Team Raw (Mickie James, Nia Jax, Tamina, Sasha Banks & Bayley) vs. Team Smackdown (Naomi, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Carmella & Asuka) – Traditional Survivor Series match

Background: On the November 5 episode of Raw, Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin named Alexa Bliss as captain of Team Raw’s women’s team, but in a non-competing capacity due to injury. The following week, Bliss revealed Mickie James, Nia Jax, Tamina, and Natalya, who was absent, as her first four picks and revealed that the winner of a match between Bayley and Sasha Banks would be the final member. During the match, the women’s team attacked Bayley and Banks, causing a no-contest ruling and Bliss said neither would be on the team and then introduced Ruby Riott as the final member. For Team SmackDown’s women’s team, on the November 6 episode of SmackDown, SmackDown General Manager Paige revealed Asuka, Carmella, Naomi, Sonya Deville, and Charlotte Flair as the members of Team SmackDown, but Flair did not show up; the previous week, Paige asked Flair to be captain, but Flair felt she was not the right person and then said she would think about it. Flair was instead named Becky Lynch’s replacement to face Ronda Rousey, and the final member of Team SmackDown was not revealed on the final SmackDown before Survivor Series.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first match involving this combination of women.

Survivor Series Record: Mickie James is 3-1, Nia Jax is 0-2, Tamina is 0-2, Bayley is 1-1, Sasha Banks is 0-2, Naomi is 1-3, Carmella is 0-2, Asuka is 1-0, Mandy and Sonya make their Survivor Series debut tonight.

Match: Nia Jax comes out to a huge boo’s because she injured Becky Lynch. Tamina and Naomi kick off the match, two former members of Team Bad but it’s not long until all 10 girls get into it. In the melee Tamina hits Naomi with a superkick which is enough to eliminate her form the match. Carmella then rolls up Tamina for the three! Two quick eliminations there. Carmella does a dance break. I hate them. There’s a period with no eliminations with most of the girls getting involved. Asuka locks on a lovely abdominal stretch on Mickie James. There’s some miscommunication between the two teams but Mandy Rose ends up eliminating Mickie James thanks to Sonya Deville. Carmella takes the advantage against Bayley but then gets in Sasha’s face which allows Bayley to recover and hits a Bayley To Belly to eliminate Carmella from the match. Sasha tags in and fires up on Mandy, hitting a backstabber and then locking on the Banks statement and Mandy taps out.

It’s Nia Jax, Bayley and Sasha Banks against Asuka and Sonya Deville as half the participants of this match are eliminated. Nia Jax gets involved and against gets boo’d out of the building. Asuka disposes of her but Sasha then takes out Asuka as Bayley and Sonya Deville go at it in the ring. Sonya and Bayley spill to the outside where they both get counted out. We’re down to Sasha Banks and Nia Jax against Asuka. Asuka hits a big German suplex on Banks and then a hip attack to Jax. There’s some nice wrestling between Asuka and Sasha. Sasha goes up top but Nia pushes her down. Asuka locks the Asuka lock on Sasha who taps out. Nia then gets involved, hits a couple of legdrops and a Samoan drop and that’s enough for the win! Nia Jax wins the match for Team Raw to a chorus of boo’s.

Result: Nia Jax is the sole survivor for Team Raw.

Tamina eliminates Naomi
Carmella eliminates Tamina
Mandy Rose eliminates Mickie Rose
Bayley eliminates Carmella
Sasha Banks eliminates Mandy Rose
Bayley and Sonya Deville are both counted out
Asuka eliminates Sasha Banks
Nia Jax eliminates Asuka

Review: This was a fun way to start the show. I enjoyed how it was booked and was actually surprised to see Nia turn on Sasha at the end. Jax has nuclear heat at the moment which is probably why she won this match. she also has a title shot in her back pocket so this gives her good momentum going into that match.

Rating: 7.25/10

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – Intercontinental Champion vs. United States Champion

Background: This match was made as an Intercontinental Champion vs. United States Champion match.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two men.

Survivor Series PPV Record: Seth Rollins is 1-3, Shinsuke Nakamura is 0-1.

Match: It’s a cagey start to the match with the two men trying to out-wrestle one another. There’s a bit of taunting from both men. It’s a pretty back and forth match with neither men gaining an advantage for too long. Shinsuke counters a suicide dive with a kick to the face. That gives Nakamura the advantage for a while, wearing down the Intercontinental Champion. Seth drops Shinsuke into the middle turnbuckle and then hits a slingblade before just throwing Nakamura out of the ring and hitting him with three suicide dives. Nakamura gets back into it but Rollins hits a low superkick for a near fall. Rollins looks for a buckle bomb but Shinsuke rakes the eyes to avoid it. Nakamura locks on a triangle submission but Seth powers out of it with a buckle bomb. Shinsuke hits a landslide sit-out powerbomb for a near fall and then heads to the top but Rollins joins him and hits a superplex and falcon arrow for a near fall. The two men hit each other with strikes, Nakamura hits a reverse exploder but Rollins avoids Kinshasa and hits a ripcord knee for a near fall. Nakamura avoids a frog splash and hits Kinshasa for a near fall. Shinsuke motions for a second Kinshasa but Rollins counters with a superkick and hits a stomp for the three.

Result: Seth Rollins wins by pinfall.

Review: This was a great match. It just felt like two great wrestlers trying to out-do one another. I’m really enjoying Nakamura’s work as a heel. It was just an overall good match and one I would like to see again.

Rating: 8.5/10

The Authors Of Pain (Akam & Rezar) vs. The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro) – Raw Tag Team Champions vs. Smackdown Tag Team Champions

Background: At Crown Jewel, The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) retained the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The New Day (represented by Big E and Kofi Kingston), while on the November 5 episode of Raw, AOP (Akam and Rezar) defeated Seth Rollins in a handicap match to become the new Raw Tag Team Champions. A match between the two teams was then scheduled for Survivor Series.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two teams.

Survivor Series PPV Record: Sheamus is 3-4, Cesaro is 2-2 and The Authors Of Pain make their PPV debut tonight.

Match: Sheamus starts the match against Rezar and The Bar manage to take Rezar down and keep him away from Akam. Akam gets involved but Cesaro swings him around until Rezar stops him. Akam and Rezar have Drake Maverick in their corner whilst The Bar are accompanied by The Big Show. The Authors Of Pain make quick tags and keep Cesaro away from his partner. AOP look a little green at times. Cesaro fires back with some uppercuts but Akam drops him with a clothesline. Cesaro then hits a springboard uppercut to take Akam down. Both men make tags and it’s Sheamus with the hot tag and picks up the pace. Sheamus hits Rezar with ten clubbing blows to the chest and then a clothesline off the top for a near fall. Sheamus hits a brogue kick on Rezar but Drake Maverick puts Rezars foot on the bottom rope! Cesaro chases Maverick into Big Show who wraps his hand around Maverick’s throat and Maverick wets himself! The distraction is enough for AOP to hit a big double team powerbomb on Sheamus and pins him for the three!

Result: The Authors Of Pain win by pinfall.

Review: This match was ok. AOP don’t look on the same level as The Bar yet so this was a massive win for them. Drake Maverick provided some comedy value but it does make him an odd choice to be AOP’s manager. This match marks three wins in a row for Raw, can Smackdown get back into it?

Rating: 4/10

Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Mustafa Ali – WWE Cruiserweight Championship match

Background: Buddy Murphy beat Cedric Alexander at Super Showdown to become Cruiserweight Champion. A match was then set up on 205 Live to determine a number one contender and Mustafa Ali beat Tony Nese.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two men.

Survivor Series PPV Record: Both men make their Survivor Series debut, this is a PPV debut for Ali.

Match: It’s a fast paced start to the match and hard-hitting form Ali. Murphy is the more powerful of the two and he throws Ali around. Ali uses his speed, hitting a hurricanrana to throw Buddy out of the ring and then hitting a plancha off the top. Ali goes back top the top but Murphy pushes him off and Ali goes spine-first into the barricade. Murphy dominates fir a while, slowing the pace down. Mustafa Ali starts to fire back and looks for a rolling X Factor but Murphy powers him out of the ring and then hits a big dive on his challenger. Ali avoids a move off the top and hits three superkick and a reverse hurricanrana for a near fall. Ali hits a big DDT and then heads to the top but Murphy swipes him down to the outside. Murphy heads outside too but Ali hits him with a Spanish fly off the announce desk. Back in the ring and Murphy hits a superkick and two powerbombs for a near fall. Ali counters Murphy’s Law and looks for a springboard cross body but Murphy counters with a knee and then hits Murphy’s Law for the three.

Result: Buddy Murphy retains the Cruiserweight Championship by pinfall.

Review: This was a good match from two of the Cruiserweight divisions top stars. Murphy needed a successful PPV defence to solidify him as champion and this did it. Mustafa Ali is a great contender and I’m sure he’ll be champion at some point.

Rating: 7.5/10

Team Raw (Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Bobby Lashley, Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre) vs. Team Smackdown (The Miz, Shane McMahon, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy & Samoa Joe) – Traditional Survivor Series match

Background: On the November 5 episode of Raw, Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin revealed Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, and Drew McIntyre as the first three members of Team Raw’s men’s team while naming himself as captain, although stating he would not compete due to his managerial position. The following week, Finn Bálor defeated Ziggler in a match and returning Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon rewarded Bálor by adding him to the team. Later, Bobby Lashley won the final spot by defeating Elias. For Team SmackDown’s men’s team, on the November 6 episode of SmackDown, the brand’s Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Paige appointed The Miz and Daniel Bryan as co-captains of Team SmackDown. Miz and Bryan then added Shane to the team as he had won the WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel. Later, Rey Mysterio and Samoa Joe joined the team after defeating Andrade “Cien” Almas and Jeff Hardy, respectively. The following week, Bryan was removed from Team SmackDown due to his actions and subsequent WWE Championship match victory against AJ Styles, therefore replacing Styles in the champion vs. champion match. Following that alteration, Hardy replaced him after defeating Almas.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time traditional Survivor Series match between these ten men.

Survivor Series PPV Record: Braun Strowman is 1-1, Finn Balor is 0-1, Bobby Lashley is 1-1, Dolph Ziggler is 4-4, Drew McIntyre is 1-1, The Miz is 3-5, Shane McMahon is 0-4, Rey Mysterio is 3-6, Jeff Hardy is 4-2 and Samoa Joe is 0-1.

Match: Drew McIntyre and Samoa Joe start off the match and Drew hits a claymore kick right out of the box to eliminate Samoa Joe from the match within seconds! A shocking start ti the match and a disappointing one. The match then settles with the likes of Jeff Hardy, Dolph Ziggler and Shane McMahon getting involved. Ziggler hits a zigzag on McMahon for a near fall. Everytime Braun Strowman tags in, Drew McIntyre tags himself in seconds after. Strowman and McIntyre then get into it with right hands! Team Smackdown get involved and team up on Strowman, laying him on the announce table before Shane McMahon dives off the top with an elbow drop on Braun through the table! A “this is awesome” chant breaks out. Finn Balor tags himself in and kicks McIntyre in the face! Balor takes it to Miz and then Rey Mysterio. Mysterio hits Finn with a 619 and drops the dime for the three! Drew McIntyre has been the MVP of this match, he’s looked awesome.

Bobby Lashley throws Rey Mysterio around but Ziggler tags himself in. Jeff Hardy tags in and I’ve just noticed the turnbuckle from the Smackdown corner has been untied. Hardy hits a twist of fate on Ziggler and then looks for the swanton bomb but Ziggler gets his knees up. Shane tags in and hits coast to coast on Ziggler to eliminate him from the match. Shane then looks for coast to coast on Lashley but Strowman gets up on the apron and swats Shane out of the air. Strowman and Jeff Hardy tag in and Braun hits a running powerslam for the three. Braun then hits the same move on Rey Mysterio to eliminate him! The Miz is next as Strowman hits him with a running powerslam which is enough to eliminate him. It’s now Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley. Braun hits a running dropkick on Shane and then a running powerslam which is enough for the victory.

Result: Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre win for Team Raw.

Drew McIntyre eliminates Samoa Joe
Rey Mysterio eliminates Finn Balor
Shane McMahon eliminates Dolph Ziggler
Braun Strowman eliminates Jeff Hardy
Braun Strowman eliminates Rey Mysterio
Braun Strowman eliminates The Miz
Braun Strowman eliminates Shane McMahon

Review: This was a great match. One of the best Survivor Series matches in history and the crowd loved it too. It was very well booked and kept you guessing throughout. The crowd helped too. Raw have won every single match tonight. Smackdown have looked weak.

Rating: 8.25/10

Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair

Background: This match was supposed to be champion vs. champion with Ronda Rousey taking on Becky Lynch. However due to Nia Jax injuring Becky Lynch, busting her up in a melee and causing a concussion it means that Becky was not cleared to wrestle this match. Becky chose Charlotte to replace her.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two women.

Survivor Series PPV Record: Charlotte is 3-0 and Ronda makes her Survivor Series debut tonight.

Match: A “Becky” chant breaks out as the bell rings. The match starts stiff with both girls getting their shots in. Ronda looks for an armbar early but Charlotte powers out. I love the start to this match, it’s stiff, hard-hitting and chaotic. The match finally slows down a bit and Charlotte, who has busted Rousey’s mouth open, applies a leglock. Ronda fights back and heads to the top but Charlotte crotches her. Ronda fights Charlotte off and lock on an armbar but Charlotte counters it into a Boston Crab. Ronda counters a moonsault and hits a rolling senton but Charlotte drops her with a spear for a near fall. Charlotte locks on the figure four but Ronda reverses it and both girls end up rolling to the outside. They fight around the ring and then back into it where the match remains stiff. Ronda hits her spinning Angle Slam and looks for the armbar but Charlotte fights it. Charlotte looks for a breather on the outside but Ronda follows just for Charlotte to hit the Raw Women’s Champion with a kendo stick! The referee disqualifies Charlotte who continues the assault.

Result: Ronda Rousey wins by disqualification.

Review: This was a fantastic match. Really stiff, like a Brock Lesnar match. I’m not too keen on the finish but it leaves it open for another match. Big fan of this, I can see the two meeting again at Wrestlemania.

Rating: 9/10

Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan – Universal Champion vs. WWE Champion

Background: At Crown Jewel, AJ Styles defeated Samoa Joe to retain the WWE Championship, while Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman to win the vacant Universal Championship, setting up a rematch between Styles and Lesnar from the previous year’s event. On the final SmackDown before Survivor Series, Styles and Daniel Bryan had a heated exchange stemming from their WWE Championship match two weeks prior. As such, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon scheduled Styles to defend the championship against Bryan later that night. Bryan defeated Styles to become the new WWE Champion after hitting him with a low blow while the referee was knocked down, thus Bryan replaced Styles as Lesnar’s opponent for Survivor Series. After the match, Bryan attacked Styles, solidifying his heel turn.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first ever PPV match between these two men.

Survivor Series PPV Record: Brock Lesnar is 1-3 at Survivor Series, Daniel Bryan is 2-1.

Match: Daniel Bryan messes about in the early going, escaping the ring and making Lesnar wait. Eventually Lesnar gets his hands on Bryan and throws him across the ring, hitting multiple German suplexes. Bryan escapes the ring again but this time Lesnar throws him into the barricade. Lesnar is just slowly picking apart Daniel Bryan. He hits him with more German suplexes and then an F5, pins the WWE Champion but then picks him up before the 3! Brock goes for another F5 but accidentally swings Bryan into the referee. Bryan then its Lesnar with a low blow and a running knee before hooking the leg but Brock kicks out! Brock looks for another F5 but Bryan fights out of it, clotheslines Lesnar out of the ring and then hits him with a running knee on the outside. Brock attempts to use the ring steps but Bryan gets out of the way and Lesnar hits the ringpost. Back in the ring and Bryan hits a running knee for a near fall. Bryan hits a running knee and tries for another but Lesnar scoops him up for an F5 but Bryan manages to counter and lock on the yes lock! Brock powers out of it but Bryan hammers him in the face and locks it back on! Lesnar manages to counters the hold into an F5 for the 3!

Result: Brock Lesnar wins by pinfall.

Review: This was a great match. What started off as a massacre by Brock Lesnar turned into a match where you did wonder whether Daniel Bryan could pull out the win. This win means that every single match was won by Raw. They end the night 6-0 up against Smackdown. Great main event though.

Rating: 8/10