WWE Survivor Series 2019 final rating: NXT reigns supreme
The triple threat battle for brand supremacy at WWE Survivor Series 2019 was unlike anything the Survivor Series event has seen, and it was an action-packed night that saw one brand come out on top.
WWE Survivor Series 2019 was one of the most consistent pay-per-views WWE has put on this year in terms of just in-ring action, and even with a few questionable hiccups along the way, most fans will have a good taste in their mouth following the event.
The main card kicked off with the Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown vs. Team NXT traditional Survivor Series elimination match, and this was an action-packed way to get things going.
This match was entertaining from start to finish with a lot of ups and downs. However, the finish got a bit dicey when it came down to NXT’s Rhea Ripley and SmackDown’s Sasha Banks. Ripley needed help from the already-eliminated Io Shirai and Candice LaRae to get the win for NXT.
One of the most anticipated matches of the night followed when it was Raw’s United States Champion AJ Styles vs. SmackDown’s Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. NXT’s North American Champion Roderick Strong. This was a very good battle, as expected, that could have gone either way, but in the end, NXT notched another win after Strong took advantage of a Styles Clash to Nakamura by throwing Styles out of the ring and pinning Nakamura.
It was all about the NXT Championship next when Adam Cole defended his title against Pete Dunne, and this was quite possibly the match of the night. It was outstanding and only got better as the match progressed.
It really looked like Dunne was going to capture the NXT Championship, but Cole wouldn’t have any of it and he managed to escape with his NXT Championship still in hand after a true match of the night candidate.
The Universal Championship was then on the line when “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt defended his title against Daniel Bryan. This was a solid match that was booked well for the most part.
Bryan pushed The Fiend to his limits and even appeared to have him down for the count for a split-second, but it wouldn’t last and The Fiend took over and after a mandible claw that resulted in Bryan’s shoulders being pinned to the mat, Wyatt got the win and retained his title.
The men’s traditional Survivor Series elimination match was up next when Raw, SmackDown, and NXT battled it out.
This was a highly-entertaining match with a lot of impressive moments, but a few questionable eliminations put a damper on the match as a whole. However, the finish was still compelling with NXT’s Keith Lee eliminating Raw’s Seth Rollins. But The Big Dog still remained, and SmackDown’s Roman Reigns managed to get the win for his team.
Brock Lesnar defended the WWE Championship against Rey Mysterio next, and in all honesty, this match went about as everyone expected. It was short, it teased a Mysterio win, but in the end, The Beast Incarnate prevailed.
The moment when Mysterio’s son Dominick got involved was particularly great to see, and it even seemed like Mysterio was about to win, but Lesnar countered it quickly and took out both, including a match-winning F5 on Rey.
It was then main event time when it was Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler.
There was a lot of hype surrounding this match, however, it never quite clicked the way most thought it would. It was still a solid enough match, but it wasn’t that match of the year candidate some felt it could be. Baszler managed to get the big win by taking out Bayley to cap off a winning night for NXT.
Overall, this was a very good show with a lot of high-quality matches. There weren’t any matches that were lower-quality, and even the ones that are viewed as weaker matches on the night are still at least pretty good. Both traditional elimination matches were tremendous, the NXT Championship match was fantastic, the mid-card title triple threat was very solid, and both world title matches were at least solid.
The main event was a bit of a letdown in the grand scheme of things, but it gave Baszler and NXT a key win that could go a long way.
NXT’s win on the night could be huge for the brand moving forward as it continues to go head-to-head with AEW Dynamite every Wednesday night, a battle Raw and SmackDown don’t have to worry about being on Monday and Friday night respectively.
Next. Survivor Series 2019: Roman Reigns’ road back to the top begins. dark
It was a big night for the WWE as a whole and for the most part, this show delivered.