Once again, one of WWE’s big four PPVs was a rollercoaster of ups and downs, with a number of awesome moments coinciding with weak booking decisions. The women’s match underwhelmed, mostly due to the rushed nature of the bout.
The Miz and Sami Zayn match delivered a splendid contest until a weak screwjob finish tarnished the great work of both men. The tag teams competed in a fast-paced, electric match that had fans on the edge of their seats. A weak interference finish ruined a perfectly fine Cruiserweight match.
The men of Raw and Smackdown stole the show with an amazing matchup, with a number of incredible moments taking place that had fans ecstatic.
However, let’s get to the biggest talking point of the night. Goldberg, returning for the first time in 12 years, decimated Brock Lesnar in under two minutes. What is this writer’s thoughts on this extremely controversial ending, as well as the PPV overall? Let’s find out, as I Analyse and Grade each match from WWE Survivor Series 2016.
#1 Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar (the Mega-Match):
Grade: 4/10
Yes, I am giving this match a 4/10. Some fans may have liked this finish, as it was one of the biggest shocks since the Undertaker’s streak was ended. However, once the shock wears off, it becomes obvious that WWE just sacrificed the Beast Incarnate that they had built up for a number of years, to a part-time veteran.
The man that ended the Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak lost in under two minutes to a 50-year old, instead of being fairly beaten by an up-and coming talent.
Now, sure, this could lead to a rematch down the line, or to Goldberg possibly putting someone else over, but all the work done to build Lesnar as an unstoppable monster for years was undone by a dumb choice to shock viewers.
Instead of giving the rub of beating Lesnar to Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe or Bray Wyatt, it was given to Goldberg despite his career winding down in the next few months. This was, in this writer’s opinion, the dumbest decision made by WWE since Lesnar himself beat the Undertaker’s streak.
Once again, a part-timer beats something with so much hype, rather than a full-time talent who could be catapulted to megastar status from the win. An incredibly weak decision from WWE, even if it leads to a rematch or culminates in Goldberg losing to a younger talent.
The one positive is a reboot in Lesnar’s character. He has finally shown weakness, and that will lead to a much more interesting Beast Incarnate than we have seen in 2016 so far.
Besides that one positive, this was the worst decision by WWE since Lesnar beat the Undertaker’s streak, and it is such a shame that a younger superstar didn’t get the rub of beating the Beast Incarnate. However, this has stirred an ungodly amount of controversy and hype around the product, and that is the goal for WWE, right?
Maybe this could be the catalyst for something even bigger than Lesnar being beaten by a younger superstar? For now, I am giving it 4/10, but WWE may prove me wrong in the months to come. For now, fans (including this writer) are shocked, but angry.
Let’s see how WWE capitalises on this hugely shocking moment in the near future.
#2 Women’s Survivor Series Match (5 on 5):
Grade: 7/10
This was a solid opener, and it was a smart decision by WWE to take advantage of the early electricity from the crowd for the women’s match. However, this match soon turned into a mess, and a number of weak spots and eliminations left fans underwhelmed.
Rapid eliminations made the match feel extremely rushed, and fans didn’t have enough time to enjoy the action as eliminations kept coming. Nia Jax wasn’t protected well either, submitting to Becky Lynch. Rather than using a countout elimination or even a pinfall, Jax appeared weak as she gave up very quickly to a submission hold.
Also, Sasha Banks was pinned by Natalya, arguably the most irrelevant woman on Smackdown Live right now. These poor booking decisions tarnished the match somewhat, but it was still a decent matchup that saw Bayley earn the decisive pinfall.
Charlotte attacking Bayley after the bell helped kick-off their feud, which looks to be occurring heading into Roadblock. Overall, a solid women’s bout that was undermined by a few minor mistakes but was still entertaining to open the show.
#3 The Miz vs Sami Zayn (Intercontinental Championship):
Grade: 7.5/10
This was a strong match between two great workers, with Miz’s heel work corresponding well with Zayn’s underdog persona. They told a splendid story with Zayn attempting to overcome the odds in his home country of Canada, and the crowd were firmly behind the Underdog from the Underground with chants and cheers.
What stopped this match from succeeding further, however, was the typical screwjob finish that fans have had to deal with for too long. Obviously alluding to the Montreal Screwjob of ’97, Maryse distracted Zayn by ringing the bell early while he had a submission locked in.
Miz took advantage, sneaking away with the cheap win over Zayn. This finish would’ve made sense if Zayn and Miz were set to continue feuding, but they are not considering the fact that they are on different brands. Miz retaining was the right result, sure, but this was the wrong way to end what was close to being a very stellar bout.
#4 10 on 10 Tag Team Survivor Series Match:
Grade: 8/10
With fast-paced, high-octane action, this was exactly what this match should have been. A number of awesome moments involving quick eliminations, suicide dives and top rope manoeuvres made this match easy on the eyes.
Although this was extremely crowded and had very little story, the fun and entertaining action led to a stellar match that had fans on the edge of their seats in the closing moments.
Cesaro and Sheamus competing with the Usos for the last five minutes of the matchup had the crowd hot, and Cesaro showcased why he is one of the best wrestlers in the world. Going on a tear and locking in the Sharpshooter for the win, Cesaro was awesome in a great finish to a splendid match.
One poor decision was evident, however. Instead of giving American Alpha, Enzo and Cass, or even Gallows and Anderson a huge win to catapult them into tag title contention, Cesaro and Sheamus emerged victorious despite already being in the tag team championship picture.
A team like Gallows and Anderson, who are in need of revitalisation, could’ve used the sole survivor win much more than the mismatched duo of Cesaro and Sheamus. Still, despite the weak choice of winners, this was a rollercoaster of a match that had fans electric, and the fast-paced action led to a better matchup than the women.
#5 Brian Kendrick vs Kalisto (WWE Cruiserweight Championship):
Grade: 6/10
This was a perfectly fine match, with Kendrick’s heel work being especially strong. However, the crowd were completely apathetic to this bout, despite the high stakes. Kalisto was not over with the fans in attendance, and this led to a silent atmosphere for a majority of the matchup.
Still, despite the crowd’s disinterest, this was a solid contest that saw a couple of awesome spots take place (Kalisto’s suicide dive, the Spanish Fly from the apron). However, once again, a poor finish tarnished what could’ve been a stellar bout, had it been given more time and a stronger ending.
Baron Corbin (who was supposed to be injured?) attacked Kendrick and Kalisto, leaving both men lying in the ring, as the Cruiserweight division remains on Raw. Nobody benefited at all from this, and the Cruiserweight division looked as weak as ever.
This felt like a swerve put in place for little reason, and it hurt what could’ve been a strong win for either Kendrick or Kalisto. Also, it would’ve been a nice change of scenery to see the Cruiserweights on Smackdown, as they could’ve had a fresh start (which is much-needed right now for the division).
#6 Men’s Survivor Series Match (5 on 5):
Grade: 9.5/10
This was easily the match of the night, and a plethora of incredible moments built to an awesome finish. This was a chaotic frenzy, and despite the ridiculous length of this match, there was always a reason for fans to be on the edge of their seats.
The number of fantastic faceoffs only added to this matchup, as Rollins/Styles, Wyatt/Strowman and Reigns/Shane O-Mac were just three of the numerous intriguing encounters that we received.
Once the action heated up, fans were taken on a rollercoaster of awesomeness. KO dove off the top rope onto everyone with a senton. Shane O-Mac hit Braun Strowman with an elbow drop through the announce table.
Strowman hurled James Ellsworth through a table off the entrance ramp. Randy Orton hit Seth Rollins with another insane RKO. Reigns hit Shane O-Mac with a ridiculous spear. And, finally, the Shield reunited briefly with a Triple Powerbomb to AJ Styles.
These moments made this Survivor Series match feel special, as fans were going wild for each incredible spot.
To finish the already incredible bout, the new Wyatt Family emerged victorious, garnering a ton of momentum by overcoming Rollins and Reigns. The fact that Bray Wyatt pinned Roman Reigns to win the match only satisfied fans even more, as Wyatt finally stood tall on a big PPV.
Throughout the matchup, stories were furthered also. JeriKO’s tensions were evident when Owens used the List of Jericho as a weapon. Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles continued to clash before their TLC match. Braun Strowman and James Ellsworth look destined to clash in an entertaining rematch.
Overall, this was an incredibly entertaining bout that had fans ecstatic with numerous ‘Holy Sh*t’ moments. It was easily the best match of the night, as the men of Raw and Smackdown Live tore the house down with a classic Survivor Series clash.
Overall Grade for Survivor Series: 7.5/10
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