‘WWE Survivor Series 2019’ Pay Per View Review

Welcome to this review of Survivor Series 2019, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and this is the first Raw vs. SmackDown vs. NXT show, so this needs to go well. That’s all there is to it. It’s time to dive into this sucker.

Match #1: Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode def. The Good Brothers, The Revival, The Forgotten Sons, The Street Profits, Ryder & Hawkins, Breezango, Metalik & Dorado, Aichner & Barthel and Heavy Machinery – Tag Team Battle Royal

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

As Dolph Ziggler handily reminded the WWE Universe on Twitter, five years ago he went an hour in the ring, came through in the clutch and ended the night as the sole survivor. He didn’t have to go that long during Survivor Series Kickoff 2019 to achieve something similar, as he and Robert Roode survived an unannounced, cross-brand Tag Team Battle Royal that handed SmackDown the first victory in the battle for brand supremacy. That they won is far from some kind of moral victory. The match fielded almost the entirety of all three brands — Raw sent in The O.C., The Street Profits and Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins; SmackDown fielded Ziggler & Roode, The Revival, Heavy Machinery and Lucha House Party; and NXT was repped by The Forgotten Sons, Breezango and Imperium — and the eliminations came fast and furiously. Hardly a minute had passed before The Forgotten Sons, Lucha House Party and Ryder & Hawkins were all sent to the showers by over-the-top-rope eliminations. It didn’t take long for the rest of the herd to thin, but what distinguished the eventual winners from the rest of the pack was their craftiness and teamwork: Ziggler turned skinning the cat into a cottage industry, and Roode played spoiler by helping to oust Imperium when they had his partner on the edge. The Showoff later repaid the favor by breaking up a Magic Killer intended for Roode and ousting Luke Gallows off the apron with a pinpoint superkick. That elimination brought things down to Ziggler, Roode and Raw’s Street Profits, and the newcomers promptly turned the tables after Ziggler accidentally superkicked Roode, leading to a run from the Profits that saw them nearly claim the victory. Montez Ford had the showstopping maneuver with a rotating Frog Splash that pancaked The Showoff, but by then Roode had recovered and quickly pounced, tossing King Tez over the top rope to claim the win for himself and Ziggler. Whether SmackDown survives the night as the supreme brand remains to be seen — though when the final wins and losses are tallied, there’ll be no disputing that Ziggler & Roode defied the odds, came through in the clutch and were the last men standing. Some things never change.

My Opinion: 2.3 out of 5 – At least Roode and Ziggler won.

Match #2: Lio Rush def. Kalisto & Akira Tozawa – Triple Threat Match For The NXT Cruiserweight Championship

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

WWE NXT picked up its first victory of Survivor Series 2019, fending off the threat of losing the NXT Cruiserweight Championship to Raw or SmackDown when Lio Rush defeated former champion Kalisto and Akira Tozawa to retain the title during the Survivor Series Kickoff show. Early in the contest, Kalisto and Tozawa teamed up to go after The Man of the Hour, but that alliance quickly broke down and an incredibly fast-paced and competitive battle commenced. Momentum shifted between all three Superstars but running the risk of losing his title without being pinned or submitted, Lio Rush’s stakes were highest. That fact was evident as The Man of the Hour executed a jaw-dropping double Spanish fly off the top, taking out his opponent. Trading strikes in the center of the ring, the three competitors continued to brawl and both Tozawa and Kalisto scored a series of near falls that kept Rush fully on defense. With the champion reeling on the outside, the tension between Kalisto and Tozawa boiled over, resulting in Kalisto taking down The Stamina Monster with a Salida del Sol. At that moment, Lio Rush capitalized and executed The Final Hour before pinning Kalisto, retaining his NXT Cruiserweight Championship and picking up a victory for WWE NXT.

My Opinion: 2.8 out of 5 – This was good, but it was rushed and lacked the time that these guys deserved.

Match #3: Vikings Raiders def. Undisputed ERA and The New Day – Triple Team Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Viking Raiders have built an impressive résumé in 2019, and the reigning Raw Tag Team Champions strengthened their budding legacy with a victory over their counterparts on NXT and SmackDown — Undisputed ERA and The New Day, respectively — at Survivor Series. The championship squads showed why they’re considered three of the greatest ever assembled, with cohesive offenses like Big E and Kofi Kingston teaming up for a powerbomb–double stomp combination. That move seemingly gave momentum to The New Day, but instead led to Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish and Erik & Ivar taking out the 7-time champions, leaving it down to just the squads from Raw and NXT. Ivar showcased amazing athleticism by cartwheeling to avoid Total Elimination, then dropping O’Reilly & Fish with a back handspring double clothesline. Erik then tagged in, setting up the Raw champions for their Viking Experience maneuver to give Raw its first victory of the night.

My Opinion: 2.6 out of 5 – This was enough. That’s a ringing endorsement, isn’t it?

Match #4: Team NXT def. Team Raw and Team SmackDown – Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Triple Threat Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

In a matter of days, Rhea Ripley has gone from rising star to veritable supernova, and her performance at Survivor Series — where she led Team NXT to victory over Raw and SmackDown’s five-Superstar squads — suggests The Nightmare isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The first Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match of the evening was unprecedented in nature: With the rules modified to accommodate the three-team lineup, each team had a representative in the ring at any given time, meaning the action, and the eliminations, came fast and furious. Early on, it appeared that Team NXT would be fighting from behind after Candice LeRae and Io Shirai were injured in a flurry of action and taken to the back. As the battle wore on, attrition took its toll on each unit: Bianca Belair ousted SmackDown’s Nikki Cross and Raw’s Sarah Logan in short order; Raw team captain Charlotte Flair used Natural Selection to eliminate Carmella; and Kairi Sane’s InSane Elbow stopped short of notching an elimination when SmackDown team captain Sasha Banks swooped in and hit Sane with a meteora, resulting in The Kabuki Warrior’s dismissal. Team Raw, meanwhile, was plagued by enmity, as a rough tag by Asuka to Charlotte quickly escalated into a shoving match, and before long, The Empress of Tomorrow spewed green mist in The Queen’s eyes and walked out on her partners. Still blinded by the potent mist, Charlotte was left vulnerable to a Women’s Right by Lacey Evans, resulting in Flair’s elimination. After Natalya pinned The Lady of WWE with a roll-up and Sasha and The Queen of Harts forced Belair to submit to a combination Sharpshooter/Banks Statement, the playing field was once again even, with Natayla, Sasha and Ripley remaining. The blue-haired Boss feigned forming a partnership with Natalya, only to waylay and eliminate the third-generation Superstar. However, as Ripley and Banks brawled for the right to be the sole survivor, LeRae and Shirai returned from the locker room and, having never been officially eliminated, provided a timely save, helping The Nightmare escape Sasha’s Bank Statement submission attempt. Candice then distracted the referee, allowing The Genius of the Sky to take flight with a picturesque springboard dropkick to Banks that preceded a match-winning Riptide by Ripley. Putting their differences aside for the night, Ripley, LeRae and Shirai savored the win, which not only came one night after all three Superstars competed in a barbaric and historic Women’s WarGames Match, but which also gave the black-and-gold brand a 2-1-1 lead over SmackDown and Raw on the Survivor Series scorecard.

My Opinion: 3.7 out of 5 – The women worked hard and kicked some ass, all while getting to bask in the glow of the spotlight. This was a good one that offered what it needed and made all three brands look strong without spiting anyone in the process.

Match #5: Roderick Strong def. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura – Triple Threat Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong may have fallen short at NXT Takeover: WarGames, but he followed up at Survivor Series with the biggest win of his career, defeating SmackDown’s Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and Raw’s United States Champion AJ Styles. Despite still feeling the effects of WarGames, Strong showcased his remarkable cardio throughout the Triple Threat Match — like sprinting to prevent a Styles Clash or surviving a double-team maneuver reminiscent of a Doomsday Device, an homage to Chicago’s Legion of Doom. Strong seemed out of the match after the Intercontinental Champion caught him with a Kinshasa, but as the NXT North American Champion recovered on the outside, Styles laid out Nakamura with a Phenomenal Forearm, giving NXT an opening. Strong somehow recovered enough to intercept the pin and steal the win, giving NXT a 3-1-1 lead at Survivor Series.

My Opinion: 3.8 out of 5 – This was a fabulous match that made Strong into a star (for the WWE’s purposes, any-way) and didn’t do much harm to the other guys. This was an awful lot of fun.

Match #6: Adam Cole def. Pete Dunne – NXT Championship Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After enduring one of the most grueling weeks imaginable — which included a Ladder Match on Wednesday and a brutal WarGames Match less than 24 hours ago, plus locker room-clearing brawls on Raw and SmackDown — Adam Cole not only survived his debut at WWE’s Fall Classic, but he did so in undisputed fashion, successfully defending the NXT Championship from WWE U.K. Champion Pete Dunne. Both Superstars entered the title match at less than 100 percent and showed the effects of their battles at last night’s TakeOver: WarGames. Cole’s ribs sported spools’ worth of medical tape (in addition to the soft cast adorning his recently broken right wrist), while Dunne’s left leg was heavily bandaged as a result of his Triple Threat Match against Killian Dain and Damian Priest. The conspicuous injuries nagged both Superstars, but they also gave each warrior a clear vulnerability to attack. Dunne targeted Cole’s wrist, stomping it onto the steel rings steps, while The Panama City Playboy repeatedly went after The BruiserWeight’s bad leg. As the battle wore on, the action intensified, and the risks grew substantially. Late in the match, Cole drilled Dunne with a Panama Sunrise on the unforgiving ring apron, but despite the dreadful impact, The BruiserWeight beat the referee’s count of 10 and returned to the ring, only to be greeted by a superkick. Miraculously, Dunne stayed in the fight and even splayed Cole’s fingers, causing anguish to wash across the champion’s face. However, when The BruiserWeight attempted to hit the Bitter End (the second one of the match), Cole somehow wriggled into another Panama Sunrise. Cole then swiftly plastered Dunne in the back of the head with the Last Shot to claim the pinfall, finally bringing a close to a week he won’t soon forget.

My Opinion: 3.9 out of 5 – This was a real hit. Cole and Dunne worked great together and made each other look like a million bucks. This was a prize fight for anyone that loves strap battles with real oomph to them. Put these guys together again before it’s too late.

Match #7: Bray Wyatt def. Daniel Bryan – WWE Universal Championship Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Daniel Bryan is tough in mind and body — his personal equation, as he explained on Friday, is mental instability plus passion. But when it comes to mental instability, depravity and cruelty, nobody holds a candle to “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. And ultimately, even a particularly gritty effort from The Planet’s Champion wasn’t enough to stop Wyatt from retaining his title at Survivor Series in a match that proved to be more mental than physical. It was, however, enough to give him a little more life than his detractors had anticipated. Bryan had been admonished by The Miz on SmackDown for not knowing who he was before squaring off with Wyatt, and the former WWE Champion took issue with the idea that he needed to answer such a question in order to justify himself. But the support of the WWE Universe nonetheless seemed to ground Bryan within the chaos; after being brutalized by Wyatt in the opening stretch, he tapped into his old submission expertise with an armbar over the top rope and, propelled by the “Yes!” chants he thought he had killed, slowly built himself up to a fever pitch like days of old and blasted Wyatt with the “Yes!” kicks and Running Knee. It was rousing. It also wasn’t enough. For all the heart and soul Bryan poured into the match, Wyatt simply shrugged it off and continued his onslaught in a way that could only be described as personal. (Fittingly so; Wyatt’s non-Fiendish side did imply the monster targeted Bryan to right some long-forgotten wrong.) Those “Yes!” kicks? He got right back to his feet each time. That armbar? He balled up his fist and punched Bryan in the throat seconds later. And that Running Knee? It didn’t get the job done. When Bryan attempted to land the knee a second time, Wyatt darted out with the Mandible Claw, ensnared Bryan in its clutches, and pinned him to the mat after he’d lost consciousness. Bryan can take solace in the fact that he didn’t let Bray Wyatt destroy his mind; maybe he knows who he is a little better now. But there was only so much he could do here. Bryan wanted to fight. “The Fiend” Wyatt wanted to play. The challenger fought as long as he could, and only lasted as long as Wyatt wanted him to.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was way too short, but Bryan looked great and Bray wasn’t that far behind.

Match #8: Brock Lesnar def. Rey Mysterio – No Holds Barred, No Disqualification Match For the WWE World Title

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Brock Lesnar’s battle was never just with Rey Mysterio, but with his family. It’s only fitting then that Rey Mysterio’s family came to his aid. In the midst of a No Holds Barred, No Disqualification WWE Championship Match that was quickly turning into a rout by The Beast, Rey’s son Dominik — the same one who Lesnar attacked to kick off this intensely personal rivalry — sprinted to the ring with a white towel in hand, triggering a shocking sequence that saw the two Mysterios work hand in hand against The Conqueror. They ultimately fell just short of the mark. Lesnar, who had finally seized control of Rey’s steel pipe — his weapon of choice against the champion these last few weeks — had responded to Dominik’s pleas by tossing the white towel out of the ring. That’s when Mysterio struck, downing Lesnar with an uppercut below the belt. Dominik followed suit with a low blow of his own, leading to a stunning display of tandem offense by father and son. Rey and Dominik both administered stereo 619s and consecutive Frog Splashes, and while the kid undoubtedly has the goods, even both of them stacking on top of Lesnar simultaneously wasn’t enough to keep The Beast down. The champion kicked out at two and, even visibly down a step after the uppercuts, still had the strength to German Suplex Dominik off the top turnbuckle when the Mysterios went for stereo splashes on either side of the ring. Rey took flight anyway, only for Lesnar to snatch him out of the air and F-5 him for the victory. Lesnar, having had enough for one night, made his exit, and Rey will have to take solace that his challenge ended up being more miracle than massacre — even if it inevitably had the same ending as one.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was like the Universal Title Match, but even shorter. They both worked hard, but this felt like a blown opportunity.

Match #9: Team SmackDown def. Team Raw & Team NXT – Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Triple Threat Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Roman Reigns survived his own team captain and an amazing performance by NXT’s Keith Lee to bring home the win for Team SmackDown in an instant Survivor Series classic. Braun Strowman set the tone for Team Blue, shrugging off a double-team attack from Raw’s Seth Rollins and NXT’s Tommaso Ciampa. Drew McIntyre and WALTER then tagged in for a three-way showdown full of welts. McIntyre scored the first elimination by hitting WALTER with a Claymore. Although Team Raw entered the bout with questions surrounding Kevin Owens’ loyalty, KO added to Raw’s advantage with a Frog Splash to pin Shorty G before going on a rampage on the outside that ended with Ciampa planting Owens with a DDT. The eliminations then came fast. Randy Orton got his 16th all-time by RKO’ing Damian Priest from NXT, but he was then rolled up by Matt Riddle and — a poor sport — attacked The Bro to help SmackDown’s captain, King Corbin, vulture the elimination. Strowman was out next thanks to a count-out caused by McIntyre’s Claymore and Ricochet joined him after Corbin’s End of Days. Mustafa Ali tagged in, but Corbin didn’t appreciate his boldness, and yelled at Ali until Rollins Stomped the distracted Chicago-native. With only two members remaining for each squad, Reigns intercepted a Claymore to eliminate McIntyre, then responded to Corbin’s complaints of “not pulling his weight” by helping Ciampa eliminate his own captain. Rollins and Reigns briefly united to eliminate Ciampa, bringing the action to only one member for each squad. Keith Lee from NXT put on a masterful performance, kicking out of Rollins’ Frog Splash and hitting a Jackhammer to pin the Raw captain. He continued his roll by kicking out of two Superman Punches, but Lee’s moonsault attempt came up empty, leaving him exposed for a decisive Spear from Reigns. Reigns paid Lee respect for the fight, as SmackDown cut into NXT’s lead for the night.

My Opinion: 4.2 out of 5 – This turned out great. From bell to bell, this match had all the big moves and everything below the kitchen sink. The right team won and it was cool. Yeah, I said cool. I enjoyed the hell out of this.

Match #10: (Main Event) Shayna Baszler def. Becky Lynch and Bayley – Triple Threat Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler prevailed in Survivor Series’ explosive and historic Triple Threat main event against SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, forcing Bayley to tap out to the Kirifuda Clutch to secure NXT’s win in the three-way fight for brand supremacy. Yet, before WWE’s Fall Classic went off the air, Lynch made Baszler painfully aware that she hadn’t beaten The Man to accomplish that feat. Baszler’s path to victory was anything but easy given the cyclonic, every-woman-for-herself nature of the Triple Threat Match. Indeed, sustaining momentum proved difficult for all three competitors. Every time a Superstar was on the brink of victory, the third participant intervened to play spoiler. The match eventually disintegrated into an all-out brawl outside the ring, and that’s where Baszler caused major damage to The Man. The malicious Baszler sent Lynch into the barricade, the ring post and the steel steps before slamming her onto the announce desk. With Lynch effectively taken out of the running, Bayley and Baszler returned the fight to the ring. Baszler locked in another Kirifuda Clutch, but Bayley suplexed her way out of it before taking to the air with an elbow drop. The Submission Magician, however, still had a trick left up her sleeve. As Bayley descended from the skies, Baszler caught her with one more Kirifuda Clutch. Bayley desperately tried to escape, but eventually succumbed, opting for the “tap” in Shayna’s “Tap, Nap or Snap” menu of options. The result gave NXT the definitive nod in the evening’s cross-band matches, putting NXT up four wins to SmackDown’s two and Raw’s one. However, as Baszler gloated about the win, her arms outstretched as she stood atop the announce desk, a now-recovered Man came alive. Lynch attacked the brash NXT Women’s Champion and sent her crashing through the desk with a legdrop off the ringside barricade, to the delight of the capacity crowd inside the Allstate Arena. The Man might not have won the battle, but as she declared Survivor Series her show, it was clear to all that Baszler still has another mountain to climb before she can call herself the most dominant woman in all of WWE.

My Opinion: 3.3 out of 5 – This was a disappointment, but a fun one nonetheless. Shayna winning was a good decision, but really any woman could have won and I’d be fine with it. Every-body worked their asses off and that’s what you want from the main event.

Final Verdict: 3.6/5

This turned out very well, despite some of my complaints. All three brands came out of this looking strong, which is new for this brand supremacy angle bit they always do.