Survivor Series 2020: Was It ‘The Best of the Best?’

Did Survivor Series live up to the tagline of “Best of the Best” in a continuation of Raw vs. SmackDown brand warfare?

A day later, and the jury is still out. Booking decisions seemed a bit wayward and at times confusing. However, the wrestling matches themselves proved to be very well done to the credit of all the WWE superstars involved. 

The opening Raw vs. SmackDown battle royal wasn’t special by any means, but at least got a number of wrestlers unable to compete on the main card in a match. Miz winning was a fair decision, but I would have preferred a surprise winner such as either Dominick or Chad Gable. 

The opening match saw Team RAW defeat Team SmackDown in a surprisingly clean sweep. For weeks leading up to the match, the RAW side consistently had difficulty working on the same side. As if on cue, Seth Rollins “sacrifices” himself and is first gone. The match was pretty good. If you take out the backstory and gimmick, it was a pretty decent match. It was a shame to see the SmackDown side have little offense leading to elimination. Not sure where this will go from here, but one can only surmise so much with unpredictability these days. 

The real story was Roman Reigns berating Jey Uso for the loss and telling him to “go home.”

In what I thought to be the match of the night, possibly a MOTY candidate for WWE, The Street Profits defeated The New Day. All three New Day members came out sporting their custom-made Gears of War 5 attire, to celebrate their inclusion in the newest release of the game as downloadable characters for multiplayer. That, is cool. 

The match was even cooler. Well hotter. Whichever. It was clear New Day were bringing out the best in Dawkins and Ford. Quick and smooth transitions from mat wrestling to high risk action. Each team pulled off some of their biggest hits, unable to score a pinfall, upped the ante with even more high stakes moves. The end comes at the Profit score with a top rope Blockbusting Doomsday Device for the hard-fought and hard-earned win. 

This was the right booking decision. Either way, both teams looked like money with the level of offense each one put in. Profits have a very bright future ahead of them. 

Just saying… I know Young Bucks vs. FTR was considered a “dream match” but I think Street Profits vs. Private Party may be next in line for this title. 

Bobby Lashley defeated Sami Zayn

I’m going to forget the conspiracy-theory antics and the “accidental trip” Zayn had. This was just horrible. It was barely a match. Not sure what the purpose of this whole thing was mean to be. 

Sasha Banks defeated Asuka

Hey, another good match. Not a WrestleMania-caliber match by any means, but fitting for a PPV event. Banks seems to have regained her stride after being away from singles action too long and Asuka… Is Asuka. Always versatile and always delivers, whether it is in a winning or losing scenario. Both worked smoothly together and unlike another women’s match tonight, no signs of sloppiness and miscommunication. If you forgot just how quick these two can get, just put them in Flash costumes and let ‘em go. 

Women’s Survivor Series: Team RAW defeated Team SmackDown

So, both Survivor Series matches went to RAW, both with some very bizarre circumstances. The match was “meh” at best. After weeks of being plowed through tables, Lana wins simply by standing in the corner while everyone eliminates each other, with the end result being a double-count out. Lana wins… By doing nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was clear this result was inevitable, but not by a underdog rollup… But by LITERALLY DOING NOTHING.

In the runner-up for match of the night: Roman Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre

Thanks to a late-interference run from Jey Uso, the WWE Universal Champion gains the upper hand a victory by causing Drew to pass out from the guillotine choke. This as a finisher adds beef to Reigns as uber-heel. A choke-out submission? Damn. This one went from wrestling to HOSS FIGHT. If anything, this elevated McIntyre tremendously. My gripe is how once more, the WWE Universal Champion is put over the WWE Champion. Until the Multiversal Intergalactic Championship becomes reality, it seems the WWE Universal Champion may always be one step over the company’s own title. I get Reigns continues to be pushed as the company uber-heel, and they allowed the match to end in shady fashion to protect Drew. But man, Drew was on a steamroll in this one and if there were doubts he could be #1 in the company, this should put the doubts to rest. At least I hope.

The Undertaker’s Retirement

Let’s not sugarcoat this at all. Many felt his leaving the hat and jacket in the ring following his WrestleMania loss to Roman Reigns was it. Then they brought him back for more. Bray Wyatt, the cursed Saudi Arabia shows. There was a WWE Network documentary about Mark Calloway and his winding down to retirement. 

They tried to make it special, and I suppose for 2020, this was the best possible option. Having numerous friends through the years be in the ring during a farewell video package, to Vince McMahon speaking from the heart, this did feel special in some way. Yes, there has been confusion and criticism about a dozen WWE legends suddenly vanishing and Vince being there solo for the final eulogy in the career of The Deadman. As the Undertaker spoke, it wasn’t long, but there was something in his voice which I believe conveyed a sense of thanks to have been able to go as long as he has. 

The final knee, with a hologram of Paul Bearer was a very nice touch, sad, but nice to include the late manager in this final form. 

I agree with many, this was a bit anti-climactic, but please remember, 2020 has been a horrible year, and this was the best under the circumstances. Not the end we wanted, but perhaps one we can say we are privileged to have. 

Generally speaking, Survivor Series 2020 wasn’t a bad show, despite the past few episodes of RAW being full of disappointment. SmackDown has been consistently a better wrestling show than RAW, which is a good thing to have been on display. The exclusion of NXT didn’t hurt the show, as last year NXT completely outclass both brands. Perhaps that was a mistake, as the hype and expectations would have been very different. 

Let’s be honest. By the time the Royal Rumble rolls around, we will all have forgotten about Survivor Series as sadly, it has become a forgettable PPV in recent years. 

How forgettable? I forgot (maybe intentionally) to include the Gobbledygooker’s 24/7 title win and abrupt loss. 

WWE Survivor Series 2020: Best of the Best is now streaming on the WWE Network.