The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) vs. The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) (Six-Man Tag Team Match)
Reactions: I never envisioned a 6-man tag team match like this ever becoming a reality, but I’m glad it happened. Both teams presented a fun bout that included some unbelievable maneuvers. The tandem top rope splashes from The New Day were crazy, plus their double Midnight Hour finisher was equally as insane. But the ending is what really put this bout over the top – The Shield finished off Kofi with the biggest Triple Powerbomb I’ve ever seen! Before that though, both teams presented a fun bout that saw both teams reach deep into their well of dual and triple team maneuvers. Watching The Shield pull out everything that made them so formidable years ago against The New Day’s amazing chemistry was hype! I definitely enjoyed this one.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) vs. WWE Champion AJ Styles (Non-Title Champion vs. Champion Interbrand Match)
Reactions: I love David vs. Goliath matches like this one. Lesnar entered this bout as the unstoppable monster he’s always been against the smaller but durable AJ Styles. At first, Lesnar completely decimated Styles with stiff knee strikes and suplexes. Styles was treated like a rag doll for several grueling minutes until he dodged a flying knee strike from Lesnar. At that point, this match got all the more intense. Styles switched his focus to Lesnar’s now injured knee and used everything in his arsenal to further weaken “The Beast.” The crowd (and me included) went nuts as Styles landed Phenomenal Elbows, a Pele, DDT’s and a Calf Crusher on his larger foe. The story being told here was simple but oh so effective. Styles fought hard to keep Lesnar on his knees, while Lesnar relied on his brute strength to cut through the WWE Champion. While it hurt to see Styles eat that final F5, I was none too disappointed with the match as a whole. This interbrand Champion vs. Champion match delivered in spades!
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Match of the Night
Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles!
Final Verdict
Raw vs. SmackDown Live erupted at the 2017 edition of Survivor Series and brought out the best in the Superstars I expected it from. Plus I got to see Alexa Bliss (someone I’m not used to seeing dish out great in-ring performances) perform at a higher level against Charlotte. The Kickoff Matches were meaningless, plus Corbin vs. The Miz and the Women’s 5-on-5 match were letdowns. But everything else on the card ended up being good to awesome. Lesnar vs. Styles was the ultimate David vs. Goliath encounter and the main event had its fair share of thrills. I enjoyed the majority of this year’s Survivor Series and I’d have no issue watching it again.
Final Score: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
