Immediate Survivor Series Thoughts

It's been a while since I've been this... underwhelmed by a major WWE pay-per-view. This company has lost considerable momentum in the last three or four months, so let's see what we get as a result.

Damien Priest vs. Shinsuke Nakamura did not come across as the big time battle between secondary champions that perhaps it could have been. Now, given it was on the Kickoff and not the proper card, maybe that's fine, but it feels as though it could have been bigger. Having said that... I did like the finish here, as it gave some consequences to the Rick Boogs guitar shtick as well as Damien Priest's "snap" persona. I didn't hate it; didn't love it, either.

The Red Notice opening kind of reminded me of the Red Notice movie - fine and mildly entertaining, but not absolute necessary. I guess they can now say The Rock was part of Survivor Series?

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair isn't what I would have expected for the show opener. Not that it's a bad thing... I just figured that would be later on the card. And actually, this turned out to be one of the best openers in a while, with both competitors giving us the best of Becky and Charlotte. While the ending was a bit controversial... it sets things up for a future rematch, perhaps at WrestleMania again?

The Men's Survivor Series match was a sleeper match. It took a little while to get going - the Kevin Owens turn and the Drew McIntyre-Bobby Lashley decisions were a bit head-scratching - but the final five minutes or so were really satisfying. It also shows that on any given night, Jeff Hardy can definitely have another top run. Perhaps with Roman Reigns?

I didn't think I would, but I loved the battle royal. Very simple booking here and a pretty predictable finish, but a great way to build on the momentum of Omos.

RKBro vs. The Usos felt a little long (particularly for this late in the show) but it wasn't a bad match at all, and it's hard to argue with how inventive that finish was. A nice way to mark Randy Orton's record-setting PPV appearance.

The Womens Survivor Series Match was incredibly underwhelming. It just went on for WAY too long for what it actually was. Which is unfortunate, given the great story it told for both Bianca Belair and, to a lesser extent, Sasha Banks. But I couldn't get over the sheer length of this one to truly enjoy it.

The main event between Big E and Roman Reigns was just phenomenal and the sole reason to watch this show, quite honestly. Both guys showed why they are at the top of their divisions, with a tremendous back and forth contest. It did look at one point as though Big E might take it, but ultimately Roman took his rightful place as The Head Of The Table.

Overall, a decent show but definitely not a top PPV of the year. I enjoyed it but really only for certain matches. And why didn't they have Rock show up to steal the egg?