Tuesday, March 19, 2024
EditorialSurvivor Series 2017 Review and Match Ratings

Survivor Series 2017 Review and Match Ratings

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The Shield (RAW) def. The New Day (Smackdown)

Fun stuff here.

That was one superb opening match. Even more so, this was an incredible tone-setting match which gave the night an energy and anticipation towards it. I was heavily looking forward to this match because both teams have developed great chemistry with each other and I Knew that if they both worked to their potential, they could tear the house down, and it didn’t take long for them to accomplish that. What I appreciated was the creativity of the match and how they altered some of their finishers as a tag team. The New Day hit a great variation of the Midnight Hour when Big E held Seth and Dean on his shoulders and both Kofi and Xavier collapsing on everybody and The Shield hitting their Triple Powerbomb from the top rope. There were also some great near falls towards the end that got the crowd into it to boot. The Shield winning was obvious simply because they were the bigger team, but I loved this match from the start, as it had a consistent energy and a big-time feel to it. Awesome start. ****

 

Asuka, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Nia Jax and Alicia Fox (RAW) def. Becky Lynch, Naomi, Carmella, Natayla and Tamina Snuka (Smackdown) – 5 on 5 Elimination Match

Fine for what we got.

When Becky Lynch was eliminated via a simple roll up about five minutes into the match, I honestly believed it was going to set the tone for a horrible match and bad booking decisions, but fortunately, by the time the match ended, it wasn’t the case. It wasn’t anything special, but all 10 ladies worked hard and worked a solid elimination match. However, it must be noted that there were some pretty awful and sloppy sequences in the match, particularly involving Naomi and Alicia Fox. There was a sequence where Naomi pinned Fox for a three count and it appeared that Naomi wasn’t aware of that and then immediately went for her submission and then Sasha came right in afterward because things got pretty awkward. The booking was brilliant down the stretch, though, as Asuka remained standing as her undefeated streak continues. The sequences between Nia Jax and Tamina were also surprisingly good for what it was. While it wasn’t memorable, it was a little better than last year’s match. Solid all around. ***

 

Baron Corbin (Smackdown) def. The Miz (RAW)

Kind of just there, but nothing horrible.

I thought this was going to be the odd match out that no one cared about, but I believed the promos WWE played from both men right before the match added an emotional element to the match. I also liked Corbin involving Maryse into things to spice things up a bit. I was afraid that their styles wouldn’t compliment each other well, but fortunately, I was wrong as they worked another solid back and forth battle. The Miz tried utilizing the numbers game while Corbin kept on taunting The Miz throughout the match and while his promos needed work, he did a good job playing a despicable heel here. The right man went over, and they worked an innocent and safe match. No complaints here. **1/4

The Usos (Smackdown) def. Cesaro and Sheamus (RAW)

Would love to see these two teams in an Iron Man match.

It’s not paranoia. The USos and Cesaro/Sheamus have great chemistry with each other from last year, and WWE even through the trouble of calling back some of their spots from that match. In addition, they added some creativity to their match. Anyone catch that top rope Samoan Drop in mid-air by Jey Uso onto Sheamus? Pretty rad. I’m actually surprised that they did that because usually, their memory doesn’t last more than a couple of weeks or so. While this didn’t end up being the show-stealing match I’d hope it could be, it definitely was still a great watch upon first viewing. The Usos as heels have become a career-altering turn for them, as they have set the standard for tag team wrestling this year. The sheer consistency of them has been amazing. I also saw how fit it was to have Cesaro and Sheamus play more of a heelish role here, considering the fact that they won the titles off of Smackdown’s distraction in a bit of irony. Overall, it was a very solid outing and both teams worked hard. ***1/2

 

Charlotte (Smackdown) def. Alexa Bliss (RAW)

Good stuff.

I was interested to see how they were going to work the tall vs. small dynamic that was going on here, and as expected Alexa was working on the lower extremities and her shoulder for the majority of the match. Bliss was great in being a little-underhanded heel, trying to get herself out of desperate situations by doing desperate moves like nearly ripping Charlotte’s arm out of her socket onto the outside and the constant working over of her extremities. Charlotte works better as a heel to me, but as a face, she does a splendid job of selling moves and making comebacks and I think the two put on a pretty solid outing here. It got awkward at times, especially when Alexa went for what I presumed to be a guillotine to Charlotte while she was sitting down, but the match worked itself out in the end and the right woman went over. It sort of dragged on a bit and I think they could have gotten to the point quicker and didn’t need 15 minutes, but it was okay. Bliss has come very far as a performer and I think this match with Charlotte will only help her grow in that aspect. Solid stuff. ***

 

Brock Lesnar (RAW) def. AJ Styles (Smackdown)

Lesnar being a part-time champ won’t bother me as much if we get this version of him all the time.

When Brock Lesnar comes ready to perform, it’s something special. You could tell that Brock was motivated early on with the extra energy that he put into his suplexes, his selling of AJ’s moves and how much he let AJ get in early on. Before the match even began this had a big match, WrestleMania-like feel to it, and it lived up to those very expectations. Brock throwing AJ around like a ragdoll and AJ selling the carnage was, well, phenomenal. It looked at one point that AJ had no business being in the same ring as him. But when AJ started to get momentum and hit his comebacks, the match picked up in a huge way. When AJ hit that Phenomenal Forearm, I could have sworn to you the match was over. AJ getting Calf Crusher on Brock and Brock wailing in sheer agony at the pain teasing a tap-out was sheer awesome sauce too. We all knew Brock was probably going to win, but you could tell there was a vast difference between Lesnar’s matches with Joe and Strowman and with Styles here. There was just a different energy that pumped my adrenaline and I absolutely loved it. Lesnar’s been very passive on PPV these days, but he came to play today, and AJ matched his energy to a tee. Now just imagine for a second if Mahal was in this position. No seriously, just imagine it. Scary, right? I wish that it would have gotten 2-3 extra minutes because it looked like the crowd was ready to absolutely lose it, but other than that, pure awesome sauce right here folks. AJ gave Brock his best match since Punk at Summerslam four years ago. Leave it to him to get the best out of anyone. Had it not been for that botched DDT spot and another miscue on Lesnar being dumped to the floor, it would have been in the ****3/4 territory and could have been the match of the year, but it was still an incredible big guy vs. small guy duel. ****1/2

Triple H, Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle and Finn Balor (RAW) def. Randy Orton, John Cena, Shane McMahon, Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura (Smackdown)

Braun’s face was my face in this match.

So, uh, yeah, I’m not sure where to start with this, but that was kind of cringe-worthy. First off, the pacing of this match was absolutely terrible. There was little flow to it and all they did was just meander around the ring for extended periods of time. What differed this from last year was that you had more spring chickens like Seth, KO, Dean and other guys that could spruce up the pace a bit. This was a much more laid back and methodical style, and that does bode well for matches that last over 25 minutes. Then, we had Nakamura and Roode eliminated early on in the match without them getting much of their big moves, and that pretty much spelled what the match was going to be like. It was going to be an overbooked mess, and that’s precisely what we got. Someone needs to explain to me how it’s 2017 and WWE is still insistent on shoving guys like Shane McMahon down our throats. Last year’s comeback match against Undertaker at Mania was adorable, but there’s no way he should be the remaining member on any Survivor Series team, let alone spending extended periods of time in a match. Triple H standing tall in 2017 is also the most Triple H thing that could happen.

It was like I was back in 2002-2004 RAW, where Triple H consistently hogged the spotlight and wanted to make sure the attention was on him. The long, played out entrance, his extended interactions with Roode and Nakamura, him pedigreeing his own teammate and picking a fight with practically every one of his teammates, and ending it with an attempted pedigree on Strowman? Like, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate what Triple H has done with NXT, but when it comes to this ring, he still has a tendency to show his big head. Most of the eliminations in this match had little drama to it as well. Roode and Nakamura were sort of eliminated without a moment’s notice, Cena’s elimination was rushed, and Orton’s was long and played out. This failed to live up to the high expectations I had for it as I thought that this would be a terrific platform where guys like Roode, Nakamura, Joe, Balor or Strowman can make big names for themselves, but unfortunately this was once again another one of Triple H’s ego trips, and the fact that the first 3 eliminations in this match were all NXT Champions spoke volumes. The match wasn’t any good. Literally, at all. If you want a real 5 on 5 Men’s Survivor Series match and how it’s supposed to be done, check out last year’s match. All of this was just basically 25 minutes of build up to the Triple H/Angle match that I know everyone is clamoring to see at WrestleMania, and everybody else was just spectators with no important or significant role in the match. I hate coming off as whiny, and believe me, I try to see the positive in everything, but how can Shane being the final member of Smackdown be justified? Simple, you can’t do it. Don’t bother with this garbage. *1/2

 

Conclusion:

As has been too often the case this year, WWE had a chance to knock it out of the park but failed in putting on a complete effort.

Even with the sour taste left in my mouth from that garbage main event, it was still probably the top-to-bottom best PPV of the year (which really isn’t saying much based on what we’ve gotten this year), with a solid mid-card, and The Shield/New Day and Lesnar/Styles being show-stealing spectacles. Had the main event delivered, we are talking one of WWE’s best PPV’s in a while. Put it this way, I would have been far happier with this show had we stopped at Lesnar/Styles, because I don’t know what the hell that main event was supposed to accomplish for anyone not named Triple H, Kurt Angle or Shane McMahon. The only two matches you really need to see are the first match and second to last match. Everything else is relatively skippable, but because there was much more good than bad on the show, I’ll give Survivor Series 2017 a thumbs up. Just turn off the tape after Styles and Lesnar. You’ll be better for it. Until next time.

 

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