The John Report: WWE Survivor Series 2021 Review
It’s time for the 35th annual WWE Survivor Series featuring Raw vs. Smackdown matches including Roman Reigns vs. Big E and Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch as two of the top matches.
The Kickoff Show match saw the Raw United States Champion Damian Priest against Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. The announcers were Raw’s Jimmy Smith & Byron Saxton and Smackdown’s Pat McAfee.
Damian Priest vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (w/Rick Boogs)
Priest applied an armbar, Boogs played the guitar and Nakamura got out of it. Priest was thrown off a bit by the music. Nakamura broke free and then they had a staredown. Priest charged in the corner, Nakamura put the boot to the throat leading to Boogs playing the guitar again. Nakamura went for a knee lift, but Priest avoided it and hit a leg drop off the ropes for two. Priest with a jumping back elbow. Priest with a chinlock, Boogs played the guitar again and Nakamura got back up with Priest looking angry. Priest warned Boogs not to do that again. Nakamura hit a running kick to the head, then the “come on” yell from Nakamura leading to a right kick to the head.
Nakamura charged at Priest in the corner, Priest was against the ropes and Nakamura hit a sliding German Suplex for two. Nakamura with a leap off the ropes, but Priest was ready with a spin kick to knock him down. Priest with a slam, a clothesline and a Broken Arrow slam for a two count. Priest went for a Chokeslam, Nakamura got a kick to get out of that and Nakamura fought back with a spin kick to the head. Nakamura sent up in the corner, he charged, Priest ducked and got a rollup for two. Nakamura avoided a leaping Priest attack, kick to the ribs and a running knee for a two count. Nakamura charged again, Priest caught him and hit a sitout South of Heaven Chokeslam for two. Nakamura got out of a Reckoning attempt, Nakamura with a stomp to the ribs and Nakamura went for an armbar. Priest with a gogoplata submission around the head/neck, but then Boogs played the guitar and Nakamura got out of the submission. Priest left the ring and smashed the guitar of Boogs, which drew boos. Nakamura left the ring, Priest hit Nakamura with the piece of guitar and the referee saw it, so Priest was disqualified at 9:25.
Winner by disqualification: Shinsuke Nakamura
Analysis: **3/4 It was okay as they were just getting going and then it ended rather suddenly. It’s rare to see a DQ finish on the Kickoff Show, but that’s what we got here. Priest was bothered by the music and then he got mad, so he took it out on Nakamura leading to the DQ finish. It sure feels like Priest is on his way to turning heel based on the way he acted there and the way his facial expressions have changed in the last few weeks.
Priest had an angry look on his face continue as he walked to the back.
That was the only Kickoff Show match with the Kickoff Show panel saying that Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch was up first.
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WWE Survivor Series
From Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
November 21, 2021
The opening video package featured the WWE Survivor Series opening hyping up the Raw vs. Smackdown matches while also promoting the movie Red Notice (on Netflix) starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I probably will check it out soon. Since Red Notice is a sponsor of Survivor Series, they are promoting it a lot.
There was an impressive pyro display to welcome to the show. There’s no elaborate set as usual. It’s the usual giant screen setup that they usually have.
A video package aired hyping up the match with former best friends turned rivals, the Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and the Smackdown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. Both women have won a lot, they are very confident and they had a testy title exchange on Smackdown a few weeks ago.
Charlotte Flair was up first as the Smackdown Women’s Champion wearing her customary robe. A mixed reaction with cheers and boos for The Queen, who is dressed in black. The announcers for this match were Smackdown’s Michael Cole and Pat McAfee with Raw’s Corey Graves, who has a mustache.
Becky Lynch got more of a babyface pop despite being a heel Raw Women’s Champion. Becky was dressed in some Raw red leather attire with a serious look on her face. I am guessing that Lynch’s attire will make her even more popular with some fans. Just being a little cheeky, that’s all.
Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch
Flair with a punch to the face, then Lynch got in a shot to the body. Flair drove Lynch into the turnbuckle. Flair tried a Natural Selection, Lynch avoided it and wanted the arm submission, but Flair got out of that. Lynch with a back kick to the head. Flair with a running Spear on Lynch. They left the ring with Lynch sending Flair into the ring post and into the barricade. There were chants for Becky as she stomped on Charlotte, but Flair came back with a backbreaker and a kick to the back of the head. Flair drove Lynch’s head into the mat repeatedly. Flair missed a running kick, Lynch with a knee and Flair with a kick. Flair whipped Lynch into the ring post. Flair went up top, so Lynch shoved her off the apron into the barricade. Lynch went to attack, but Flair sent Lynch back first onto the top of the barricade. Both women crawled back into the ring at the same time with angry looks on their faces. They exchanged slaps to the face leading to Flair hitting a clothesline. Flair with some slaps to the face. Charlotte with a running elbow against the turnbuckle. Flair with punches against the turnbuckle, Lynch avoided a stomp to the knee and Lynch hit a kick to the head. Flair with a rollup, Lynch went for an armbar and Charlotte hit a Powerbomb for two. They each battled over rollup attempts, Lynch sent Flair into the turnbuckle and worked her over with kicks along with a slap to the face. Flair hit an Exploder Suplex that sent Lynch into the turnbuckle. Flair did a kip up to show off her athleticism. Flair with the double moonsault spot that she has borrowed from fiancé Andrade and that got a two count. Lynch with an inside cradle for two. Flair jumped over the turnbuckle to the apron, Charlotte sent Becky throat first into the top rope and Flair was on the floor. Lynch blocked a kick, then Lynch with punches, slaps and kicks while Flair was in the ropes. Lynch jumped off the middle rope with a leg drop for two. The fans chanted “this is awesome” as both women paused for a breather while selling the physicality of the match.
Lynch did a takedown using the arms and then pulled back on both arms leading to a pin attempt for two. Lynch with forearms, Flair missed a boot and hit a back elbow, which is another Andrade spot for a two count. Lynch went to the ropes, Lynch with a back elbow and Lynch ran right into a big boot for a two count. Flair was mad that it was only a two count. Lynch countered a Charlotte move and hit a reverse DDT for a two count. Lynch pounded on Flair with punches to the upper body. Lynch went up top, she did not go up top that often and Lynch went for a leg drop, but Charlotte moved, so Lynch barely touched her. Flair went for a kick, Lynch with a Manhandle Slam and Flair got her left foot on the bottom rope to break up the pin since Lynch hooked up the other leg. Lynch applied the Figure Four Leglock, Lynch called Flair a “bitch” while in the hold and Flair countered it so Lynch got to the ropes to break. Graves noted that Lynch didn’t have the move locked in perfectly. The fans chanted “this is awesome” again. Flair with a boot that knocked Lynch off the apron to the floor. Flair went up top and jumped off with a moonsault where only her left arm hit Lynch, which is how she usually does it. That got a two count for Flair. They exchanged strikes again, Flair went for a pin and grabbed the ropes, but the referee saw it, so Flair let go. Lynch countered the pin attempt, Lynch sat on top and Lynch had her hand on the ropes after the count and it was enough for the pinfall win. The referee never saw Lynch’s hand on the rope. It went 18:15. Flair was frustrated that Lynch’s cheating worked.
Winner by pinfall: Becky Lynch
Analysis: ***3/4 This was a great match between two elite performers that have a personality animosity that the fans know all about it. That made it easy for the fans to buy into it and get excited for every nearfall as well as the near submissions in the match. Flair was terrific as the egotistical heel while Lynch countered a lot and kept coming for more. When Lynch got the Manhandle Slam for a two count it made me think Charlotte Flair would get the win, but I was wrong there. I don’t know when they’ll have a singles match again. I enjoyed this one and I’m always going to look forward to their matches because they know how to put on a good showing.
The replays showed that Lynch clearly cheated to get the win because she waited until the last moment to get her arm on the ropes.
Becky Lynch celebrated in the ring with her Raw Women’s Title while Charlotte Flair looked disappointed walking away with her Smackdown Women’s Title.
A video aired from Survivor Series 1996 showing The Rock’s WWE debut that night. Survivor Series is The Rock’s 25 year anniversary.
There was a video about Drew McIntyre’s journey in WWE from being called the Chosen One in 2009 to getting fired in 2014 to winning the Royal Rumble in 2020 and then the WWE Title at WrestleMania in 2020 as well.
A commercial aired for NXT WarGames on Sunday, December 5th.
The men’s Survivor Series elimination match was up next with Team Raw up first followed by the Smackdown side. It was Raw’s Jimmy Smith & Byron Saxton on commentary with Smackdown’s Pat McAfee. The introductions of all the wrestlers takes a while. I wasn’t watching live, so I hit fast forward to save myself ten minutes or however long it took.
Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team Raw (Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens & Austin Theory) vs. Team SmackDown (Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, King Xavier Woods, Sheamus & Happy Corbin)
The wrestlers were not competing in their team shirts to start the match. Owens argued with Rollins so that Owens could start the match. The bell rang, Owens faced off with Woods and Owens went out of the ring. Owens walked up the aisle to the back, the referee counted him out and Owens was eliminated just like that.
Kevin Owens has been eliminated.
Analysis: It furthers KO’s heel turn as a selfish guy that didn’t care bout the team at all.
Woods brought Theory into the ring followed by punches and chops to the chest. Woods with a running dropkick to the back of Theory against the ropes. Drew tagged in to work over Theory with hard chops to the chest. Sheamus was next in with a hard chop of his own and Corbin tagged in with a chop. Rollins tagged in, Corbin avoided a leaping attack and Corbin hit a clothesline. Jeff was in next to work over Rollins a bit and Rollins caught Sheamus with an armbar, but Sheamus stopped that with a punch to the head. Woods was back in with a fist drop on Balor. Drew with an impressive suplex on Balor for two. Jeff was back in to drive Balor into the corner and Corbin tried to keep Balor in the corner. Balor with a rollup for two on Corbin. Balor kicked Madcap Moss and Corbin hit a Deep Six Slam. Lashley broke up the in, McIntyre with a belly to belly on Lashley, Rollins kick on McIntyre, Sheamus knocked Rollins out of the ring, Theory with an attack on Sheamus and then it slowed down a bit. Balor with a dropkick into the turnbuckle on Corbin and then Balor went up top with a Coup de Grace double foot stomp to pin Corbin.
Happy Corbin has been eliminated.
Jeff did some of his signature moves like the double leg drop, dropkick and an elbow drop. Balor with a low dropkick of his own. Rollins worked over Jeff with a double axehandle to the back two times. Lashley was the legal man for the first time with a running shoulder tackle. Lashley worked over Jeff with forearms to the head. Balor with a chinlock on Jeff, Rollins back in and they set up Jeff on the top, but Jeff fought out of there with a Whisper in the Win attack off the top on Balor/Rollins at the same time. Lashley attacked Drew off the apron, Lashley put Drew on his shoulders and rammed Drew into the ring post. Theory went for a suplex, Jeff with an inside cradle for two and Woods tagged in. Woods with a jumping kick to Theory, then a clothesline to Rollins and a Russian legsweep by Woods to Theory. Woods with a forearm to Theory. Rollins distracted the referee, so Lashley hit Woods to knock him off the turnbuckle. Lashley tagged in and Lashley hit a devastating Spear to rock Woods. Lashley applied the Hurt Lock submission with Woods tapping out.
King Woods has been eliminated.
It’s 4 on 3 for Raw right now. Balor and Rollins each hit Slingblade neckbreakers at the same time on Jeff and Sheamus. Rollins with a suicide dive on Sheamus, who had caught Balor in his arms. Drew was back on the apron, he tagged himself in and faced off with his old rival McIntyre one more time. Lashley looked back in his corner to realize he couldn’t tag out. Drew with punches and chops, Lashley with a leapfrog, and then a running shoulder tackle to Drew’s chest. Drew bounced off the turnbuckle with a clothesline. Drew sent Lashley to the floor, Lashley had Drew on the shoulders and Lashley/Drew battled on the floor with Lashley hitting a clothesline over the barricade. They continued brawling at ringside while the referee was counting both guys. Drew got in right after the ten count. McIntyre and Lashley were both eliminated.
Drew McIntyre has been eliminated.
Bobby Lashley has been eliminated.
Lashley was walking around the ring trying to intimidate the referee, then he turned around and McIntyre hit Lashley with a Claymore Kick. There were officials that came out that had to make Lashley go to the back. Rollins taunted McIntyre for being eliminated, Drew hit a Glasgow Kiss headbutt to Rollins and Sheamus covered for a two count. Balor tagged in against Sheamus with a sunset flip. Sheamus with a double ax on Balor, a clothesline on Rollins and Sheamus knocked Theory off the apron. Sheamus with a powerslam. Balor came back with a Slingblade and a dropkick into the corner. Balor went up top, he jumped off with the Coup de Grace, Sheamus avoided it and Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick on Balor to pin and eliminate him.
Finn Balor has been eliminated.
It was 2 on 2 with Theory hitting a roll through into a dropkick on Sheamus for two. Rollins with a snap suplex into a cover for two. Rollins with a chinlock, Sheamus got a hold of Rollins into a backbreaker. Jeff tagged in with a jawbreaker on Rollins and Jeff got two feet up to knock Rollins down. Hardy with a splash off the middle rope for a two count. Theory went into the ring, so Sheamus threw Theory into Rollins. Jeff jumped off the back of Sheamus for a corner splash. That’s a Hardy double team move. Theory into the ring illegally, Sheamus sent him to the apron. Sheamus and Jeff took turns doing the ten forearms to the chest that Sheamus loves to do. The crowd was chanting along with it. Sheamus with the White Noise slam. Sheamus set up for the Brogue Kick, Theory with a distraction and Rollins connected with a superkick for two. Really good nearfall there. Theory tagged in, Sheamus kicked him away, Rollins pulled Jeff off the apron and Theory got a ROLLUP OF DEATH~! on Sheamus with a handful of trunks for the pinfall win.
Sheamus has been eliminated.
Theory smiled about what happened, so Sheamus decked Theory with a clothesline. Sheamus also hit Jeff with a clothesline because Jeff wasn’t there to make a tag.
It was Rollins & Theory from Raw against Jeff Hardy from Smackdown. Rollins went up top and hit a Frog Splash on Hardy for a two count. Jeff avoided a double team attack by the turnbuckle with headbutts for both guys. Rollins bumped to the floor, Theory bumped in the ring and Hardy hit a Swanton Bomb off the top on Theory to pin him.
Austin Theory has been eliminated
There were “Hardy” chants as Jeff was the last Smackdown wrestler against Rollins as the last Raw wrestler. Rollins told Jeff that his prime has passed him. Jeff with a Russian legsweep and a double leg drop on the legs for a two count. The fans were chanting “this is awesome” leading to Rollins hitting a forearm to the back of the head for a two count. Rollins went for The Stomp, Jeff stopped it with his hand and Jeff hit the Twist of Fate. Jeff went up top, he jumped off with a Swanton Bomb, but Rollins got the knees up to block. Rollins hit The Stomp for the pinfall win at 29:56.
Jeff Hardy has been eliminated.
Winners: Team Raw – Seth Rollins
Analysis: ***1/2 This was a fun match with an excellent ending sequence. I didn’t like some of the earlier eliminations like Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre doing the double countout finish, but I get that WWE wants to keep those guys strong, so they avoided getting pinned. I just think it’s a lame way to take out two of the best guys in the match. I’m glad that Austin Theory got to have a few cool moments since he’s the youngest guy in the match that isn’t as established as the others. Jeff Hardy had a really good showing with the fans getting behind him the whole way. They really wanted Jeff to win, but Rollins was too much for him and The Stomp got it done for Rollins. I picked Team Smackdown to win, but it’s not like it matters that much who wins a match like that.
Seth Rollins celebrated the win while Jeff Hardy was down in the ring selling The Stomp. The announcers put it over as a great match.
There was a video shown of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon arriving with some golden item in his hand. Some random WWE superstars were there with surprising and excited faces probably because they were instructed to do that.
They showed another moment from The Rock’s career at Survivor Series 1998 when Rock turned heel to become the WWE Champion. Rock swerved Mankind with Vince and Shane McMahon, so Rock became the WWE Champion for the first time in his career.
There was a backstage scene showing a security guy standing in front of Mr. McMahon’s door. Roman Reigns walked up to the guy outside the door, then Roman walked in and shook Vince’s hand.
They showed Vince McMahon in his office with the golden egg in a case. Roman asked Vince what that was. Vince said that was given to him by The Rock, who is Roman’s cousin. Vince mentioned The Rock starting in WWE 25 years ago. Vince said that this is not a stage prop, it is Cleopatra’s egg (from the movie Red Notice) and it’s worth millions…and millions. Vince mentioned that Rock started with $7 and now look at how big of a star he is. Vince claimed that this is worth $100 million. Roman said that’s almost as much as his next contract. Roman left the room.
Analysis: I am not sure why we needed to see that or what Vince is doing on the show, but maybe we’ll find out before the end of the night. It’s also a tease for Roman vs. Rock at next year’s WrestleMania or maybe the one in 2023. It’s up to The Rock. The rumors will be stronger now.
They showed actor Kieran Culkin and friends at ringside watching the show.
The battle royal was next with Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton calling this match.
25-Man Battle Royal
It’s a 25-Man Battle Royal since it was 25 Years of The Rock in WWE. There were Pizza Hut boxes around the ring since they were sponsoring this match.
The wrestlers were wearing red Raw shirts and blue Smackdown shirts. Omos eliminated Drew Gulak, Shelton Benjamin and Humberto while AJ Styles left the ring. R-Truth grabbed a slide of pizza, brought it into the ring and tried to offer it to Omos. Otis walked up, then he ate some of the pizza and Truth even slapped Otis on the butt, so Otis tossed Truth over the top to the floor. Omos and Otis did a double clothesline spot and then Omos eliminated Otis with a clothesline. Cesaro eliminated Gable with a forearm to the floor. Ricochet eliminated T-Bar with a dropkick and Mansoor eliminated Cedric Alexander. The fans chanted “we want pizza” so Zayn threw some pizza into the crowd. Angel was eliminated on one side of the ring, the Jinder Mahal, Erik and Ivar were eliminated. Shanky eliminated Erik and Ivar back to back. Shanky faced off with Omos in a matchup that excited Vince McMahon due to how tall they are. Omos eliminated Shanky easily. Styles was still out of the ring. Mansoor tried to eliminate Roode/Ziggler, but then Roode hit a spinebuster into a neckbreaker by Ziggler and Roode eliminated Mansoor with a catapult over the top to the floor. Omos tossed out Roode after grabbing him by the throat. Ziggler tried to reason to Omos, so Styles jumped back in with a Phenomenal Forearm and Styles eliminated Ziggler. Zayn realized that there are only three Smackdown guys with him, Cesaro and Ricochet. Zayn wanted them to work together. Cesaro didn’t like that, so he hit a forearm and Ricochet hit the Recoil knee to Zayn. Street Profits eliminated Zayn. Omos saw Commander Azeez against the ropes, so Omos hit a clothesline to eliminate Azeez. Styles trash-talked Azeez, so Azeez tried to pull Styles out of the ring, Omos held onto Styles, then there were kicks to Omos and then Styles ended up over the top to the floor. Omos was mad, so he eliminated Crews. That was the eighth elimination for Omos.
The Street Profits, Cesaro and Ricochet decided to work together against Omos, so it was a 4-on-1 attack. Omos fought them off, Cesaro with an uppercut, Omos held on and Omos dumped Cesaro out of the ring. Omos tossed Dawkins out of the ring. Ford with a couple of slaps to the face, so Omos tossed Ford over the top to the floor with Ford doing a somersault dive for the bump. Ricochet faced off with Omos, who charged and Ricochet failed to lift Omos over the top. Omos tossed Ricochet over the top to the floor with 12 eliminations. It went 10:45.
Winner: Omos
Analysis: ** A dominant win for Omos, who really didn’t sell much and looked scary the whole way through the match. Some of the bumps selling for Omos looked good. Omos was my pick to win, so I’m not surprised by that at all.
Post match, AJ Styles tried to get pizza for Omos, but Montez Ford knocked Styles down. Ford tossed some pizza slices into the crowd. The Street Profits ate some pizza that was by the entrance area. They also tossed more pizza into the crowd.
Analysis: This was a way to make the fans happy after a heel win. Everybody likes free pizza.
A commercial aired for the next main roster PPV called Day 1 on January 1. It’s a Saturday night show.
The Rock’s 25th anniversary moment showing The Rock winning the Royal Rumble at the Royal Rumble 2000 PPV.
They showed highlights of the Kickoff Show match.
The Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Usos made their entrance to boos. Randy and Riddle were next as the Raw Tag Team Champions known as RK-Bro. With this match, Orton set the record for most WWE PPV matches ever at 177 matches. The fans were loud cheering for Orton and Riddle as the teams faced off in the ring.
The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) vs. RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle)
The Usos were dressed in all white including Bloodline tank tops. Riddle avoided Jimmy and hit a jumping kick to the chest. Riddle hit a spinning gutwrench suplex. Orton tagged in, went for an RKO on Jimmy, but Jimmy bailed to the floor. Orton faced off with Jey with Orton hitting an eye poke when the referee wasn’t looking. Riddle hit a twisting splash off Orton’s hands for a two count. Riddle kicked Jimmy on the floor and hit a Floating Bro splash on Jimmy on the floor. Jey was still legal, so he punched Riddle off the apron to the floor and Jey sent Riddle into the barricade. Jimmy tagged in with a suicide dive onto Riddle on the floor. Jey hit a belly to back suplex on Riddle. Jey hit a running hip attack on Riddle against the turnbuckle. Jey charged again, Riddle with a kick to the head and Jimmy applied a chinlock on Riddle. Jimmy prevented Riddle from tagging out. Jimmy with a suplex for two. Riddle powered out of a Jimmy move and Riddle hit a rising knee to the face.
Orton got the hot tag against Jey with Orton cleaning house with clotheslines along with a snap powerslam. Orton hit a powerslam on Jimmy as well. Jey pulled Orton out of the ring, which was a mistake, and then Orton with a belly to back suplex on Jey on the hood of the announce table. Orton did a belly to back suplex on Jimmy on the hood of the announce table as well. Orton with a draping DDT off the ropes. Jey pushed Orton to block an RKO, then a kick to the body and a superkick by Jey. Riddle back in with kicks, knees, a corner forearm and Exploder Suplexes for both Usos. Riddle with a senton on Jimmy, Jey blocked a senton with the knees and Jey hit a popup neckbreaker for a two count. Riddle hit a German Suplex on Jey for two. Jimmy was back in with a popup Samoan Drop for two. The Usos worked over Riddle with multiple kicks, Orton into the ring and The Usos hit a double superkick on him. The Usos hit a double superkick on Riddle for a two count with Riddle doing a bridge out kickout. Riddle sent Jey into the ring post, Riddle avoided Jimmy and Orton tagged in with Jimmy kicking Orton out of the ring. Jimmy with a jumping kick on Riddle. Jimmy went up top, he jumped off for the splash…and there’s Orton with the RKO outta nowhere! Orton covered Jimmy for the one…two…and three for the pinfall win. It went 14:50.
Winners by pinfall:RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle)
Analysis: ***1/2 A very good tag team match between two talented teams that know how to tell a story and build to an exciting finish. I always write that whenever The Usos are in a longer match like this you know it’s going to deliver because they’re outstanding. I love the way they shot the finish because if you did a wide angle then you would have seen Orton going into the ring, but with the camera angle that they showed, it was on Jimmy and then Orton just appeared on the screen out of nowhere to hit that huge RKO. What a great finish! The fans really loved Orton, so it was smart to have Riddle as the face in peril (on two different occasions) and then Orton tagged in for the win as I predicted in our preview.
Randy Orton and Riddle celebrated as the Raw Tag Team Champions. The announcers put over Orton setting the record for most PPV matches ever.
There was another video for The Rock’s 25th anniversary. This time it focused on WrestleMania 28 from nine years ago (I was there) when The Rock beat John Cena in the main event. It was the “Once in a Lifetime” match that was repeated a year later because wrestling is a work, my friends.
They showed WWE Officials Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville with Vince McMahon walking back into the ring. Vince thanked them for being very fair on Raw and Smackdown. Vince looked over to the case in his room where the expensive egg was missing. Vince said somebody must have stolen it, so he told Sonya to call the cops. Vince said The Rock isn’t going to be so upset about this. Vince told Pearce to interview all of his superstars to find out who stole the egg and if not then tomorrow on Raw, Vince will get to the bottom of it.
The announcers, in this case, it was Cole, Saxton and Graves, summarized it with Cole noting that means all superstars from Raw and Smackdown will be on Raw this week.
Analysis: Superstars will be exclusive to one brand…except when WWE changes their mind and puts them all on the same show because of an egg from a movie.
They showed a comic book video about Xia Li coming to Smackdown because she has to protect her family. The same video aired on Smackdown on Friday.
The introductions took place for the Women’s Tag Team Elimination Match. The reason I’m not writing the names out here is because I’m trying to get through the show, so I’m fast-forwarding entrances.
Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team Raw (Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Queen Zelina Vega & Carmella) vs. Team Smackdown (Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Toni Storm, Natalya & Shotzi)
The women on the teams were wearing outfits that resembled the shows they were on for the most part, so most Smackdown women had some blue and most Raw women had some red.
Carmella hit Storm with a forearm and then Carmella tagged out so that she could put a mask on. The women putting the mask on were slow, so Carmella went back to the apron. Vega with a kick to the face. Carmella tried to put her mask on with Vega’s help, Ripley hit the mask to prevent it from being applied, Carmella yelled at Ripley and Storm did the ROLLUP OF DEATH~! on Carmella to pin her.
Carmella has been eliminated.
Analysis: The mask gimmick is one of the dumbest gimmicks in all of WWE right now.
Carmella yelled at Ripley about it while Banks tagged in against Belair, but Shotzi tagged herself in to get some heat. Belair with waistlock takedowns on Shotzi. There was a hair pull from Shotzi followed by a senton splash for two. Belair stomped on the ribs to continue the attack. Belair with a splash for two. Morgan tagged in with a diving attack on Shotzi, but Shotzi came back with two jawbreakers and a punch. Natalya with a snap suplex. Morgan with a sunset flip for two, Natalya with a rollup for two and Morgan with a jackknife pin attempt, but Natalya bridged out of it. Natalya with a slingshot suplex, step on the back and basement dropkick for two. Morgan with a sunset flip followed by a dropkick. Ripley tagged in with clotheslines on Natalya followed by a headbutt and a running dropkick for two. Natalya with a release German Suplex on Ripley. Baszler tagged in with a double team suplex on Ripley. Baszler tried a stomp on the left arm, Ripley caught the foot and hit a forearm to the head. Baszler with a spinning slam for a two count. Ripley avoided a charging Baszler, who hit the turnbuckle. Shotzi pulled Banks off the apron. Ripley drove Baszler into the turnbuckle. Baszler was dong a triangle submission into an armbar. Ripley broke free from the submissions and stomped on Basler’s head. Shotzi back in with a kick, Morgan with a kick, Natalya with a clothesline, Vega with a bulldog and Storm hit a dropkick. Ripley kicked Storm out of the ring. The fans were bored, so they were doing the wave. Ripley had Baszler on her back and slammed her to the mat. Banks faced off with Belair with the fans reacting to them in a big way. The fans woke up with chants for both women, Banks with a slap to the face and Belair with a backflip off the ropes. Banks got a takedown leading to a Crossface attempt, but Belair got out of it. Belair caught Banks in her arms leading to a fallaway slam. Belair backed Banks into the turnbuckle and then Banks used her feet to send Belair into the middle turnbuckle. Banks did a double slingshot Tornado DDT with Ripley making the save. Belair with a spinebuster on Banks for a two count. Belair went for the KOD slam, Banks landed on her feet and Banks with a headscissors into the corner. Vega tagged in, Belair pressed Vega and tossed her onto Banks for two. Vega with a headscissors into the corner. I think there were “CM Punk” chants. Wrong night, pal. Storm tagged with a spinning slam into neckbreaker to eliminate Vega.
Queen Zelina Vega has been eliminated.
Storm and Morgan each got nearfalls with some fast-paced pin attempts. Morgan tried to pin Storm for a two count. Morgan hit Oblivion off the ropes on Storm to eliminate her.
Toni Storm has been eliminated.
Baszler applied the Kirifuda Clutch on Morgan with Shotzi tagging in with a splash to Morgan. Banks went up top and hit a Frog Splash for the pinfall win. The fans booed because they like Morgan.
Shayna Baszler has been eliminated.
Ripley showed off her power by walking Banks around the ring and hitting a suplex for two. Ripley up top and she jumped off with a missile dropkick. Banks came back with a Backstabber to the knees, Shotzi tagged in with a reverse Sliced Bread neckbreaker, and Baszler with a knee to Ripley’s face to pin her.
Rhea Ripley has been eliminated.
It’s 4 wrestlers from Smackdown and one from Raw – Bianca Belair There were some nearfall attempts right away with Belair and Natalya, but then Belair hit a turnbuckle. Natalya with a spinebuster in the ring. Shotzi and Banks argued about who is legal in the match. Banks and Shotzi argued about things, Banks was mostly in the ring, but she counted as off. Shotzi and Baszler prevented Banks from going back in the ring.
Sasha Banks has been eliminated.
Natalya with a clothesline on Bair followed by the one in the Canadian office. Belair kicked Natalya into Baszler to knock her down. Belair rolled up Natalya to eliminate her.
Natalya has been eliminated.
The match returned with Belair in control of Baszler and hit the Glam Slam to pin her and eliminator.
Shayna Baszler has been eliminated.
Shotzi was all alone against Belair with Shotzi hitting a running back splash against the ropes. Belair blocked a Shotzi move and sent her into the turnbuckle. Belair hit a (KOD) Kiss of Death and pinned Baszler to win the match at 23:45.
Shotzi has been eliminated.
Winner: Team Raw – Bianca Belair was the lone survivor.
Analysis: **3/4 It was just an average elimination match. Some of the eliminations were lame. It seemed like the crowd didn’t care for most of the match. I think most people, like me, assumed that Belair would do well since WWE always pushes her well whether she’s in the title scene or not. She’s a woman that can handle it. I’m glad that Toni Storm and Liv Morgan got some offense in so the audience can see what they have in them. That spot with Sasha Banks being eliminated really didn’t work that well and made a lot of the wrestlers look dumb. I get that they wanted Belair to stand out by surviving 4 on 1 to win, but again the crowd didn’t seem to care, so it was tough to get excited about it.
The next Rock 25 moment was shown when The Rock appeared on Smackdown two years ago on the Fox debut show. Rock got to hang out with Becky Lynch as they beat up Baron Corbin together.
Paul Heyman was walking backstage with Kayla Braxton showing up for an interview. Heyman said that he didn’t take Vince McMahon’s golden egg. Kayla said there was a rumor backstage that Brock Lesnar’s suspension is no longer indefinite. Heyman was shocked by that and told her to ask Adam Pearce since Pearce seems to have a problem with Lesnar.
They showed a Red Notice commercial where you can see the golden egg that was also featured on Survivor Series.
A video aired about Bobby Lashley talking about his journey to WWE while also showcasing some of his earlier career highlights.
Analysis: I’m not sure why we needed a three-minute video like that when it’s three hours into a PPV.
A video package aired about Roman Reigns and Big E. Since there wasn’t much interaction with them on the road to this match, it was mostly about their careers in WWE.
The WWE Champion Big E was up first. It was cool that Big E had a jacket and attire that had phrases from the TV show Seinfeld on it since Seinfeld was based in New York, so it was fitting for him to wear that during this match in New York.
Roman Reigns was up next as the Universal Champion as the Tribal Chief walked out for the match along with the “Wise Man” Paul Heyman, who is also the Special Counsel for Reigns. The entrance for Reigns was nearly four minutes long. Just saying.
Roman Reigns (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Big E
Big E shoved Reigns into the corner, so Reigns left the ring and Heyman sucked up to the Tribal Chief. After regrouping for a few moments, Reigns came back with a leaping clothesline followed by stomps. They ran the ropes, Big E with two leapfrogs along with a back elbow. Big E went for a splash on the apron, Reigns moved and Big E hit the ring apron hard. Reigns with a Drive By kick to the head. Reigns with a chinlock, Big E back up and Reigns hit him with a back elbow. Reigns bounced off the ropes with a big boot to the face for two. Reigns told some fans to “shut your mouths.” Reigns tossed Big E out of the ring where Reigns sent Big E into the ring post two times. Reigns went back into the ring to break the count and then back out to the floor. Reigns tried a whip on Big E, but Big E came back with a hard whip that sent Reigns into the steel steps. Back in the ring, both guys were down selling a bit. Big E hit the two belly to belly suplexes, Big E dodged a charging Reigns and hit a side belly to belly slam along with a splash. Big E ran, Reigns with a clothesline attempt, Big E ducked it and Reigns caught a charging Big E for a Samoan Drop. Reigns with corner clotheslines. Reigns charged into another corner, but Big E caught him and hit a uranage slam. Big E went for the Stretch Muffler submission, Reigns got out of it, Big E went for an armbar, Reigns countered it and Roman came back with a sitout Powerbomb for two. Reigns charged, Big E avoided, Reigns got a hold of Big E and hit a Rock Bottom for two! The Rock Bottom led to “Rocky” chants. Both guys were down selling again.
Reigns hit a Superman Punch that put Big E to a knee, so Reigns was shocked that it didn’t do more damage. Reigns with another Superman Punch that knocked Big E up. Moments later, Big E was getting back up with the support of the crowd. Reigns hit Big E with a third Superman Punch that flattened Big E leading to Reigns taunting the crowd. Reigns did his loud corner yell to let us know what was coming. Big E was fired up going for the Big Ending, Reigns slipped out of that, Reigns to the apron and Big E hit a running Spear from the apron to the floor. That’s a regular move by Big E that looks devastating. Back in the ring, Reigns bounced off the ropes and hit a Spear for just a two count. That’s a move Reigns has won many titles with, but it didn’t get the job done here. Reigns told Big E that he didn’t deserve to be in the ring with him. Big E got a hold of Reigns for a guillotine choke and Big E drove Reigns into the turnbuckle. Big E with another spear by the apron, but Reigns countered it into a guillotine choke headlock. Big E fought out of that, Reigns with a neck snap against the ropes. Back in the ring, Reigns applied the guillotine choke headlock. Big E managed to power out of that while lifting Reigns up to his shoulders. Big E delivered the Big Ending and it got a two count because Reigns got his hand on the bottom rope. They were too close to the ropes. Big E continued on offense on the floor by tossing Reigns into the announce table, ring post and the barricade at ringside. Big E was back in the ring to break the referee’s count. Big E tried to send Reigns into an object on the floor, but Reigns managed to send Big E into the steel steps. Reigns hit a Superman Punch (by jumping off the steel steps) on Big E on the floor as well. Back in the ring, Big E with a lift, Reigns stomped on the back of the left knee and Reigns hit a Spear for the pinfall win at 21:55.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Analysis: **** A clean win for the Tribal Chief, which is not always common for him, but that’s what it should have been. It started slow and was maybe too slow-paced early on. Then the pace picked up and they had a great showing by the end of the night. Big E got that good nearfall after the Big Ending in a spot similar to what Becky/Charlotte did earlier, but in this case, it was never meant to be a controversial finish and was just a spot for a nearfall. Reigns winning clean continues his dominance. Acknowledge him for being a great character sure and for all of the outstanding four star level matches he has had over the last year and a half. Big E certainly proved he is worthy of being a main event talent too. I’m a fan of both guys.
Reigns celebrated with the WWE Universal Title and he left the ringside area. Reigns went up the aisle with Heyman. Reigns did some more posing. That was the end of the show.
This event had a runtime of 3:29:20 on WWE Network. That’s about 30 minutes shorter than Crown Jewel was.
Five Stars of the Show
- Roman Reigns
- Big E
- Charlotte Flair/Becky Lynch
- Men’s Team Raw
- Women’s Team Raw
Final Thoughts
I’m going with a 7.25 out of 10 for this show.
The match quality was pretty good for the most part with the Roman Reigns/Big E match standing out as the best of the night. I also liked the Lynch/Charlotte match, the men’s elimination tag team match and RK-Bro/Usos was solid. The women’s tag team match wasn’t that good, so that hurts the show.
What hurts a show like this is there are no titles on the line, so the results don’t matter that much. There wasn’t anything that exciting or that surprising, which is why my rating is just above a 7 out of 10 because I wanted to see more and then it just ended there.
For people expecting The Rock, I know they are filming his NBC TV show Young Rock in Australia right now. I don’t know if Rock is in Australia and that’s why he missed this show or what the reason is. If the reason comes out by Monday morning I’ll edit this, but I definitely know Young Rock is filming there because I know some people that are involved. Anyway, I guess fans are going to be mad that there was no appearance from The Rock. Even a short video from Rock thanking the fans would have been cool. In WWE’s defense, it’s not like WWE said he would be there and lied. Rock posted an Instagram food video on Sunday night (followed by another one a few hours later) referencing a favorite LA sandwich shop, so maybe he was in Los Angeles. I don’t know.
I’m looking forward to all of the articles, podcasts, videos and whatever about how to “fix” Survivor Series next year while brand supremacy continues to be on the line. I hope the format changes.
Here are my rankings for WWE PPVs in 2021 so far.
Money in the Bank (July 18) – 8.5
WrestleMania 37 (April 10 & 11) – 8
Royal Rumble (January 31) – 8
Crown Jewel (October 21) – 8
WrestleMania Backlash (May 16) – 7.75
SummerSlam (August 21) – 7.25
Survivor Series (November 21) – 7.25
Elimination Chamber (February 21) – 7.25
Extreme Rules (September 26) – 7
Hell in a Cell (June 20) – 7
Fastlane (March 21) – 6.5
As a reminder, I have a listing of every WWE PPV that I reviewed in order by year. Thank you for supporting us at TJRWrestling. We appreciate you.
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Thanks for reading this review. My contact info is below.
Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter: @johnreport