5 Things WWE got right at Survivor Series

By Ali Akber Habib
Modified Nov 23, 2020 07:45 GMT
A show filled with some great matches
A show filled with some great matches

The “Best of the Best” battled for brand supremacy this Sunday at Survivor Series as WWE looked to celebrate the man who debuted 30 years earlier. Survivor Series had some big matches announced for the night and many fans were looking forward to the match between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre.

United States Champion Bobby Lashley faced Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn and defeated him with ease. Lana managed to become the sole survivor for Team RAW as she helped her team win the traditional five-on-five elimination match.

That wasn’t all, as The Miz won a Dual-Brand Battle Royal on the Kickoff Show to remind the fans that he was ready with his Money in the Bank briefcase during the night.

It was a fun night filled with some top matches, and we will look at the five things WWE got right at this year’s Survivor Series.

#5 The men’s Team RAW clean sweep Team SmackDown at WWE Survivor Series

AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, Riddle, and Braun Strowman assembled for Team RAW to take on Team SmackDown’s Jey Uso, King Corbin, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and Otis in a traditional Survivor Series match.

Rollins demanded to be tagged in early in the match and then offered to sacrifice himself. He ate a Brogue Kick from Sheamus and became the first elimination of the night.

Fans got a fun encounter between Lee and Otis soon after and both men teased some incredible feats of strength. Both teams started to tag in fresh competitors to keep the action rolling until Styles caught KO with a Phenomenal Forearm to eliminate him.

Riddle pinned Corbin soon after to make it 3-0 for Team RAW as Otis and Uso were the final two members remaining for Team SmackDown. Survivor Series lit-up when Otis tried to take the fight to his competitors and tried to take out Strowman. However, interference from Riddle allowed The Monster Among Men to take him down with the Powerslam and eliminate him.

Finally, it was up to Jey Uso to score a couple of eliminations to help SmackDown out. He tried his best to take down the five men but did not stand a chance. A Spirit Bomb from The Limitless One ended his rally as Team RAW made a clean sweep.

While the way the match was won wasn’t too good for SmackDown, the result was pretty obvious after watching the way things had been going for Team RAW. It was good to watch Styles lead his team to victory, and it could lead to some interesting segments on RAW following Survivor Series.

#4 The New Day and The Street Profits put on a great show at WWE Survivor Series

One of the most anticipated matches of WWE Survivor Series saw the RAW Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods take on the SmackDown Tag Team Champions Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford.

Big E accompanied The New Day out to the middle, and Kingston managed to gain the upper hand early in the match.

While Ford took a lot of punishment at first, he was able to create separation and tag Dawkins in. He used his power advantage to wipe out Kingston and Woods and kept his competition down for some time.

The New Day recovered and delivered the Midnight Hour to Ford who managed to kick out at the last second. The two teams continued to trade some big blows following which Dawkins made a blind tag in and hoisted Woods up, allowing Ford to hit him with a Blockbuster to pick up the victory.

The Street Profits are the hottest new team in WWE, and it made sense to allow them a big victory against a top team at Survivor Series. This was a dream match for many, and all four men delivered when it mattered. Big E not turning heel on his brothers was the right call to make as he needs to remain babyface on SmackDown to bag some big opportunities.

#3 Sasha Banks defeats Asuka at WWE Survivor Series

The women of WWE faced off in a Champion vs. Champion clash as RAW Women’s Champion Asuka met SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks for the sixth time in 2020, this time at Survivor Series.

Both women tried to gain the advantage early on but constant reversals did not allow either woman to gain an upper hand. Both women used submission maneuvers to their advantage, and while Banks fought out of an Ankle Lock, Asuka struggled to make it out of a Bank Statements-turned-abdominal stretch maneuver.

Outside the ring, both women tried to deliver some big moves and Asuka caught Banks with a Codebreaker. Back inside, Banks did not take long to hit the Meteora but could not take The Emperess of Tomorrow out with a Frog Splash. Both women again tried some submission maneuvers, followed by some near-falls.

Asuka hit Banks with a kick to the face, but Banks managed to roll her up to pick up the victory. This was a good match that brought the best out of both women. They’ve had a few competitive matches this year and had the perfect chemistry to deliver on a big stage like Survivor Series.

While many fans would have expected Asuka to win at Survivor Series, Banks needed the win at such a time as it will help strengthen her position as a top Champion in the company.

#2 Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns prove why they are the top Champions at WWE Survivor Series

The most heavily hyped match of this year's Survivor Series saw Universal Champion Roman Reigns take on WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Both men were looking to prove that they were the top Champions and the face of the company by winning this match.

Both men looked to start strong, and McIntyre got some initial offense in. Reigns has had some phenomenal matches since his return to SmackDown, while McIntyre has made it a habit to deliver when required for the Red brand.

Once the fight spilled over to the floor, McIntyre drove Reigns into the steel steps but ate a kick to the chest in return. Both men managed to counter each other’s best moves and deliver some of their own to keep the contest alive.

After Reigns countered a Claymore, he hit The Scottish Psychopath with a Superman Punch and then locked him in the Guillotine. However, McIntyre fought out of it but failed to deliver the Claymore once again. Soon after, McIntyre countered Reigns’ Spear and applied a Kimura, however, The Big Dog managed to make it to the ropes.

Reigns delivered a couple of Spears but could not pin the WWE Champion who kept kicking out. McIntyre finally managed to connect with a Claymore, but the referee was knocked out in the process. After Jey Uso appeared following his Survivor Series loss, Reigns hit McIntyre with a low blow and Uso followed it up with a Superkick.

The Tribal Chief then delivered a Superman Punch and applied the Guillotine to pick up the victory.

This was arguably the best and most hard-fought match of this year's Survivor Series. Both men showed exactly why they are the top Champions of the company and McIntyre came out looking strong even in defeat. The rivalry seems to be far from over between these two, and we could watch them come face to face once again in the future.

#1 The Undertaker’s Final Farewell at WWE Survivor Series

While many big matches were booked for WWE Survivor Series this year, The Undertaker’s Final Farewell was the biggest deal for most die-hard fans. After 30 years, The Undertaker was scheduled to come out one final time to say goodbye, and WWE assembled some of his top opponents and best friends in the ring to bid him farewell.

WWE legends and Hall of Famers such as Kane, Big Show, Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, The Godwins, Sadio Vega, JBL, Shane McMahon, The Godfather, Rikishi, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Triple H, and Mick Foley were present for the occasion. A great video package gave way to the introduction of Mr. McMahon who fittingly spoke about the unparalleled career of The Phenom. Vince McMahon then proceeded to introduce The Undertaker for one last time.

The Undertaker entered the ring after his usual bone-chilling entrance and cut a brief promo. Following the promo, he acknowledged the fact that it was time to let The Undertaker rest in peace.

He knelt down as a holograph of the late Paul Bearer appeared to give The Phenom a fitting farewell. He walked up the ramp one last time and raised his hand in respect of his fans as Survivor Series came to an end.

While there were many speculations as to what would happen during The Undertaker’s Final Farewell, this was one of the best ways things could have ended. Taker has had an illustrious career and no last match could have given him the farewell he deserves. This was one of the most perfect ways to have him call it a day at Survivor Series, a place where it all started.

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