It’s that time of year where right after a draft that shuffled the roster, they will fight for ‘Brand Supremacy’. Survivor Series is back once again, and it’s more of an All-Star game at this point. NXT is sadly not involved this year, likely due to the injury suffered by NXT Champion Finn Balor. However, the top champions and superstars from RAW & Smackdown will go to war tonight. Let’s see who won, who lost and how everything panned out.
RAW vs. SmackDown Elimination Tag Team Match: Team RAW (AJ Styles, Braun Strowman, Keith Lee, Riddle & Sheamus) vs. Team SmackDown (Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, King Corbin, Otis & Seth Rollins)
The RAW vs. Smackdown Ten Man Elimination Tag Team matches have become a thing of great tradition, and it’s time for more. This one kicks off the night, and Team RAW has some in-fighting due to AJ Styles deeming himself as team captain, but none of his teammates agree. Team Smackdown isn’t a perfect unit either, but do have much less drama. Braun Strowman did once eliminate four men in one match, which needs to be factored in here.
The first man out was Seth Rollins, who gave himself as a sacrifice to Sheamus, wanting to go out as a martyr to motivate his team, or perhaps just wanted a nap before Baby Rollins arrives soon. Smackdown had to regroup on the outside, and were run through by Braun Strowman. Keith Lee & Otis had a big man standoff, with Strowman also getting into the mix.
Kevin Owens hit everyone with stunners, but took a phenomenal forearm and was eliminated, putting Smackdown down to three. Corbin was next to fall after a Pele Kick form AJ Styles & a Floating Bro from Riddle, Smackdown down to two.
Jey Uso & Otis had to face all of Team RAW, and that was daunting for anyone. Otis would clear house with suplexes, before being faced with Strowman, and nearly had him beat but Riddle stopped the Vader Bomb. This left Jey Uso all alone against all of Team RAW, and would launch superkicks aplenty, before diving onto them.
He’d take out AJ Styles, but missed a tag to Keith Lee, and was dropped with the Spirit Bomb. Team RAW wins with a clean sweep. This was a fine Survivor Series style match, but fell flat near the end. Jey Uso will likely lose his kneecaps over this failure.
Match Rating: 3.25/5 /5 (*** ¼)
RAW Tag Team Champions vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
In what many are predicting as the best match of the night, we have a dream tag team match of Street Profits & The New Day. They literally traded championships during the draft, and managed to hold on tight to them to make this match happen. It’s sure to be an instant classic between two of the best teams in the game. They’d come out decked in gear from Gears 5, which The New Day features in with a new DLC. However, Street Profits aren’t here for games.
This match did it’s best to meet the hype, and was a fast paced tag team clinic. The New Day got to play the heel role, using their experience as ten time champions to cut the ring in half to isolate Montez Ford. This isn’t a role they play often, but it’s always a blast. However, Street Profits kept this one very competitive throughout, wanting to cement their legacy.
Every signature move in both teams books were used, with Ford even stealing Trouble In Paradise. But they kept finding ways to survive. In the end, Xavier Woods missed a tag from Ford to Dawkins, and ended up being dropped with a Doomsday Device style Blockbuster, and Kofi was not able to save him that time.
Match Rating: 3.75/5 /5 (*** ¾)
United States Champion vs. Intercontinental Champion: Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn
In a match that gives horrible flashbacks to segments like ‘Lashley’s Sisters’, we have United States Champion taking on Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn. Zayn since his return has been sharp as they come, and could be just what it takes to defeat the raw power of Bobby Lashley. The Hurt Business were at ringside, looking to halt the tricks of Zayn.
This match was a classic David vs. Goliath match, with Lashley flaunting his power and Zayn bumping like wild. Zayn would claim he got vertigo from Lashley once again after a delayed vertical suplex, and would be tripped up by MVP after he tried to escape. After this, he’d be sent into the ring and taped out with The Hurt Lock within seconds.
It was exactly what it needed to be, with Zayn playing his smart but cowardly heel shtick, and it completely failed due to Lashley having allies to back him up.
Match Rating: 3/5 (***)
RAW Women’s Champion vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Match: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks
In a match we’ve seen a few times this year, Asuka & Sasha Banks are set to go at it once again. This time around they’re both champions, Asuka the RAW Women’s Champion, and Sasha Banks having taken the Smackdown Women’s Championship off Bayley.
Their previous matches have all been fantastic, and this was no exception. They built off their previous matches this year, having learned each other’s moves and tricks, being able to counter more effectively and avoid each other’s finishers. This made them have to work harder to break each other down, and led to some excellent technical wrestling.
What made up the difference was the striking game of Asuka, who can throw knockout level blows, and used those to slow Banks down. Even when Banks tried to use a Meteora off the barricade, Asuka got a strike of her own. Banks stayed in this fight, going hold for hold and even strike for strike with Asuka, and was able to nab a sneaky rollup to pin Asuka. This is one matchup I just can’t get sick of, and with no Bayley nonsense, this might have been their best match yet.
Match Rating: 4.25/5 (**** ¼)
RAW vs. SmackDown Elimination Tag Team Match: Team RAW (Lacey Evans, Lana, Nia Jax, Peyton Royce & Shayna Baszler) vs. Team SmackDown (Bayley, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Natalya & Ruby Riott)
Five of the best women from each brand will show their skills, with RAW having a slight edge in having the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions on their side, though Nia Jax had put Lana through an announce table nine weeks in a tow. Lots of undercard and unproven talent in this match, and you love to see them get the spotlight.
Early on in this match, Lana would be told to stand in the corner like a toddler in time out. It was a self imposed 4 on 5, and Lana would obey this. Peyton Royce would get the first elimination taking Bayley out with the Deja Vu suplex, taking Smackdowns captain out.
We’d get some good submission exchanges from Royce & Natalya, Royce holding her own before being tapped out with the Sharpshooter. Natalya would then be knocked out and pinned after the Women’s Right from Lacey Evans. Ruby Riott countered the Kirafuda Clutch into a visual pinfall, but Jax distracted the referee and Riott was choked out, making her an easy pin target.
Liv Morgan got things back with a Crucifix Bomb, pinning Lacey Evans before going to war with Nia Jax. She’d fail to cut Nia Jax down to size, and be hit with a Samoan Drop, Belair being prevented from breaking the pinfall by Shayna Baszler, and now she was alone. Shayna Baszler would be disqualified after holding in the Kirafuda Clutch after a rope break, but did her part to potentially remove Belair.
Jax took her outside, but was sent over the barricade. They both got counted out, and Lana was the sole survivor after doing nothing but standing on the sidelines. A very fun match, but with a very questionable finishing stretch.
Match Rating: 3/5 (***)
WWE Champion vs. Universal Champion Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns (w/Paul Heyman)
This is a match that many felt WWE would be keen to save for Wrestlemania, but a last minute title change with Randy Orton dropping the WWE Championship back to Drew McIntyre set it up. It’s the fourth singles meeting between McIntyre & Roman Reigns, but they’ve both never been better. Reigns is now the ‘Tribal Chief’ while McIntyre had slayed every man who came out him, including Randy Orton three times. Reigns has three wins over McIntyre including one DQ, will tonight be when he falls?
This match was following the heavyweight main event match guide perfectly. A slow start with heavy strikes, tensions slowly being built up, as both men hit bigger and bigger blows. Eventually, they’d start throwing finishers, McIntyre getting the Future Shock and countering a spear into a Kimura lock, Reigns spearing McIntyre through a barricade, another in the ring, and more.
Despite all this, Reigns needed Jey Uso to run interference, a low blow, and the guillotine choke to take McIntyre out. Even then, McIntyre fought to his last dying breath. There is a reason these two are the future of WWE, as this match was excellent, even with a messy finish. This was the best match Roman Reigns has had all year, not because of gripping storytelling like his matches with Jey Uso, but because he’s just a damn good wrestler, and so is McIntyre.
Match Rating: 4.5/5 (**** ½)
What was your favorite match or moment from Survivor Series? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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