For the 32nd time in history, from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, WWE presents one of the most anticipated Pay-Per-Views of the year, Survivor Series. Let’s take a look at some of the highs and lows from the one night of the year that SmackDown Live and RAW go head to head.
Number 10 (best)
The women’s traditional Survivor Series match felt a little soft and polite but in amongst this was some pretty nice spots. Asuka delivers a picture perfect German Suplex to Sasha Banks, who sells it beautifully.
Number 10 (worst)
Stephanie McMahon and her incredible ability to absolutely bury everyone she’s on screen with. She’s a tremendous woman but her on-screen character overshadows everyone around her.
Number 9 (best)
The brief moments Finn Bálor and Rey Mysterio were in the ring together gave us a taste of the potential these two have should they ever be in the same brand. RAW is a big man’s game, moving Finn to SmackDown Live would allow him to unleash his true potential and showcase what he can do when he has legitimate competition.
Number 9 (worst)
Seth Rollins v Shinsuke Nakamura had the potential to be a five-star match but there felt like there was something missing. Were they holding back? What could they have done differently?
Number 8 (best)
Daniel Bryan bounces back from what we thought was going to be a catastrophic squashing. We all love a ‘David v Goliath’ storyline and the heart and resilience shown by Bryan in the closing few minutes of the main event reminded us why we fell in love with him to start with. I do think it’s going to make it harder for him to do a complete heel turn. Does this mean Daniel Bryan is now to the point in his career where the crowd are behind him regardless of his heel/face status?
Number 8 worst
Enzo Amore. It’s not the fact he stood up and made a spectacle of himself. To be honest, I didn’t even realize it was happening because, for the most part, we were meeting the announce team. It’s the fact it was one of the main headlines coming out of the event and people were talking about that rather than recognizing and discussing the hard work of those superstars competing.
Number 7 (best)
Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali bringing 205 Live into the spotlight and reminding us all why we should watch it and why these guys deserve a spot on all future Pay-Per-Views. Not sure if this will happen but it should.
Number 7 (worst)
The crowd booing Ronda Rousey. The question I’ve been asking is, why? Why are they booing her? There was such hype when she debuted and there is no doubting her ability in the ring. Are people feeling she’s too entitled or protected? Are they confused by her conflicting character? The baddest woman on the planet walks out every week with a massive smile on her face? Or were they simply booing the match because they so wanted to see Becky Lynch?
Number 6 (best)
The Miz and his constant ability to make us laugh. He is a larger than life character in the ring, on the mic and in promo’s. It’s almost old school the way he behaves. He talks a good game yet cowers off in the face of competition. He’s cheeky and cocky but he’s fun to watch.
Number 6 (worst)
Nia Jax as the sole survivor. Some fans were left feeling that she is being protected because of who she’s related to. It felt like a giant middle finger to Becky Lynch and to the fans having her stand victorious. Which leads on to…
Number 5 (best)
Nia Jax’s heat is incredible. Fans genuinely hate her right now and WWE should pick this up and run with it. Some superstars work for years to get booed like she did. She needs to own it and use it to deepen her character.
Number 4 (best)
Seth Rollins. Seth Rollins. Seth Rollins. Everything about him screams top superstar. His look, his personality, his mic skills, his technical move set, his work ethic, his heart and resilience.
Number 4 (worst)
Shane McMahon being on the Survivor Series team. It begs the question, with a roster stacked like Smackdown’s is, why was he on the team? Orton, Almas, Rusev why weren’t these guys included? That being said…
Number 3 (best)
Because it was the most insane spot and one of the biggest pops of the night. Shane McMahon’s elbow drop from the top turnbuckle onto Braun Strowman through the announce table.
Number 3 (worst)
Drake Maverick peeing himself
Number 2 (best)
AOP continues to show great promise in the tag team division and The Bar were great competition for them. They are BIG guys but boy can they move. They carry themselves with poise, confidence and dominance whilst still maintaining an endearing slightly green quality. Their tandem offence, double powerbomb manoeuvre at the end of the match was delivered with conviction. The future is bright for these guys and I agree having Maverick in their corner is a great idea, which is why the ‘pee pants’ incident wasn’t needed as now it makes the three of them as a collective look weaker.
Number 2 (worst)
The claim that RAW cleaned house in a 6-0 victory.
This is incorrect. The SmackDown Live tag teams won their match on the kickoff show.
WWE somehow managed to bury the entire tag team division as this victory was not mentioned once on the main show.
Number 1 (best)
Charlotte totally flips out. This match was actually pretty good. There is no questioning Ronda’s or Charlotte’s ability in the ring and both put on a really strong showing. Sometimes a none conventional finish works and this time it did. The crowd wanted Becky, they made it very clear and the only way to appease their frustration was to have a relentless beat-down on Ronda, who took it like an absolute boss. Hats off to them both.
Number 1 (worst)
Becky Lynch not being able to compete. This resulted in Bayley and Sasha (two crowd favourite babyfaces) replacing Natalya and Ruby Riott in the women’s match, seemingly to take some heat off Nia. It also meant fans didn’t get to see Becky v Ronda, which could easily have been the match of the night. Becky’s character right now is the hottest thing in WWE and fans cannot get enough of it. Her injury felt like the handbrakes being slammed on and frustration built because it could have been avoided. Yes, it’s not ballet and accidents happen but some say it was a clumsy move from Nia and it highlights her inability to work safely. Some say this will catapult Becky into the stratosphere because once she gets out of ‘doctor jail’ she is going to tear it all down and leave nothing but devastation in her path. And without the injury, we wouldn’t be blessed with this iconic image.
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