WWE Survivor Series War Games 2022

By Steve Ward

WWE returned to Boston’s TD Garden this evening for the latest installment of Survivor Series. This year a new spin was implemented as the Thanksgiving tradition would be fused with War Games, a throwback to WCW’s annual Fall Brawl that had most recently been revived on the NXT brand. Since Triple H has taken the reigns following Vince McMahon’s retirement, the programming has become noticeably more entertaining and several previously released talents have been brought back into the fold including: Bray Wyatt, Karrion Kross, Dexter Lumis, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and Braun Strowman. This evening’s card featured five matches with two titles defended and was headlined by not one, but TWO, War Games ,matches. For those of you unfamiliar with a War Games match, two rings are encompassed by a massive steel cage as two teams are added to the match with participants alternating in entry. Once all combatants are in the cage, the match technically begins and a team is declared the winner by pinfall or submission.

Women’s War Games Match

Team Belair (Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim, & Bianca Belair) vs. Team Bayley (Rhea Ripley, Nikki Cross, Bayley, Io Sky, Dakota Kai)

Winners: Team Belair via pinfall

The opening contest on the card pit RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair’s team against Bayley’s team composed of her Damage Ctrl faction, Cross, and Ripley. Dakota Kai and Bianca Belair opened the match and from that point on a new woman entered the fray every three minutes with Team Bayley holding the advantage. 

Order of entry:

Dakota Kai

Bianca Belair

Io Sky

Asuka

Nikki Cross:

Alexa Bliss

Bayley

Mia Yim

Rhea Ripley

Becky Lynch

Following Becky Lynch’s entry into the cage, the match finally officially commenced and a winner would be determined by the first pinfall or submission. The closing moments of the match saw Io Sky and Dakota Kai positioned on a table in the corner of the ring. Becky Lynch then proceeded to scale the cage and delivered a leg drop to both women that decimated the table. Lynch proceeded to pin Kai to seal the victory for her team.

Finn Balor w/ Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest vs. AJ Styles w/ Gallows & Anderson

Winner: AJ Styles via pinfall

This match pit two men with an extensive history dating back to New Japan Pro Wrestling as each man was a leader of the Bullet Club in their respective tenures. This bout legitimately came down to Styles and Balor only as The OC and Judgement Day proved to be non-factors after they brawled out of the arena. Styles and Balor were visibly battered from their vicious encounter and in the end, Styles delivered a Phenomenal Forearm to help him earn the pinfall.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Ronda Rousey (c) w/ Shayna Baszler vs. Shotzi

Winner: Ronda Rousey via submission

Ronda Rousey’s latest contender came in the form of Shotzi tonight after she recently prevailed in a Six-Pack Challenge on Smackdown. Following a relatively sloppy match, Ronda finally overwhelmed Shotzi first with a Judo throw from the top turnbuckle, then the Piper’s Pit, and finally earned the submission victory with an armbar.

United States Championship Triple Threat Match

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory

Winner: Austin Theory via pinfall

Seth Rollins found himself in the crosshairs of both Bobby Lashley and Austin Theory. Lashley after he defeated him for the US Championship and Austin Theory after he became frustrated with his attempts at cashing in the Money In The Bank briefcase being repeatedly thwarted (before finally failing) and turned his attention to another champion. The end of the match saw Seth Rollins superplex Theory and then hold on and hoist him up for the Falcon Arrow. Before Rollins could execute the move, Lashley speared him and Rollins then collapsed with Theory on top of him long enough for a three count by dumb luck.

Men’s War Games Match

The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jimmy & Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, & Sami Zayn) w/ Paul Heyman vs. The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch, and Ridge Holland), Drew McIntyre, & Kevin Owens

Winners: The Bloodline via pinfall

Roman Reigns still found himself in tonight’s main event, however, it was as a part of War Games rather than in defense of his title - which unless he makes a defense on WWE weekly programming means his next defense could theoretically be at the Royal Rumble on January 28. The first two participants in the main event were Butch and Jey Uso who battled for five minutes before Ridge Holland entered the ominous cage from which point a new participant would enter every three minutes until all ten men made their way into the chaos.

Order of entry:

Butch

Jey Uso

Ridge Holland

Sami Zayn

Drew McIntyre

Jimmy Uso

Kevin Owens

Solo Sikoa

Sheamus

Roman Reigns

After Roman Reigns, the final participant to enter the match, made his into the cage, the bell rang officially marking the start of the bout. In the closing moments, Sami Zayn affirmed his allegiance to the Bloodline as he first delivered a low blow to Kevin Ownes and then put him down again with a Helluva Kick. Zayn then positioned Owens for a splash by Jey Uso that was immediately transitioned into a pinfall that solidified the win for The Bloodline.

Survivor Series 2021

By Steve Ward

WWE returned to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY this evening for the longstanding Thanksgiving Day/Week tradition - Survivor Series. The theme of brand supremacy that has established itself in recent years returned tonight as RAW was pit against Smackdown (may as well have been Team FOX vs. Team USA Network). This not only meant no clashes like the classic showdown of The Hulkamaniacs vs. The Warriors at the 1990 installment of the show, but also, no titles would be contested as we would only witness some champion versus champion encounters. Following another round of performers receiving their walking papers this week including John Morrison, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, and Jaxson Ryker, not to mention the incredible AEW Full Gear event last weekend, WWE really needed a big show tonight. The card tonight featured a modest six matches which included two “classic” Survivor Series matchups - both Team RAW vs. Team Smackdown.

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair

Winner: Becky Lynch via pinfall

The opening bout pit RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch against Smackdown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair in our first match for brand supremacy. With rumors swirling that Charlotte has been unhappy with her recent booking, one has to wonder how she felt about opening the show. Mr. McMahon seems to be playing a dangerous game with arguably his biggest draw in the Women’s Division - especially when her fiancée, Andrade El Idolo, left for AEW in the past year. In the definition of a back and forth encounter, this contest ended in a series of roll up pin attempts that finally saw Becky come out victorious with an assist from holding the middle rope.

Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match

Team RAW (Bobby Lashley w/ MVP, Austin Theory, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, & Seth Rollins) vs. Team Smackdown (King Woods, Jeff Hardy, Sheamus, Happy Corbin w/ Madcap Moss, & Drew McIntyre)

Sole Survivor: Seth Rollins

The first of the “classic” Survivor Series match-ups began in underwhelming fashion as Kevin Owens who started the match for Team RAW immediately left the ring after the opening bell, walked up the ramp, was counted out, and left the arena to stick it to his team. This apparently was a recurring theme in the bout as Lashley and McIntyre got carried away while embroiled in combat outside the ring and were both counted out. Late in the match, Sheamus was rolled up for the pin and eliminated by Austin Theory. Jeff Hardy was then left in seemingly dire straits as he was leveled by his own partner Sheamus as he departed the ring. Hardy quickly turned the tables and finished off Theory with the Swanton Bomb leaving Rollins and himself as the final two combatants. Hardy attempted another Swanton Bomb moments later only to be unmercifully met with Seth Rollins’ knees in the small of his back. Rollins capitalized with the Curb Stomp to solidify the win for Team RAW.

The Rock’s 25th Anniversary 25-Man Battle Royal

Winner: Omos

With all of the recent releases, I was impressed that a battle royale could be assembled but in all seriousness, some of the notable participants included AJ Styles, Cesaro, Omos, Bobby Roode, and Jinder Mahal. At one point, the crowd was so disinterested in this card-filler, that they began chanting, “We want pizza” as the match was sponsored by Pizza Hut. The final four participants in this match were The Street Profits, Omos, and Ricochet. This was no contest as Omos disposed of all three men with little to no effort.

The Usos vs. RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Matt Riddle)

Winners: RK-Bro via pinfall

The Smackdown Tag Team Champions, The Usos, squared off with the RAW Tag Team Champions, RK-Bro, in the next clash of champions this evening. In the closing moments of the match, Jimmy Uso had not realized that Orton had blind tagged himself into the match before he was super kicked off of the ring apron. Jimmy, believing the legal man was still in the ring, proceeded to maintain his focus on Riddle which would prove to be his downfall. Jimmy ascended to the top rope to finish Riddle off with a splash, however, he was greeted with an RKO Out of Nowhere which allowed Orton to secure the pinfall for his team.

Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match

Team RAW (Bianca Belair, Carmella, Queen Zelina, Liv Morgan, & Rhea Ripley) vs. Team Smackdown (Natalya, Shayna Baszler, Toni Storm, Shotzi, & Sasha Banks)

Sole Survivor: Bianca Belair

The penultimate bout of the evening pit the women’s teams from RAW and Smackdown against each other as the battle for network…or rather brand…supremacy rattled on. Late in this contest, it appeared that the numbers would be insurmountable for Bianca Belair as she was the lone participant remaining for Team RAW against Shotzi, Banks, Baszler, and Natalya for Smackdown. Following some dissent in the Smackdown ranks, Sasha Banks was counted out and thus eliminated. Belair then proceeded to make quick work of Natalya and Baszler leaving her alone with Shotzi. Shotzi posed some resistance but found herself succumbing to the Kiss of Death shortly thereafter.

Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman vs. Big E

Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

The main event of the evening presented a showdown between the Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, and the WWE Champion, Big E, in the final encounter for brand supremacy. What began as a rather pedestrian match certainly built momentum as it progressed towards the closing moments. First, Big E withstood three consecutive Superman Punches and answered with the Big Ending, however, he was unable to secure the pinfall as Roman grasped the bottom rope. The two then erupted into a brawl outside the ring which finally culminated when the men returned to the ring and Roman delivered a brutal spear to put Big E away.

The closing moments of the event were certainly awkward as the entire show celebrated the 25th anniversary of The Rock’s debut at Survivor Series 1996, was sponsored by The Rock’s new Netflix movie Red Notice, and Paul Heyman was informed that Brock Lesnar’s indefinite suspension would be coming to an end soon yet neither man made an appearance at the end as the commentators sounded distracted by someone speaking to them in their earpieces…makes you wonder.

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WWE Survivor Series 2020

By Steve Ward

The month eight pay per view of the Quarantine Era emanated from the Thunderdome in Orlando, Florida as WWE presented the 34th annual Survivor Series. This evening’s card was labeled “Best of the Best” as each contest pit RAW against Smackdown meaning there were several champion versus champion matches with nothing at stake. The most significant event of the evening, however, was the “Final Farewell” of The Undertaker after 30 years with the company. Personally, I think it’s a metaphorical slap in the face to the Deadman to commemorate the legendary career, of arguably the most loyal performer who is largely responsible for keeping WWE alive during the Monday Night Wars, in front of the dystopian virtual WWE Universe instead of in a sold out arena.

5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Match

Team RAW (AJ Styles w/ Omos, Matt Riddle, Keith Lee, Braun Strowman, & Sheamus) vs. Team Smackdown (Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, Otis, Seth Rollins, & King Corbin)

Sole Survivors: Team RAW

The first elimination of the match came in bizarre fashion as Rollins “sacrificed” himself to a Brogue Kick from Sheamus leading to his pinfall. Team RAW continued their momentum as a series of Stunners delivered by Kevin Owens was abruptly halted by AJ Styles with a Phenomenal Forearm followed by a pinfall. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for Team Smackdown, King Corbin fell victim to a moonsault delivered from the top turnbuckle by Matt Riddle for the third consecutive elimination of a member of the Blue Brand team. Otis then gave Strowman a run for his money but it wasn’t enough as The Monster Among Men hoisted him up before he could propel himself from the top turnbuckle and delivered a ring shaking power slam leaving Jey Uso alone. Jey Uso under the impression that Styles was the legal man had not seen the blind tag made by Keith Lee. As Uso dove off the top rope with Styles in his crosshairs, Lee intercepted Jey by catching him on his shoulders and proceeded to break him in half with a Spirit Bomb to solidify a clean sweep for Team RAW.

The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)

Winners: The Street Profits via pinfall

The second bout of the main card pit the Smackdown Tag Team Champions, The Street Profits, against the RAW Tag Team Champions, The New Day. If I’m being honest, the most entertaining aspect of this match was when it dragged on way too long and it became apparent that fake crowd noise was being filtered in as the audible reaction did not match that of the demeanor of the virtual fans. The conclusion to this clash commenced as the Street Profits executed a Blockbuster on Xavier Woods which allowed Angelo Dawkins to seal the victory for his team with the pinfall.

Sami Zayn vs. Bobby Lashley w/ The Hurt Business - MVP, Shelton Benjamin, & Cedric Alexander

Winner: Bobby Lashley via submission

The third contest of the evening saw the United States Champion, Bobby Lashley, square off with the Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn, in yet another non-title contest. The majority of this match was comprised of Zayn complaining to the referee about The Hurt Business at ringside in between spurts of Lashley absolutely dominating the Intercontinental Champion. Lashley finally trapped the constantly fleeing Zayn in The Hurt Lock for the submission victory.

Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Winner: Sasha Banks via pinfall

The struggle for brand supremacy continued as the RAW Women’s Champion, Asuka, battled the Smackdown Women’s Champion, Sasha Banks. The primary question posed by this match would be if Banks could finally conquer the Empress of Tomorrow - a woman she had never pinned or submitted dating back to their days in NXT. In a match riddled with a plethora of knee strikes and submission attempts by each competitor, the conclusion arrived after a flurry of pinfall attempts by each woman which ended in Banks finally rolling up Asuka for the victory.

Women’s 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Match

Team RAW (Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, Lacey Evans, Peyton Royce, & Lana) vs. Team Smackdown (Bayley, Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, & Natalya)

Sole Survivor: Lana

The first elimination of the match finally arrived as Peyton Royce hit the Déjà Vu on Bayley for a rather shocking pinfall. Next, Natalya promptly evened the odds as she cinched in the Sharpshooter on Royce for the submission elimination. Natalya then became distracted by Baszler which allowed Lacey Evans to hit the Woman’s Right on Neidhart for yet another elimination. Shayna Baszler next tied up Ruby Riott with the Kirifuda Clutch during which she passed out allowing The Queen of Spades to pin her. Another quick elimination evolved as Liv Morgan quickly pinned Lacey Evans with a Crucifix rollup. Morgan, unable to carry any momentum moving forward, was no match for Nia Jax who then entered the bout and quickly laid waste to Liv with a Samoan Drop. Belair, now on her own, was quickly trapped by Baszler in yet another Kirifuda Clutch. Belair proceeded to carry Shayna on her back to the ropes to prompt a break. Baszler refused to break the hold by the referee’s five count hence leading to her swift disqualification. Following Baszler’s dismissal from the match, Nia Jax and Belair proceeded to brawl outside the ring and ended up being counted out so Lana, who had been banished by Jax and Baszler to stand on the ring steps and not participate in the match, ended up as the sole survivor.

Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman vs. Drew McIntyre

Winner: Roman Reigns via submission

Drew McIntyre shocked the WWE Universe this past Monday on RAW when he defeated Randy Orton to regain the WWE Championship he just lost last month at the Hell In A Cell pay per view. This set the stage for the main event of the evening as WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre, went toe to toe with the Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. Reigns appeared to be in dire straits late in the bout as he was met with a Claymore Kick when attempting another spear, however, he was propelled into the referee who was knocked out of the ring. Roman’s cousin Jey Uso then made his way to ringside causing enough of a distraction for Roman to hit McIntyre with a low blow. Reigns then cinched in a guillotine choke that knocked out the WWE Champion and solidified the submission victory.

The show concluded with the final farewell to the Undertaker. Before the Deadman made his way to the ring, several legends were introduced including Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, Kane, Triple H, Rikishi, The Godfather, Savio Vega, Mick Foley, and The Godwinns, in addition to a few words offered by Vince McMahon. The Undertaker spoke briefly, said it was time for “The Undertaker to rest in peace” and slowly exited the arena. In my opinion it was rather anticlimactic and, while he made his debut at Survivor Series, one could say a more fitting farewell would have been in front of a record-setting crowd at Wrestlemania - the event that made him famous with the streak. With that being said, one can never say never in the world of professional wrestling.

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WWE Survivor Series 2019

By Steve Ward

The WWE Universe jam packed a sold out Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois this evening for Survivor Series. This year’s theme, as it has been several times, was the battle for brand supremacy. For this year’s 33^rd installment, however, WWE decided to shake things up a bit and incorporated (in my opinion) the superior brand - NXT. With this dynamic, more superstars had the ability to take center stage but at the cost of several champions being tied up in non-title bouts hence lowering the stakes. Nonetheless, the seven match card still featured three title matches where the marquee championship from each brand was defended.

Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team RAW (Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Natalya, Sarah Logan, & Kairi Sane) vs. Team NXT (Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae, & Toni Storm) vs. Team Smackdown (Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross, Carmella, & Dana Brooke)
Sole Survivior: Rhea Ripley (Team NXT) via pinfall

Survivor Series wasted no time diving right into a 5 on 5 on 5 triple threat elimination match. Surprisingly we witnessed NXT with an advantage late as Ripley, Storm, and Belair remained from NXT, Banks from Smackdown, and Natalyz from RAW (after dissention in their ranks saw Asuka spray the green mist in the face of Flair leading the Queen to get pinned by Lacey Evans). After Banks quickly turned on Natalya and rolled her up for a pinfall, she was left to go toe to toe with the towering Australian, Rhea Ripley. With Ripley seemingly moments from tapping out to the Bank Statement, Lerae and Shirai returned to ringside causing enough of a distraction for Ripley to land the Riptide allowing her to pin Banks for the victory.

Triple Threat Match
Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles vs. Roderick Strong
Winner: Roderick Strong via pinfall

This match pitted champion versus champion versus champion as Nakamura - WWE Intercontinental Champion, AJ Styles - WWE United States Champion, and Roderick Strong - NXT North American Champion did battle. This match ended in an arguably epic upset as AJ Styles took out Nakamura with the Phenomenal Forearm only to be unceremoniously dumped out of the ring by Strong who capitalized on the opportunity and pinned The Artist.

NXT Championship
Adam Cole (c) vs. Pete Dunne
Winner: Adam Cole via pinfall

Pete Dunne earned his shot at Adam Cole after he defeated Killian Dain and Damian Priest in a triple threat match last night at NXT Wargames. In the closing moments, Dunne was able to withstand the Panama Sunrise allowing him to attempt the Bitter End for a third time. This time Cole spectacularly reversed it driving Dunne’s skull into the canvas. The Undisputed Era leader quickly followed up with the Last Shot setting up the pinfall victory.

Universal Championship
“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
Winner: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt via pinfall

After defeating Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel, Wyatt attempted to defend his title for the first time against Daniel Bryan. While I’m personally a fan of both of these competitors, all this match did was give me eyestrain thanks to the exclusive red lighting for the duration of the match. Daniel Bryan did put up a good showing late in the bout as he delivered several missile dropkicks and Yes Kicks. Unfortunately for Bryan, these weren’t enough as Bray trapped him in the Mandible Claw leaving him subdued enough to earn the pinfall.

Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team RAW (Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, & Ricochet) vs. Team Smackdown (Roman Reigns, Mustafa Ali, Shorty G, King Corbin, & Braun Strowman) vs. Team NXT (Tomasso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Walter, Damian Priest, & Matt Riddle)
Sole Survivor: Roman Reigns

Dissention among the ranks reigned supreme again in this contest as Corbin and Reigns were at each other’s throats for the majority of the bout. Reigns finally hit his tipping point as he speared Corbin allowing Ciampa to eliminate him. This left us with Rollins from Team RAW, Reigns from Team Smackdown, and Ciampa and Lee from NXT remaining. Ciampa was the first eliminated after receiving the Curb Stomp from Rollins. Lee then shocked Rollins with a Jackhammer to eliminate him. Lee appeared poised to pull off the unthinkable as he thwarted Reigns spear attempt with a power bomb. Lee then attempted to execute a second rope moonsault but Reigns rolled out of the way and countered with a spear for the win.

WWE Championship No Holds Barred Match
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Winner: Brock Lesnar via pinfall

This match had been a couple months in the works. First, Brock laid waste to Rey and his son leading Mysterio to bring in Cain Velasquez for backup. Next, Cain Velasquez challenged Lesnar at Crown Jewel for the title only to lose via submission. This evening we reached the culmination of these recent acts as Mysterio challenged Lesnar for the WWE Championship in a No Holds Barred Match.  As Brock brutally beat down Rey, his son Dominic came to ringside. The two of them proceeded to get the upper hand, albeit briefly, after a low blow from Mysterio, however, Brock withstood a pinfall attempt only to suplex Dominic across the ring and subsequently F5 Rey to retain his title.

Triple Threat Match
Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Bayley
Winner: Shayna Baszler via submission

The RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, the NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, and the Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley took center stage in the main event of the evening. After disposing of The Man at ringside, Baszler was able to finish of Bayley with the Kirifuda Clutch. Baszler then proceeded to celebrate at ringside on top of the announce table. Becky got a small measure of revenge as she took Baszler down and with her strewn across the table, Lynch stood on the ringside barrier and delivered a leg drop that put The Queen of Spades through the table.

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WWE Survivor Series 2018 Recap

Survivor Series emanated this evening for it’s 32^nd installment from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The loaded card featured seven bouts, with only the Cruiserweight Championship on the line, as the Red and Blue brands went head to head for brand supremacy.

Women’s Traditional Survivor Series 5-on-5 Match

Team Smackdown-Carmella, Naomi, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, & Asuka vs. Team RAW-Mickie James, Tamina, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks, & Bayley

Winners: Team RAW-Nia Jax sole survivor

Leading up to this match, Mandy Rose replaced Charlotte for Team Smackdown after she was inserted as a replacement against Ronda Rousey due to Becky Lynch sustaining a concussion and having her face broken at the hands of Nia Jax this past week on RAW. On RAW’s side, Natalya and Ruby Riott were replaced with Bayley and Sasha Banks by team captain Alexa Bliss after a fight broke out between them during the Survivor Series kickoff show. As we approached the end of the match, Bayley and Sonya Deville found themselves outside the ring and could not make their way back in before the referee reached the count of 10 hence leaving them eliminated. This left Asuka to fend for herself against Sasha Banks and Nia Jax. Next as Banks gained the upper hand, she scaled to the top turnbuckle but was shoved off by her own teammate Nia Jax. This allowed Asuka to secure the Asuka Lock for the submission. Jax then entered the ring and annihilated Asuka with three leg drops followed by the Samoan Drop for the pinfall victory.

Champion vs. Champion Match

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Winner: Seth Rollins

This match pitted the Intercontinental Champion from RAW, Seth Rollins, against the United States Champion from Smackdown, Shinsuke Nakamura, in another brand versus brand contest. These men quite frankly beat the snot out of each other in this bout. Prior to the conclusion, Nakamura withstood a top rope superplex that Rollins held onto and rolled into another suplex whereas Rollins absorbed a bevy of strikes and even the dreaded Kinshasa. In the end, it appeard Rollins would suffer the fate of another Kinshasa until he ducked out of the way and countered with a pair of super kicks that set up the Curb Stomp for the pinfall victory.

Champions vs. Champions Tag Team Match

Cesaro & Sheamus w/ The Big Show vs. The Authors of Pain w/ Drake Maverick

Winners: AOP

WWE tag team bragging rights were on the line as the Smackdown tag team champions Cesaro and Sheamus battled the RAW tag team champions AOP. This match reached it’s conclusion as Drake Maverick found himself cornered by the Smackdown trio and Maverick, in terror of the Big Show who had his hand wrapped around is throat, peed his pants…I can’t believe I just wrote that but it happened. This distraction allowed AOP to trap Sheamus and lay waste to him to solidify the victory for RAW and put them up 3-0.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Mustafa Ali

inner: Buddy Murphy

Buddy Murphy made the first defense of the title he won in his native Australia at Super Showdown from Cedric Alexander. This was an entertaining match that the WWE Universe was surprisingly intrigued by. Ali unfortunately did not land his 054 (a gravity defying 540 splash) but did execute an awe-inspiring Spanish Fly on Murphy from the top of the German announce table. Unfortunately Ali fell short as Murphy hit the Murphy’s Law in the end for the victory.

RAW vs. Smackdown Traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series Match

Team RAW-Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush, Finn Balor, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, & Braun Strowman vs. Team Smackdown-The Miz, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio, & Shane McMahon

Winners: Team RAW-Survivors: Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre

This match got off to a ferocious start as Samoa Joe was the first eliminated when he was the  recipient of a Claymore Kick delivered by McIntyre. Shortly after, an inevitable meltdown between Strowman and McIntyre occurred and chaos ensued. This culminated with Smackdown taking advantage and laying Strowman across one of the announce table for Shane McMahon to give the fans an “Oh shit!” moment. Shane-O-Mac proceeded to leap from the top turnbuckle and landed on Strowman driving his elbow through his chest and shattering the table in the process. The next elimination came after Mysterio hit the 619 and “Dropped the Dime” on Finn Balor for the pinfall. A beaten Shane McMahon reemerged to hit the Coast to Coast on Dolph Ziggler to eliminate him. Hardy was then eliminated by Strowman after he broke him in half with a power slam and subsequently did the same to Mysterio to quickly diminish the blue brand’s numbers. After chasing down the Miz, Strowman then eliminated him as well with another power slam. Shane McMahon, the last man standing for RAW, stood up to Strowman only to be drop kicked into the corner and then driven into the mat with a running power slam to finish of Team Smackdown. After the conclusion of the match, RAW captain and interim general manager Baron Corbin jumped Strowman from behind which most likely won’t go well for him on Monday night.

Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair

Winner: Ronda Rousey via DQ

This match was supposed to be champion versus champion until Becky Lynch was concussed and bloodied up on Monday night. On Tuesday night, Charlotte was selected by Becky to take her place against the “baddest woman on the planet.” This match was phenomenal and arguably stole the show. These ladies put on a clinic, particularly in submission wrestling, until the very bitter end. Ronda, seemingly in control, hit the Piper’s Pit and attempted to lock in the armbar submission when Charlotte escaped and rolled out of the ring. Ronda decided to pursue Charlotte out of the ring only to be met with a kendo stick shot to the gut. Charlotte snapped and proceeded to assault Rousey with multiple kendo sticks, breaking one in the process. Then when multiple referees attempted to quell the situation, Charlotte laid waste to all of them and continued her massacre of Rousey as she added a steel chair to the equation. This was an assault unlike one the WWE Universe has seen in quite a while and they responded with a “Thank you Charlotte” chant as she exited the arena with a maniacal expression on her face.

Champion vs. Champion

Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman vs. Daniel Bryan

Winner: Brock Lesnar

The WWE Universe fully anticipated this match to be A.J. Styles squaring off with Brock Lesnar in a rematch of their confrontation at last year’s Survivor Series when both were champions of their respective brands. A wrench was thrown into those plans this past Tuesday on Smackdown when Daniel Bryan shocked the world and won the WWE Championship. This match started as a mauling…Brock hit at least ten suplexes and an F5 on Bryan before he unmercifully lifted him up from the canvas instead of allowing the referee to count to three. Bryan was then hoisted up for another F5 but Brock spun him around so his feet hit the ref in the head leaving him  incapacitated briefly. Bryan took the opportunity to kick a perfect field goal between Lesnar’s legs and turned the tides of the bout. Bryan seemed a tap away from the upset of the evening, if not the year, as he had the Yes Lock engaged. Lesnar was able to power out but Bryan quickly readjusted and locked in a triangle choke. Lesnar finally picked up Bryan and threw him over his shoulders to finish him off with another F5.

-Steve Ward

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