My overall impression of the show was that it was decent. It could’ve been a little better, but it could’ve been a lot worse. Going into the show, I knew this PPV was going to be a promotion for NXT and to make sure that fans are watching them on Wednesdays. It wouldn’t have made a bit of sense if NXT lost knowing their current circumstances. I really liked that they were included and we have to think that this will be a recurring thing. Moving forward, this should get a few more eyes on the product, but how much more is difficult to say. Here is my breakdown of the show.

- Men’s 10-Team Battle Royal

Winner: Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode

For what this was, it was actually a decently entertaining match. The match had virtually zero build, and this was just a way to get more superstars involved in the show. I didn’t have big expectations for this Battle Royal, because the match was literally created a couple hours before the event. I can’t say that Ziggler and Roode winning was good for them or a mistake, because there wasn’t anything but bragging rights at stake.

GRADE: 7.6/10

- Men’s Triple Threat Match: NXT Cruiserweight Championship

Lio Rush (C) over Akira Tozawa and Kalisto

Again, another match with no build and no expectations, but it was fine for what it was. Having this match made absolutely no sense, because for one, the title is now on NXT and a title change was basically out of the question. Also, this was a meaningless win in the grand scheme of things for NXT, because they won by enough of a margin. This was nothing special as far as a match goes, but it did have some decent spots.

GRADE: 7.8/10

- Men’s Triple Threat Tag Team Match

The Viking Raiders over The New Day and Undisputed Era

I really wanted to see this in the main show, because I thought it would’ve been more action-packed, but this was fine for a kick off show match. It was by far the best match of the kick off show, but I don’t think it really mattered who won here. This didn’t help The Viking Raiders and I don’t think it would’ve did anything more for the other two teams. After SmackDown and NXT took the first two matches of the kick off show, you had a good feeling that The Viking Raiders were going over, but it didn’t diminish the value of the match. It was a great lead-in.

GRADE: 8.6/10

- Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

Team NXT over Team SmackDown and Team RAW

This wasn’t a shocker by any stretch of the imagination, but the way this match was carried out was a little wacky. I liked the fact that NXT got the push here and they went over, but having an injury stoppage in the middle of the match was a little stupid, in my opinion. Even though they came back to the match, their involvement wasn’t necessary for NXT to win. Other than that, it was a solid match. The goal in the match was to put over NXT talent, particularly Rhea Ripley, by the way she looked like a dominate star. Another complaint that I had about this match was the fact that Toni Storm wasn’t really involved that much and she was eliminated fairly quickly. NXT UK wasn’t represented that well in the show, but there is more on that later on.

GRADE: 8.4/10

- Men’s Triple Threat Match

Roderick Strong over AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura

This match was placed in the perfect spot and it was a decent showing from all involved. I can’t say it was the best match on the card, but it was solid. The goal was to make Strong look like a big-time player and he looked like that and then some. There was little emotional investment in this and I thought it hurt the quality of the match, but not enough to ruin it. It was a solid fantasy booked wrestling match with three really great competitors.

GRADE: 9/10

- Men’s Singles Match: NXT Championship

Adam Cole (C) over Pete Dunne *Match of the Night*

In my predictions article, I said this match had show stealing potential and that is exactly what this was, a show stealer. The match only lasted a little over 14 minutes, which I think was a near perfect time for a match like this with no build. I predicted that Dunne would take the title, but he didn’t and that was perfectly fine. He earned the respect of Cole and many fans who haven’t seen a lot of him and that is what he needs right now. Cole built onto his already strong reign and it looks like he will continue be the leader of NXT. This won’t be the last opportunity that Dunne will get at the title and another match between he and Adam Cole would be awesome to see.

GRADE: 9.3/10

- Men’s Singles Match: Universal Championship

“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (C) over Daniel Bryan

The blue belt had its first title defense and it was a good one. It wasn’t the best match on the card, but it really didn’t have to be for the spot that it was in. Nobody expected Wyatt to drop the title, but we figured that we would get a hard-fought match with Daniel Bryan doing everything in his power to take The Fiend down, but ultimately falling short and that is exactly what happened. It remains to be seen what will happen next for the Universal title picture, but we do know that Wyatt is going to introduce a new Firefly Fun House character on Friday night.

GRADE: 8.9/10

- Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

Team SmackDown over Team RAW and Team NXT

This was another shot to give NXT talent a bigger spotlight and they did just that. This match’s pace was a lot better and despite only going a minute longer, it seemed like there was a lot more action. The match was a fun showing for all involved, but one guy in particular I wanted to express my displeasure for his booking. Walter was clearly the biggest star going into the match, because they were chanting his name as the match started. He is a huge star in NXT, but he was an early elimination and I was extremely disappointed in that, however, Roman Reigns made Keith Lee a star on Sunday. Lee got over and that was a goal going into it. It will be interesting to see if he gets a shot at the NXT title, but Roman going over for Team SmackDown was the right call here.

GRADE: 8.9/10

- Men’s No Holds Barred Match: WWE Championship

Brock Lesnar (C) over Rey Mysterio

This was a really fun sprint of a match and it was exactly what it should’ve been. Sure, it would’ve been awesome to see Mysterio take the title, but it wasn’t realistic. I figured there was going to be an interference of some sort for Mysterio to even the odds and Mysterio son came to his aid. It was great getting a chance to see Dominic in the ring in a limited capacity and he really added a lot to the match. This was just a prime example of WWE’s superior ability to work a crowd into something where they think that the impossible seems possible and I loved it. I knew Mysterio wasn’t going to win, but they gave us a glimmer of hope that Mysterio would go over. It didn’t happen obviously, but the fact that they can give us these kinds of moments keep us coming back for more.

GRADE: 8.8/10

- Women’s Triple Threat Match

Shayna Baszler over Bayley and Becky Lynch

Going into the show, this match probably had the highest expectations, and I didn’t think it fully delivered. Again, it sounds like a broken record, but this was yet another attempt to put NXT talent over. Baszler is a strong competitor and this was going to be her claim to fame, despite holding the NXT Women’s Championship for two long runs. I knew Becky wasn’t going to tap out to her and she wasn’t going to be made out to look like a weak link. There are rumors that people backstage including Vince were not happy with this match, but I can’t say it was that bad. It wasn’t terrible, but it certainly could’ve been a lot better.

GRADE: 8/10

Yacs

Survivor Series Results and Reaction