Reviews

WWE Survivor Series 2018 Review

By John Canton • Published 15th November 2021
survivor series 2018 wwe

It’s the 32nd edition of WWE Survivor Series and the company was using the Raw vs. Smackdown format for the third year in a row.

This was written live on the night that it took place and remains unchanged.

WWE Survivor Series
From the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California
November 18, 2018

There was an opening video package to set up the big matches on the show featuring Raw vs. Smackdown matches all night long.

The show began with a live shot of Staples Center in Los Angeles with Michael Cole announcing the crowd at 16,320 fans in attendance.

Carmella made her entrance with R-Truth to begin the entrances for the women’s 5 on 5 elimination match. Naomi was next and she’s the captain of the team, which really doesn’t mean much. Mandy Rose was up next and she’s my favorite on the team by far. Sonya Deville was the fourth woman on Team Smackdown. The last woman announced for Smackdown is Asuka, who got the biggest reaction of anybody on the team.

The Raw announce team of Michael Cole, Renee Young and Corey Graves welcomed us to the show. They’re all excited with Graves busting out the “brand supremacy” phrase that WWE loves to use. A clip aired of the end of Raw when the Smackdown women invaded Raw last Monday.

Alexa Bliss made her entrance as the captain of Team Raw. She’s not wrestling, but she looked outstanding. Mickie James was up first and she’s my favorite on this team. Tamina was next with no reaction for her. Nia Jax is next and she’s an ally of Tamina. The crowd was strongly against Jax with boos while Jax showed off her right hand, which was the #facebreaker that broke Becky Lynch’s nose. Sasha Banks and Bayley are the last woman on Raw as replacements for Natalya and Ruby Riott because those two women got in a fight in the locker room on the Kickoff Show.

Women’s Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: Raw Women’s Team (Mickie James, Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Bayley and Tamina) w/Captain Alexa Bliss vs. Smackdown Women’s Team (Naomi, Asuka, Carmella, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville)

They’re all wearing red Raw and blue Smackdown shirts although Carmella’s got her own unique gear that does say Smackdown Live on it.

Naomi got a nearfall on Tamina early on. Tamina went after the Smackdown women, so it turned into a brawl until the women were finally separated. Naomi with a springboard kick to Nia Jax’s face and Tamina capitalized with a superkick on Naomi to pin and eliminate her. Way to go, captain Naomi!

Naomi eliminated by Tamina

Carmella snuck up behind Tamina and gave her the dreaded ROLLUP OF DEATH~! to eliminate her. That’s two quick eliminations.

Tamina eliminated by Carmella

Carmella said it was time for a dance break, so she did one of her dance routines. Jax was in the ring, the crowd booed her as she held up Carmella in the air and Rose tagged in. Jax with a body attack to knock Rose down. Rose with a running knee attack on Jax to send her to the corner. James tagged in with a neckbreaker on Rose for a two count. Rose slapped on an abdominal stretch on James. James tripped up Rose and slapped on a Last Chancery submission, but Rose was near the ropes, so Rose grabbed the rope. Asuka tagged in against James with Asuka hitting two shoulder tackles followed by the running hip attack. Asuka tied up James in her own version of an abdominal stretch and James managed a pinfall for two. Asuka with a spinning back fist. Deville tagged in and drove James into the corner, but James came back with a headscissors out of the corner. James worked over Deville with a kick to the ribs, a knee and James ran the ropes, so Bayley tagged herself in. Banks tagged in with knees to the ribs. James tagged herself back in and hit a Thesz Press off the top. Deville hit a running knee on James and Rose had tagged herself in, so Rose covered James to eliminate her. I will boo that. Deville and Rose argued about it a bit.

Mickie James eliminated by Mandy Rose

Carmella worked with Bayley and these two are best friends as Bayley hit a neckbreaker using the ropes for an assist. Carmella took control with a kick followed by a DDT. Carmella taunted Banks, then took too long to attack Bayley so Bayley hit a Bayley to Belly slam to eliminate Carmella.

Carmella eliminated by Bayley

Mandy Rose attacked Bayley from behind with a forearm to the back. Rose with a knee to the back of Bayley followed by a hair whip. Bayley with an elbow to the face and went under Mandy’s legs to bring in Banks. Dropkick by Banks, a knee attack missed in the corner and Banks slapped on the Bank Statement submission on Rose leading to Rose tapping out.

Mandy Rose eliminated by Sasha Banks

Deville attacked Banks with knees to the ribs. Asuka kicked away at Banks followed by a running splash against the turnbuckle for two. Deville went back in with a kick to the ribs. Bayley back in with a running knee on Deville. The crowd was quiet for this match as Bayley got a nearfall on Deville. They went to the apron Deville hit an awkward-looking spinebuster on Bayley and Jax made the save, which drew huge boos. Jax missed a corner charge, she hit the ring post and Asuka kicked Jax out of the ring. Banks with a Meteora on Asuka on the floor. Bayley with a belly to back suplex on Deville for a two count. Bayley tackled Deville and both women went crashing out of the ring to the floor. Deville kicked Bayley to prevent her from getting back in the ring. Bayley hit a Bayley to Belly on Deville on the floor and neither woman got back before ten, so both women are eliminated.

Bayley and Sonya Deville are both eliminated at the same time due to countout

That means Raw has Nia Jax and Sasha Banks left against Asuka, who is the only Smackdown woman left. Banks with a dropkick on Asuka and Asuka came back with a dropkick. Asuka lifted Banks up right into a knee to the face followed by Asuka hitting a German Suplex across the ring. Jax was on the apron by Banks and Asuka hit her with a hip attack, which the crowd loved because they hate Jax. Banks with a knee to Asuka. With Banks on the apron, Asuka kicked her out of the ring. Banks tripped up Asuka on the apron and sent her face first into the ring apron. Asuka with another running hip attack, this time on the floor. Asuka up top with a missile dropkick for a two count on Banks while Jax was still chilling outside the ring. The fans chanted “let’s go Asuka” as each woman went for submission holds. Banks hit the double knee attack on Asuka against the turnbuckle. Banks up top, Jax shoved Banks off the top and Asuka slapped on the Asuka Lock on Banks leading to Banks tapping out.

Sasha Banks eliminated by Asuka

Jax and Asuka were the last two women. Jax with a three running leg drops on Asuka to huge heat from the crowd. Jax picked up Asuka and hit a Samoan Drop. Jax pinned Asuka to win the match for Team Raw at 18:50.

Asuka eliminated by Nia Jax

Winners: Team Raw Women (Nia Jax is the sole survivor)

Analysis: **1/2 It was fine for the most part and it only felt like the crowd cared when Jax was in there because they hate for when she injured Becky Lynch. The spot where Jax turned on Banks fit Jax’s heel persona, so I’m okay with that since it’s a case of WWE wanting to get Jax over more as a heel. I was hoping Asuka would get the win to put her over because she needs it, but I’m not surprised that Jax got the win. I find Jax to be very boring, but due to her size, they are going to want to feature her.

Post match, Jax celebrated her win while holding up her first in the air. The fans booed her. Alexa Bliss was happy about the win.

A graphic was shown that said Raw leads 1-0 at Survivor Series even though Smackdown won on the Kickoff Show. When Graves brought it up, Cole said only the main show counts. That made me laugh unintentionally because they completely shit all over their own Kickoff Show while telling the audience that it doesn’t matter.

The Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and Baron Corbin were in their office. Stephanie told Corbin that they need Raw to sweep the night if he wants to be full-time GM. Paige and Shane McMahon shown up to represent Smackdown. Shane said that tonight they will knock Raw off its high horse. Stephanie said that they will not steal the victory tonight. Corbin said that they are like LeBron James and they can’t get the job done when it matters (fans booed that since LeBron pays for the Lakers and by the way, LeBron scored 51 points on Sunday). Corbin pointed out that Smackdown didn’t have AJ Styles or Becky Lynch. Shane said that their attitude will make Smackdown’s victory sweeter and then we’ll see something great when he sees his sister fire Baron Corbin. Shane and Paige left.

Analysis: The “brand supremacy” stuff doesn’t matter that much, yet WWE continuously thinks it is a big deal. After this show is over, nobody will speak about it until next year.

A commercial aired for Cricket Wireless starring Sheamus.

The Smackdown announce team of Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton and Corey Graves took over on commentary.

Seth Rollins made his entrance as the Intercontinental Champion with the crowd cheering him a lot and chanting “BURN IT DOWN” right on cue. Shinsuke Nakamura was up next. He’s the United States Champion that is a heel, so he got some boos although people still think the entrance is cool, which it is. The Spanish and German announce teams were shown at ringside.

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

There was a long staredown to start with some taunting. They were wrestling in t-shirts representing their shows because WWE thinks we are too stupid to know who is on what show. Rollins got a rollup for a two count and did the “come on” taunt that Nakamura does. The fans chanted “Nakamura/Burn it Down” to show support for both men. Nakamura sent Rollins to the apron and Rollins hit a leg drop to the back of the neck. Rollins charged in, but Nakamura stopped him with a hard kick to the face. Nakamura took control with a foot to the throat of Rollins against the turnbuckle. Nakamura continued to control the action as he put his foot against the throat of Rollins. Nakamura slapped on a front facelock. Rollins got back into it by sending Nakamura face first into the middle turnbuckle. Rollins with chops, punches and Rollins with a Slingblade that took down Nakamura. Rollins picked up Nakamura off the ropes and dumped Nakamura over the top to the floor as if it was the Royal Rumble. Rollins ran the ropes leading to a suicide dive and Rollins went back into the ring for another suicide dive. The fans chanting “one more time” so Rollins hit a third suicide dive on Nakamura on the floor. Rollins up top and he hit a clothesline for a two count. Rollins with a punch to the face followed by a suplex attempt, but Nakamura broke free and kicked him in the face. Nakamura with a knee to the ribs followed up another lifting knee by Nakamura for a two count. Nakamura with a one-legged backstabber knee to the back, but Rollins got back up and Nakamura with a superkick that looked like it connected. Rollins covered and Nakamura kicked out at the last possible moment.

Rollins set up for a Buckle Bomb, Nakamura blocked it with an eye rake and Nakamura kicked Rollins in the back of the neck. Rollins came back with punches to the head followed by some kicks. Nakamura countered a clothesline attempt into a triangle/armbar submission. Rollins fought out of it and hit a Buckle Bomb against the turnbuckle. Rollins with a kick to the ribs, Nakamura came back with a boot to the face, Nakamura with a headbutt and a slam off the shoulders into a pin attempt for two for Nakamura. They battled on the top rope with Rollins hitting a superplex off the top into a Falcon Arrow slam for a two count. That’s always good for a believable nearfall by Rollins with the crowd buying into it. They got into a slugfest, Nakamura with a kick to the back and Nakamura with a reverse Exploder suplex that sent Rollins across the ring. Rollins avoided the Kinshasa and hit a ripcord knee lift to the face for a two count. Rollins up top and he went for a Frog Splash, but Nakamura moved. Nakamura with a running knee to the back of the head of Rollins for a two count. Graves called it a Kinshasa, but that move is usually only called that when it’s to the face rather than the back of the head. Nakamura charged in, Rollins with a superkick, kick to the gut, Nakamura missed with a Kinshasa and Rollins hit The Stomp for the pinfall win at 21:50.

Winner by pinfall: Seth Rollins

Analysis: ***1/2 It was a very good match that was even the whole time. I liked the way that they kept getting believable nearfalls throughout the match. The one thing both guys are lacking is a believable submission move although Nakamura came close to winning with the triangle submission. Nakamura also got the best nearfall of the match with the knee to the back of the head that was good for a two count. I liked the way the finish was done with each guy going for finishers, but it was Rollins that managed to get the win. It certainly would have helped if there was a story involved, but instead of just an even matchup. This was fun and I’d love to see them have a proper feud leading to more matches down the road.

There was a commercial hyping up all of WWE’s shows on WWE Network.

There was a shot of the Raw locker room with Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, Bobby Lashley with Lio Rush and Finn Balor. Strowman said he didn’t like any of them, but then he told Balor he liked him. Strowman said that they need to carry their weight or they will get these hands. McIntyre got in Strowman’s face and warned Strowman to get out of his way. Captain Baron Corbin showed up asking what the hell was going on. Corbin told Strowman he can’t touch him because of the deal he had at Survivor Series. Strowman tossed Rush into Corbin. R-Truth showed up saying that they need to get on the same page. The fans laughed as Corbin told Truth he’s not even on the team while pointing out that Truth isn’t on Raw. Truth left while the fans laughed at him.

Analysis: I think the theme of Survivor Series teams every year is to have everybody on the team bicker. It gets repetitive when they do it every year. At least R-Truth was there to provide some comedy.

The matchup between tag team champions is up next with Sheamus and Cesaro up first with Big Show. They are up against AOP with Drake Maverick. The size difference between Show and Maverick is nearly two feet. The international announce teams were shown from their seats in the arena.

The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro) w/Big Show vs. AOP (Akam and Rezar) w/Drake Maverick

Cesaro was in control early on with a dropkick and he went for a swing on Akam, but Rezar broke it up. AOP did a double team move off the turnbuckle with Akam stomping on Cesaro. Rezar got back in there to work over Cesaro with punches and a headbutt. Akam slapped on a chinlock on Cesaro. Rezar went back in the ring, Sheamus went in to save his partner and AOP continued to control the action. Akam with a running knee to the ribs of Cesaro. When Cesaro tried to get going with uppercuts, Akam knocked him down again. Cesaro with a forearm off the ropes and Sheamus got the tag against Rezar. There was no reaction from the crowd since they are heel teams. Sheamus with a running knee to Rezar, then a knee lift to the ribs and Sheamus drove Rezar’s throat into the top rope. Sheamus did the forearms to the chest and he did all ten of them even though he stopped doing that as a heel. Sheamus up top with a clothesline for a two count. Sheamus wanted a Brogue Kick, Maverick on the apron, Cesaro with an uppercut on Rezar and Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick on Rezar leading to Maverick putting Rezar’s foot on the rope to stop the count. Cesaro ran at Maverick, who ran into Big Show, who dropped Maverick with a shoulder tackle. Show choked Maverick around the throat and Maverick started pissing his pants, so everybody just stopped. The Bar guys just looked at Maverick and laughed at him. Big Show walked away laughing. Back in the ring, AOP hit a double team suplex into a Powerbomb on Sheamus for the pinfall win at 8:45.

Winners by pinfall: AOP

Analysis: *3/4 It was just a boring match with a dead crowd until the comedy spot with Maverick pissing his pants. The lack of a face team hurt this match. I’m not that surprised that AOP got the win since they are the younger team and could use the win more. The story continues to be that Raw has dominated this show so far.

The win by AOP means that Raw is up 3-0 on the main show.

In other news, Enzo Amore was spotted in the second row and got ejected from the show when WWE realized it was him. What a tool.

The Smackdown men’s team was in the locker room with captain The Miz, Shane McMahon, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe. The Miz told Shane to give them a pep talk, so Shane did that while Miz repeated everything that Shane said. R-Truth showed up to say he wanted to be on Smackdown and Shane told Truth he’s already on Smackdown, so Truth said that’s good because Raw is a mess. Miz promised a signed DVD of The Marine 6 if they win and Truth said he wants one signed by Becky Lynch. Shane fired up the team as the segment ended.

Analysis: The Raw guys got a pep talk segment, so the Smackdown guys did too. Miz was sucking up to Shane because that’s what he does now.

The announce team for the next match is Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson, who are the 205 Live announcers.

A video aired to set up Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy against Mustafa Ali.

Mustafa Ali made his entrance as the challenger. The announcers talked about the fires that have caused a lot of damage in California and plugged SupportLAFD.org if people want to donate. Buddy Murphy was next as the Cruiserweight Champion. This is the only title match and only match that isn’t Raw vs. Smackdown on the show.

Cruiserweight Championship: Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali sent Murphy out of the ring with a dropkick. Ali went up top and hit a somersault dive onto Murphy on the floor. Back in the ring, Murphy with a kick to the face. Ali kicked Murphy against the barricade. Ali climbed to the middle rope and Murphy shoved Ali back first into the barricade at ringside. That was a rough landing for Ali. Murphy whipped Ali spine first into the ring apron and the barricade, which was good for a two count back in the ring. Murphy with a back body drop followed by a kick to the back for a two count. Murphy slapped on a chinlock. Murphy whipped Ali against the turnbuckle, Ali with a kick to the face and a catapult into the turnbuckle. Ali with a dropkick. Ali on the apron with a kick to the head and when Ali went for a move, Murphy launched Ali over the top to the floor. Murphy ran the ropes leading to a somersault dive over the top to take out Ali outside the ring. The fans were quiet for this match. Ali with two superkicks and a reverse rana spiked Murphy for a two count. Ali with a forearm to the jaw, then a spin kick that sent Murphy to the apron. Ali followed up with an impressive DDT for a two count. Ali went up top and Murphy shoved him off leading to Ali bumping face first into the ring apron. That was a great bump. The action spilled out of the ring with Ali hitting a Spanish Fly slam off the announce table onto the floor with some fans chanting “205” for them. Back in the ring, Ali went up top for the 054 attempt, but Murphy blocked him again leading to a superkick, a powerbomb and a sitout powerbomb got a two count. Nice sequence of moves there. The crowd supported them with a “this is awesome” chant. Ali went for a springboard attack, but he was met by a knee to the face. Murphy hit the Murphy’s Law slam for the pinfall win at 12:20.

Winner by pinfall: Buddy Murphy

Analysis: ***3/4 That was a very good match in front of a crowd that was mostly dead for the cool stuff they were doing because WWE doesn’t push the cruiserweight division that much. After that Spanish Fly spot off the announce table, the fans got into it more. Ali put on a good show with a lot of cool aerial moves, which is a strength of his. Murphy did a nice job of controlling most of the match, selling for Ali when needed and I thought the finish was well done. The champ retaining was what I expected.

Daniel Bryan, the new WWE Champion, was shown walking backstage with the title on his shoulder. Kayla Braxton showed up to ask Bryan if he is ready for tonight. Bryan didn’t say a word and just left because he’s a heel now.

A commercial aired for WrestleMania on April 7, 2019. Tickets are on sale now.

A video package aired about Lars Sullivan letting us know he’s being called up from NXT to the main roster. It doesn’t say what show he is joining. It just said “coming soon” at the end of the video.

The men’s 5 on 5 traditional Survivor Series elimination match is next. No video package for this because there are no storylines. The Raw announce team of Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Renee Young took over.

Baron Corbin was up first because he’s the captain of the team, but he is not wrestling. Bobby Lashley was next with Lio Rush by his side. Finn Balor got a loud ovation from the crowd as usual. Dolph Ziggler was up next and he was joined by his buddy Drew McIntyre. Braun Strowman was the last man for the Raw team and he got the biggest ovation.

Smackdown’s team was up next with their captain The Miz leading the way holding his The Marine 6 DVD. Jeff Hardy was next to solid reaction followed by Samoa Joe with the crowd chanting “Joe” for him. Rey Mysterio was next up for Smackdown looking ready to go. Shane McMahon aka THE BEST IN THE WORLD was up last for the team.

Men’s Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team Raw – Bobby Lashley, Finn Balor, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman (w/Baron Corbin and Lio Rush) vs. Team Smackdown – The Miz, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio and Shane McMahon

Strowman yelled at McIntyre that he was going to start the match, so McIntyre tagged himself in. Joe went for the Coquina Clutch on McIntyre to cheers and McIntyre got out of it with a Claymore Kick to eliminate Joe in about 30 seconds. The crowd chanted “bullshit” as Joe left and McIntyre smiled about the elimination.

Samoa Joe eliminated by Drew McIntyre

Analysis: It’s easy to understand why the crowd would hate that since Joe was a top guy for Smackdown and Smackdown has been booked like shit all night. The fans have been supporting Smackdown more too.

Hardy was the legal man for Smackdown and he was taken down by a McIntyre clothesline. Ziggler wanted a superkick on Hardy, but McMahon tagged in to face off with Ziggler, who Shane beat in the World Cup finals. McMahon worked over Ziggler with punches and Ziggler came back with a dropkick. McMahon with two arm drags and Ziggler with a pin attempt for two. Ziggler hit a Fameasser on Shane for a two count. Ziggler went into the ropes and hit a Zig Zag on Shane leading to a two count, but Miz made the save. Miz tagged in, each guy went for their moves and Ziggler hit a dropkick to knock Miz down. Strowman tagged himself in, but McIntyre tagged himself in again. Strowman yelled at him. Strowman and McIntyre exchanged punches leading to a brawl with everybody in the match pairing off. The four Smackdown guys attacked Strowman at the same time, but Strowman fought out of it. Mysterio hit a 619 kick on Strowman leading to Miz and Shane sending Strowman over the top to the floor. Smackdown’s team worked over McIntyre outside the ring. Shane cleared off the English announce table. Why not the Spanish? Don’t ignore the Spanish! The other Smackdown guys put Strowman on the announce table. Shane went up top and Shane jumped off with an elbow drop off the top onto Strowman through the announce table. That’s a spot that Shane has done many times and Shane is 48 years old, so that’s impressive to do that at his age. The crowd was hot for this.

Analysis: The spot by Shane was a great idea because it really added to the excitement of the match.

The Miz worked over McIntyre in the ring while Stephanie and Paige were shown watching on the TV backstage. The fans chanted that this is awesome or maybe that Miz is awesome. Anyway, McIntyre with a headbutt to Miz. Balor wanted a tag from McIntyre, but McIntyre didn’t do it and Balor tagged himself in followed by a kick to McIntyre’s head. Balor with a leaping kick to Miz and a double foot stomp. Balor with another jump kick to the head. Balor up top, he went for the Coup de Grace double foot stomp, but Miz avoided and Balor attacked Miz with a dropkick into the barricade. Balor also hit a Slingblade on Hardy on the floor. Mysterio back in with a seated senton on Balor and Balor came back with an elbow drop to the chest leading to a two count. Mysterio with a headscissors that sent Balor to the ropes, but Balor avoided a 619 and hit a Slingblade. Balor with a dropkick that sent Mysterio to the turnbuckle. Balor up top again, he missed Coup do Grace again and Mysterio set Balor up for the 619, which connected. Mysterio hit a splash off the top to eliminate Balor.

Finn Balor eliminated by Rey Mysterio

McIntyre grabbed Mysterio and tossed him out of the ring. McIntyre hit Balor with a clothesline and tossed him out of the ring. Mysterio with a dropkick on McIntyre, Lashley tagged in without Rey seeing it and Lashley hit a boot to the face of Mysterio. Lashley shoved Mysterio into the turnbuckle followed by a neckbreaker. Lashley picked up Mysterio with a delayed vertical suplex attempt, but Mysterio managed to get out of it. Mysterio sent Lashley out of the ring, but Ziggler tagged in as legal man. Mysterio with a kick to the head of Ziggler. Hardy tagged in for Smackdown with a double legdrop on Ziggler for a two count. Hardy with an elbow to the face, Ziggler distracted the referee, Hardy fought off McIntyre with a DDT on the floor. Back in the ring, Ziggler with a jumping DDT on Hardy for a two count. Ziggler went for a superkick, Hardy avoided it and hit a Twist of Fate. Hardy went up top and did a Swanton Bomb, but Ziggler got the knees up to block it with Ziggler’s knees going into the back of Hardy. Miz tagged back in with a corner clothesline on Ziggler. Shane looked exhausted, yet Miz tagged him in and Shane went up top for one of his big moves. Shane up top and he hit a Coast to Coast dropkick on Ziggler against the turnbuckle. Shane covered Ziggler and eliminated him.

Dolph Ziggler eliminated by Shane McMahon

Lashley was back in for Raw with a clothesline and belly to belly suplex across the ring. Lashley with another belly to belly suplex across the ring as Miz tagged in for his team and Lashley took him out with a slam. Lashley charged, Miz moved and Lashley hit the shoulder against the ring post. Corner clothesline by Miz on Lashley. Miz tagged in Shane again for a Coast to Coast dropkick. Shane looked exhausted and when Shane jumped off the top, Strowman hit a clothesline on him. Lashley covered Shane, so Mysterio made the save and dragged Shane back to their corner. The timing of that Strowman clothesline on Shane was perfect. Strowman tagged in against Hardy with Strowman hitting a Powerslam to eliminate him.

Jeff Hardy eliminated by Braun Strowman

Mysterio back in with a dropkick on Strowman and he set him up against the ropes, but this time Strowman blocked the 619 leading to a Powerslam into a pin.

Rey Mysterio eliminated by Braun Strowman

Raw had Strowman, McIntyre and Lashley left while Smackdown had Miz and Shane, who was laying on the apron looking exhausted. Miz tried to encourage Shane outside the ring, so Strowman ran over Shane with a shoulder tackle. Miz back in the ring with Strowman and Strowman hit a Powerslam on Miz to pin and eliminate him.

The Miz eliminated by Braun Strowman

Shane was the only Smackdown guy left against Strowman, McIntyre and Lashley. There was a long pause for Shane to get back to his feet and realize what he was up against. Strowman hit a dropkick, a clothesline and a Running Powerslam. Strowman covered Shane to get the win for his team. The match went 24:01.

Shane McMahon eliminated by Braun Strowman

Winners: Team Raw (Survivors: Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley)

The win by Raw means they are up 4-0 on the main show.

Analysis: *** It was a fun match in the first half and then it sort of slowed down later with Strowman dominated the end of it. Strowman beating four guys in a row didn’t surprise me that much since he is constantly booked as the strongest guy on Raw, so I should have seen it coming. I thought it was funny how Miz kept calling on Shane to do his moves and it ended up hurting the team. The performance of guys like Mysterio and Hardy was important to the match because they got the crowd into it while giving Smackdown some positive momentum in the match. The story of Raw being undefeated shows that WWE is interested in making Smackdown look like the inferior brand yet again.

After the match was over, Corbin hit Strowman in the back with a cheap shot that was a forearm to the back of the head. Corbin left with McIntyre and Lashley while Strowman was alone in the ring looking angry.

Analysis: The plan is Strowman vs. Corbin at TLC, so that’s obviously where things are headed now.

There was a plug for the Red Cross at RedCross.org to deal with the fire that has destroyed part of California in the last few weeks.

A commercial aired for WWE Shop.

Seth Rollins was interviewed by Charly Caruso. Rollins talked about his big win and said he needed to celebrate. Charly said that she wanted to let him know that in four weeks at TLC, he’ll face Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Title. Rollins seemed happy about it and said at TLC, Ambrose can’t hide anymore.

Analysis: That was expected after the match was announced on the website of the SAP Center in San Jose, which is hosting TLC.

Next up is the Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey against Charlotte Flair. A video package aired to set this up to show why Becky Lynch isn’t part of the match due to her broken nose and concussion after Nia Jax punched her on Raw. Charlotte Flair was selected as the replacement.

Charlotte Flair was up first wearing one of her lovely peacock robes and she had the Smackdown shirt on like everybody on the show supporting the show they are on. Good ovation for Flair with “woo” chants. The announcers talked about this being a dream match with Renee saying that it’s like WrestleMania came early.

Ronda Rousey, the Raw Women’s Champion, was up next with some war paint around her eyes. The crowd was mostly cheering her, but I could hear some boos in there too.

As for Becky Lynch, she had a message on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1064210838444261383

Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair

The crowd chanted “Becky” at the start of the match although there is no sign of Lynch yet. Rousey wasn’t wearing a Raw shirt, but she had on some redon her gear. Flair shoved Rousey down. They did a cool spot with Rousey ducking a clothesline and getting an armbar. Flair came back with a sunset flip, but Rousey fought back with another armbar attempt and Flair backed away to create space. Flair grounded Rousey with the fans chanting for both women. Flair whipped Rousey face first into the bottom turnbuckle with Rousey taking a good bump. Flair with an overhead suplex across the ring. Flair worked on the left knee of Rousey by bending it back. Rousey had a busted lip from something that happened in the match. There was a replay of a Charlotte hitting Rousey with an elbow to the face leading to a bloody mouth for Rousey. The ref put on the dreaded white gloves. Rousey broke free with a knee lift and an armbar using the ropes. Rousey went up top, so Flair kicked her foot to knock her down. Flair set up for a superplex, Rousey blocked and tossed Flair off face first. Rousey grabbed Flair and rolled into an armbar submission, but Flair fought out of it. Flair managed to counter into a Boston Crab submission. That was cool. Rousey slipped out of that, so Flair wanted the Figure Four, but Rousey kicked out of that and Flair kicked Rousey down again. Flair wanted the Natural Selection, but Rousey avoided it and wrenched on the arm of Flair. Flair with a backbreaker followed by a kick to the head as Flair took a break against the turnbuckle. Flair went up top and she went for a moonsault, but Rousey got her feet up to block. Rousey got Flair on her shoulders leading to a rolling senton. Rousey tried to fire up the crowd and Flair hit a Spear that folded up Rousey for a two count. Great nearfall. Flair slapped on the Figure Four submission hold, but she didn’t turn it into the Figure Eight submission because Rousey reversed it, so they rolled all the way out of the ring. Rousey got back up first as she whipped Flair into the barricade. Back in the ring, Rousey took down Flair with three armbars. Rousey with punches to the head, but Flair came back with chops with the crowd chanting “woo” along with all of them and Flair kicked the leg of Rousey to weaken her some more. Rousey blocked a chop, but Flair managed to come back with a boot to the face for two. The fans chanted “this is awesome” for them as both women were down.

Flair picked up Rousey for a slam, but Rousey managed to counter into an armbar. Flair rolled out of the ring to break free. Rousey picked up Flair and hit a spinning slam that Cole said it’s called Piper’s Pit to pay homage to Roddy Piper. Flair fought off an armbar attempt and left the ring again. Rousey’s bloody mouth wasn’t that bad at all. Flair went back in the ring to break the count and then left the ring again. Rousey was sick of that, so Rousey charged at Flair outside the ring and Flair hit Rousey in the ribs with a kendo stick leading to the DQ finish at 14:40. That drew a big reaction from the crowd with a mix of cheers and boos.

Winner by disqualification: Ronda Rousey

Analysis: ****1/4 That was an awesome match that was probably the best Rousey match to date, which is not a surprise because Flair is the best opponent she has been in the ring with. The intensity of the match was so great from the moment it started with each woman treating this like a big fight and they made it seem like a fight rather than a traditional wrestling match. The finish was interesting because the story became that Flair couldn’t win the match, so she went the cheap route with the kendo stick coming. I didn’t think it was going to end that way with Flair going the cheap route. I picked Rousey to win and yeah, she did win, but I didn’t think the DQ was coming. It’s still a great match and I feel like when they do it again, that’s going to be an even better match.

The win by Rousey means that Raw is 5-0 on the main show.

After the match was over, Flair grabbed a kendo stick and hit Rousey repeatedly in the back with it. The kendo stick broke as Flair hit her with it repeatedly. Flair grabbed another kendo stick and hit Rousey in the back repeatedly. The referee was telling Flair to stop, but she wouldn’t do it. Flair had a crazy look in her eyes telling the story that she has snapped. Flair grabbed a chair from ringside. The referee was finally able to stop her. Flair left the ring, but then she went back in with the fans cheering her. Flair hit a Natural Selection neckbreaker onto the chair. The fans chanted “yes” for Charlotte’s actions. There were other referees that ran out to the ring to stop Charlotte, but she didn’t stop because she attacked the referees with punches and a spear. Flair put the chair on Rousey’s neck, Rousey held the chair in place and Charlotte shoved the ref out of the ring. Flair stomped on the chair that was around Rousey’s neck. There were agents from the back like Adam Pearce and Jamie Noble as well as doctors that checked on Rousey. The fans chanted “Thank You Charlotte” as doctors checked on Rousey. Replays aired of the Flair attack.

Analysis: Holy shit, that was amazing. What a performance by Charlotte Flair in losing her mind for what might be considered a heel turn, but I don’t know if women in this company can be booed for actions like that because the fans love it. The fans supported Charlotte during that entire attack and it’s easy to see why because she let out her frustrations due to not being able to win, plus the story of Flair failing to beat Becky Lynch a few weeks ago. The story is that Flair has been frustrated, so she took it out on Rousey. Give Rousey a lot of credit as well because she took that beating very well and sold for Flair’s attack perfectly. These women stole the show with that performance after the match. It was so great. Is Charlotte a heel now? I think this was a heel turn, but she might get cheered like Lynch was, so I have no idea if the heel act is going to make her a heel. It’s tough to know in today’s wrestling environment where fans cheer heels so much.

Flair was shown backing up on the stage while Rousey was getting checked on by doctors in the ring. Flair had a crazed look in her eyes. Rousey was in the ring selling the attack looking rough and coughing to sell the chair attack. The announcers talked about how Rousey has never been brutalized to this extent. Rousey looked like she said “I’m sorry” as she slowly left the ring with her title. There was a close up of a cut on Rousey’s leg. Rousey told the guys not to touch her as she slowly got out of the ring to limp up the aisle. Rousey slowly limped away while telling the guys not to touch her. Rousey reached the top of the ramp, looked back at the crowd and a lot of the fans booed her. Rousey left.

Analysis: Best part of the show so far. Rousey is a proud woman that didn’t want to get helped out of the building, so she kept telling them to back off. It was understandable considering how Rousey carries herself. I’m ready for Rousey vs. Flair II because this post match angle was incredible. I still think WrestleMania should be Lynch vs. Rousey, so maybe do Flair vs. Rousey at the Royal Rumble if possible.

There was a commercial for a WWE Network 365 special on AJ Styles that premiered after Survivor Series on WWE Network.

A commercial aired for TLC in four weeks on December 16th.

The first match announced for TLC is Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship.

The video package aired for Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan, which is the main event of the show.

Daniel Bryan made his entrance with the WWE Championship on his shoulder and Bryan had a smile on his face for the most part. The fans did do some “yes” chants for Bryan, but it’s not like usual because he’s a heel now.

Brock Lesnar is Raw’s Universal Champion and he got a big ovation from the crowd as he walked out with Paul Heyman. Lesnar was wearing the Universal Championship around his waist. When Lesnar did his walk out of the ring, Bryan mocked Lesnar getting in his face and taunting him a bit.

The wrestlers stood in the ring as Jojo the ring announcer introduced Bryan with the fans booing the new WWE Champion. Paul Heyman took the microphone so that he could introduce Lesnar like he usually does.

Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan

The match started at 10:14pmET, so there’s a lot of time left although on WWE Network there’s no designated end time. Bryan started the match by leaving the ring to go for a jog. Lesnar got sick of it, so he left the ring and Bryan went back in the ring. Bryan went for a kick, Lesnar caught the foot and Lesnar punched Bryan in the head. Lesnar picked up Bryan and hit a release German Suplex that sent Bryan across the ring. That looked brutal. Lesnar yelled “Suplex City” so the fans chanted it for him. Lesnar picked up Bryan again and hit another German Suplex across the ring. Heyman had his hand over his mouth as if he was shocked by it. Lesnar picked up Bryan and hit him with a belly to belly suplex across the ring. At least that was a safer bump for Bryan with Renee saying she was legitimately concerned for the health of Bryan. Lesnar told Bryan he can do this all night long. Lesnar with two more belly to belly suplexes across the ring and Lesnar kicked Bryan out of the ring. Lesnar whipped Bryan into the barricade. Lesnar sent Bryan into the ring, so Bryan rolled out of the ring again. Lesnar whipped Bryan into the barricade and then sent Bryan into the ring. Lesnar applied a bearhug to Bryan followed by a hard slam to the mat. Cole said this was one of the most uncomfortable matches he’s seen. Lesnar picked up Bryan and hit another German Suplex across the ring. The fans chanted “same old shit” at Lesnar with Lesnar laughing about it. Lesnar slapped on a bearhug. Lesnar with a belly to belly suplex across the ring with Lesnar saying he can do this “all night long.” Bryan had a dazed look in his eyes. Lesnar picked up Bryan, he said “goodnight everybody” and Lesnar hit a F5. Lesnar covered, the referee counted and Lesnar picked him back up.

Bryan finally got some offense going as he kicked Lesnar in the head two times. Lesnar picked up Bryan again, Lesnar with a F5 and Bryan went into the referee, so Bryan landed on his feet. Bryan with a running kick to the balls! Bryan with a running knee to the face for a two count with Lesnar kicking out right before the three count. That was so great. Lesnar stomped away on the face of Lesnar to keep him down while Lesnar had was down selling and gasping for air. Heyman was freaking out at ringside. Bryan charged in, Lesnar caught him and Bryan sent Lesnar over the top to the floor. Bryan over the top, Lesnar caught him and Bryan sent Lesnar into the ring post. Bryan with a running knee off the apron that took down Lesnar on the floor. Bryan ran the ropes and hit a suicide dive, but Lesnar caught him and Lesnar drove Bryan back first into the ring post. Lesnar sent Bryan back first into the post again. Lesnar attacked with the steel steps, but Bryan moved and Bryan hit a running knee off the apron to the floor. Lesnar sent Bryan back in the ring. Bryan hit a running knee to the face for a two count. That was a great nearfall. Bryan with a chop block to the back of the leg of Lesnar. Bryan rammed Lesnar’s left leg into the steel ring post. Back in the ring, Bryan went up top and connected with a missile dropkick. Bryan with two running dropkicks. Bryan charged again, Lesnar caught him, Lesnar collapsed and Bryan slapped on the Yes Lock submission move in the middle of the ring. Lesnar nearly tapped out a few times, but he managed to break the grip. Bryan hit Lesnar with forearms to the face, which looked nasty. Bryan slapped on the Yes Lock again. Lesnar powered out of the Yes Lock leading to Bryan slapping on a Triangle Choke. Lesnar picked up Bryan and hit a F5. Lesnar covered for the pinfall win at 18:50.

Winner by pinfall: Brock Lesnar

The win by Lesnar meant that Raw was 6-0 in matches on the main card at Survivor Series.

Analysis: **** That was an awesome match after the first nine minutes saw Lesnar dominate and then Bryan got back into it. There were several moments in the match where it looked like Bryan was going to win. People are hard on Lesnar with good reason, but he was great in terms of selling for Bryan’s offense. It would have been cool if Bryan kicked out of the F5 at the end because it would put Bryan over a bit more, but it’s not like a lot of guys kick out of that move other than Reigns or Strowman. I’m just saying it could have kept the match going a bit longer. The match was similar to last year’s Lesnar/Styles match where Styles came close to winning a few times and Lesnar managed to win that match just like this match. If Lesnar got to work with the best workers like Styles and Bryan all the time, most people wouldn’t complain about his matches. It’s a reminder of how good Lesnar is when he wants to be. I’m not saying he carried this match. Not at all. Bryan’s performance was the better of the two, but I thought Brock was great as well. Overall, it was an excellent story in terms of how the match went. I enjoyed it.

Lesnar left with the Universal Title and Paul Heyman by his side. Bryan rolled to his side with a creepy smile on his face. Lesnar and Heyman continued to walk away while Bryan was down in the ring.

This show had a run time of 3:34:07 on WWE Network.

Analysis: It ended about 20 minutes earlier than I expected. That’s not a complaint at all. It’s just an observation. I’m certainly fine with that length of a show.

Final Thoughts

It gets a 7 out of 10 from me.

It was a good show with a strong second half full of entertaining matches. I liked the Lesnar/Bryan main event a lot, I thought Flair/Rousey was very good as a match and even better as a post match angle. After those two matches, the cruiserweight match and Rollins/Nakamura were well done. The two Survivor Series elimination matches were below what I expected. They felt average to me.

The crowd was good most of the night. There were times where they may have been tired, but for the most part, they were interested in the show.

The story of Raw going 6-0 on the main card was dumb and didn’t really mean much just like the Raw vs. Smackdown concept.

(Note: The original score was 7.5 and when I went through it again, I lowered it to 7. Sometimes I change my mind.)

Five Stars of the Show

  1. Daniel Bryan
  2. Charlotte Flair
  3. Ronda Rousey
  4. Brock Lesnar
  5. Seth Rollins

That’s all for me. Check out the full list of my WWE PPV Review archive right here. Thanks for reading.

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John Canton

Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter @johnreport