WWE making the change to WarGames for Survivor Series got off to a positive start with Sami Zayn stealing the show in the main event.
The deep-rooted story around the men’s match allowed it to standout more than the women’s version on a night that had it’s share of hits and misses and one questionable booking decision at TD Garden on Saturday night.
Here are five takeaway from Survivor Series:
Joined in Blood
It’s time to make Sami Zayn a full-blown Uce. Zayn officially earned his place in The Bloodline by saving their asses throughout and then fully turning on his former best friend Kevin Owens to ensure the group won the first men’s WarGames match on the main roster.
Zayn, who continues to own every minute he has on screen, looked very conflicted until he got a hug from Reigns and then an enthusiastic one from the once-skeptical Jey Uso. It was Jey who delivered a splash to Owens after Zayn hit him with a low blow and then a conflicted Helluva Kick. The Boston crowd went from booing Zayn to cheering him loudly after the hugs. It still keeps Zayn on a super-baby rack long term when it’s time to tell that story. It now feels like Zayn will need to challenge Reigns at some point, the tag titles seems beneath the level of storyline WWE is scripting here.
It was that central story – which was missing from the women’s match that made this stand out. It was set up the whole night with Reigns hearing from Jey about Zayn lying about his chat with Owens on SmackDown and then Zayn coming clean when the Tribal Chief confronted him about it.
Then Reigns pulled Jimmy back and sent Zayn in to be with Jey to test his loyalty as the second Bloodline member into WarGames. The Honorary Uce saved Jey numerous times, but there was some bickering and shoving after Jimmy brought tables into the cage. You thought Zayn might reach his breaking point after Jey accidently super kicked him when Butch ducked. But it was Zayn who stopped the referee from counting to three after Owens delivered a Pop-up power bomb and a Stunner to Reigns, setting the endgame in motion after Owens asked Zayn “That’s your family?”
Solo Sikoa did have a cool moment of no selling getting thrown into the cage by Owens and fending of a few subsequent moves. They then had The Bloodline’s enforcer go at it with Drew McIntyre, who cost him the Undisputed Universal championship at Clash at the Castle so that story was paid off. All of the Brutes delivering 10 Beats to a member of the Bloodline was a fantastic spot and got a huge crowd pop. KO did set the table for him to still challenge Reigns for the titles, telling him, “I’m not done with you, not boy a longshot.”
Just like Zayn is not done with The Bloodline, not by a longshot.
Piece Work
The women’s War Games match gets an A for effort for trying to make the most of intersecting stories and kind of mashed-together teams. They tried to tell stories with former tag team partners Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss, with Asuka and Iyo Sky’s history and the main arc from SummerSlam between Bayley, Sky and Kai and Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. But this match just seemed to lack something pulling it all together and the pace never seemed to click outside of a few very fun spots. They did at least go back to the big story with the finish as Lynch and Belair set up Kai and Sky on a table. Belair would KOD Bayley into the cage and Lynch — in her first match back from injury — would deliver a leg drop through the table and pinned Kai.
Belair took a beating pretty much from the start as even Kai had the best of their opening five minutes. She later had a table jammed into her gut up against the cage between the rings. The heels had the better of the action before the bell actually rang and at times it led to a lot of standing around with members of Belair’s team being beaten down. It also felt like it took a lot of time for Yim, Cross and Bayley to free the weapons from under the ring, kind of stalling some of the momentum of the next person in.
Sky and Belair showed some good early chemistry, but the former got some low boos from missing a move trying to swing up off the top turnbuckle. There was a second time the crowd booed, after Cross spoiled what looked like it was going to be a seven-person super-plex from the corner. Sky’s moonsault from the top of the cage got the fans back on track and some “this is awesome!” chants.
There were some fun moments in this as Cross was the first to fly off the top of the cage with a cross-body onto the other five competitors in the ring. Lynch did a leg drop from the top rope to Sky, who had a garbage can on her head. Asuka used the green mist on Ripley. Cross and Bliss ended up handcuffed together and at one point Ripley drove Yim on her back through a ladder in the corner. We even got the first seeds of a Lynch vs. Bayley feud that is long overdue on the main roster at one point The Man told Bayley, “Come fight me you little bitch.” Still, it all felt like a lot of things thrown together and no one left this any better or worse than they came in.
Theory disposition
It’s now safe to ask the question, what the hell Triple H? Austin Theory is again your United States champion weeks after screwing up his cash-in and with Seth Rollins being super over with the audience. I’ll give WWE credit for a unique finish and decision that drew huge heat for Theory as he fell on top of Rollins after Lashley speared the champ as he attempted a Falcon Arrow. So Theory won the match, but he really didn’t, so it’s likely we see these three again with some kind of stipulation. But not having the belt on Rollins for an extended period feels like a mistake – unless he’s beating Reigns for one of the world title belts at the Royal Rumble.
This was one of the night’s best matches with some cool false finishes, including Rollins hitting a splash after Theory pushed Lashley to his back by springing off the top rope while in the Hurt Lock. Lashley at one point got both of his opponents in a Hurt Lock and this was filled with a ton of cool stuff involving all three men – including Rollins jumping off Theory’s back to stomp Lashley.
Cool match aside, everything WWE has done with Austin Theory lately feels downright confusing, why have him lose on his cash-in, get more serious and still win by luck anyway? Do they continue to play “hot potato” with a title they are trying to raise the profile of by getting it back on Rollins?
Not her time
This was very rough around the edges from the in-ring chemistry and Shotzi just not being over with the audience enough for them to be invested in her yet. Her biggest moment was jumping off the barricade onto Shayna Baszler into the crowd and crushing a few people sitting in the seats.
Shotzi did show a lot of fight and got the better of Ronda Rousey early – even forcing Baszler to push her friend out of the way to take a Suicide Dive on the outside. Her continuing to do this might have been a better story.
Shotzi’s best chance to win came on a right hand that stunned Rousey, who couldn’t be pinned because she was under the rope. Shotzi and Rousey then messed up a DDT to the apron as the challenger springing off the rope, spoiling any momentum she had with the crown. After Shotzi got back from wiping out Baszler, Rousey delivered a judo throw from the top rope – which Shotzi kicked from — and then the Pipers Pit and an armbar from a tidy win. This story isn’t over as Raquel Gonzalez will eventually return from her storyline injury for her crack at Rousey. But this should probably be a warning to WWE about putting Rousey with opponents without a lot of experience in big matches as she showed she might not be able to carry them like others have done for her in the past.
Styles points
Putting this match right after the women’s WarGames allowed these two to just go out and have an excellent pure wrestling match. WWE even cleared out the chance of any outside interference by having Dominik Mysterio, Damian Priest and the Good Brothers fight into the crowd. Balor and Styles, who wore an old mask he once used at Wrestle Kingdom to the ring, told the story of two evenly-matched competitors with plenty of counters. Styles’ second Calf Crusher finally did enough damage to Balor’s left leg to impede him, making him extra wobbly when Styles hit him with a forearm near the ropes to set up a Phenomenal Forearm that got him the win. It’s Styles’ first victory in a singles match since Aug. 8, his first PPV singles victory since 2019 against Humberto Carrilo and it put him and Balor at 1-1 in WWE, setting up a trilogy match down the road.
Biggest Winner: Sami Zayn
Biggest Loser: Shotzi
Best match: Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory (United State championship)
Predictions: 3-2
Grade: B
