I've tried a few times, but I can't really come up with a good intro for this recap. I guess we'll just get right to it, then.
Survivor Series 2015 Score: 3/10
Survivor Series 2016 Score: 7/10
- For starters, why was there any need for a five man commentary booth? NXT felt overcrowded last night with just three guys, so why was adding on two more going to help anything? Someone help me out here.
- I know a lot of fans haven't been enthused with the Shield's reunion run thus far, and I do get why. The sort of game changing nature that the group originally has been partially lost, and that's not anyone's fault. The simple fact is that these three guys are all established as singles stars in their own right, and no longer need the gear or the entrance to get over. But as much as Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose don't need the Shield as much as they once did, I'd argue that it adds a huge amount to any of their matches. Their opening match against the New Day was messy but fun, and would be a solid opening act for any card. But the mere existence of the Shield helped this match reach levels it never could've reached without their specific presence.
- One of the biggest positives of WWE's past two Survivor Series shows has been the extra spotlight given to the women's division. The ten woman elimination tag was sloppy, and the booking was all over the place, the whole point was to get Asuka over, and it worked. Hooray!
- Baron Corbin and The Miz went out there, and put on a pretty enjoyable match. Corbin as the nasty, snarling heel to Miz's cowardly but still lovable face made for a nice blend, and I thought both guys delivered solid performances. In a match that I was dreading to watch, I ended up having a good time, and that's ultimately the point.
- I'll be damned if The Usos and Cesaro and Sheamus did try and top themselves every single time they go out there. I was really looking forward to their match, and they delivered in every possible way. Both teams are absolutely on top of their games right now, and I loved every second of it. By the way, that finish has got to be one of the most creative I've ever seen. Great work, lads.
- It's a pretty good week to be Charlotte Flair. From capturing the championship on Tuesday to complete the Grand Slam, to that great surprise celebration with her father, to a clean win over the near unbeatable Alexa Bliss. This was a fun match, with the result never really in doubt, and Charlotte looked as good in the ring as ever. WOOOOOOOO!!!!
- Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship run has been one of the great highs and lows. His match with Goldberg at 'Mania was very good, and WWE has done a lot of work to deliver big matches with great builds. On the other hand, the actual matches haven't quite delivered at the same level. All streaks do have to come to an end eventually.....
- Because he and AJ Styles tore the house down. Make no mistake, Styles is one of the best in the world when it comes to making anyone look good, and is just one of the best in the business, period. But a lot of credit has to go to Brock, who may have actually made AJ look better than he did. Lesnar has an aura of unstoppable dominance about him, that when anyone gets in a good amount of offense, it's a big deal. Both men rolled up their sleeves and went to work, delivering a top quality match that more than lived up to the hype. Bravo.
- I'll be damned if WWE didn't managed to put on a controversial main event almost every single month. I'm starting to think they're addicted to getting fans to tear each other to pieces. If that is the strategy, then it's highly effective.
- I don't as much care about the finish of Survivor Series' main event, as much as I care about the match itself. Teasing dream matches is great and all, but there was a massive disconnect between the start of the match and the story they were attempting to tell going in. When it actually transitioned to the Raw vs SmackDown clash we were promised, everything fell apart. The pacing was all over the place, the in-ring action was subpar and the actual eliminations made little sense. Considering they finished the show with almost ten minutes to spare, including the post-match angle, they really could've added some extra time to let the match breath. It was entirely forgettable, which is a shame considering the great build they had going in.
- As for the finish: look, I know a lot of people hated it. I wasn't in that category, as I was just trying to make sense of what happened. Not the story they're trying to tell; that made perfect sense. But why did it need to happen? There's a million ways to set up the HHH vs Angle, Strowman and Shane matches that would've made a lot more sense. If the point of this was to establish Braun as a top star, then it did work, although there were again plenty of other ways to do that.
7/10
Even given whatever that main event was supposed to be, I loved this show. So much great wrestling, so many great matches. You can't hate a show with this much going for it, although it's a real shame they couldn't stick the landing.
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