WWE Survivor Series 2017 Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

Photo Source: WWE.com

Follow along with our live WWE Survivor Series 2017 review as Raw and SmackDown wage war for brand supremacy.

Survivor Series is all about brand supremacy. As we’re told constantly by the broadcasters, it’s the one time of year where Raw superstars and SmackDown superstars go head to head. And this year, the battle is poised to be fast, furious, and fierce.

Each brand has launched at least one sneak attack on its counterpart. Shane McMahon and the Blue Team struck first, placing the Raw roster “under siege” and taking down everyone in sight. And it took some time – and a visit from Stephanie McMahon – before Kurt Angle led his squad back for retaliation. But when the Red Team struck back, they certainly made a big impact.

And now we’ve arrived at Survivor Series itself. Taking place live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, the rest of the world will tune in on the WWE Network to see the war go down. The main event will be an interbrand battle of champions. Raw sends the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar up against the WWE Champion AJ Styles. It will be a battle of contrasting wrestling styles, and it will surely be a fight to remember.

There are also two traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination tag team matches scheduled. Each one is Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown. The first is for male superstars, with SmackDown being captained by Commissioner Shane McMahon. He’s joined by John Cena, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, and Shinsuke Nakamura. Raw is countering with captain Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, and Triple H.

On the women’s side, Raw sends captain Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Asuka, Sasha Banks, and Bayley. SmackDown’s squad is made up of captain Becky Lynch, Tamina, Carmella, Namoi, and Natalya. Both elimination tag matches have more than a win or loss on the line – each team wants their brand to be seen as the best.

In other action, The Shield faces The New Day in a huge interbrand six man tag match. Plus, Raw and SmackDown will lock up in three champion vs. champion contests. Cesaro and Sheamus take on The Usos, Alexa Bliss faces Charlotte Flair, and Baron Corbin meets The Miz one on one. And the Cruiserweight Championship will be on the line during the Kickoff Show when Enzo Amore defends against Kalisto.

Related Story: WWE Survivor Series 2017: Preview and Predictions

It’s going to be a wild night, so be sure to join us here at Daily DDT for our coverage starting at 7 p.m. ET.

Photo Source: WWE.com

The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, & Dean Ambrose) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, & Big E)

Result: The Shield defeated The New Day via pinfall

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Jeez, what a way to kick off Survivor Series. Having this as the main show opener makes me wonder – even before anyone hits the ring – whether someone will get involved later on in the evening.

And hey, speaking of “before anyone hits the ring,” did we really need to drag out the intros for this one to last nearly fifteen minutes? Sure, New Day needs a pre-match promo, and this one was the best kind of brutal (Kofi’s “We about to go Bob Barker on they ass” was a great line). But to follow it up with a video recap before The Shield even had their music hit was just a momentum killer.

One last bit of pre-match housecleaning: The five man commentary team. Hate three guys in the booth? Haha, let’s go bigger! It’s not all bad though – a nice touch having Corey Graves on the border on the chyron when introducing the broadcasters. Not nice enough to forgive five guys blathering on at once, mind you, but a nice touch.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/932403922219577346

Onto the match, and would you be surprised to hear it was great? Perfect tone setter for the night, nice mix of fast-paced action and slower, psychological work. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, The Shield played more of the heel role in this battle of fan favorites. Makes sense – Reigns gets booed all the time anyway. New Day spamming the Unicorn Stampede earned a few boos, but it was definitely The Hounds of Justice who were working for that reaction.

I’ll breathe a little easier when Big E gives up on that spear through the ropes, because one day he’s going to break his neck executing the move. He looks like he tweaked the approach a bit, but it’s an unnecessary, overly dangerous spot.

But this was about twenty minutes of really great trios action. Both teams are so good at working within the six-man tag setting and innovating offense to take advantage of it. It’s a shame the crowd was so dead for most of it, because it was great. I’d love to see these two groups work together again, because this was fantastic.

Photo Source: WWE.com

Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match

Team SmackDown (Becky Lynch, Carmella, Natalya, Tamina, & Naomi) vs. Team Raw (Alicia Fox, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, & Asuka)

Result: Team Raw defeated Team SmackDown Live; Asuka was sole survivor

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Prior to the match, Stephanie McMahon gave a pep talk to the Raw team. It wasn’t bad for a Stephanie segment – it actually made her seem like a normal human being as opposed to a caricature of an evil boss. I’ll take that as a positive. And bonus points go to Team Red for all actually wearing red (besides the t-shirts everyone has been wearing for weeks now). I’m a sucker for matching gear for tag teams, and Fox and company coordinating while SmackDown didn’t shows more cohesion.

Surprising turn of events early on as Bayley came in on a blind tag to eliminate Lynch. I would have figured SmackDown’s captain would have stuck around, but apparently not. Raw tried to capitalize on the numbers advantage, but Bayley was eliminated herself by Tamina not long after.

It’s not often you see a HOSS FIGHT in the WWE women’s division, but when Tamina and Nia Jax went toe to toe that’s exactly what happened. It was a nice change of pace within the context of the match, and shows that there’s room in WWE for all types of action from every superstar on the roster. Nia getting counted out is disappointing, but it was a good way to eliminate her without destroying her mystique in the long run.

Things got a little botchy after Nia was eliminated, as Naomi eliminated Alicia Fox via pinfall but no announcement was made. The temporary confusion reached Naomi, as well, as she tried to lock in a submission but was trapped in a Banks Statement by The Boss to be eliminated herself.

With SmackDown up 3-2, Carmella made the worst mistake of her life since dumping James Ellsworth when she deliberately antagonized Asuka. As those of us who watch NXT and Raw regularly know, you just don’t do that. It’s next on the list after spitting in the wind and tugging on Superman’s cape. Carmella learned her lesson when she got kicked in the face and pinned to even the score.

As soon as Sasha was eliminated via submission, you had to know that Asuka was coming back from the numbers disadvantage. A pair of submissions later, that’s exactly what happened. There’s no way Asuka should have been defeated here – the undefeated streak is too big to throw away in a “Raw vs. SmackDown” feud. It needs more building, so she had to survive the match. Being sole survivor is even better for her long term.

Photo Source: WWE.com

Champion vs. Champion Match #1

United States Champion Baron Corbin vs. Intercontinental Champion The Miz (w/ Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel)

Result: Baron Corbin defeated The Miz via pinfall

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

You’re forgiven if you thought Joel Gertner was accompanying The Miz to the ring tonight. But it was actually Curtis Axel in a red neck brace playing homage to the Quintessential Stud Muffin of ECW Classic. I told you, I’m a sucker for matching gear, and for the AxeMan to join in shows how important things are to the Raw brand.

Booking heel vs. heel matches are always tricky. Broken down as simply as possible, basic storytelling techniques require a hero and a villain. Someone needs to be a “good guy” for the audience to get behind. So who do you pick here? Both superstars are at their best playing the baddie.

Bringing Maryse to ringside makes The Miz almost like the de facto babyface. He’s in the ring fighting for the honor of his entire family, who Corbin has spent weeks verbally assaulting on social media. Even with The Miztourage helping him out, Miz is the good guy in this one.

And because it was a strange booking move to do heel vs. heel, it’s commendable that this one turned out as well as it did. Everything actually seemed to work out, and it was a good contrast from the first two matches of the night (all out war in a six man tag, and an elimination tag match). Nothing to set the world on fire with, but solid.

SmackDown had to get on the board at some point, and this was the perfect place to do it. Miz is almost bulletproof at this point when it comes to wins and losses, so this won’t affect him at all. But Corbin needs the wins to build himself back up after the Money in the Bank cash-in fiasco. Good call on this one.

Photo Source: WWE.com

Champion vs. Champion Match #2

Raw Tag Team Champions Sheamus & Cesaro vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos

Result: The Usos defeated Sheamus & Cesaro via pinfall

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars

I can’t figure out why, but I just couldn’t get into this match. That bums me out, because I was really looking forward to it. Ever since The Bar won the Raw Tag Titles two weeks ago, I had been hyped for this.

But once the bell rang, it just all disappeared. Maybe it was because the match started a little slow. Or maybe, counting the Kickoff Show, this one started three and a half hours into the event and I’m getting burned out already. I’m not sure, but this one will probably get another viewing in the next couple of days.

Why would I watch it again if I couldn’t get into it? Because I know what these teams are capable of, and I want to see if removing context helps, as odd as that seems. There was a lot of good stuff here – callbacks to last year’s Survivor Series show, great tag chemistry/teamwork, false finishes that made sense.

The last third or so of the match was definitely something that brought me back. Seeing the Swing again was great, the avalanche Samoan drop spot and the Samoan Superkick Party (maybe the Young Bucks will send their own cease and desist order) were really good. But I’m a big fan of sacrificing yourself for your teammate, so Cesaro earns the highest of marks here for eating the bullet on that double superkick meant for Sheamus.

Photo Source: WWE.com

Champion vs. Champion Match #3

SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss

Result: Charlotte Flair defeated Alexa Bliss via submission

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

It seems WWE took the “sandwich” approach to booking Survivor Series this year. It’s what you usually use for writing essays, or offering criticism, or a wide variety of other situations. You start with something eye-catching or pleasant, close with something to stick in people’s brains, and “sandwich” the lesser stuff in the middle.

Tonight, Survivor Series kicked off with The Shield and New Day tearing the house down. The final two matches are the much-hyped men’s elimination tag match, and AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar. But buried in the middle were the other champion vs. champion matches, and each seemed to have some issues with keeping the crowd interested.

None of the matches were terrible, so it’s not really on the wrestlers themselves. But as I just mentioned with The Usos and The Bar, Bliss/Charlotte wasn’t as intriguing as it should have been. Considering the historical importance of the match, that’s a shame. Part of what made this one in particular suffer? Having to stretch a three hour pay per view into four hours.

This was a nice little 12 minute match, but it took 20 minutes to get to the end. If WWE hadn’t “supersized” Survivor Series this year, that extra eight minutes probably would have been streamlined, and the match would have worked much better in the long run.

The whole thing also could have been saved if Carmella cashed in her Money in the Bank contract. The lingering camera shot on Charlotte after the match ended seemed to telegraph that happening, but instead the shot faded out into a WrestleMania commercial. So ultimately, it was a lackluster segment of the show.

Photo Source: WWE.com

Champion vs. Champion Match #4

Universal Champion Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. WWE Champion AJ Styles

Result: Brock Lesnar defeated AJ Styles via pinfall

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Part of me figured the men’s Survivor Series match would close the show. But almost all of the promotional material for the show since Styles regained the WWE Championship has been centered around this match. That led me to think this was the “main event,” but it does make more sense for it to go on next to last.

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When the match got started, they were really trying to hammer home that “underdog” aspect of AJ Styles, weren’t they? It was 110% Lesnar, with Styles taking a beating the likes of which he hasn’t seen in a long time.

Suplex after suplex, punch after punch, strike after strike. And the distance on the suplexes after the release was ridiculous.

If you watched the Lesnar/John Cena match from SummerSlam 2014, you saw the early stages of this one. You know the one – 16 German suplexes by Lesnar, and a grand total of like four moves of offense from Cena the whole match. Tonight, that was pretty clearly meant to lay the groundwork for a huge, Rocky-like comeback for The Phenomenal One.

Styles did mount a bit of a comeback, connecting with the springboard 450 at one point. His attempt at the Styles Clash was reversed into an F5 attempt, but that was reversed into a Calf Crusher. It was a great sequence, capped off by Lesnar just beating Styles down to escape.

Styles took Lesnar down with a Phenomenal Forearm, but Brock kicked out. That move had basically been bulletproof as a finisher, so for Lesnar to kick out is huge. A second attempt was countered via F5, and that was all she wrote for Styles as Brock walked away the winner.

If you don’t think Styles looks like a superman even in defeat, you’re crazy. Lesnar is booked as more than human – he’s supposed to be near impossible to defeat. How many have done it since he returned to WWE? Two, three? Don’t forget, the only reason he’s not still WWE Champion for going on 3+ years is triple threat rules. This was fantastic all around, and I can’t wait to see where both guys go from here.

Photo Source: WWE.com

Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match

Team Raw (Kurt Angle, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, & Triple H) vs. Team SmackDown (Shane McMahon, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, & John Cena)

Result: Team Raw defeated Team SmackDown; Triple H and Braun Strowman were survivors

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I think Angle and McMahon actually competing in this match is a bad idea, and they should have been “coaches” instead of captains to give an opportunity to other superstars. But man, Angle looks so much better in his classic gear than dressed up in Shield attire. This is Kurt Angle.

(Quick side note: Why wouldn’t Finn Balor get painted up for this one? He’s established as basically unstoppable as The Demon – wouldn’t brand supremacy be enough to get him to bring out the alter ego?)

Just look at all the different matchups from this match early on. Strowman tossing Shane. Joe and Orton going back and forth. Balor and Nakamura putting on a clinic. Nakamura and Triple H in a strange – but somehow great – throwdown. Triple H and Roode trading spinebusters. Roode and Angle throwing back to TNA. It’s like the weirdest WWE 2K simulation ever, but in real life.

Knowing full well someone had to be eliminated first, I’m still upset it was Nakamura. At least he got to show a bit more than Becky Lynch did earlier in the show. And it looked like Braun Strowman was poised to run roughshod over the entire SmackDown squad when he eliminated Roode mere moments after Nakamura left the ring.

But then what we all expected reared its ugly head – the dissension on Team Raw. The only thing was it wasn’t between Balor and Joe, like was teased. Rather, Triple H and Angle seemed to have the most issue, with Joe and Strowman having lesser problems. That opened the door for SmackDown to try and claw back to even the odds.

It took the entire SmackDown team – including the already-eliminated Nakamura and Roode – to suplex Braun through the announce table, neutralizing him for a bit. Joe took down Shane, but couldn’t put him away, and we ended up with a great exchange between Joe and Cena before more dissension led to Joe’s elimination.

The Angle/Cena tussle was appropriate, with things coming full circle after 15 years. It may not have had as much “ruthless aggression” as back then, but it was definitely a great callback. Angle also got to show he still has something in the tank after all this time, eliminating Cena (with a little assist from Balor) to put Raw up 4-2.

Orton avoided a Coup de Grace, countering with an RKO to eliminate Balor and bring SmackDown a bit closer to even. Good thing, too, because it looked like Orton couldn’t physically keep up with Balor. Not a knock, just that Orton’s style doesn’t mesh well with Balor’s quickness, and it looked like if things went much longer Orton would go bonkers.

Orton and Triple H went head to head, recalling days of Evolution, but Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens appeared to take out Shane McMahon. As Shane and Orton fought KO and Sami back, Strowman recovered and tagged himself in, hitting Orton with a running powerslam and leaving Shane as the last man standing for Team Blue.

And that’s when an already pretty lackluster match went to hell. Angle caught Shane in the Ankle Lock, and had it locked in for a long time. Inexplicably, Triple H broke the hold, Pedigreed Angle, and put Shane on him for a pinfall elimination. Then while Strowman looked on in shock, Triple H Pedigreed Shane and eliminated him himself. Then just for fun, I guess, Strowman threatened Triple H before powerslamming him twice.

It’s classic WWE – have what could be a fantastic match, and overbook the crap out of it. There was so much potential in this – let the recent NXT callups shine a bit more, do more with Cena and some of the guys he’s never really worked with, have Strowman really go crazy. But no, we get the same old same old – an entire main event is centered on (surprise surprise) the McMahon family, rather than all the regular full-time talent.

Next: Angle vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 34?

Hopefully, something worthwhile comes out of this when Raw and SmackDown air this week. Will Angle still be GM since Team Raw won? Or is he out because he was eliminated? Will Strowman face repercussions for assaulting Triple H? Will we see Triple H again any time soon? But in general, this match was a big disappointment.