By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Survivor Series Kickoff Show
Aired live November 21, 2021 on Peacock, WWE Network, and WWE’s social media pages
Brooklyn, New York at Barclays Center
-Kayla Braxton hosted the Kickoff Show and was joined by Jerry Lawler, Booker T, Kevin Patrick, and Peter Rosenberg.
-A video package aired on the Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair rivalry.
-An AEW chant broke out at one point.
-Footage aired of Sasha Banks declaring herself captain of Team Smackdown. She told her teammates Shotzi, Shayna Baszler, Natalya, and Toni Storm that they are the better team and won’t lose. She praised all but Shotzi and acted like she couldn’t remember her name. Banks and Shotzi had to be held apart.
-The panel touted that Randy Orton will break the record for most pay-per-view matches in WWE history tonight, and being one match shy of having the most matches on Raw.
-Footage aired of The Rock’s debut as Rocky Maivia at the Survivor Series 25 years earlier.
1. U.S. Champion Damian Priest vs. Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura (w/Rick Boogs) in a non-title match. Jimmy Smith, Pat McAfee, and Byron Saxton. Boogs played Nakamura to the ring. Early in the match, Nakamura put the boots to Priest while Boogs played his guitar at ringside.
Priest took offensive control and looked annoyed when Boogs played his guitar. Priest barked at Boogs from the ring. Nakamura rallied with his sliding pendulum powerbomb. Nakamura leapt from the ropes into a spinning heel kick from Priest.
Priest put Nakamura down with a clothesline and followed up with a broken arrow for a near fall. Priest went for a chokeslam, but Nakamura stopped it with a knee to the head. Nakamura put Priest down with a kick and then set up for his finisher, but Priest ducked it and rolled him up for a two count.
Priest went for a springboard move. Nakamura caught him coming off the ropes with a knee to the head. Nakamura threw additional strikes and covered Priest for a near fall. Nakamura set up for his finisher again, but Priest cut him off and performed a uranage slam for a near fall.
Priest set up for his finisher, but Nakamura avoided it and ended up rolling Priest into a cross arm breaker, which Priest blocked. Priest came right back with his own submission hold. Boogs played the guitar, which distracted Priest long enough for Nakamura to roll onto him for a two count.
Priest went to ringside and took the guitar from Boogs and then broke it over his knee. Priest hit Boogs with a broken piece of the guitar. Nakamura went to ringside where Priest hit him with a piece of the broken guitar for the disqualification finish.
Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defeated U.S. Champion Damian Priest by DQ in 9:25.
Powell’s POV: I can live with the DQ finish given that the match took place on the pre-show and played into the mean streak that they are trying to establish with Priest.
-Bobby Lashley and MVP were shown walking through the backstage area while the panel spoke about the men’s elimination match.
-Kevin Owens crashed the panel’s desk and said he had some thing to get off his chest. He said the elimination match was an opportunity for him to redeem himself to and to show everyone that he is the man that he says he is.
-A limo was shown arriving in the backstage area. Vince McMahon exited the limo and was cheered by Adam Pearce, Sonya Deville, and a group of wrestlers. Vince showed off an egg-shaped golden item of some kind.
-A video package spotlighted the drama involving the Bloodline and New Day.
-The panel closed the show by discussing Roman Reigns vs. Big E. Patrick noted that Lynch vs. Flair would open the main card.
Join me for my live review of the Survivor Series main card in a separate post available via the main page.
They should have booed Vince for all of his firings the last two years while making record profits. Hopefully, if he goes to the ring, the fans boo him like crazy and throw garbage at him.