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WWE Survivor Series lived up to its hype and arguably exceeded any lofty expectations wrestling fans may have had for the annual fall classic pay-per-view. The card was stacked with a number of wrestling dream matches, as RAW clashed with SmackDown Live for brand supremacy.
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar was victorious in his effort to quell the challenge of WWE Champion Daniel Bryan. RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey survived against Charlotte Flair, but for all intents and purposes lay battered, bloodied, and emotionally exhausted, hardly a victory worth writing home about. Team RAW dominated the evening winning every single match for a final tally of six wins to SmackDown's zero.
Join us as we take a look at the very best, worst, and downright ugliest moments in WWE Survivor Series 2018: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
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The Good - Daniel Bryan vs Brock Lesnar
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In what was already billed as a champion vs champion dream match, Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan did the impossible and far exceeded any and all expectations held by even the most ardent of wrestling fans.
Bryan had long expressed a desire to face the man known as The Beast and had often speculated about the possibility even while recovering from career threatening concussions. Bryan had long planned for the bout and the time he had to do so was evident in his meticulous attention to detail at Survivor Series.
The match didn't begin well for Bryan, who was overpowered and over matched by WWE's Universal Champion. Taking suplex after suplex, the dimunitive Bryan appeared broken in the ring, unable to combat Lesnar's physical onslaught; but, as Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back Gayle Sayers once said, 'All I need is six inches of daylight.' Bryan found his daylight in a sea of darkness and when he did, took advantage of his opportunity.
After attempting an F-5, Lesnar swung Bryan into the referee, who was temporarily incapacitated. Bryan took advantage of the referee's lack of attention and hit Lesnar with a devastating low blow. It was just the window Bryan needed, as the momentum quickly shifted in his favor.
Bryan would barrage Lesnar with a series of debilitating kicks and dives that took The Beast off guard, tired him out, and made him seem oafishly clumsy in the process. At one point, Bryan even secured The Yes Lock on Lesnar and it looked as if The Beast would tap; however, victory was never meant to be for Bryan. Inevitably, the WWE Champion would succumb to a devastating F-5; but, not before taking Lesnar to his limits and putting on what will surely go down in history as one of the greatest Survivor Series bouts of all time.
The Good - Charlotte Flair's Heel Turn
The match was everything it was supposed to be and then some. Two of the biggest and brightest stars in the history of women's wrestling clashed on the enormous big four Survivor Series stage. Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair hit each other with all they had.
Flair, to her credit, seemed to be Rousey's superior throughout the match, putting the Rowdy One in a peculiar position she has never found herself in before (not since Holly Holm anyway). Flair hit Rousey with a devastating elbow to the side of her mouth, causing a generous amount of blood to flow onto Rousey's own face and the ring floor.
Flair brutalized Rousey and countered the patented arm bar successfully, at every turn. Then inexplicably Flair left the ring and appeared to undergo a delightful metamorphosis. Gone was the smiling, baby hugging, high fiving Charlotte Flair. In her place, only rage was left. As Rousey attempted to attack this new Charlotte Flair, she was met with a brutal and unforgiving kendo stick. Flair was disqualified, but was so possessed with hatred that she left marks all over Rousey's body, as she continued to brutalize her with the stick.
As WWE officials attempted to stop the heel Flair, she simply destroyed them all. Flair performed a Natural Selection on Rousey, driving the RAW Women's Champion into a steel chair. Rousey's head proceeded to hit the cold steel with a sickening thud.
In unforgivable fashion, Flair then proceeded to drape a steel chair around Rousey's neck and without so much as an iota of concern for Rousey's well being, drove the chair into the former UFC star's trachea.
The event changed the WWE landscape in a single breath. Flair is now a heel, so what does that make wrestling's most popular Superstar Becky Lynch? Also, with Rousey on RAW, how exactly will she exact her revenge on SmackDown's Charlotte Flair and what about WrestleMania? A few days ago, it was rumored that Rousey's WrestleMania opponent would be Becky Lynch; but, it would be difficult to believe, especially after the way Rousey was battered, that it would be anyone other than Charlotte Flair.
The Good - Nia Jax As A Heel
With a punch heard round the world, Nia Jax changed the landscape of Survivor Series and WWE history in the process. Perhaps Lynch was the foolish one. Jax is a dangerous compettior capable of anything and Lynch attempted to stand toe to toe with this behemoth, only to end the evening with a broken face, severe concussion, and crushed Survivor Series dreams.
Jax's brutal punch was met with a barrage of criticism. Even former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho chimed in, referring to the punch as 'legitimate and deliberate.' As Jax made her Survivor Series entrance, she was met with deafening boos from the Staples Center audience.
Ever the opportunist, Jax made sure to point attention to the fist that took Becky Lynch out of Survivor Series. She relished in the hatred she received and would continue to do so throughout the evening.
Every time Jax made her way into the 5 on 5 elimination style tag team bout, she was booed; but, it didn't stop her. Instead it fed her, intensified her, and in a sickening way, completed her. As a heel, her job is to dash their hopes and rip their hearts from their chest. That's just what Jax did and with glee.
As her partner Sasha Banks made her way to the top rope, Jax simply swiped her off, causing The Boss to succumb to Asuka, who eliminated her in turn. Jax then pinned Asuka to earn victory for Team RAW and become the sole survivor, much to the Los Angeles crowd's chagrin. It's obvious Jax was born to be a heel.
The Bad - Samoa Joe's Early Exit
In a company filled with questionable creative decisions and a roster brimming with under utilized talent, Samoa Joe stands out among the rest. WWE's failure to understand what they have in the Samoan Submission Machine is as dumbfounding as it is confounding. While one may have hoped that Survivor Series would have been an opportunity for Samoa Joe to rebound from bad booking and show off his clearly superb in-ring skills, those hopes were quickly dashed, once again by WWE Creative.
Samoa Joe lasted only seconds into the Team RAW vs Team SmackDown 5 on 5 elimination style tag bout. Drew McIntyre made quick work of his former IMPACT Wrestling running mate. After hitting him with a big boot, McIntyre covered Joe for the pinfall and elimination. Team SmackDown's most compelling member was going home.
The Staples Center crowd loudly and obviously expressed their dissatisfaction with WWE Creative, booing vociferously after Samoa Joe's elimination. Will it make a difference going forward? Probably not and we are all poorer for it. Samoa Joe is one of wrestling's elite talents; but, in the WWE he has been relegated to mid-card status and remains a forgotten component of WWE's clear B-team brand. His painfully quick Survivor Series exit only added insult to injury.
The Ugly - Enzo Amore's Survivor Series Appearance
Two unexpected words no one ever thought they would utter during Survivor Series 2018 were Enzo Amore, however the former Cruiserweight Champion shockingly resurfaced at the event. This time it wasn't WWE's choice. Although their creative decisions have consistently been questionable, they aren't quite that bad, at least not yet.
Instead, Amore, who was future endeavored from the WWE after a rape accusation, snuck into the arena wearing a hoodie. Amore appeared in a desperate attempt to promote his new record, an album in which he verbally berates ex girlfriend and current WWE Superstar Liv Morgan. That alone makes his appearance sickening and terrifying.
WWE security was quick to remove Amore, but weren't swift enough. He undoubtedly achieved his ultimate goal and appeared on both television and on several videos circulating on the internet.
Liv Morgan took to Twitter to comment on Amore's appearance and was spot on with her assessment. Amore's appearance was nothing more than a desperate ploy for attention from a fallen star that never quite lived up to his potential.
Amore should enjoy the five minutes of fame he earned for himself this evening. It only proved that he needs WWE's cameras and media power to achieve any sort of legitimacy in the rap game or whatever his chosen 'craft' is at the moment. Regardless, of the outcome of Amore's shameful attention grab, it will very likely be the last time he's ever seen on WWE television.
