Before the show, Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair was rumored to be the main event - but instead, it kicked off the event. There was considerable buzz going into this match as Lynch and Flair had been playing up their off-screen falling out and working the major media outlets into believing that they may go "off script." I'll give them credit for trying to give this match an extra layer as, truthfully, these two have fought so many times now that it needed the extra oomph to make this not feel like a retread. Unfortunately, what this match really needed was stakes of some kind, a problem that this entire show suffered from. A heated exhibition match is still just an exhibition match if the win doesn't mean anything. Anyway, Becky Lynch's outfit will probably be the thing talked about most coming out of this one as it almost seemed to be a nod to Britney Spears (recently emancipated). The match itself was good - not great. These two always have good chemistry and I liked how they continued to build on the idea that they know each other better than any other two opponents, but for a match that was arguably pitched as them potentially "shooting" on each other, it was about as professional a match as possible. The finish also seemed inconsequential and non-scandalous. Sure, Lynch got the win, but it was by a cheap roll-up with help from the ropes, a typical heel thing to do. Now, if Lynch had come in as a babyface, then it would be an interesting way to end things, but she didn't, so it wasn't. For a match so hyped to come off as so trivial is unfortunate, especially as, overall, this was quite good, with enough physicality and twists and turns to keep the crowd hot. (3/5)
The next match was a classic Survivors match - Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown. Representing RAW was Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Bobby Lashley, and Austin Theory, while the Blue Brand's team was "Happy" Baron Corbin, Xavier Woods, Sheamus, Jeff Hardy, and Drew McIntyre. Kevin Owens walked out on the match, which is what I felt like doing. Kevin Owens strikes me as a guy who is biding his time until he can go to AEW. Austin Theory got plenty of time in the ring, lasting all the way until the final 3, but he is just too bland for me. If he can develop a personality beyond taking selfies, maybe I'll turn around on him...but until then, not a fan. If I had the pen, I would've used this match to help rebuild Lashley as, just a few months ago, he was a world beater and now he's been cycled back down into the irrelevant midcard. Instead, Vince opted to give the shine to Seth Rollins, a guy who can do it all in the ring except make me care. The brightest spots of this match came from Xavier Woods' selling and Sheamus being Sheamus, but this was just a ho-hum, meaningless Survivors match with no stakes and I couldn't get invested in it. (2.5/5)
A 25-Man Battle Royal for (checks notes) absolutely nothing happened next. Omos eliminated ton of folks, including the equally massive Shanky and Commander Aziz. The best moment was Sami Zayn trying to unify his SmackDown brethren and getting beaten up for his troubles. Before Aziz left ringside area, though, he nearly pulled AJ out of the ring until Omos grabbed him by his legs. This allowed Cesaro and others to bump Omos and cause AJ to get pulled out of the ring, which only seemed to anger the big man. From here, Omos got to no sell a ton of offense and club his way to victory, eliminating the remaining four (including the runner up, Ricochet, who had quite a bit of crowd support). This accomplished what it needed to but, at certain times, it was clear that Omos still has some rough edges and isn't ready for a legit main event push yet. Its hard to rate battle royals, but this one didn't go too long and I liked the Sami Zayn segment and Omos dominating as the focus. (3/5)
The RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro took on The Usos (SmackDown's Tag Team Champions) next. As noted on commentary, Orton's appearance set him at the top of the list of most PPV matches of any wrestler in history. The crowd "sweeting" was distracting to me as, despite the volume of the crowd on the screen, every fan I could see in the audience was sitting with their mouths closed and their arms folded. The Usos took control as Matt Riddle played the face-in-peril, cutting the ring in half and heeling it up for several minutes. Unfortunately, the big momentum shifter was an atrocious GTS by Riddle that didn't seem to connect with any part of Jimmy Uso's body, let alone his head, at all. Orton got the tag and hit two side suplexes onto the announce table and then a draping DDT on Jey Uso. Orton went for the RKO but Jey Uso caught him with some superkicks. Riddle tagged himself in and hit some sharp offense, including his ripcord knee. The sequence ended with Riddle attempting a senton on Jey Uso and Uso getting his knees up before hitting a cool-looking pop-up reverse neckbreaker. The Usos hit their double team Samoan Drop but only got 2 (I guess they call it the "Alley-Oose"?). The Usos hit a double superkick on Orton and then their finisher on Riddle, who somehow bridged out of it. I'm not sure why they didn't just get the clean W there as it kinda buried the Usos' finish A minute or so later, Orton hit a huge RKO on one of the Usos as he went for a splash off the top rope in what was a cool spot that would've been just as cool if it happened before the Usos had their finish treated like a transition move. That criticism aside, this was maybe the match of the night so far. (3/5)
Backstage, Vince McMahon spoke with Pearce and Deville and it was revealed that his $100 million egg was stolen.
Before the next match, the WWE played a unique video hyping the SmackDown debut of Xia Li.
The Women's Team RAW vs Team SmackDown was up next. RAW was represented by Carmella, Rhea Ripley, Zelina Vega, Bianca Belair, and Liv Morgan while SmackDown's team was Sasha Banks, Toni Storm, Shotzi Blackheart, Natalya, and Shayna Baszler. Carmella was eliminated early and we got a teased interaction between Belair and Banks, but Blackheart tagged herself in (continuing her own feud with Sasha). Liv Morgan had an extended segment with Natalya and we then saw Rhipley and Baszler get some minutes. In the past, seeing wrestlers that have never interacted before in a Survivors Match was part of the appeal...but because everyone has fought everyone so many times and because there were no stakes to this match (or any match on the card), this match had to deliver with just good wrestling only and, for the most part, it did. There were some questionable production/booking decisions, though - first, an extended Bianca/Banks segment that was quite good but also weirdly shot with every other woman in the match lying on the floor for no reason. In a Survivors match, with at least 8 competitors still in the match, it just made no sense beyond wanting to put the spotlight on them and minimizing the star power of the other competitors, many of whom are in desperate need of elevation. Then, we get to the finish, which drove the point home by having Bianca outlast Banks and go on to eliminate Natalya, Baszler, and Blackheart (who could've come out of this with a much needed big win) in good order. The wrestling was good, the booking was just too heavily pro-Belair for me. (2.5/5)
Main event time - Big E (WWE Champion) vs. Roman Reigns (Universal Champion). Considering the lack of stakes, this match had enough "big fight feel" to feel important and exactly the type of match they should've been building up as a WrestleMania main event. Some good exchanges to start and then our first big spot: Big E missing his ring apron splash when Reigns rolled out of the way, putting himself in a vulnerable position and getting dropped with a Roman Reigns Drive-By. Back in the ring, Reigns kept the pace slow and continued to dominate before taking some time to jaw about the Brooklyn crowd. Reigns tossed Big E to the outside and beat him down some more but E managed to reverse an Irish whip into the steps to buy himself some time. Back in the ring, E hit a trio of belly-to-bellys to take command, adding insult to injury with a grind and then a big splash in the middle of the ring. Big E looked to go for a spear off the ropes but Reigns countered with a Samoan Drop. In the corner, Reigns struck with a series of big clubbing clotheslines. When he went for another round, though, Big E countered with his signature sidewalk slam/uranage for 2. Big E applied his stretch muffler submission, but Reigns reversed it into a roll-up and then an impressive feat of strength, a powerbomb for 2. Just an incredible spot there. This was followed by the most talked about move of the match - a Rock Bottom by Roman Reigns (again, more of an uranage) that caused a "Rocky" chant to break out momentarily. Big E kicked out, though, and the match continued, with Big E shaking off 2 Superman punches before getting dropped with a devastating 3rd one. Reigns got huge heat for this but when he called for his spear, Big E ws back on his feet and able to launch a (rather ugly) spear on Reigns to the outside of the ring. Big E rolled him back in the ring but Reigns caught him with his own spear for 2! That was nuts. A loud dueling chant erupted, the crowd fully engaged in this after such an incredible sequence. Reigns made it to his feet first and talked down to Big E before going for a guillotine. E drove him into the corner to escape, though. Big E went for another spear, but this time Reigns caught him in the guillotine on the ropes and then back in the ring as well. Big E wouldn't tap, though, powering Reigns over his shoulder and dropping him with the Big Ending! That should've been the finish, but Reigns grabbed hold of the bottom rope to stop the count. A "This Is Awesome" chant began and I must say, by this point, it deserved it. To the outside they went, Big E tossing Reigns into the table, post, and barricade. When E tried to send him into the steps, though, Roman countered and it was E who went crashing into the steel steps, potentially re-injuring the knee that he'd damaged way earlier in the match. Reigns then hit a huge Superman Punch on the outside and then, after a failed Big Ending, took out E's knee with a stomp and capitalized with a final big spear to get the W. I didn't love the ending as it seems disconnected from the brilliant sequences that came before it. They didn't need to go back to the outside just to have E stumble over the steps as, by that point, Reigns winning in the same fashion without the extra minute on the outside would've meshed better into the flow of the match. Regardless, this was the clear match of the night and proof that there was money in a legit Reigns/Big E feud on SmackDown. (3.5/5)
With a respectable Kwang Score of 2.92-out-of-5, Survivor Series 2021 should stand as one of the best WWE pay-per-views of the year. Not a single match was a real disappointment. Unfortunately, this match will likely be remembered more for what it could've been rather than judged solely on what happened in the ring. Lynch/Flair was a good match, no doubt, but at no point did it live up to the hype surrounding it as a match that was advertised as being unpredictable and likely to go "off script." Both Survivors matches were also good (I liked the women's edition more than most), but suffered from questionable booking and production choices and a lack of stakes that made Kevin Owens walking out on the match in the first minute one of the smartest moves of any competitor all night. The main event proved that there was arguably an all-time great story to tell with Big E fighting his way through the Bloodline to finally be the one to defeat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania next April, but by already winning the WWE Championship from Bobby Lashley (a "lesser" champion) and then losing here, that story does not seem to be in the cards nor it would feel as big and fresh and exciting as it could've. And what can or should be said about the night's storyline involving Vince McMahon? The gratuitous product placement was off-putting and further highlights just out of touch the WWE Creative is with its own fan base. Good performances out of Reigns, Big E, Belair, and Sami Zayn keep this from being too bad of a show but also weren't enough to make it a must-see.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand
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