WWE Survivor Series 2019

WWE Survivor Series 2019

Chicago, IL - November 2019

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the WWE Champion was Brock Lesnar, while the Universal Champion was "The Fiend' Bray Wyatt. The United States Champion was AJ Styles, the Intercontinental Champion was Shinsuke Nakamura, the NXT Champion was Adam Cole, and the NXT North American Champion was Roderick Strong. The RAW Women's Champion was Becky Lynch, the SmackDown Women's Champion was Bayley, and the NXT Women's Champion was Shayna Baszler. The RAW Tag Team Champions were The Viking Raiders, the SmackDown Tag Team Champions were The New Day, and the NXT Tag Team Champions were the Undisputed Era. Finally, the Cruiserweight Champion was Lio Rush and R-Truth was the 24/7 Champion.

In an echo of the previous night's War Games show, the 2019 Survivor Series kicked off with the Women's Survivors Match - Team SmackDown vs. Team RAW vs. Team NXT. I was pessimistic about a Survivors Match with three teams and I hate to admit that it was almost exactly the type of clusterfuck mess I thought it would be. Unlike in previous years, where showdowns between two stars who had had minimal interactions before the event could be teased, the overabundance of talents in the ring at any given time diminished the allure of any previously-unseen square off. It also didn't help that, on Team NXT, you had Rhea Ripley and Candice LeRae teaming with opponents they had fought a WAR GAMES match against the night before. And while that match was absolutely great, the WWE's lack of foresight meant that any of the match's gravitas and significance was buried about 24 hours later. Of course, to say that this match was a total disappointment would be going too far - the athleticism and skill level of the participants is too high for this to have been as bad as some of the diva's multi-mans of the past. Unfortunately, as we've sadly seen all year with the WWE, top notch athleticism and big dives can only get you so far when a match's story is so thin. (2/5)

Speaking of top notch athleticism without much of a story, Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. United States Champion AJ Styles vs. NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong followed. As good as Zayn has been as a manager and as much as he has added to Nakamura, its still kinda sad to see him in a non-wrestling role considering his talent. Speaking of Nakamura, the Chicago crowd gave him a huge ovation, but he still seems to be a fraction as over as I would've predicted he'd be 3 years ago. AJ Styles also seems like a guy whose WWE peak is behind him and Roddy Strong, probably the best worker of Undisputed Era, has probably reached his ceiling too. The lingering feeling that this was a "dream match" being delivered at least 2 years too late (and some might even say 5) and that the stakes weren't super high (no titles were on the line and Nakamura hasn't brought "big match feel" to any of his matches since what? 2017?) really kept me from caring about the outcome. As was the case with the opener, the talent level was too high for this to have completely flopped and the last third showed that even in their sleep these three know how to get a crowd engaged, busting out their signature spots at just the right moments to build to a thrilling ending, but I still wouldn't go out of my way to re-watch this or recommend it. (3/5)

Pete Dunne challenged Adam Cole for the NXT Championship in the next bout. Not having Mauro Ranallo on commentary was a plus for me as his overuse of pop culture references gets a little irritating and I liked how passionate Nigel McGuinness was, even if some of his pro-NXT comments were basically "no sold" by Michael Cole. For example, at one point McGuinness stated that NXT is better than SmackDown and RAW and Cole didn't defend either of the brands that, y'know, have been established as the company's "main roster" for 20+ years. As for the match, I liked Dunne's targeting of Cole's midsection at the start of the match but this slowly became the same type of match we've seen both guys deliver on NXT - great execution of incredible moves but also too many nearfalls and finisher kickouts. Considering Adam Cole took a friggin' reverse piledriver through a table from the top of a cage less than 24 hours before this match, he probably shouldn't have been able to even compete let alone win this match 100% clean without any interference from the Undisputed Era. Again, the booking just took away so much from what this match could've and logically should've been. Again, its hard to call a match like this "average," but the nonsensical story hurt it considerably in my eyes. (2/5)

"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defended the WWE Universal Championship against Daniel Bryan next. I liked the build to this match (based entirely on the pre-match video) and I'm an admitted Bryan mark so I was excited for this after being pretty unimpressed with the Wyatt/Rollins match at Hell in a Cell (specifically the last 8 minutes). This one was a mixed bag to me - on the plus side, unlike the last match, this was wrestled with a clear story that made sense as the unstoppable, superhuman Fiend used his power and size to dominate the smaller Bryan. Meanwhile, Daniel Bryan did what he does best against bigger opponents - rush at them with all he's got, try to wear them down with submissions, surprise them with stiff kicks and stomps and anything else he can think of. Unlike the previous match, where we saw moves that would end careers back in the day but only get 2-counts today, this match told a simple Man vs. Monster story and, lo and behold, the crowd actually got behind Daniel Bryan like it was 2014 all over again! Of course, when Seth Rollins try to do it, it doesn't work because (a) he's not a good seller and (b) Rollins is so naturally unlikable that 70% of any crowd would just like to see him get his head caved in. On the negative side of this match, the red light. Just awful and hard to look at it for. Also - as much as I wanted to buy into the idea of Daniel Bryan winning the WWE Universal Championship, he was a real longshot and, considering Rollins seems like the golden boy, I just never believed Bryan might steal a victory. Back on the plus side, because it was a fairly dominant performance, this was actually an effective way of making Wyatt seem truly superhuman and not the Bray Wyatt of old, who lost big matches left and right. See? I'm not just bashing the booking that I don't like! I would've preferred Daniel Bryan win this match so that I can care more about pro-wrestling, but I get it - Wyatt needed this win and he's the one getting the strong push. The booking for this was right and Bryan did a fine job doing what he needed to do. It still wasn't a great match (that red lighting really, really sucks), but it was no worse than average. (2.5/5)

The Men's Survivors Match followed - Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown vs. Team NXT. There were some interesting stories coming into this, including the fact that Team RAW's Kevin Owens had appeared at War Games the night before, Shorty G (Chad Gable) and Baron Corbin would have to co-exist on Team SmackDown, and that Team NXT was coming into this match with a 3-1-1 lead. A huge WALTER chant was audible before the bell even rang, but Strowman, Ciampa, and Rollins started things off. Rollins quickly tagged in McIntyre and then Ciampa tagged in WALTER, which got a huge pop. WALTER and McIntyre had a great exchange and it got even better as Strowman came back into play. Unfortunately, McIntyre eliminated WALTER soon after. Whoops. The best part of this match might have already came and went by minute 4. In came Damien Priest, followed by Shorty G (god that name is dumb) and Ricochet. Gable and Riddle got some time in the ring together, which was fun to see as both have some legit shooting skill. Riddle tagged Ciampa back in, but before he could get any momentum, Ricochet broke it up. He then tagged in Kevin Owens who eliminated Shorty G with a frog splash. Reigns came in for the Blue Brand and got booed, which was a bit surprising considering I thought most of the crowdś ire would go towards Rollins. Owens hit a cannonball on Reigns on the outside and also took out Corbin with a Stunner, the Blue Brand not looking too good. Ciampa hit Owens with a hangman DDT when he tried to get back in the ring, though, eliminating him in a shocking twist. Orton came in next and looked to be setting up Ciampa for an RKO, but Ciampa turned in time and the two had an interesting staredown - Snake vs. Snake. Ciampa attempted another draping DDT on Orton, but Orton blocked it and then ran Ciampa into the wall, following it up with one of his back suplexes on the apron. All the while, Corbin rested on the outside - which at least makes sense considering his character. Ciampa made the tag to Priest, but Priest didn last long as Orton connected with an RKO! Then, in another shocker, Matt Riddle rolled up Orton to take out the Viper! Before leaving the ring, Orton hit Riddle with an RKO - allowing Corbin to come in and make the cover, eliminating Riddle. Keith Lee then came in and the crowd erupted in a ´Bask in His Glory´ chant. McIntyre and Strowman came back in and Strowman proceeded to take everyone out on the outside to a huge ovation. The second time Strowman attempted to go around, though, Keith Lee crossbody-blocked him and, as he tried to get back on his feet, McIntyre hit him with a Claymore! Strowman was then eliminated by countout, the crowd booing heavily. Ricochet and Corbin came in and Ricochet got to hit some big signature moves including a tremendous dive to the outside onto Reigns. Ricochet attempted to hit his finish on Lee, but Lee rolled away and Corbin caught Ricochet with an End of Days to eliminate him. Mustafa Ali finally came in, as did Rollins and Ciampa. Ali had the crowd behind him, but instead of letting Ali rally, Corbin stopped his momentum and caused him to get Curb Stomped by Rollins (who proceeded to eliminate him). Rollins' elimination of Ali led to a loud ¨CM Punk¨ chant. Moments later, McIntyre looked to Claymore Ciampa, but got stopped by a Roman Reigns spear (which actually got a pop). Rollins attempted to roll him up, but Reigns kicked out at 2 and the former Shield members went at it from there. Ciampa tried to take Reigns out, but got Superman Punched for his efforts. The crowd begged for Keith Lee, but before Ciampa could make the tag, Corbin knocked Lee off the apron. Reigns made the tag, but instead of immediately capitalizing on Ciampa, Corbin jawed off at Reigns - who then turned on his partner to allow Ciampa to make the cover! That didn´t really make much sense, but whatever - there are no stakes anyway, so why would anyone not turn on anyone? Rollins, Reigns, and Ciampa started swinging before Keith Lee came in momentarily to save his partner. Rollins tossed Ciampa to the outside and he and Reigns looked to be setting him up for the classic Shield powerbomb-through-the-table spot. Lee made the save, though, much to the crowdś delight. Rollins and Ciampa got back in the ring and Ciampa hit his running knee, followed by a Project Ciampa (powerbomb-onto-double knees). Rollins kicked out, though. Ciampa attempted a Fairy Tale Ending, but Rollins escaped and hit a Superkick. Rollins looked like he might steal the victory, but the exchange continued and Reigns struck Ciampa with a Superman Punch. Rollins then delivered a Curb Stomp and we were down to a final three - Rollins vs. Reigns vs. Keith Lee. Lee was the most over of the three and looked great in the spotlight, getting a huge pop for kicking out of a Rollins frog splash. For the first time in forever, Rollins actually did something interesting and unexpected by screaming ¨I built NXT!¨ out of anger before getting eliminated by Keith Lee. It was now down to 2, with Lee and Reigns squaring off. Reigns hit a series of Superman Punches and went for the cover - and, for whatever reason, the ref hit the mat 3 times but waved off the count! Lee got back to his feet and attempted a spear, but Lee countered it into a huge powerbomb! Again we got a 2.99 count. Lee went for a move for a moonsault from the second rope, but this time it was Reigns who escaped it and hit his Spear to get the win! One can´t argue too much with the finish as Reigns has been due for some big victories after a year of forgettable feuds with Drew McIntyre, Shane McMahon, and Baron Corbin. I enjoyed this one more than the womenś version, but wouldn´t call it an all-time great Survivors match, especially compared to some of the really strong multi-man matches the WWE has put on over the past 4-5 years. (3.5/5)

The WWE Championship match was up next after a lengthy, lengthy break for promos and interviews - Rey Mysterio Jr. challenging Brock Lesnar. This one was fought with a No Holds Barred stipulation due to weeks and weeks of quality build that felt separate and special from the rest of the show. Iḿ not a fan of Mysterioś current get-up and, on this night, he looked particularly ridiculous in Joker-inspired gear. Heymans intro for Brock was especially fun tonight as he took the opportunity to speak some Spanish and dis Mysterios size one last time. The bell rang and Mysterio immediately grabbed a lead pipe, forcing Lesnar to retreat out of the ring. Mysterio tried to chase him, but Lesnar wisely played cat-and-mouse until he could rock Mysterio with a clothesline. Mysterio refused to release the pipe, but Lesnar fought it out of his hand and hit him with a couple more clothesline before tossing him to the outside. Lesnar then tossed Mysterio across an announce table as the crowd split between chants of Suplex City and 619. Lesnar then hit an overhead belly-to-belly on Mysterio through part of the table. Lesnar attempted an F-5 on the outside but Mysterio ran him into the corner post - a spot we have seen far too many times in Lesnar matches. Mysterio crawled towards the lead pipe but Lesnar got to him first and proceeded to take him out with another big overhead suplex. The crowd was weirdly hushed at this point, almost indifferent to what was going on. Dominic Mysterio came in and attempted to throw in the towel, but Lesnar (pipe in hand) would have none of it and grabbed him by the collar. Mysterio came up from behind, though, and hit Lesnar with a lowblow - followed by Dominick hitting him with another! This then gave Mysterio the change to grab the bat. Dominick then struck Lesnar with a steel chair and BOTH Mysterios hit Lesnar with a 619! Dominick then hit him with a frog splash, followed by another by Rey - but Lesnar kicked out of the double pin! Dominick and Rey went back up on opposite corners, but this proved to be a bad decision as Lesnar hit Dominick with a belly-to-back and then caught Rey in the F-5 to get the W. This was not as great as Lesnar/Bryan or Lesnar/AJ or even Lesnar/Balor, but there were some fun moments and the match certainly never dragged. (3/5)

Main event time - RAW Womens Champion Becky Lynch vs. SmackDown Womens Champion Bayley vs. NXT Womens Champion Shayna Baszler. Bayleys new music is super generic, but I kinda like how understated her entrance is as she proceeds to just casually walk to the ring with a smirk on her face. Baszler, meanwhile, came to the ring with her usual intensity and got a mild response - the only NXT character so truly heel that the Chicago crowd didnt give her the obligatory NXT chant upon her arrival. Lynch came out last and got a warm reception, though its obvious she is probably only 70% as over as she was a year ago. After a couple sequences involving all three women, Bayley and Becky took over in the ring, the crowd definitely a bit muted. Bayley attempted a sunset flip powerbomb into the corner, but almost broke her own neck. Baszler came in and tried to break the fingers of Becky, but Bayley broke it up. Baszler and Bayley went at it for a few minutes but then Becky came in - basically this match was a game of musical chairs and not necessarily a very fast-paced or exciting one. I still preferred the pacing and pausing of this rather than the spot-heavy, overloaded, hyperactive matches that we often get from NXT, but the crowd clearly wanted more out of the first part of this match. Things picked up a little bit as the women started using more of their signature moves, but by this point, the crowd was almost turning on the match completely. While I really like Baszler and Bayley and Becky, not a single one is the ¨total package¨ and they were each exposed a little bit here. Baszler looked a bit nervous out there, almost out of her element on the bigger stage and not nearly as confident and smooth as she has looked in her (more choreographed/practiced?) title defenses. Lynch has a great character and spirit, but her offense has never been super exciting. Bayley is more than competent but is not a top 5 worker, which is arguably the level of talent that was needed to really hold this match together. Things did get better the more time that all three women were involved in each sequence, but those stretches were few and far between. Baszler did eventually try to appease the crowd by slamming Becky on a table, but it was clear that the audience wanted some genuine splintered wood. Bayley eventually went for an elbow off the top, but Baszler caught her in the Kokina Clutch and tapped her. Uhh...that was kinda unceremonious. If Lynch was going to sell death on the outside, they really shouldve gimmicked the table to actually break apart. That was a disappointment, but not as bad as some have said. (2/5)


With a Kwang Rating of 2.57-out-of-5, Survivor Series 2019 wasn't a dud nor was it a hit. There were individual moments that were really good - WALTER's brief spotlight, the Mysterios uniting to try to take out The Beast, everything Keith Lee did - but also plenty of questionable booking decisions and an underwhelming, disappointing main event that never went to second gear let alone third or fourth. If you're a massive fan of the current WWE product, this show would entertain you, but if you're neutral on what the WWE has been delivering in 2019, this one won't convince you to rethink your cynicism. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver