First, this was a great pay-per-view.
Despite the negative headline, Survivor Series was a really good show that strongly put over the NXT brand. Granted, there were some negatives that I want to address, such as the clusterf*ck booking of the women’s elimination match.
Did Io Sharai and Candace LaRae (heated rivals on NXT) pretend to be “injured” just to win a match that ultimately means nothing? Why was Asuka simply eliminated by just walking away? She wasn’t the legal person thus a count out shouldn’t have happened. Also, why are we making heel Sasha Banks look like the sympathetic figure? Isn’t Rhea Ripley a babyface?
Honestly, I’ve never been a fan of this brand vs. brand warfare as it always feels forced. There are no stakes to these matches and it frustrates me when bitter enemies decide to work together without any explanation whatsoever. It would be nice if WWE gave these matches stakes, such as the winning brand gets to have the number #30 spot in the Royal Rumble. Also, can we please stop having rivals work together for no reason?
Despite my feelings regarding the brand vs. brand schtick, this was an enjoyable night of wrestling with my favorite match being Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne for the NXT Championship. A strong nod goes to the Men’s Elimination Tag Team match. Despite losing, Keith Lee looked like a star.
Other than my feelings on the mess of the women’s elimination match, there wasn’t a particularly bad match on the show. Lesnar/Mysterio did disappoint because it should’ve been longer; however, it was really good for what it was.
Now, let’s talk Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler.
Like I said previously, there wasn’t a bad match on this show. These three women worked hard; however, this was just not a main event caliber match.
One of the problems with the women’s Triple Threat was due to the match not having stakes. I’m happy that WWE put over Baszler strong (though Lynch being a sore loser and attacking the NXT Women’s Champion was uncalled for), but what’s the reason fans should care about these women fighting for brand supremacy?
The reason Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey got so much hype last year was due to the strong closing angle. People were clamoring to see those two fight after that segment, whereas this match never had an angle as hot as the women’s invasion last year.
The interview segment between Baszler and the RAW Women’s Champion was great, but the rest of the build was nothing special. Also, Bayley never felt needed in this match. Just like Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 35. However, the difference maker was that awesome and insane angle between Rousey, Flair, and Lynch.
I’m happy that we’re at the point where it isn’t a big deal that women can main event pay-per-views, but the match that should’ve went on last was Brock Lesnar vs. Rey Mysterio. Fans were invested in Rey Mysterio’s quest for revenge because the build was so strong. Also, Mysterio has vastly stepped up his mic game. The match also had stakes, which was the WWE Championship.
I feel bad for these women because they worked their asses off, but the narrative and creative support just didn’t warrant this being in the main event slot.
Despite my nitpicks for Survivor Series, this was a really good night for wrestling. Was it perfect? No. But everyone worked hard and more importantly, WWE made names like Keith Lee, Adam Cole, Rhea Ripley, and Shayna Baszler look like stars.