Wrestle Review: Survivor Series 2018

Rumble in the Jungle

You can believe Bryan took his pound of flesh

WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar/w Paul Heyman vs. WWE World Champion Daniel Bryan

That kayfabe has pretty much been destroyed by the advent of social media, means that WWE's plans rarely come to fruition regarding whom fans should boo or cheer. The previous match showcased this, thus giving WWE reason to say that all it matter is that you react.

It's historically transferred into the notion that no longer do WWE superstars really play heels or faces but rather characters with ever-evolving arcs. This is what then made the match between uber heel boss Brock Lesnar versus newly turned Daniel Bryan an intriguing prospect. Bryan played into it by being sneaky and baiting fans with the 'Yes' chants before pulling away.

This began as a typical match as Brock rag dolled Bryan, with confusion as to if one should cheer for Bryan gaining his comeuppance or feel bad for the man who returned from retirement just this year. WWE leaned perfectly into the real-life tension of seeing Lesnar manhandle a glazed over Bryan, wince-inducing at its finest. Yet Brock is a relatively safe pair of hands, especially with a foe he respects.

Mind you he respects Bryan and it showed in a hell of a competitive match, that saw the sneaky WWE World champion nearly tap him out. Even after losing to the beast, the former yes man had a sinister smile plastered over his face. He'd fulfilled a dream match he desperately craved and gave it his all.

What could have been a cliche David versus Goliath fight turned into a poetic jungle war between a vicious hyena and wounded lion.

Result: Brock Lesnar hits the F5 to win and give RAW a clean sweep

Rating:

3 stars out of 5