WWE Survivor Series 2018: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
WWE Survivor Series lived up to its hype and arguably exceeded any lofty expectations wrestling fans may have had for the annual fall classic pay-per-view. The card was stacked with a number of wrestling dream matches, as RAW clashed with SmackDown Live for brand supremacy.
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar was victorious in his effort to quell the challenge of WWE Champion Daniel Bryan. RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey survived against Charlotte Flair, but for all intents and purposes lay battered, bloodied, and emotionally exhausted, hardly a victory worth writing home about. Team RAW dominated the evening winning every single match for a final tally of six wins to SmackDown's zero.
Join us as we take a look at the very best, worst, and downright ugliest moments in WWE Survivor Series 2018: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
The Good - Daniel Bryan vs Brock Lesnar
In what was already billed as a champion vs champion dream match, Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan did the impossible and far exceeded any and all expectations held by even the most ardent of wrestling fans.
Bryan had long expressed a desire to face the man known as The Beast and had often speculated about the possibility even while recovering from career threatening concussions. Bryan had long planned for the bout and the time he had to do so was evident in his meticulous attention to detail at Survivor Series.
The match didn't begin well for Bryan, who was overpowered and over matched by WWE's Universal Champion. Taking suplex after suplex, the dimunitive Bryan appeared broken in the ring, unable to combat Lesnar's physical onslaught; but, as Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back Gayle Sayers once said, 'All I need is six inches of daylight.' Bryan found his daylight in a sea of darkness and when he did, took advantage of his opportunity.
After attempting an F-5, Lesnar swung Bryan into the referee, who was temporarily incapacitated. Bryan took advantage of the referee's lack of attention and hit Lesnar with a devastating low blow. It was just the window Bryan needed, as the momentum quickly shifted in his favor.
Bryan would barrage Lesnar with a series of debilitating kicks and dives that took The Beast off guard, tired him out, and made him seem oafishly clumsy in the process. At one point, Bryan even secured The Yes Lock on Lesnar and it looked as if The Beast would tap; however, victory was never meant to be for Bryan. Inevitably, the WWE Champion would succumb to a devastating F-5; but, not before taking Lesnar to his limits and putting on what will surely go down in history as one of the greatest Survivor Series bouts of all time.