WWE Survivor Series 2016: Analysing and Grading each match
Once again, one of WWE’s big four PPVs was a rollercoaster of ups and downs, with a number of awesome moments coinciding with weak booking decisions. The women’s match underwhelmed, mostly due to the rushed nature of the bout.
The Miz and Sami Zayn match delivered a splendid contest until a weak screwjob finish tarnished the great work of both men. The tag teams competed in a fast-paced, electric match that had fans on the edge of their seats. A weak interference finish ruined a perfectly fine Cruiserweight match.
The men of Raw and Smackdown stole the show with an amazing matchup, with a number of incredible moments taking place that had fans ecstatic.
However, let’s get to the biggest talking point of the night. Goldberg, returning for the first time in 12 years, decimated Brock Lesnar in under two minutes. What is this writer’s thoughts on this extremely controversial ending, as well as the PPV overall? Let’s find out, as I Analyse and Grade each match from WWE Survivor Series 2016.
#1 Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar (the Mega-Match):
Grade: 4/10
Yes, I am giving this match a 4/10. Some fans may have liked this finish, as it was one of the biggest shocks since the Undertaker’s streak was ended. However, once the shock wears off, it becomes obvious that WWE just sacrificed the Beast Incarnate that they had built up for a number of years, to a part-time veteran.
The man that ended the Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak lost in under two minutes to a 50-year old, instead of being fairly beaten by an up-and coming talent.
Now, sure, this could lead to a rematch down the line, or to Goldberg possibly putting someone else over, but all the work done to build Lesnar as an unstoppable monster for years was undone by a dumb choice to shock viewers.
Instead of giving the rub of beating Lesnar to Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe or Bray Wyatt, it was given to Goldberg despite his career winding down in the next few months. This was, in this writer’s opinion, the dumbest decision made by WWE since Lesnar himself beat the Undertaker’s streak.
Once again, a part-timer beats something with so much hype, rather than a full-time talent who could be catapulted to megastar status from the win. An incredibly weak decision from WWE, even if it leads to a rematch or culminates in Goldberg losing to a younger talent.
The one positive is a reboot in Lesnar’s character. He has finally shown weakness, and that will lead to a much more interesting Beast Incarnate than we have seen in 2016 so far.
Besides that one positive, this was the worst decision by WWE since Lesnar beat the Undertaker’s streak, and it is such a shame that a younger superstar didn’t get the rub of beating the Beast Incarnate. However, this has stirred an ungodly amount of controversy and hype around the product, and that is the goal for WWE, right?
Maybe this could be the catalyst for something even bigger than Lesnar being beaten by a younger superstar? For now, I am giving it 4/10, but WWE may prove me wrong in the months to come. For now, fans (including this writer) are shocked, but angry.
Let’s see how WWE capitalises on this hugely shocking moment in the near future.
#2 Women’s Survivor Series Match (5 on 5):
Grade: 7/10
This was a solid opener, and it was a smart decision by WWE to take advantage of the early electricity from the crowd for the women’s match. However, this match soon turned into a mess, and a number of weak spots and eliminations left fans underwhelmed.
Rapid eliminations made the match feel extremely rushed, and fans didn’t have enough time to enjoy the action as eliminations kept coming. Nia Jax wasn’t protected well either, submitting to Becky Lynch. Rather than using a countout elimination or even a pinfall, Jax appeared weak as she gave up very quickly to a submission hold.
Also, Sasha Banks was pinned by Natalya, arguably the most irrelevant woman on Smackdown Live right now. These poor booking decisions tarnished the match somewhat, but it was still a decent matchup that saw Bayley earn the decisive pinfall.
Charlotte attacking Bayley after the bell helped kick-off their feud, which looks to be occurring heading into Roadblock. Overall, a solid women’s bout that was undermined by a few minor mistakes but was still entertaining to open the show.