WWE Survivor Series 2020

WWE Survivor Series 2020: Best of the Best 

The Thunderdome, Orlando, FL - November 2020

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Roman Reigns is the reigning Universal Champion, Drew McIntyre is the WWE Champion, the RAW Women's Champion is Asuka, the SmackDown Women's Champion is Sasha Banks, the United States Champion is Bobby Lashley, and the Intercontinental Champion is Sami Zayn. The RAW Tag Team Champions are The New Day, while the SmackDown Tag Team Champions are the Street Profits. FInally, the 24/7 Champion is R-Truth and the Women's Tag Team Champions are Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax.

The show begins with a traditional 5-on-5 Survivors match pitting RAW's best - AJ Styles (with Omos), Matt Riddle (yuck), Keith Lee, Braun Strowman, and Sheamus - against SmackDown's top 5: King Corbin, Otis, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Jey Uso. Rollins is doing his gloomy zombie bit. What prevents me from investing in this match is that, up until a couple weeks ago, many of these guys were on the other side of this split - for example, AJ was a SmackDown stalwart for years, while Rollins was known as the Monday Night Messiah for most of 2020. Styles and Uso start things off before Jey tags in Corbin. They telegraph a move and then tag out to Otis and Riddle. Otis took control using his size and ability to take some punishment but what really grabbed my attention was the way Owens came in and immediately went after Riddle's bare feet. That's some smart work. Owens begrudgingly tagged in Rollins, while Sheamus came in for Raw. Instead of fighting Sheamus, though, Rollins turned to his teammates, said, "For the greater good" and then sacrificed himself to a Sheamus Brogue Kick. Why not just lie down? I liked it. After Braun Strowman attacked the entire SmackDown team on the outside, Keith Lee and Otis squared off back in the squared circle. Otis and Lee looked awkward working with each other. Strowman came in and Otis was in trouble, though he did get some hope spots in against the most super of super heavyweights. AJ came in and Otis made the tag to Owens. Without a live crowd, the "hot tags" really fall flat. Owens nearly eliminated AJ with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Owens and AJ worked better together here than I remember their feud being years ago. Owens hit a series of big stunners, but ate a Phenomenal Forearm and was eliminated - RAW now going up 5-3. Corbin hit an End of Days, but the pin got broken up. Corbin hit a Deep 6 on Sheamus and attempted another End of Days on AJ, but AJ countered with a Pele Kick and tagged in Riddle who eliminated Corbin with a senton from the top, RAW now up 5-2. There was a stretch around 2014-2016 (?) when the WWE's multi-man matches were consistently fantastic, but this felt - at least with the booking - perfunctory. Jey Uso got to shine in the closing minutes, but why have RAW sweep SmackDown? Riddle and Sheamus strike me as guys who could take a pin, which would've made it briefly believable that Uso (and/or Otis) might actually overcome the odds. Instead, Raw's dominance was the whole story here and not a single fresh feud or intriguing wrinkle for either brand was developed. (2/5)

The New Day took on The Street Profits next. This was a non-title affair despite featuring both brands' champions. Big E accompanied The New Day and all three guys were decked out in Gears of War garb. It doesn't quite make sense that the WWE would split up (arguably) the most profitable stable of the past 20 years while they were still being used as promotional spokesmen for various 3rd party companies, but well, that's modern WWE for you. The New Day took control early, Kofi hitting an absolutely stunning Stage Dive onto Montez on the outside. The commentators noted that this was the Street Profits' biggest match to date and it felt like it, the New Day's experience and comfort working in the ring juxtaposing well against the Street Profits realization that the New Day, as cartoonish as they can be, mean business in the ring. Kofi and Xavier broke out the cockiness and attitude of their heel days, which was really refreshing (and noted on commentary by Graves). When Dawkins came in, though, he was able to use his strength to clean house and get a nearfall on Woods. The Profits showed off some of their own expert teamwork with a ridiculous sequence that ended with Woods eating an Electric Chair. I've been cold on the Profits since I first saw them, but here, against one of the best tag teams of the decade, they held their own and delivered all sorts of innovative, energetic offense. Kofi and Woods hit a Midnight Hour (usually done with Big E) but only got a 2 with it. Kofi followed it with some Boom Drops, but Dawkins and Ford recovered and hit their trademark sequence of a spinebuster-into-a-Ford Frog Splash. They only got 2 with it, though, and the match continued with Ford delivering a Trouble-in-Paradise to Kofi, but then eating a gutbuster from Woods. Wow. I expected some "cute" elements to this match, but this has been as good as New Blood vs. Old Guard match as I've ever seen - probably because the New Day aren't really all that old. The finish saw the Street Profits capture the win in somewhat of an upset, but I wish it would've come from a sequence as clever and creative as some of the ones we'd seen earlier in the match. A stronger match would've nudged this into Top 10 Match of the Year contender and I'm not necessarily sure it got there. (4/5)

Sami Zayn, the reigning Intercontinental Champion, took on Bobby Lashley, the United States Champion next. Zayn has been killing it for the past few months - on the mic, in the ring, on Twitter - he's been as unlikable a heel as the WWE has had in awhile. Too bad there's been no live crowd to enjoy it. Lashley no-sold a clothesline and took over, sending Zayn into the turnbuckle and then hurling him halfway across the ring. Zayn used his cunning to get some shots in, including an elbow off the top, but when he tried it again, Lashley back-dropped him into the middle of the ring and followed it up with a spear in the corner. Lashley went for another, but Zayn caught him with a big boot and tried for a suplex, but Lashley countered it with one of his own. In a funny twist, Zayn asked for a moment to collect himself, telling the ref that he was suffering from vertigo. When Lashley backed off, Zayn got a nearfall with a roll-up but ended up just taking more punishment. Zayn rolled out of the ring and tried to get the DQ win by egging on the Hurt Business, but they wouldn't bite and Lashley rammed him into the wall with authority. Zayn tried to escape out of the Thunderdome, but Lashley caught up with him and sent him into the wall again. Lashley lifted him up in a fireman's carry, but Zayn escaped and shoved Lashley into the post (nearly allowing Zayn to get the countout victory). When the ref turned his back, Zayn attempted to expose the turnbuckle but Shelton stopped him. Zayn went for the Helluva Kick, but Lashley caught him and hit him with his trademark one-hand spinebuster. A minute later, Lashley locked in the Full Nelson and got the clean W over Zayn. The right man won the right way, but Zayn still shined here with his performance. The past two matches have exceeded expectations. (3/5)

Backstage, Jimmy and Jey are chatting but get interrupted by Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. Reigns sends Jimmy away and gives Jay a verbal lashing. I love this Roman Reigns. 

In one of the most anticipated matches of the night, Asuka took on Sasha Banks. Good mat wrestling to start things off. Banks almost applied the Banks Statement early on, but Asuka fought it off and the countering and trading of submissions continued. Compared to the mostly mundane opener, the innovative offense of the opener, and the fun of the third match, this one really stood out as being competitive and wrestling-based. Their match a few months back felt a little more intense thanks to the storyline building up to it, but its not like they went half-speed here. This just felt a little bit more like the type of bout you might see on a house show, a match that the women put on for themselves rather than further a storyline. The lack of stakes also made this seem a bit more like a really good exhibition match rather than a war between arch enemies. A good sequence on the ring apron led to Asuka hitting a big boot and then a hip attack that sent Banks into the barrier, but Banks got back into the ring quickly and landed a baseball slide of her own. On the floor, Banks went for a double-knees splash from the top of the barricade but Asuka countered it with a Codebreaker of her own. Back into the ring they rolled, trading pinfalls. Asuka missed a Hip Attack and Banks hit her with a Backstabber but only got 2 from it. She hit a Meteora into the corner and looked to follow it up with a frog splash but wisely stopped herself and applied the Bank Statement. Asuka escaped, though, and applied a submission of her own and then double knees on the ropes for another 2 count. Asuka applied an Ankle Lock, but the counters and reversals continued into a series of wild pin attempts - a bunch of them looking like they might actually end the match - until one of them finally did. That was a tremendous finishing sequence that didn't hurt Asuka. Instead, it felt like Banks earned the W in a hard-fought battle because, on this night and for the past few months, she's been on an unstoppable roll. (3.5/5)

The Gobbeldy Gooker is shown backstage (having won the 24/7 Championship earlier in the show). Distracted by some birdfeed, Tozawa rolled him up and won the belt - only to get jumped by R-Truth and beaten for the title. 

Back in the ring, Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Lana, Lacey Evans, and Peyton Royce of RAW taking on Bayley, Natalya, Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan, and Bianca Belair. Belair and Natalya hit a double-team suplex on Royce before tagging in Liv Morgan, her and Royce showing off some of their chemistry. Riot and Baszler go to work against each other and Baszler took control with a nasty backbreacker and some stiff kicks to Riot's chest. Riot tagged out as Jax came in and the SmackDown women tried to take her out in the corner to no avail. Lana tagged herself in and held her own against Morgan and Nattie. Nia tagged back in and her Baszler bullied Lana, forcing her stand on the stairs, which was actually kinda heartbreaking to watch. Who said Lana can't act? Bayley and Royce continued the match for their teams, Royce eventually applying a fancy tarantula-esque maneuver on the ropes. An awful multi-person sequence followed, most workers looking not-too-excited to have to get tossed by Jax and basically just threw themselves through the middle rope instead. It all resulted in a crazy superplex from Royce onto Bayley into everyone that looked brutal because somehow, despite landing on 7 other workers, nobody caught Bayley's legs (which hit the floor with a thud). Royce hit her finish Deja Vu and got the upset pin over Bayley, a shocking development. Royce then hit a series of spinning back elbows and kicks and got 2 on Natalya. Royce locked in a weak-looking single-leg crab, but Natalya reached Belair  and escaped and then struggled to apply a submission. Natalya eventually applied the Sharpshooter instead of whatever she was going for and the sides were evened - 4 on 4. Lacey Evans hit Nattie with the Women's Right to eliminate her some minutes later. Belair came in next and it looked like she might be gone after a Spanish Fly from the top rope (a move that takes too much cooperation for me to like it), but the Riott Squad broke it up. Using quick tags, the Riot Squad put a hurt on Jax, but she eventually tagged out to Baszler who delivered a series of stiff kicks to Ruby. Baszler applied the Kirifuda Clutch (Kokina Clutch) on Riot and while Riot did pin her shoudlers for a full count (with the ref's back turned), Baszler ended up choking her out and making the cover to make this a 4-2 match. Morgan came in and somehow hit a crucifix pin on Lacey Evans to put her out of the match, Evans looking like she'd been knocked loopy from it. Jax came in for her team and Morgan took the fight to her, trying to use her speed and agility to put Jax on the mat. Jax had no chance, though, eliminated by a Samoan Drop within a minute. Belair was on her own now but didn't just lie down, she went after Jax and after some brilliant backflips, took Jax out with a dropkick. When she went for a splash, though, Jax hit her with double knees and a powerslam. Jax hit the leg drop but only got 2 from it. Grabbing Bianca by her hair, Jax dragged her into the corner and went for a splash from the top. Belair got up, though, and dropkicked her from her perch. Baszler came in and applied her Clutch, but Belair fought out of it by dropping onto her back. Baszler reapplied it, though, and it looked like Bianca was doomed but somehow, using her incredible strength, got onto her feet and somehow reached the ropes! Baszler wouldn't let go of the move, though, and was eliminated because of it. It was now down to Nia and Lana (who had been relegated to the stairs) vs. Belair. On the outside, Belair and Jax continued to brawl, the referee counting them both out! With this development, the sole survivor was noneother than Lana! Well, in 34 years, I'm not quite sure we've seen that finish before. This was better than the male Survivors match, but not by much. (2.5/5)

Main event time - Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns in a WWE Champion/Universal Champion Clash. This was the most physical, most demanding match that Reigns has wrestled since returning a few months ago, a nice change of pace from the storyline/drama-driven matches he's had with Jey Uso as of late. I didn't necessarily Reigns digging too deep into his heel bag of tricks, but Reigns isn't a cheater - he's a bad-ass who can beat anyone cleanly (or at least that's how he views himself). McIntyre took him to his limit, though, kicking out of Reigns' signature offense and connecting with plenty of his own. Unlike so many other big time matches we've seen, the finishers were kept to a relative minimum. This was not a match comprised solely of "bomb throwing" and false finishes. A fantastic exchange towards the end of the match - which went close to 30 minutes, if not slightly more - resulted in McIntyre connecting with his Future Shock DDT for 2 and McIntyre calling for the Claymore. When he went for it, though, Reigns caught him with the Superman Punch. Reigns attempted a guillotine choke, but McIntyre backdropped him across the ring. Drew went for another Claymore, but Reigns caught him with a boot and sent him shoulder-first into the ringpost. Reigns went for a spear, but McIntyre caught him and applied an armbar! Reigns wouldn't tap, though, and was able to grab the ropes. Outside the ring, Reigns hit a Samoan Drop that put McIntyre through the table and this one looked to be over. As McIntyre got to his feet, Reigns speared him through the barricade - but still only got a 2. Sadly, this is where the match lost me a bit. I get that this one was all about making it clear that these two guys are equals, but this was overkill (it didn't help that we got a synthetic "This Is Awesome" chant soon after). Reigns went for a Spear but McIntyre caught him with a boot only to get speared anyway for another 2 count. Somehow, McIntyre hit a Claymore outta nowhere, but the referee took some of the punishment. Jey Uso came down the aisle in an effort to try to distract Drew, but all it led to was a lowblow to McIntyre and a Superkick from Uso. Roman then applied the guillotine, choking out McIntyre and forcing a ref stoppage. This is one of those matches that was undeniably strong, but will probably get overhyped. The things that hurt it were the production (the deafening phony crowd noise will not age well), the final minutes being disconnected from the realism that came before it (at least to me), and the unnecessary screwy finish. Still a "must see" in a slow year if you're a fan of Reigns or Drew or just the WWE in general, but not necessarily something I'd revisit. (4/5)

The "finale" of the show saw the WWE's Final Farewell to the Undertaker. Shane McMahon came out first, followed by Big Show (looking lean and mean), and then JBL. My god. Are they just going to bring out every guy that ever wrestled the Undertaker? This could go for days. Jeff Hardy was next, then, in a genuine surprise (to me at least), Mick "Mankind" Foley. Foley felt like the first guy that truly deserved to be in that ring to honor the Undertaker, the rest not really being known all that well for their rivalries with Taker. The Godfather came out next, which was a bit odd because for one to appreciate his presence, you'd have to know that these guys were good friends dating back several decades (with Godfather being part of the Bone Street Krew). Speaking of the Bone Street Krew, the Godwinns arrived next - Mark "Henry O. Godwinn" Canterbury and Dennis Knight, aka Phineas/Mideon. Savio Vega arrived next, another longtime friend and BSK member, followed by Rikishi. In yet another shocker, Kevin Nash showed up next before we saw the arrival of Booker T. It was then time for the "big guns" - Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Triple H, Kane - before we got a video package going through Taker's lengthy career (soundtracked by Metallica). After the video package, they cut back to the ring - where Vince McMahon gave a brief speech before welcoming the Undertaker himself. Taker's entrance ate up about 5-6 minutes. Taker said it was now time for him to "let the Undertaker rest in peace" as dubbed chants of "Thank You Taker" filled the Thunderdome. He did his trademark pose and we got a hologram Paul Bearer, a final reunion between the two before the lights went out on the Phenom one last time...only for them to turn back up and for Taker to pull his thumb across his neck one last time (?) and exit the ring like just another guy. 

This was better than the farewell we got at WrestleMania a few years back? Better than Taker riding off into the night at the end of this year's show? 

With an overall Kwang Score of 3.17-out-of-5, the 2020 edition of the Survivor Series didn't start very strong and didn't end very strong, but offered just enough quality action in the middle to be a satisfying show. The Reigns/McIntyre main event was very strong - arguably McIntyre's best or second best PPV match of the year depending on how much one enjoyed his SummerSlam match against Orton (or the rather fun Ambulance Match) - and The New Day/Street Profits was easily the best Profits match I've ever seen (and that includes their NXT run). Asuka vs. Sasha Banks didn't quite live up to the lofty expectations placed upon it, but it could be argued that Zayn/Lashley overdelivered considering that it was a heel/heel contest. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand