Reverse Hipster's Reviews
Becky vs. Charlotte 7/10 C-
Becky vs. Charlotte never really got off the ground. There was a lot of striking and leveraging for the upper hand, but the match never kicked into the next gear. The most prominent spot of the match was Charlotte's backflip, which she does every match, and it wasn't her best landing. The most critical moment of the match was when Becky defeated Charlotte via rollup and grabbed the ropes.
This was a dissatisfying ending to end one of the biggest feuds of the year. If Becky can't beat Charlotte clean, then who can? Who does WWE think is big enough to beat Charlotte clean and get away? At the very least, Becky won, but it was a lackluster match with a lackluster finish.
Men's Survivor Series Match 6.9/10 D+
This match was doomed from the start. Brand supremacy didn't matter because of how bad the draft was bungled. However, WWE failed to establish new stakes, even though Xavier had an idea that everyone agreed was good. Right from the start, the match was bad. KO just walks out on his team and gets eliminated. Who thought it would be good to get rid of one of the best wrestlers in the match? Xavier, the King of the Ring, who probably should win this match, was choked out by Bobby Lashley. Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre were both eliminated by count-out. It was terrible. Two big stars went without putting anybody over in a feud. They can't continue because they aren't on the same brand. The only exciting thing in this match was Jeff Hardy making the last stand because it was improbable. Then, Seth wins because it keeps him hot as a number one contender. However, Jeff made his name decades ago and is a living legend, and Seth is a Grand Slam Champion, who will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Neither one of them needed this.
The Rock Battle Royal 7.1/0 C-
The Battle Royal didn't really have any stakes, but the nature of the match made it inherently enjoyable. Omos as the winner was a little boring because it was predictable, but it was a logical choice that gives him more momentum. I don't know why everyone had to represent their brand in a match where everyone was in it for themselves. They should have made it a Tag Team Battle Royal because then at least a team from one brand could have won, and that's basically what it was anyways.
RKBro vs. The Usos 8.4/10 B
This match was the best match up to this point and saved the PPV. The match started a little slow, but these two teams made it to the next gear. Both teams were able to get their stuff in and trick us into thinking they were about to win with excellent false finishes until the match culminated in the thunderous RKO, out of nowhere, on one of the Usos right before he could land his splash. I'm surprised RKBro won, but you really couldn't go wrong with the winner of this match.
Women's Survivor Series Match 8.5/10
This match was actually really good. Except for Carmella, each woman had their moments in this match. Whoever booked this match did a great job. There actually seemed like there was a plan in this match to let the women shine and acknowledge the history of the women involved. Toni Storm made multiple eliminations and looked good. Liv Morgan made an elimination and fought numerous women at the same time. Bianca and Sasha blew the roof off the place when they fought. Shotzi and Sasha added more fuel to the fire of their feud, constantly fighting in this match until it got Sasha eliminated. Rhea and Shayna renewed their rivalry for one night only. Bianca overcame four on one odds to win the match. Also, the match was so well made that it didn't feel like Raw was being dominated when the eliminations happened, leading to a four on one with Bianca. Also, Shotzi was impressive in this match, and she was the last member of SmackDown.
Big E vs. Roman 8.3/10 B
Big E vs. Roman had some of the same problems as Charlotte vs. Becky. They basically made all of the same moves that they would do any other night. However, they were more intense like Big E's spear out the ring, on Roman, was maybe his best one ever. Also, at the very least, Big E took a spear and kicked out, and Roman took a Big Ending and kicked out. They gave each other their best shots, at least, and the crowd was really into it. I do wish the match had more of a story to the actions taken in the ring. Also, Roman spearing Big E and beating him clean was a poor choice. Big E is a new reign, and it would be nice for him to be kept a little more robust even in a loss.
Final Thoughts 7.7/10 C
Survivor Series is my favorite PPV, but everything that makes Survivor Series great wasn't presented here. The night was filled with bad choices, terrible egg skits, and rare moments of good wrestling. Even the preshow match ended in a DQ when Damien Priest, once a beloved babyface and now an aggro heel caveman, hit Nakamura with a guitar. Survivor Series felt like more of a house show than a PPV, and anybody who saw how much thought was put into it beforehand could have seen it coming.
Rob's Review
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair
This match lived up to the expectations of the two biggest sports entertainers in WWE's Women's Division. Becky Lynch looked the best she has since returning from maternity leave. There were intense moments in the match that played into the real-life heat between Lynch and Charlotte Flair. The finishing sequence was a downside of the match. Lynch's rollup victory with help from the ropes started the theme of the night that WWE was too cowardly to make a decisive finish and risk hurting the perception of some of their talent.
Final Grade: 7/10 Good
Men's Survivor Series Elimination Match
I was surprised to see this as the second match on the card, but I was reminded that Survivor Series had few matches and even fewer storylines built going into the night. As far as Survivor Series matches go, this was average, only because the story was non-existent going in. Kevin Owens walking out to start was disappointing. The two biggest beasts of this match, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre, got the crowd going only to result in a double count-out. Again, WWE was too cowardly to make either guy look weak and give us a true winner. Xavier Woods and Happy Corbin looked weaker than they should. The only one who really got the crowd going in this was WWE ironman Jeff Hardy. Seth Rollins got the win in a match that did the best it could with the booking it got.
Final Grade: 5/10 Average
25-Man Battle Royal
Battle Royals are usually not great wrestling but entertaining, fast-paced spot-fests with the inherent drama of who will be the last man standing. This Battle Royal had a few bright moments, but the most memorable thing was the pizza hut commercial at the beginning. I liked the spot where Sami Zayn tried to convince SmackDown to team up, and he was right. What was the point of wearing brand t-shirts if it was back to every man for himself? Omos looked great in this spot, but that was about all this segment was good for.
Final Grade: 4/10 Below Average
RKBro vs. the Usos
I don't know what my expectations were for this match, but I thought both teams did great in-ring. I'm a little upset with the finish because I believe the RKO, out of nowhere, is starting to get overused. I also wanted the Usos to win because I think the team with more seniority/chemistry should almost always get the win over two singles stars, even two that have been in a storyline for about a half year now.
Final Grade: 5/10 Average
Women's Survivor Series Elimination Match
I thought this match did slightly better than the Men's at using all the characters in the match to tell a story. I liked seeing underutilized talent like Queen Zelina and Toni Storm in this match, even if they weren't in there super long. Sasha Banks got counted out because, apparently, WWE really liked that spot tonight. Bianca Belair had the story of the night. Her character lent itself so well to the sole survivor role, and it was the best consolation prize WWE could give Belair after losing her feud with Becky Lynch.
Final Grade: 6/10 Above Average
Big E vs. Roman Reigns
Big meaty men bumping meat is the promise of Big E's title reign, and he has delivered on it so far. That style meshed seamlessly with Roman Reign's slow, methodical main event style. They had the most story going into Survivor Series, but I actually felt they didn't use it as well as they could have. The in-ring action was really good, but I didn't love the result. I thought this was the time to catapult Big E and humble Reigns a little, especially in line with the story. While the earlier part of the night was defined by protecting talent, Big E got no protection against Reigns. But I guess that Reigns's historic run continues, and the story moving forward is to see who will finally dethrone the big dog.
Final Grade: 6/10 Above Average
Overall Grade
I absolutely hated the presentation of this PPV on Peacock. In addition to nonsensically shilling for the Rock's new movie and Pizza Hut, there were long-ish ads between every match. For billing it as the Rock's anniversary, the Rock didn't even show up. For the matches, though none of these grades are bad, I think WWE underperformed at this PPV. In the last year or two, WWE has had meh weekly shows but always upped the work rate for a PPV. Recently, they have upped the quality of the weekly shows, but they didn't build any of the stories for this PPV. That lapse in judgment absolutely showed up here, and now WWE has to go back to the drawing board. They have a little over a month before their first 2022 PPV, but for a Big Four PPV, the 2021 Survivor Series was a flop.
Final Grade: 4/10 Below Average