By Jason Powell
WWE Survivor Series 2017
Aired November 19, 2017 live on WWE Network and pay-per-view
Houston, Texas at Toyota Center
A Survivor Series video opened the show and focussed on the various matches… Michael Cole told viewers it’s the one night a year that Raw and Smackdown wrestlers compete (drink). He questioned which is the A show and said they would find out at Survivor Series…
New Day made their entrance delivered a promo on their way to and once inside the ring. They spoke about how The Shield have big jocks. Kofi Kingston said dogs will always be dogs and they’re about to go Bob Barker on them. “Remember, spay or neuter your animals,” Xavier Woods said. Funny. Big E said it’s just a matter of time before The Shield bite one another. He said there’s no brotherhood stronger in WWE than in New Day.
A video package recapped the feud. The broadcast team of Michael Cole, Booker T, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton checked in. The The Shield made their entrance through the crowd…
1. “The Shield” Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins vs. “The New Day” Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods. JoJo was the ring announcer for the match. Ambrose and Rollins worked the match wearing the awful half-Raw, half-Shield t-shirts while Reigns wore his usual vest. Ambrose and Kingston started the match, and Ambrose dropped Kingston with a punch to the face. Rollins and Woods checked in as they continued the build to the big men tagging in.
Moments later, Reigns and Big E tagged in at roughly 2:30. Big E put Reigns down with a shoulder block, then waved his hand in front of his own backside. Reigns came back with a Samoan drop for a two count. Kingston checked back in and hit a Boom Drop on Ambrose. New Day isolated Ambrose in their corner and took turns stomping him. At 8:55, Big E performed his spear through the ropes and to the floor on Ambrose.
Big E did the world a favor by ripping the previously mentioned bad shirt off Ambrose. At 11:50, Ambrose performed a missile dropkick on E. Ambrose was able to make a hot tag to Rollins, who worked over Kingston. A short time later, Reigns worked over Woods and set up for his finisher, but Woods rolled him up for a two count. Reigns came back with a Superman Punch and was mostly booed when he looked to the crowd. Reigns went to the corner and went for a spear, but Woods kicked him.
Ambrose tagged in. New Day set up for their finisher, but Rollins hit them with superkicks to break it up. Ambrose performed Dirty Deeds on Kingston and went for a pin, but Woods broke it up. At 16:45, The Shield set up for their Triple Powerbomb, but Big E pulled Reigns to ringside to stop it. New Day worked over legal man Ambrose. Woods put E on his shoulders. Kingston leapfrogged them from the top rope and splashed Ambrose, then Woods dropped E into a followup splash from his shoulders.
Big E hoisted up Ambrose and Rollins and New Day performed a double Midnight Hour. Reigns speared Kingston into the pin attempt to break it up. Both teams met in the middle of the ring and threw punches. Reigns and Kingston were left the ring while the others fought at ringside. Reigns speared Kingston. Rollins and Ambrose returned to the ring. Reigns went to the middle rope and all three men performed their triple powerbomb finisher from there. Ambrose covered Kingston and pinned him…
The Shield defeated New Day in 21:20 (Raw leads 1-0).
Powell’s POV: A match that lived up to expectations and protected New Day despite The Shield getting the win. The boos for Reigns were not as significant as I expected them to be considering that he was facing a popular trio. There were some loud boos for him at various points, but the fans also popped for his late spear on Kingston and the triple powerbomb from the ropes. The broadcast booth is ridiculously crowded.
After some advertising, Stephanie McMahon spoke with the Team Raw women’s team backstage. She said Team Raw won last year and she expects the same this year. She said they brought Asuka to Raw because she was unbeaten for 700 days in NXT and still is unbeaten. She addressed each member and told Bayley it’s not time for hugs. She addressed Alicia Fox last and said that she had her doubts about her, but after the attack on Team Smackdown last week she had no doubts. Stephanie obnoxiously rallied the troops, who then ran off all fired up. “Now that’s a leader,” Cole said…
2. “Team Raw” Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Asuka, Sasha Banks, and Bayley vs. “Team Smackdown” Becky Lynch, Naomi, Carmella, Natalya, and Tamina (w/Lana)) in a Survivor Series elimination match. Fox could win a most obnoxious Kentucky Derby hat with the wild Thanksgiving themed hat she wore to the ring. The women wore brand t-shirts. Team captain Lynch was the first person eliminated when she was rolled up and pinned by Bayley at 2:05.
Asuka tagged in to a nice pop at 3:50, but she tagged out quickly as the Raw women took turns working over Tamina in their corner. A short time later, Tamina performed a top rope splash on Bayley and pinned her to eliminate her from the match at 5:30. Fans popped when Jax and Tamina ended up in the ring at the same time. Tamina hit Jax with a pair of superkicks that sent her to ringside. Jax landed on her feet, but Naomi dove on her to take her down. Tamina hit Jax with a third kick at ringside. Tamina performed a cross body block off the apron on Jax, who was counted out at 9:05.
There was an awkward pin. It appeared that Fox kicked out of a Naomi pin attempt, but the referee ruled it a pin. Fox was eliminated around 11:00. Seconds later, Sasha applied the Bank Statement on Naomi. Banks eliminated Naomi via submission. Carmella slapped Asuka, who caught her with a couple of kicks. Asuka pinned Carmella to eliminate her at 13:00.
Each team had two women remaining with Asuka and Banks on the Raw side, and Natalya and Tamina on the Smackdown side. Banks applied the Bank Statement on Natalya, but Tamina broke it up. Natalya ran Banks into the corner and then applied the Sharpshooter. Asuka stood waiting for a tag. Tamina ran over and knocked her off the apron. Banks tapped to Natalya’s Sharpshooter at 15:30.
Fans chanted “let’s go Asuka” as she was being worked over by Tamina. Asuka avoided a top rope splash attempt and then applied an armbar. Tamina tapped to Asuka’s armbar at 17:35. The last two women were Asuka and Natalya. Asuka countered a Sharpshooter attempt with a kneebar. Asuka kicked Natalya and applied an Asuka Lock moments later. Natalya tapped out to give Asuka the submission win.
Team Raw defeated Team Smackdown in 18:35 (Raw leads 2-0).
Powell’s POV: The match was laid out nicely in terms of setting up Asuka to plow through two heels at the end. I’m sure there will be some grumbling about Lynch being eliminated first, but let’s see if there’s a storyline reason behind it that plays out on Tuesday. If not, it’s not like anyone will remember it a week from now. I don’t read anything into Tamina going deep into the match. It seemed like they were simply attempting to make her look strong so that it would mean more when Asuka eliminated her. The goal of the match was wisely to spotlight Asuka. And while I applaud them for making the right call, it wasn’t so dynamic that it will be one of the talking points coming out of the show.
After some advertising, Stephanie McMahon was all smiles as she boasted to Daniel Bryan that Raw was up 2-0. Bryan said they may have gotten lucky. He said he thinks Smackdown will win because they have John Cena. She questioned how they got him and brought up the fact that they are essentially brothers-in-law and accused him of nepotism. He found that funny coming from her. She mentioned Triple H. He recalled beating him at WrestleMania. Stephanie said Shane McMahon isn’t 100 percent after that beating he took on Smackdown. She said Bryan would have full autonomy over Smackdown if Shane was unable to perform his duties…
Following more advertising, Baron Corbin made his entrance. They introduced the Spanish and German broadcast teams.. The Miz and his posse made their entrance…
3. Intercontinental Champion The Miz (w/Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel) vs. U.S. Champion Baron Corbin. Axel wore a red neck brace (for the Raw brand). The wrestlers wore their respective brand t-shirts because WWE thinks you’re stood stupid to figure out which brand they represent. Corbin responded to some early interference by the Miztourage by punching Axel at ringside and hitting End of Days on Dallas. Miz rolled up Corbin for a two count.
Corbin went for his finisher on Miz, who backflipped out of it and performed a nice DDT for a two count. Miz threw his kicks at Corbin and the crowd actually got into it. Miz performed two running dropkicks on Corbin in the corner. He went for a third only to have Corbin hit him with End of Days and pin him…
Baron Corbin beat The Miz in 9:35 (Raw leads 2-1).
Renee Young interviewed Corbin after the match while standing over Miz. Corbin told Miz that his hand went up and Miz’s mouth went closed. Corbin said he just shut the mouths of the fans in the building and at home too…
Powell’s POV: The big question was which heel the live crowd would cheer for. The answer is they didn’t pick sides and only reacted to big moves and the Daniel Bryan style kicks thrown by Miz. I was looking forward to the match in a small way because it was different, but it didn’t really click. That said, I actually like that they didn’t have all babyface vs. heel matchups in the champion vs. champion matches, as it would have felt way too convenient.
An ad aired for the WWE Clash of Champions, which takes place on December 17… A jewelry ad aired with Bayley helping a fan purchase an engagement ring. He proposed to a woman in a WWE ring in an empty arena…
Backstage, Charly Caruso interviewed Paul Heyman, who said AJ Styles was phenomenal since he first stepped foot in the ring. He continued to talk about what’s phenomenal, then he said the bell rings and the most phenomenal in-ring performer in WWE history will then realize he’s in a fight with a conquerer who will rip him apart. Heyman said Styles would regret beating Jinder Mahal because it meant he had to get in the ring with Lesnar…
4. Raw Tag Champions Sheamus and Cesaro vs. Smackdown Tag Champions Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso in a non-title match. The Usos delivered a promo on the way to the ring. They said if Sheamus and Cesaro are The Bar, then they are pole vaulters. Jey went for a suicide dive, but Cesaro caught him with an uppercut at 3:40. Saxton brought up Sheamus’s mohawk and said it reminded him of the Red Rooster after seeing Terry Taylor at NXT Takeover on Saturday.
Sheamus and Cesaro were dominant early and isolated Jimmy Uso, who made a hot tag to Jey at 8:45. Jimmy performed a Samoan drop on Cesaro and then ripped off his Smackdown t-shirt. At 10:35, Sheamus ran Jimmy into the barricade. Cesaro took advantage of a Sheamus trip of Jey and performed the swing into a Sharpshooter. Sheamus cut off Jimmy from breaking it up with a kick. Jey reached the ropes to break the hold. at 11:40.
At 12:35, Jey ran Sheamus through the ropes and into the post. Jey went up top, but Sheamus caught him. Sheamus and Cesaro performed a double team move and got a near fall when Jimmy broke up a pin. There was a great near fall at 14:00 when Sheamus took a Samoan drop from one of the Usos off the shoulders of Cesaro.
At 15:25, Cesaro shoved Sheamus out of the way and ate a double superkick. The Usos ended up catching Sheamus with superkicks anyway. One of the Usos took out Cesaro on the floor, then the other performed a top rope splash on Sheamus and pinned him to win the match…
The Usos defeated Sheamus and Cesaro in 15:55 (Raw and Smackdown are tied 2-2).
Powell’s POV: A good match with some innovative and hard hitting spots. The Raw Tag Title belts were in the corner of Sheamus and Cesaro and I kept waiting for them to come into play, but fortunately that never occurred. I like that they went with a clean finish instead. I’d definitely like to see more from these teams if they end up on the same brand at some point.
Backstage, Caruso interviewed Jason Jorddan, who was booed upon introduction. She asked if it was hard to watch the main event now that he’s out of the match. Jordan spoke about how he may never be able to team with his “father” Kurt Angle. He said he was still pulling for a Raw win. When Caruso mentioned Triple H, Jordan said he hopes Raw will win only after Hunter is eliminated from the match…
Cole noted that there were 14,448 fans in attendance. Hip hop artist Travis Scott was shown in the crowd…
Powell’s POV: We’re only halfway through the show and there are only three matches remaining. The elimination match will eat up a lot of time, but hopefully this is a good sign when it comes to how much time they intend to give Lesnar vs. Styles.
5. Smackdown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss in a non-title match. They introduced the international broadcast teams in between the entrances for the women. Bliss had offensive control for a few minutes. Charlotte came back with a suplex in the corner. Charlotte went up top and kicked Bliss away a couple times, but Bliss ended up knocking her down and then kicking her in the corner.
Bliss went up top and then dropped down to the second rope and dropped knees on Charlotte’s back. Bliss did a backwards handspring onto Charlotte. A short time later, Charlotte hoisted up Bliss in powerbomb position, but Bliss countered into a huracanrana and hooked the legs for a two count. Bliss performed a sunset bomb for a near fall.
Charlotte came back with a powerbomb for a two count. There were dueling chants for the women. At 11:05, Charlotte went for a moonsault, but Bliss avoided it and covered Charlotte for another two count. Bliss begged off a short time later, but striking and DDT’ing Charlotte. Bliss covered Charlotte, who put her foot on the bottom rope. Bliss threw a fit.
At 13:00, Charlotte speared Bliss, but she acted like she was too weary to follow up on it. Bliss regained offensive control and double stomped the back of Charlotte at 14:15. Cole casually speculated that Charlotte had cracked, bruised, or broken ribs. Bliss went up top and went for Twisted Bliss, but Charlotte put her knees up. Charlotte caught Bliss with a boot to the face and then applied the Figure Eight and got the submission win…
Charlotte defeated Alexa Bliss in 15:00 (Smackdown leads 3-2).
Powell’s POV: The match was laid out in a way that put Bliss on the offensive for the majority of the match. They wanted this to feel more epic than I assumed. I view Bliss as more of a pest heel than it seemed like they do based on how much of the match she was given. It was an entertaining match and yet I never bought into Bliss’s near falls. With Smackdown having the lead and only two matches to go, it looks like they are tipping off the result of the Lesnar vs. Styles match. I was hoping it would be the main event of the show and they would make it the deciding match, but it’s understandable that it’s not if they are going with a cheap finish such as Jinder Mahal interfering.
After some advertising, Josh Reddick of the Houston Astros was shown in the crowd with two replica title belts… The FIVE broadcast team (Tom Phillips too) members spoke at their two desks on the stage. They set up the final champion vs. champion match and then a video package aired on the Lesnar vs. Styles match….
6. WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman) vs. WWE Champion AJ Styles in a non-title match. During AJ’s entrance, they showed a Jinder Mahal promo. He said he is rooting for Styles and his brand, but he wants Lesnar to beat the hell out of Styles because he wants his title back. JoJo delivered in-ring introductions even though no titles were on the line. Heyman took the mic from her after the Styles introduction and introduced Lesnar on his own. Cole noted that Lesnar has been champion for 231 days and praised the lengthy title reign (neglecting that Lesnar rarely defends the title). There were dueling chants before the bell with Styles having louder chants.
Lesnar mauled Styles once referee Charles Robinson started the match. He kicked Styles and then drove his shoulder into his abdomen in the corner before tossing him across the ring. At 2:05, Lesnar performed an overhead release suplex. Lesnar picked up Styles and performed a German suplex at 2:55. Styles sold by stumbling as he went to stand up. Lesnar tossed him over the top rope to ringside.
Lesnar eventually followed Styles to ringside and tossed him into the German broadcast table. Lesnar threw Styles back inside the ring and performed another German suplex. Heyman held the Universal Title at ringside and grinned as he stroked the belt. Lesnar toyed with Styles by ducking his punches and stuffing a kick before clubbing him to the mat. Styles finally connected with some punches, but Lesnar shut him down with a knee to the gut.
At 7:00, Lesnar went for an F5, but Styles slipped out of it. Lesnar went for a high knee, but Styles avoided it and then kicked Lesnar’s legs and DDT’d him. Styles threw kicks at the left leg of Lesnar and threw a knee to his head. Styles performed a high kick and then went for a springboard move. Lesnar caught him and stumbled back into the ropes before regaining his composure. A shot time later, Styles went for a tornado DDT, but Lesnar shoved him off.
At 8:40, Styles performed a Pele Kick onto the back of Lesnar’s head while Lesnar was on his knees. Styles went for a springboard move, but Lesnar caught him and gave him a German suplex. At 10:15, Styles went over the top rope and connected with a forearm at ringside. Both men got up and Styles shoved Lesnar’s knees first into the ring steps. Styles launched off the steps and hit Lesnar with a forearm to the back of the head. Saxton started yelling on commentary about how Styles should take a count-out win for Smackdown. Cole shut him down.
At 12:00, Styles performed a springboard 450 for a near fall. At 12:45, Styles went for a Styles Clash. Lesnar countered into an F5 attempt. Styles slipped away and applied the Calf Crusher. Lesnar eventually grabbed him and slammed his head off the mat repeatedly. Great sequence. Fans responded with “this is awesome” chants.
Styles stuffed another F5 attempt and then hit the Phenomenal Forearm for a good near fall at 14:20. Styles went for another Phenomenal Forearm, but Lesnar caught him and performed and F5 and pinned him clean. Cole quickly stated that Styles took Lesnar to the limit and had nothing to be ashamed of. Lesnar sold the calf crusher by limping as he left the ring and even stopping and looking back at the ring before heading up the ramp and to the back…
Brock Lesnar defeated AJ Styles in 15:25 (Raw and Smackdown are tied 3-3).
Powell’s POV: A very good match. It would have been nice if Styles had kicked out of the F5 to keep the match going and give it more of an epic feel, but it sure seems like they are saving the big F5 kickout for Reigns at WrestleMania. This wasn’t an eight-minute Suplex City match as we’ve seen from Lesnar lately. I liked the way Lesnar dominated early and Styles came back with the great flurry. Here’s hoping we get a rematch again someday. I must have missed something as it seems like they are going with Styles vs. Mahal on Smackdown this week given the way the broadcast team spoke about how there was no way Styles would be 100 percent on Tuesday.
The WWE 365 documentary on Kevin Owens was hyped for WWE Network and then a video package set up the main event…
Kurt Angle was the first person introduced. He had his right thigh and knee heavily wrapped. He wore a singlet with the dumb Raw t-shirt over it. The order of Raw entrances after Angle went Balor, Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, and Triple H. Everyone other than Hunter wore Raw shirts, while Hunter wore a red shirt with his own design on it. The Smackdown order was Shane McMahon (wearing a blue jersey with his own logo), Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, and John Cena (green shirt with his own logo, which he quickly tossed to ringside). Yes, he’s wrestling shirtless, meaning there’s exactly no one confused about which brand he’s teaming with…
7. “Team Raw” Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and Triple H vs. “Team Smackdown” Shane McMahon, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode, and John Cena in a Survivor Series elimination match. Shane struck Strowman from behind before the bell. Strowman no-sold it and then tossed Shane across the ring to start the match. The crowd popped for an early Balor and Nakamura exchange. Balor put Nakamura against the ropes and then did the “too sweet” sign on his head. Nakamura used his quickness in a followup sequence.
Triple H called for a tag. “It’s the King of Strong Style against the King of Kings,” Graves said. Nakamura motioned for Hunter to “come on.” Hunter backed him into the corner and teased a clean break before punching him and kicking him. Hunter turned his back on Nakamura, who ended up working him over with a series of strikes.
Roode tagged in for a moment with Hunter, who shoved him. Roode shoved him back. Roode set up for the Glorious pose, but Hunter punched him. Triple H performed a spinebuster on Roode and then did the crotch chop. “He just keeps getting better and better,” one of the suck asses on the broadcast team said. Triple H set up for a Pedigree, but Roode avoided it and performed a spinebuster of his own and then did the Glorious pose.
Angle tagged in after Hunter pushed Roode into the Raw corner. The clash of former TNA Champions didn’t last too long, as Nakamura tagged in for a run with Angle. Joe tried to help, but Nakamura cut him off and then did the same to Balor when he checked in. Triple H ran in too, but Nakamura put him down and blasted Hunter with a kick. Strowman tagged in and went after Nakamura, who caught him with a knee to the head off the ropes. Strowman came back with a running power slam. Strrowman pinned Nakamura in 11:40 for the first elimination at 11:40.
Roode went after Strowman. He went for a Glorious DDT, but Strowman avoided it and powerslammed him moments later. Strowman pinned Roode to eliminate him from the match around 13:00. Joe tagged himself in and shoved Strowman. The Raw team started bickering with Angle and Triple H also exchanging shoves and words. At 15:00, everyone on Team Smackdown, including the eliminated members, teamed up to supelx Strowman through one of the broadcast tables.
Shane went up top with the idea of leaping onto Strowman, but Joe followed him up from behind and took him down with a move. Cena and Joe had a run with Joe performing some of his signature offense (including Cena throwing up his hands seemingly in a panic as Joe came at him with a kick). Joe performed a uranage on Cena. Balor tagged in and went up top. Joe took offense and tagged himself back into the match. Cena hoisted up Joe and put him down with an Attitude Adjustment, then caught Balor and performed the same move on him. Cena performed another AA on Joe. Cena pinned and eliminated Joe at 18:10.
Angle entered the ring and squared off with Cena. Angle put Cena down, which led to a smirk from Cena, who returned the favor. A short time later, Cena set up for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Angle countered into an ankle lock. Cena kicked out, but Angle performed an Olympic Slam. Angle went for a cover, but Shane broke it up. Balor performed a Coup de Grace on Cena. Angle performed a second Olympic Slam and pinned him. Angle eliminated Cena at 21:55.
Balor and Orton ended up in the ring together. Orton avoided Balor’s finisher and then hit the RKO on him and pinned him. Orton eliminated Balor around 24:00. At 25:00, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn attacked Shane and tossed him over the broadcast table. Shane came back and worked over both men with a chair. Orton gave Owens an RKO in the ring, then Orton and Zayn ran to the back. Strowman ended up working over Orton and eventually performed his running powerslam. Strowman pinned eliminated Orton at 26:40.
It came down to Strowman, Triple H, and Angle against Shane McMahon. Strowman was about to face Shane, but Triple H tagged himself into the match instead. Cole said Hunter wanted to humiliate and beat Shane for his wife. They circled one another. Angle tagged himself into the match. Shane rolled up Angle as he was bickering with Hunter for a two count. Shane got a few more two counts on Angle around 30:00.
At 30:30, Angle performed an Olympic Slam and then applied the ankle lock on Shane. He teased tapping out, but he’s an f’n McMahon. Hunter entered the ring, kicked Angle, and put him down with a Pedigree. Hunter looked up at Strowman before putting Shane on top of Angle for the pin. Shane eliminated Angle at 32:05. The broadcast team had no idea why Hunter helped Shane. Hunter helped Shane to his feet and then pointed at Strowman. Hunter kicked Shane in the gut and gave him a Pedigree before pinning him to win the match…
Team Raw defeated Team Smackdown in 33:20 (Raw wins 4-3).
After the match, Strowman entered the ring and Hunter raised his hand and tried to celebrate with him. Hunter raised his hand a second time while Strowman glared at him. Hunter talked off-mic to Strowman while smiling. He held up his arm a third time and then played to the crowd. Strowman watched as Hunter played to the crowd, then grabbed him by the throat and backed him into a corner. Strowman barked that if Hunter ever tried to cross him again he would never play the game again.
Storwman turned away from Triple H, who recovered and went for a Pedigree, but Strowman stuffed it and put Hunter down with a powerslam. Strowman’s music played. Strowman picked up Hunter and gave him the move again and the music stopped. Fans chanted “one more time.” Strowman’s music played again as he tore off his stupid Raw t-shirt. Strowman left the ring and the final shot showed Hunter lying on the mat to end the show….
Powell’s POV: A tale of two halves. The first half of the match was a lot of fun with short bursts of some fun dream match combinations. The second half of the match became McMahon family overindulgence. It became fairly apparent that the result was going to be either Super Shane making a super comeback or Hunter being spotlighted in some way. Hunter’s attack on Angle confused the live crowd and wasn’t very compelling even if they are trying to set up Angle vs. Hunter in a future match. The post match with Strowman working over Hunter sent the crowd home happy. Are they going with a new age Austin vs. McMahon with Strowman vs. Hunter? Will they ever scrap the heel authority figure Hunter in favor of the much fresher and more appealing persona we see in NXT? The main event closed in silly fashion, but the overall show lived up to my expectations. I will have a lot more to say in members’ audio later tonight.
Prowrestling.net Live returns on Monday at 3CT/4ET with Will Pruett and I taking your phone calls at PWAudio.net.
Announcers sucked – they didn’t SHUTUP all nite
To be fair to them, I am sure they were given orders to constantly play up the brand rivalry, which was supremely irritating throughout the night.
Good card overall, but the bragging rights aspect left zero to the imagination on match outcomes. I would have liked to at least believe that Bliss and AJ had a chance to win, but there was no chance given the format of the event. That said, the only disappointing parts of the night were the ending of the main event and Becky’s early elimination, though perhaps they are preserving her first interaction with Asuka for later down the line after a brand switch.
Seriously? HHH still has to be the center of everything? Heaven forbid they do something like turn Jason Jordan and correct that problem. Who wants to see Angle vs HHH AGAIN at Wrestlemania? A side note. Why does Stephanie McMahon speak with a Minnesota accent?