Gable as both Superstars exchanged hard-hitting blows. Their short yet impressive battle at Survivor Series looked extremely promising. It finally ended with Dominik Mysterio throwing Gable over the top of the ring. He then began to celebrate his victory, which was soon cut short by Miz.
The latter came back inside the squared circle and promptly eliminated Dominik Mysterio to win the Battle Royal. Even though Dominik Mysterio didn’t win the match, he delivered one of the best performances in this entire match. Not to forget, Chad Gable deserves equal credit for his impressive in-ring prowess that he put on display tonight. We hope to see both these Superstars involved in a feud on SmackDown after Survivor Series.
#2 Flopped at Survivor Series: Bayley
The list of flops at Survivor Series is weirdly shocking, and we have no explanation for that. The second person on this list is none other than the former SmackDown Women’s Champion, Bayley. RAW’s Peyton Royce successfully eliminated Bayley soon after she got one good spot. It was as shocking as it could get and made Bayley look quite underwhelming in this match.
Prior to her elimination, Bayley was far from the level that you would expect her to be while leading SmackDown at Survivor Series. In fact, she looked weaker than she had ever looked in the recent memory except for her new-found attitude. She could have had a compelling exchange with the likes of Shayna Baszler and Lacey Evans, but their in-ring encounters were criminally limited.
The only good thing about Bayley’s shocking elimination from this match was the fact that she at least helped in putting Peyton Royce over in this match. The fact that she was the only member of SmackDown’s Survivor Series team who was picked for the team instead of going through a qualifier made her elimination look worse. It will be interesting to see what’s in store for her on the blue brand following the pay-per-view.
#2 Impressed at Survivor Series: Roman Reigns
Ever since Roman Reigns turned heel, he has found his best self, and it is evident inside the ring. His match against Drew McIntyre at Survivor Series proved how compelling he could be inside the ring. Reigns and his opponent took turns to dominate their match, with The Tribal Chief living up to his newly acquired tag in WWE.
Reigns was initially stunned by McIntyre, but he looked very convincing when portraying his frustration when his opponent kept coming back. There was a spot in which Reigns put McIntyre through the table, and it was simply amazing. Ultimately, The Tribal Chief managed to pick a win in an unclean fashion, thereby rightfully protecting McIntyre.
When the official was knocked out, he hit McIntyre with a low blow and Jey Uso used the opportunity to kick McIntyre in the face. Following that, Reigns held McIntyre in Guillotine and won the match after the WWE Champion passed out. This also helped Reigns in reconciling with Jey Uso as he was previously mad at his cousin for not leading SmackDown to a victory in the traditional five-on-five Survivor Series match.
#1 Flopped at Survivor Series: Natalya
At Survivor Series, Natalya was slightly better than Bayley, but she looked weaker than the rest of the women involved in this match. That looks so much worse when you realize that one of the remaining contenders was literally put on a timeout for most of the match. Yes, she had a couple of aggressive sports, but she had an equal number of botches throughout the match.
There was a particular spot during which she was trying to make her opponent submit, but she failed to hold onto her move for more than five seconds. She tried to cover it up almost immediately, but the mistake was extremely evident. It was painful to see a technical wrestler as good as Natalya struggle to execute her moves at Survivor Series.
Natalya is an experienced WWE Superstar who has struggled to find her definitive place in the women’s roster for quite some time now. Even as a heel, Natalya cannot be so distant from her actual in-ring talent. We hope that her fate will change following Survivor Series, and she will find herself in matches that will help her find what she deserves in the women’s division of SmackDown.
#1 Impressed at Survivor Series: Drew McIntyre
WWE Survivor Series 2020 would have been an entirely different pay-per-view if it wasn’t for Drew McIntyre’s match against Roman Reigns. Both Superstars gave their absolute best inside the ring, and this completely lived up to its hype. Even though Drew McIntyre did not win this match, he was clearly the best performer at the pay-per-view tonight.
McIntyre was the one who appeared to be more dominant throughout the match. He was manhandling Reigns inside the ring and came off as a better contender in this encounter between two top WWE Superstars. It was extremely impressive to see the RAW representative pick up someone like Reigns and throw him around like he did at Survivor Series.
The closing moments of the match saw Drew McIntyre falling prey to an interference from Jey Uso and a low blow from his opponent. McIntyre’s Claymore took Reigns out of the equation, but he also knocked out the match official in the process. This allowed a small window of opportunity to Jey Uso to help The Tribal Chief, and that’s what he ended up doing. Nonetheless, Drew McIntyre managed to impress every single onlooker with his dedicated performance tonight at Survivor Series.
