WWE Survivor Series 2019: Top 5 performers at the PPV

WWE Survivor Series 2019 saw NXT squaring off against RAW and SmackDown in the battle for brand supremacy for the first time in the company’s history. The Black and Gold brand's Superstars headed into their respective matches as the underdogs.

Lio Rush, Roderick Strong, and Rhea Ripley won their respective matches to give NXT the lead and the brand ultimately emerged victorious. Despite the entire hype surrounding the Red and the Blue brands, the NXT Superstars proved why they claim their brand to be the main roster.

In this piece, we take a look at the five best performers at the PPV; 5 Superstars who stole the show last night. So, without further ado, let’s begin.

---

#5 Roderick Strong

Underestimating Roderick Strong is a crime!

The reigning NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong is widely regarded as the best athlete on the Black and Gold brand. At Survivor Series, he certainly proved that those claims are not false.

Strong went up against AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura in the battle for brand supremacy. Ever since this match was booked, we knew that these three Superstars would engage in an exciting encounter. While some may believe that their match wasn’t as good as it looked on paper, I think Strong deserves credit for the performance he put up against two of the biggest Superstars in pro-wrestling.

Strong did not look weak at any point in the entire duration of this match. In fact, he managed to outsmart both his opponents to seal his victory and bag a point for NXT. Towards the end of this thrilling match, we saw Strong rolling out of the ring to take some time to recover from the beatdown he had just received.

This allowed Nakamura and Styles to square off inside the ring amidst thunderous applause. The Phenomenal One took down the Intercontinental Champion, but Strong immediately got back inside the ring and pushed Styles out of the equation. He then pinned Nakamura to extend NXT’s lead at the PPV.

Overall, this was my favorite match of the evening and Strong was the main reason for that.

#4 Pete Dunne

'Bruiserweight' indeed!

Pete Dunne defeated Killian Dain and Damien Priest in a triple-threat match to win a shot at the WWE NXT Championship. At Survivor Series, he went up against Adam Cole in a booking that has NXT: Takeover main event written all over it. Needless to say, they delivered exactly the match that we expect from a duo of their caliber.

Dunne was incredible inside the ring as he perfectly paced his offense to tackle the Champion. They had multiple stunning spots throughout the match, earning the appreciation of the crowd which responded with ‘This is Awesome!’ chants.

Both these Superstars were involved in grueling encounters less than 24 hours before their bout. However, they fought through the pain and used their opponent’s fatigue to their advantage that allowed for a fantastic narration inside the ring.

Although Dunne failed to win the match, he was successful in showing the world why he deserves to be pushed to the pinnacle of Sports entertainment.

#3 Rhea Ripley

Now, that's how you make a statement!

Rhea Ripley had an amazing week ahead of Survivor Series. She pinned Charlotte Flair and then went on to win the first-ever Women’s WarGames match against Shayna Baszler and the 4-on-2 disadvantage that was thrown in her way.

Ripley then capitalized on that momentum and led the NXT Women’s team to a much-deserved win in the battle for brand supremacy. She was at her brutal best at the PPV and squared off against Sasha Banks in the final moments of the match.

Although she received last-minute help from Candice LeRae and Io Shirai, one can’t deny the fact that Ripley won the first-ever Survivor Series elimination match for NXT. I would also like to credit Sasha Banks who was arguably the next best Superstar who featured in this match.

However, Ripley is the one who deserves a spot on this list because it was she who picked a monumental victory at the PPV for her brand.

#2 Keith Lee

Oh! Bask in his glory...

Keith Lee has had a brilliant run in the last few weeks. But at Survivor Series, he cemented his image as the breakout star of the evening. Less than 24 hours after his grueling WarGames match against the Undisputed Era, Lee was back inside the squared circle to represent team NXT in the men’s 5-on-5 elimination match.

Towards the end of this bout, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns were the only ones left from their respective teams. The former Shield brothers then formed a temporary alliance to deliver a powerbomb on Tommaso Ciampa with a view to putting him through the announce table. However, Lee attacked them both and derailed their plans.

Following that, he eliminated ‘The Architect’ before exchanging blows with the ‘Big Dog’. Although the latter went on to win the match, the entire arena was basking in Lee’s glory.

The latest backstage rumors suggest that he impressed Vince McMahon who apparently ‘loved’ his performance. Hence, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he receives a huge push in the coming weeks – something that he truly deserves.

#1 Adam Cole

Adam Cole Bay-Bay!

If anyone was uncertain about Adam Cole’s caliber, then this PPV surely changed their perspective. In the weeks leading up to this match, Cole successfully defended his title against Seth Rollins as well as Daniel Bryan. Following that, he participated in a brutal WarGames match against Tommaso Ciampa and his team.

His match at Takeover forced the viewers to get on their feet as Ciampa put the Champion through two tables after delivering an Air Raid Crash off the cage. Many speculated that Cole might not be able to fight against Pete Dunne last night and boy, were they wrong.

Cole locked horns with the former NXT UK Champion in a grueling encounter that had the entire arena echoing with ‘This is Awesome!’ and ‘Holy S**t’ chants. There were two unbelievable spots in the match that had the fans on the edge of their seats.

The first was when he delivered a stunning Panama Sunrise at the apron that took out both Superstars. The second spot was towards the closing moments of the match when Dunne attempted to take down Cole with the Bitter End. However, Cole countered the move midway and delivered a fantastic Panama Sunrise that allowed him to seal his victory.

If you have been following NXT, then the names on this list shouldn’t come as a surprise. And those who missed the PPV should go back and watch Cole vs Dunne. I know I will as soon as I finish writing this article.

I love the fact that NXT won the battle of brand supremacy and it will be interesting to see how the Black and Gold brand capitalizes on this historic achievement in the coming weeks.

---

Now you can rate RAW, SmackDown and NXT matches on Sportskeeda!