Survivor Series is thirty years-old and unlike WrestleMania, it doesn't feel like it deserves this accolade. While this is a 'Big Four' event, it hasn't felt like it for many years, with few events since the mid-2000's setting the soul on fire, with Vince McMahon wanting to get rid of it some five years ago. WWE may want its 'Big Four' events to have that same 'WrestleMania-esque' feel by having it be four hours and have a 2-hour pre-show with big matches to sell it, but it's all about how good the card ends up being that defines it, something that Survivor Series hasn't been able to call on for some time.
However, even with that in mind this years event has a certain amount of spice and intrigue. We have a RAW versus SmackDown brand war that permeates five of the six scheduled matches, with titles, allegiances and an entire division of wrestlers at stake. On top of that, we have the rematch no one really wanted to see, but thanks to a video game it's happening anyway to ensure the hype got jacked up a little more. Compared to prior Survivor Series events as a whole, the last time this event had a card felt 'big' was 2005, the last time the brands fought for supremacy over one another. All in all, the card has enough quality wrestlers in enough quality sounding matches to deliver, but with four hours to contain six matches, we'll have to see if they manage to fill the time accordingly and make it all count. That's what this review is here to do, and highlight whether it was done greatly or badly. Will my discouraged temperament for WWE's recent product that has seen their last two PPV's be rated as the worst of the year continue to bog me down, or will this event surprise and renew my interest? Lets dive into this show to see which end of my emotional spectrum it came out on.
However, even with that in mind this years event has a certain amount of spice and intrigue. We have a RAW versus SmackDown brand war that permeates five of the six scheduled matches, with titles, allegiances and an entire division of wrestlers at stake. On top of that, we have the rematch no one really wanted to see, but thanks to a video game it's happening anyway to ensure the hype got jacked up a little more. Compared to prior Survivor Series events as a whole, the last time this event had a card felt 'big' was 2005, the last time the brands fought for supremacy over one another. All in all, the card has enough quality wrestlers in enough quality sounding matches to deliver, but with four hours to contain six matches, we'll have to see if they manage to fill the time accordingly and make it all count. That's what this review is here to do, and highlight whether it was done greatly or badly. Will my discouraged temperament for WWE's recent product that has seen their last two PPV's be rated as the worst of the year continue to bog me down, or will this event surprise and renew my interest? Lets dive into this show to see which end of my emotional spectrum it came out on.
SPOILER WARNING - IF YOU DON'T WANT THE RESULTS RUINED, DO NOT READ ON.
If you've never seen The CC Network's video reviews of WWE events before, my review system that I use for those as well as these blogs will be new to you. Matches are given star ratings in accordance with an average, accumulated score of five rating factors: Psychology (in-ring story), Move Variety, Crowd Reaction, Match Length and Pacing, as well as my overall enjoyment as a result of those factors.
THERE WILL BE NO ACCOMPANYING VIDEO DUE TO MY CURRENT HIATUS FROM UPLOADING NON-FRIDAY FLASHBACK REVIEWS TO THE CHANNEL.
Now time to get into the show. As I don't review the Pre-Show Match(es) as part of the whole televised package, here's the result of those matches:
Noam Dar, Rich Swann & TJ Perkins def Tony Nese, Drew Gulak & Ariya Daivari in a 6-Man Tag Team Match (11:41)
Kane def Luke Harper (9:17)
Kane def Luke Harper (9:17)
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TEAM RAW WOMEN def TEAM SMACKDOWN WOMEN IN A 5-ON-5 SURVIVOR SERIES ELIMINATION MATCH (17:53)
PSYCHOLOGY: 2.5
MOVE VARIETY: 2
CROWD REACTION: 2
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 3
MY ENJOYMENT: 2.5
FINAL RATING: **1/2
The Women go from main eventing a PPV to opening one in the space of a month. While that seems derogatory towards the hardworking women of WWE, I consider it to be good placement as these (mostly) popular women deserve to go out there while the crowd are pumped and deliver a Women's Survivor Series Elimination match that they actually cared about for the first time in history. Considering the Women involved and the position/quality of matches they've been in this year, I'd expect this match to be better than previous Women's matches from Survivor Series past. While that was achieved, it wasn't to a lofty height I was expecting.
The biggest moment of the match happened before it even begun with Nikki Bella being attacked by an unknown party, causing Team Coach Natalya to take her place, leading to a perplexed and distraught SmackDown team fighting an uphill battle against a much stronger RAW team, that with Nia Jax's physical dominance as well as Sasha and Charlotte's technical prowess were always going to be hard to beat. I'll give the SmackDown ladies credit though, as they went tooth and nail against RAW's team and showed greatly why people praise their minimal division. They have flash with some nice moves and supplied the bangs when appropriate as eliminations for both teams remained even and consistent in the matches' steady but fast pace to ensure both teams looked even. While Sasha was eliminated, I'm disappointed that Charlotte didn't strike or lash out at her, then again it made what she did to Bayley upon RAW's win more shocking, so that did its job I guess.
The match while showcasing some good talent on offer, didn't get out of second gear as it became clear that RAW was going to win. While I predicted it, I still felt leaving two of RAW's women surviving neutered the impact of the match as whole, especially considering how little Bayley did within it. The crowd got into it in parts, but for large sequences especially after Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss were eliminated, interest in the match was lost even with Becky's resurgence. RAW's women's division needed the win, but all in all still came across as weak with their roster not making this match worth the time, speaking of which it went a lot short than thought with eliminations happening quicker than expected making it on retrospect look rushed. I also feel Natalya offered nothing to the match in Nikki Bella's absence, and if that's not properly taken anywhere, it's just a wasted piece of storytelling that this match planted. Overall, while I enjoyed this match, it was a little lacklustre in places that stopped it from being a match that is seen as 'great'. It had the potential to be, but in this case of brand supremacy, making one team look stronger made this contest lose its lustre quickly.
The biggest moment of the match happened before it even begun with Nikki Bella being attacked by an unknown party, causing Team Coach Natalya to take her place, leading to a perplexed and distraught SmackDown team fighting an uphill battle against a much stronger RAW team, that with Nia Jax's physical dominance as well as Sasha and Charlotte's technical prowess were always going to be hard to beat. I'll give the SmackDown ladies credit though, as they went tooth and nail against RAW's team and showed greatly why people praise their minimal division. They have flash with some nice moves and supplied the bangs when appropriate as eliminations for both teams remained even and consistent in the matches' steady but fast pace to ensure both teams looked even. While Sasha was eliminated, I'm disappointed that Charlotte didn't strike or lash out at her, then again it made what she did to Bayley upon RAW's win more shocking, so that did its job I guess.
The match while showcasing some good talent on offer, didn't get out of second gear as it became clear that RAW was going to win. While I predicted it, I still felt leaving two of RAW's women surviving neutered the impact of the match as whole, especially considering how little Bayley did within it. The crowd got into it in parts, but for large sequences especially after Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss were eliminated, interest in the match was lost even with Becky's resurgence. RAW's women's division needed the win, but all in all still came across as weak with their roster not making this match worth the time, speaking of which it went a lot short than thought with eliminations happening quicker than expected making it on retrospect look rushed. I also feel Natalya offered nothing to the match in Nikki Bella's absence, and if that's not properly taken anywhere, it's just a wasted piece of storytelling that this match planted. Overall, while I enjoyed this match, it was a little lacklustre in places that stopped it from being a match that is seen as 'great'. It had the potential to be, but in this case of brand supremacy, making one team look stronger made this contest lose its lustre quickly.
THE MIZ (c) def SAMI ZAYN TO RETAIN THE WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP (14:08)
PSYCHOLOGY: 3.5
MOVE VARIETY: 1
CROWD REACTION: 2
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2
MY ENJOYMENT: 2
FINAL RATING: **1/4
Once again a Canadian wrestler is thrown a screwjob-esque finish in his home country. At least this time we all saw it. Considering The Miz just won the title on SmackDown's 900th Episode this past Tuesday, it would've seemed far fetched to believe he'd lose the title just as quickly, to a RAW guy too. Many had predicted that Zayn would win, so to see this outcome and the way it panned out was irritating and ridiculous to some. For me though, it was quite fantastic and capped off a match that while feeling flat at times managed to weave a good story to it to ensure I will remember it for a little while.
Miz's ring work may not be the best but what he does well is weave his position as a cunning heel into everything he does, finding a cheap shot or escape route within which he can control a match and make the babyface look even more sympathetic, driving the story to make fans WISH to see him beat up, only for him to escape with his title and brag about it. I can now understand why Ric Flair bestowed the Figure Four Leg Lock to him, he is basically the Modern Day Incarnation of The Nature Boy in-ringwise, except by all manner of accounts he's vainer and more up his own arse than the sixteen-time World Champion with less to his name, which makes it work even better. Nonetheless, by using Maryse to help him win again, as well as targeting and working on Zayn's leg for most of the match was nice to see. Having him taunt Daniel Bryan with his moves and gestures once again continues the bad blood between them, where at some point we're bound to see some repercussions, especially after the RAW announcers questioned why the SD staff showed him little faith and support as champion. While Zayn didn't sell the leg periodically while standing he did compound his pain by selling when landing moves, and in particular running slowly for the Helluva Kick, while subtle at times, it was really nice to see adrenaline flowing but the repercussions of the actions become noticeable. The ending was just the icing on the cake to make Zayn look robbed and make his hard fought recovery seem all for nothing. The psychology and story all in all was the highlight of the match as nothing else really came through shining.
This was a match that went way too long for and had a slow build work for the story but not to the benefit of the crowd or its pacing. It was too slow for long periods which kept the crowd disinterested until Zayn's rallying fightback. While they showed early signs of good heat for their fellow Canadian (even giving his announcement from Montreal a pass), due to Miz's grounded offence they didn't care for long spells. While momentum did shift nicely, I do wish it was faster to show the Miz off more but hell, with that steady pace he was able to give a more grounded and realistic story so I can't complain but the rating suffers regardless. While I was enjoying this match in periodical spells, it didn't do enough to warrant my full praise. It nearly hit my halfway mark of ratings but it did so through a nicely told story, but it needed much more to make me feel its worth was justified given the time it had given such little build. If it were Ziggler VS Zayn, I know the move variety, crowd and pacing would've been higher... but the story wouldn't. So I'd have happily had the worse match for a better story. You all may not be happy with that, but it's what matters in the end. Hopefully Zayn goes to SmackDown to exact revenge.
Miz's ring work may not be the best but what he does well is weave his position as a cunning heel into everything he does, finding a cheap shot or escape route within which he can control a match and make the babyface look even more sympathetic, driving the story to make fans WISH to see him beat up, only for him to escape with his title and brag about it. I can now understand why Ric Flair bestowed the Figure Four Leg Lock to him, he is basically the Modern Day Incarnation of The Nature Boy in-ringwise, except by all manner of accounts he's vainer and more up his own arse than the sixteen-time World Champion with less to his name, which makes it work even better. Nonetheless, by using Maryse to help him win again, as well as targeting and working on Zayn's leg for most of the match was nice to see. Having him taunt Daniel Bryan with his moves and gestures once again continues the bad blood between them, where at some point we're bound to see some repercussions, especially after the RAW announcers questioned why the SD staff showed him little faith and support as champion. While Zayn didn't sell the leg periodically while standing he did compound his pain by selling when landing moves, and in particular running slowly for the Helluva Kick, while subtle at times, it was really nice to see adrenaline flowing but the repercussions of the actions become noticeable. The ending was just the icing on the cake to make Zayn look robbed and make his hard fought recovery seem all for nothing. The psychology and story all in all was the highlight of the match as nothing else really came through shining.
This was a match that went way too long for and had a slow build work for the story but not to the benefit of the crowd or its pacing. It was too slow for long periods which kept the crowd disinterested until Zayn's rallying fightback. While they showed early signs of good heat for their fellow Canadian (even giving his announcement from Montreal a pass), due to Miz's grounded offence they didn't care for long spells. While momentum did shift nicely, I do wish it was faster to show the Miz off more but hell, with that steady pace he was able to give a more grounded and realistic story so I can't complain but the rating suffers regardless. While I was enjoying this match in periodical spells, it didn't do enough to warrant my full praise. It nearly hit my halfway mark of ratings but it did so through a nicely told story, but it needed much more to make me feel its worth was justified given the time it had given such little build. If it were Ziggler VS Zayn, I know the move variety, crowd and pacing would've been higher... but the story wouldn't. So I'd have happily had the worse match for a better story. You all may not be happy with that, but it's what matters in the end. Hopefully Zayn goes to SmackDown to exact revenge.
TEAM RAW TAG TEAMS def TEAM SMACKDOWN TAG TEAMS IN A 10-ON-10 SURVIVOR SERIES ELIMINATION MATCH (18:55)
PSYCHOLOGY: 2.5
MOVE VARIETY: 1.5
CROWD REACTION: 2.5
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2.5
MY ENJOYMENT: 2.5
FINAL RATING: **1/2
RAW and SmackDown's women's divisions on paper have the red brand looking strong with the blue brands' looking weaker but being booked stronger and equally. When it's put that way, having RAW's team win makes sense. When looking at both brands tag teams however, it's a completely different story. While both brands have good teams within them, none of them, even their champions look effective due to a lack of good booking and solid opportunities to impress regularly. Therefore, when it came to this match, I was unsure what direction they'd go in to give the viewer an impression of both Tag divisions qualities. Thankfully, we got a sizeable showcase that even if the teams aren't well built, they're not short on talent and surprises to make quite an underwhelming match on paper one that was worth the time.
Shockingly, The New Day, who are just twenty-two days short of tying Demolition's all time record were the first RAW team eliminated, thus giving the rest of the team a chance to shine. A chance they took well with The Shining Stars finagling being given a chance to show off the moves that made them work so well as babyfaces under the Colon name back in 2009. SmackDown's team, already one team down tried to fight on but much like the Women's match earlier on, the power of RAW's team proved too much and if it weren't for some convenient distractions, the even nature of this match wouldn't have been kept. Seeing Cesaro & Sheamus survive to the end was surprising and having the SD Tag Champions be eliminated and have American Alpha not get a good run are where this match lost some points as they didn't look like the stars they are. However, the final flurry of counters, near falls and finishers between The Usos's and RAW's dysfunctional Irish & Swiss Connection was as thrilling a sequence of wrestling you're likely to see on WWE TV this year, even though The Revival and DIY did it better the night before. Having both Sheamus and Cesaro sacrifice themselves for each other and break up falls proved that they indeed could co-exist, however upon winning, just like Charlotte earlier on, Sheamus didn't take the win in a celebratory fashion and resumed their rivalry while The Uso's, even in defeat looked strong.
The match was faster and more intense than the Women's match at times but thanks to the insane amount of competitors the pace had to fluctuate throughout to accommodate the styles of all involved, which neutered its flow to some degree. Thankfully, the final four exchange was worth a fats but physical pace to ensure the crowd who'd been lukewarm until Heath Slater's presence came through would finish this match popping hard. Thankfully as well, these teams took some risks with some nicely executed Plancha to the outside by American Alpha, a top rope elbow by Slater (who looked scared as hell doing it) while Sheamus White Noise off the top rope was undersold and understated, it was the move of the evening prior to the main elimination match later on. This match loses points for much like the Women's match, going a little quicker than expected, especially with the sea of humanity within it. While each team got their moments, seeing them take their time and make it last to show that the tag team divisions of these rosters had more would've been better. Alas, they had to ensure it didn't linger on too long otherwise the crowd would've lost interest, something that did happen midway through. All in all, this was much better than I thought it would be. It told a decent story, kept the crowd invested and was quick and shifting momentum enough for all teams to be given their shot while quite fun at times to watch in the process. If not for one or two more moves and story elements, we'd be looking at a three star match instead of a two and a half, but for this match to get the average, from what little it was built from makes me quite pleased indeed.
Shockingly, The New Day, who are just twenty-two days short of tying Demolition's all time record were the first RAW team eliminated, thus giving the rest of the team a chance to shine. A chance they took well with The Shining Stars finagling being given a chance to show off the moves that made them work so well as babyfaces under the Colon name back in 2009. SmackDown's team, already one team down tried to fight on but much like the Women's match earlier on, the power of RAW's team proved too much and if it weren't for some convenient distractions, the even nature of this match wouldn't have been kept. Seeing Cesaro & Sheamus survive to the end was surprising and having the SD Tag Champions be eliminated and have American Alpha not get a good run are where this match lost some points as they didn't look like the stars they are. However, the final flurry of counters, near falls and finishers between The Usos's and RAW's dysfunctional Irish & Swiss Connection was as thrilling a sequence of wrestling you're likely to see on WWE TV this year, even though The Revival and DIY did it better the night before. Having both Sheamus and Cesaro sacrifice themselves for each other and break up falls proved that they indeed could co-exist, however upon winning, just like Charlotte earlier on, Sheamus didn't take the win in a celebratory fashion and resumed their rivalry while The Uso's, even in defeat looked strong.
The match was faster and more intense than the Women's match at times but thanks to the insane amount of competitors the pace had to fluctuate throughout to accommodate the styles of all involved, which neutered its flow to some degree. Thankfully, the final four exchange was worth a fats but physical pace to ensure the crowd who'd been lukewarm until Heath Slater's presence came through would finish this match popping hard. Thankfully as well, these teams took some risks with some nicely executed Plancha to the outside by American Alpha, a top rope elbow by Slater (who looked scared as hell doing it) while Sheamus White Noise off the top rope was undersold and understated, it was the move of the evening prior to the main elimination match later on. This match loses points for much like the Women's match, going a little quicker than expected, especially with the sea of humanity within it. While each team got their moments, seeing them take their time and make it last to show that the tag team divisions of these rosters had more would've been better. Alas, they had to ensure it didn't linger on too long otherwise the crowd would've lost interest, something that did happen midway through. All in all, this was much better than I thought it would be. It told a decent story, kept the crowd invested and was quick and shifting momentum enough for all teams to be given their shot while quite fun at times to watch in the process. If not for one or two more moves and story elements, we'd be looking at a three star match instead of a two and a half, but for this match to get the average, from what little it was built from makes me quite pleased indeed.
BRIAN KENDRICK (c) def KALISTO BY DISQUALIFICATION TO RETAIN THE WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (12:18)
PSYCHOLOGY: 2.5
MOVE VARIETY: 1.5
CROWD REACTION: 1.5
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2
MY ENJOYMENT: 2
FINAL RATING: *1/4
Considering the quality that both men possess as in-ring competitors, you'd be expecting something better out of Kalisto and Brian Kendrick. Then again, since its inaugural PPV outing at Clash Of Champions, the quality of the Cruiserweight matches have declined due to overexposure of its minimal roster, the toning down of its competitors movesets and the separate presentation of its matches. Therefore, the idea that Kalisto winning would send the division to SD under the eye of one of the greatest Light Heavyweights in Daniel Bryan would've been a surefire hit. However, for good story reasons, this wasn't to be. However, I just wish the match accounted for more.
While I was happy that Kendrick, who lauded himself as a cunning and ring savvy wrestler who didn't apply himself to the usual checklist of flips and kicks to get the fans on their feet in the pre-match video package, used this match to back up his claims by taking shots at Kalisto's head throughout, wearing it down with most moves he did so that his Captain's Hook Finisher would have more effect. It was undermined by Kalisto's lack of selling under offence, and the the fact it didn't end the match with Kalisto tapping out was a waste. Kalisto winning was my prediction going in, and seeing him be decimated made his fightback look really bad. While many would complain that Baron Corbin's DQ-causing interference was a bad move, it made Kalisto come to terms with the punishment he'd been dealt, while also making me wonder why Kendrick even needed to win like this given his dominance. Then again, Bryan chewing Corbin out backstage, only to have The Lone Wolf get right in his face defiantly makes me really want to watch SmackDown on Tuesday for the aftermath.
While keeping the division on RAW in terms of quality of time for exposure of itself is a good idea, I just wish that casual or disenchanted fans who were watching due to Goldberg/Lesnar had the opportunity to see what made the Classic that aired on the Network so popular as this wasn't a good embodiment of it. The crowd were disinterested for the majority and if it weren't for the Apron Spanish Fly by Kalisto, the Reverse Headlock Takedown into the Captain's Hook and the ability by both men to keep pace and counter each others moves, I probably would've joined them in my apathy. The match did just enough to warrant my interest but all in all, I couldn't have been more disappointed with it.
While I was happy that Kendrick, who lauded himself as a cunning and ring savvy wrestler who didn't apply himself to the usual checklist of flips and kicks to get the fans on their feet in the pre-match video package, used this match to back up his claims by taking shots at Kalisto's head throughout, wearing it down with most moves he did so that his Captain's Hook Finisher would have more effect. It was undermined by Kalisto's lack of selling under offence, and the the fact it didn't end the match with Kalisto tapping out was a waste. Kalisto winning was my prediction going in, and seeing him be decimated made his fightback look really bad. While many would complain that Baron Corbin's DQ-causing interference was a bad move, it made Kalisto come to terms with the punishment he'd been dealt, while also making me wonder why Kendrick even needed to win like this given his dominance. Then again, Bryan chewing Corbin out backstage, only to have The Lone Wolf get right in his face defiantly makes me really want to watch SmackDown on Tuesday for the aftermath.
While keeping the division on RAW in terms of quality of time for exposure of itself is a good idea, I just wish that casual or disenchanted fans who were watching due to Goldberg/Lesnar had the opportunity to see what made the Classic that aired on the Network so popular as this wasn't a good embodiment of it. The crowd were disinterested for the majority and if it weren't for the Apron Spanish Fly by Kalisto, the Reverse Headlock Takedown into the Captain's Hook and the ability by both men to keep pace and counter each others moves, I probably would've joined them in my apathy. The match did just enough to warrant my interest but all in all, I couldn't have been more disappointed with it.
TEAM SMACKDOWN MEN def TEAM RAW MEN IN A 5-ON-5 SURVIVOR SERIES ELIMINATION MATCH (52:51)
PSYCHOLOGY: 5
MOVE VARIETY: 3
CROWD REACTION: 5
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 5
MY ENJOYMENT: 5
FINAL RATING: *****
This was Match Of The Year for me. To say this might seem ridiculous considering the matches that WWE have put on this year, but for nearly a whole hour the best of WWE's current roster tore the Air Canada Centre down in an emotional rollercoaster of a match with high risk spots and memorable moments, all while having every elimination come with a storyline purpose attached to it. As a fan of story driven matches, this couldn't have gone more perfectly, even if Shane McMahon nearly got killed in the process to make it happen.
Where do I honestly start with this? Well, better go with the psychology and story. The commentators ripped into each others teams through discussions of ratings and wrestler worth, Owens and Jericho saved each other and tagged themselves in, with Jericho slapping Rollins chest to tag him in. Jericho still asserts that Ambrose owes him money, Ambrose and Styles brawl with Shane breaking it up, with Styles causing Ambrose's elimination. Bray Wyatt tried to have Strowman turn on his team, which failed, with Orton helping Wyatt set up Shane's death-defying elbow drop. James Ellsworth's decision to stop Strowman getting back in the ring caused him to be thrown off the stage. Owens mocked Styles and Shane, Owens is hit with a phenomenal forearm on the apron, hits Styles with the List of Jericho and is DQ'd. That enables Jericho to lose his mind and scramble for the scattered list and eat an RKO. Ambrose returns post-elimination to take out Styles and with the help of his former Shield cohorts, deliver a Triple Powerbomb through the table causing the WWE Champion's elimination. Then Shane decided to take another high-risk bullet for the team having played the face in peril for its majority, going for a Coast To Coast but eating a Spear in mid-air, leading to his elimination by referee's discretion. Luke Harper came out to support The Wyatt's, with Rollins being eliminated by Orton leaving Reigns to fight against the Family on his own, which he almost does but fails as Orton sacrifices himself by eating a spear allowing Wyatt to get the Sister Abagail and the win.
As you can see, on story alone, this match has already earned enough of my praise, but when you factor in a hot crowd that was strong throughout and were inventive without being distruptive (coming up with a brilliant 'Roman's Sleeping' chant following the effects of his Coast To Coast Spear counter), the match felt important and quite epic, which was compounded by its insane run-time which was more akin to a Royal Rumble than a Survivor Series elimination match. That length would usually be a detriment to a match like this but as they packed a lot in story-wise and had the match fluctuate in pace and momentum shifts with only two eliminations happening in the first twenty-five minutes, it didn't feel laborious at all, to me at least. Finally, while the move variety was a small pool, that metaphorical pool was splashed mostly empty by some big set pieces with the table spots at ringside and on the stage getting the biggest pops, with Reigns counter of the Coast To Coast and Orton's Frog Splash/RKO counter getting the reaction it deserved, with the former getting muted respect due to the fact that Shane was legit injured
This match made the RAW versus SmackDown rivalry feel legitimate and important, with an epic match of this nature highlighting what it meant to the wrestlers even if the teams didn't hold much back from their own teammates. All the risks were taken to make this match a barnstormer considering what kind of main event we'd later get. It showcased the current roster off in brilliant ways and through all of its eliminations set up some kind of story or follow-up on both shows. While it may seem overbooked, it came across as enthralling and entertaining beyond all comprehension. It may not have been as technically sound as John Cena VS AJ Styles at SummerSlam or the Intercontinental Championship Fatal-4-Way at Extreme Rules, the two other Match of The Year contenders, but when it comes to a big time match with big stories to tell, this is showed how to get it done and made me incredibly happy as a result. What a match, what a match indeed. If TLC or Roadblock in December manages to top this, I'll be very surprised, but in all fairness not much in WWE's current product could come close to this. Sublime stuff.
As you can see, on story alone, this match has already earned enough of my praise, but when you factor in a hot crowd that was strong throughout and were inventive without being distruptive (coming up with a brilliant 'Roman's Sleeping' chant following the effects of his Coast To Coast Spear counter), the match felt important and quite epic, which was compounded by its insane run-time which was more akin to a Royal Rumble than a Survivor Series elimination match. That length would usually be a detriment to a match like this but as they packed a lot in story-wise and had the match fluctuate in pace and momentum shifts with only two eliminations happening in the first twenty-five minutes, it didn't feel laborious at all, to me at least. Finally, while the move variety was a small pool, that metaphorical pool was splashed mostly empty by some big set pieces with the table spots at ringside and on the stage getting the biggest pops, with Reigns counter of the Coast To Coast and Orton's Frog Splash/RKO counter getting the reaction it deserved, with the former getting muted respect due to the fact that Shane was legit injured
This match made the RAW versus SmackDown rivalry feel legitimate and important, with an epic match of this nature highlighting what it meant to the wrestlers even if the teams didn't hold much back from their own teammates. All the risks were taken to make this match a barnstormer considering what kind of main event we'd later get. It showcased the current roster off in brilliant ways and through all of its eliminations set up some kind of story or follow-up on both shows. While it may seem overbooked, it came across as enthralling and entertaining beyond all comprehension. It may not have been as technically sound as John Cena VS AJ Styles at SummerSlam or the Intercontinental Championship Fatal-4-Way at Extreme Rules, the two other Match of The Year contenders, but when it comes to a big time match with big stories to tell, this is showed how to get it done and made me incredibly happy as a result. What a match, what a match indeed. If TLC or Roadblock in December manages to top this, I'll be very surprised, but in all fairness not much in WWE's current product could come close to this. Sublime stuff.
GOLDBERG def BROCK LESNAR (1:25)
PSYCHOLOGY: 1.5
MOVE VARIETY: 1
CROWD REACTION: 2
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 1
MY ENJOYMENT: 1
FINAL RATING: 1/4
Well... I don't think anyone was expecting this shock result and if you did, you're a liar. Brock Lesnar, the man who beat The Undertakers Streak as well as leaving him beaten in Hell in Cell, decimated John Cena on his way to the title, beat Roman Reigns within an inch of his life and left Randy Orton in a bloody pile got squashed by Goldberg. It's hard to register and is honestly quite baffling. However, even amongst the confusion and amazement, there is still a positive or two that can be taken from it. This match was BETTER than their encounter twelve years ago.
While it is befuddling and perplexing that the biggest 'star' in the company got flattened by a part-timer who hasn't wrestled since that match, to say this match was worse than their WrestleMania XX match is just a result of the adrenaline induced anger at the result and the quickness of the match itself. That WrestleMania encounter should've been the big man match to end all big man matches, and what we got was a steaming turd. It was two guys who weren't invested in the match, playing before a crowd who weren't either thanks to the wonder of the internet. It was a match that had NO redeeming qualities at all and put a massive blemish on a great card. This time, sure the result is just as damming but with a jacked and then shocked crowd and the brief story of Goldberg's dominance (which I expected, but not to be all the match) was enough for me to rank it above that dumpster fire of a prior match. Sure, it only got a quarter of a star, a quarter more than the ZERO its predecessor got but I'll take that over a boring stare down and minimal move match that their last bout was essentially. WWE struck the iron while it was hot and created something that sent shockwaves through the industry.
While many are angry at the result, I can see one major positive stemming from it. Brock is no longer pristine and unstoppable thanks to this loss, which means that the current WWE roster can now take advantage of it. If you put a Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens or Shinsuke Nakamura in front of Lesnar, people won't count them out and believe they could win. We could see them coming to the Rumble or WrestleMania 33 and look good against The Beast, something that no one has really done since his return in 2012. Is The Beast Incarnate leaving the company in 2017? If that is indeed the case, we could see more losses from Lesnar, and it would be to this companies' benefit for its current talent now someone has fired the first bullet. Sure, it was a part-timer who did it, but if another star is made at Lesnar's expense come January or April, you'll be thanking Goldberg's shock victory for it. Mark my words. To wrap this up while the match sucked it has left me salivating at the possibilities of what it could bring. All in all, RAW tonight is essential viewing, moreso than usual.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Survivor Series is an event that has become synonymous with bloated failure in the last decade, and has delivered some of the worst PPV's of their respective years in the process. This year however, thanks to some sturdy and direct booking, as well as some shocking moments, this event came mighty close to pulling itself out of the doldrums with a sometimes predictable but entertaining show that gave the event its lustre back.
With all the 'Traditional' Survivor Series matches having some core meaning, in coalition with the other title matches, the event had purpose and made the results and everything that happened within them matter. While one obviously outshines the prior two in time and freedom given to showcase themselves which resulted in a much deserved five star rating, the other two divisions showed their charms and provided average matches that gave me entertainment and story building that made sense for the most part. While the Cruiserweight and Intercontinental Championship matches were overly long matches with not much to them, they surprised, however the former felt flat when it should've meant a lot more and got lost in the shuffle while the controversial ending to the latter leaves us wondering why the title change last Tuesday was even necessary considering what little difference it made. The main event though, is the biggest talking point. It was a match that ended the night on a shockingly bad note match quality wise and as a result harms the show while the moment of Goldberg's victory gives rise to mass anticipation for tonight's RAW. The matches on offer tonight were nicely average and one case sublime, let down but a very bad apple and one that just didn't deliver on expectation.
With that in mind, rating this event is hard. It was a solid night of wrestling that invested me, but left me clawing at the walls for more to work with. The time didn't prove taxing like it did with SummerSlam, which is a good thing, but when looking at the overall events quality, it was on its way to being an average night of wrestling if Goldberg/Lesnar could have given me the at least ONE STAR match I expected. Alas, I couldn't even get that. This event had more than No Mercy and Hell in A Cell in terms of consistent enjoyment, but its let down by timing issues, match constraints and the booking of one main event to stop it from reaching over into positive territory. Survivor Series got its legitimacy back tonight, but we need next years to blow us away for it to be cemented, as this was a nice building block for this long-fabled event to re-position itself amongst WWE's best.
With all the 'Traditional' Survivor Series matches having some core meaning, in coalition with the other title matches, the event had purpose and made the results and everything that happened within them matter. While one obviously outshines the prior two in time and freedom given to showcase themselves which resulted in a much deserved five star rating, the other two divisions showed their charms and provided average matches that gave me entertainment and story building that made sense for the most part. While the Cruiserweight and Intercontinental Championship matches were overly long matches with not much to them, they surprised, however the former felt flat when it should've meant a lot more and got lost in the shuffle while the controversial ending to the latter leaves us wondering why the title change last Tuesday was even necessary considering what little difference it made. The main event though, is the biggest talking point. It was a match that ended the night on a shockingly bad note match quality wise and as a result harms the show while the moment of Goldberg's victory gives rise to mass anticipation for tonight's RAW. The matches on offer tonight were nicely average and one case sublime, let down but a very bad apple and one that just didn't deliver on expectation.
With that in mind, rating this event is hard. It was a solid night of wrestling that invested me, but left me clawing at the walls for more to work with. The time didn't prove taxing like it did with SummerSlam, which is a good thing, but when looking at the overall events quality, it was on its way to being an average night of wrestling if Goldberg/Lesnar could have given me the at least ONE STAR match I expected. Alas, I couldn't even get that. This event had more than No Mercy and Hell in A Cell in terms of consistent enjoyment, but its let down by timing issues, match constraints and the booking of one main event to stop it from reaching over into positive territory. Survivor Series got its legitimacy back tonight, but we need next years to blow us away for it to be cemented, as this was a nice building block for this long-fabled event to re-position itself amongst WWE's best.
SURVIVOR SERIES 2016 GETS A 4.75 OUT OF 10!
In relation to other 2016 events, it lines up as follows:
Payback: 7.75/10
Royal Rumble: 6/10
Battleground: 6/10
WrestleMania 32: 6/10
Backlash: 5.75/10
SummerSlam: 5.5/10
Clash Of Champions: 5.25/10
Survivor Series: 4.75/10
Extreme Rules: 4.75/10
Money In The Bank: 4.5/10
Fastlane: 4.25/10
No Mercy: 4/10
Hell In A Cell: 3.25/10
Hell In A Cell: 3.25/10
I've been Freddy Thomas, you've been people reading. This has been the Survivor Series 2016 Review for The CC Network Blog and I'll see you all next time.
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