By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Survivor Series
Aired November 22, 2020 live on WWE Network and pay-per-view
Aired live from Orlando, Florida at Amway Center
Kickoff Show results: The Miz won a dual-brand battle royal in 12:00, The Gobbledy Gooker pinned Truth to win the WWE 24/7 Championship.
The main card opened with a video package that spotlighted Undertaker’s anniversary… Pyro shot off on the stage…
1. “Team Raw” AJ Styles (w/Omos), Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, and Riddle vs. “Team Smackdown” Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, King Corbin, and Otis in a Survivor Series elimination match. The broadcast team was Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Samoa Joe.
Paul Heyman was shown watching a monitor as Uso made his entrance and during the match. Styles and Uso started for their respective teams. After several wrestlers had tagged in, Rollins called for Owens to tag him in to face Sheamus. Owens obliged. Rollins dropped to his knees and told Sheamus to do his part. Sheamus blasted Rollins with a Brogue Kick and pinned him.
Seth Rollins was eliminated by Sheamus at 6:05.
The remaining Smackdown wrestlers huddled up at ringside for a chat. Strowman ran around the ring and shoulder blocked them all. Strowman rolled Corbin inside the ring, then barked at his teammates to get on the same page. Lee and Otis worked against one another while the broadcast team played up the battle of super heavyweights. Strowman tagged in and worked over Otis.
Later, Owens hit a series of Stunners of three Raw wrestlers, but then Styles caught him with a Phenomenal Forearm and pinned him.
Kevin Owens was eliminated by AJ Styles in 12:20.
Riddle took a tag from Styles, then performed a move from the top rope on Corbin and pinned him.
King Corbin was eliminated by Riddle in 13:05.
The broadcast team noted that Raw had five wrestlers remaining while Smackdown was down to Uso and Otis. Otis performed a series of power moves on some of the Raw wrestlers, then Strowman tagged in and tore off his shirt. Otis powered up Strowman and slammed him, then performed the Caterpillar. Otis went to the ropes. Riddle tried to stop him. Strowman grabbed Otis and then powerslammed and pinned him.
Otis was eliminated by Braun Strowman in 17:05.
Uso was left alone to face all five members of Team Raw. Uso went on the offensive and executed a dive onto all five opponents at ringside. Back inside the ring, Uso superkicked Styles and went for a frogsplash, but Omos pulled Styles out of the way. Lee tagged in and put Uso down with a Spirt Bomb.
Team Raw members AJ Styles, Braun Strowman, Keith Lee, Sheamus, and Riddle all survived to win the match at 19:25.
After the match, Strowman shoved Sheamus. Styles tried to play peacemaker. Strowman and Sheamus laughed it off and then Team Raw celebrated together…
Powell’s POV: A clean sweep for the men’s Raw team. It will be fun to see how this is framed by Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. Uso was the last man standing for his team, so they could credit him for that or criticize him for losing despite being outnumbered five to one.
All three New Day members came out dressed in custom armor from the Gears 5 video game that they are characters in. An ad for the game was shown with the New Day trio characters. The Street Profits delivered a backstage promo.
The Street Profits delivered a backstage promo. Angelo Dawkins hummed the Undertaker theme, then he and Montez Ford delivered a promo about Taker and some of his opponents. They sang the Shawn Michaels theme. Ford said they would start their own legacy against the New Day. They still want the smoke…
2. Raw Tag Champions Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. Smackdown Tag Champions “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins in a non-title match. Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, and Samoa Joe were on commentary. Big E didn’t stick around for the match.
Kingston performed an early Trust Fall dive onto Ford, who was then isolated by the New Day duo. Kingston taunted Ford by lying on the mat while holding one of the Profits’ red cups. Ford eventually performed a DDT on Kingston and made the hot tag. Dawkins worked over Kingston and Woods.
Ford checked in and was hit with Midnight Hour and a few Boom Drops. Dawkins distracted Kingston, who walked into a dropkick from Ford. A short time later, Ford performed a top rope frogsplash, but he sold rib pain and was slow to make the cover, which only resulted in a two count.
Late in the match, Ford hit Kingston with his own Trouble in Paradise kick. Woods nailed a gutbuster on Ford and got a near fall. A short time later, Dawkins hoisted up Woods on his shoulders, then Ford performed a Blockbuster from the top rope and pinned Woods.
Smackdown Tag Team Champions “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins defeated Raw Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in 13:40 in a non-title match.
After the match, the teams shook hands and hugged…
Powell’s POV: An entertaining match. It’s no secret that the format of this show doesn’t do a lot for me, but this was a match that I was looking forward to and both teams came through with a good outing. The Profits going over makes sense. New Day is the most celebrated active team in WWE and can shake off the loss. Plus, it means a lot more to the Profits to get the win in this match. The company can always revisit this program again at some point. Kudos to the broadcast team, which did a nice job of making the match feel important for both teams.
A WWE Network ad aired…
Separate shots aired of Team Smackdown and Team Raw. Jax told her team not to tag in Lana…
3. U.S. Champion Bobby Lashley (w/MVP, Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin) vs. Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn in a non-title match. Cole, Graves, and Byron Saxton called the match. MVP, Cedric Alexander, and Shelton Benjamin all walked onto the stage with Lashley and accompanied him to ringside while Zayn threw a fit.
Zayn stalled by heading to ringside to avoid locking up. Zayn bickered with the other Hurt Business members, allowing Lashley to hit him from behind. Lashley rolled Zayn back inside the ring. Zayn attacked Lashley as he was trying to follow him back into the ring.
Lashley quickly regrouped and went back on the offensive. Zayn caught Lashley charging at him in the corner with a boot to the head. Lashley came right back with a vertical suplex. Graves played up the idea that Zayn suffered from vertigo due to the vertical suplex. Zayn tried to steal the pin, but Lashley kicked out.
Zayn ended up at ringside and shoved Alexander, who had to be stopped from firing back by Benjamin to avoid having Lashley lose by DQ. Lashley hoisted Zayn onto his shoulders and ran him toward the post, but Zayn slipped away and Lashley hit the ring post. Lashley barely beat the referee’s count.
Lashley slammed Zayn, who rolled to ringside and tried to back up the ramp, but he bumped into MVP, who rolled him back inside the ring. Lashley applied the Hurt Lock for the win…
U.S. Champion Bobby Lashley defeated Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn in 7:50 in a non-title match.
Powell’s POV: Zayn was entertaining as the obnoxious heel, but the match didn’t do much for me. The heel vs. heel dynamic was odd, but I’m happy that the company didn’t book a title change just to avoid it. Having the three other Hurt Business members at ringside gives Zayn more to complain about.
Jimmy Uso was talking with Jey Uso when Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman emerged from the locker room. Reigns called out Jey for losing. Jimmy tried to talk Reigns down, but Reigns dismissed him. Reigns told Jey that he lost because he didn’t control his team, meaning they didn’t respect him or the family. Reigns told Jey to go find his brother and leave. Reigns said he wasn’t talking to losers. Reigns and Heyman went back inside their dressing room and closed the door…
Powell’s POV: This developed a little sooner than I expected. I assumed the followup would be on Smackdown. Is it being done tonight due to something they have planned for the main event?
4. Raw Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Smackdown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks in a non-title match. Phillips, Graves, and Saxton called the match. Phillips, Graves, and Saxton called the match. Banks was the early aggressor and made a play for her Bank Statement submission hold, but Asuka blocked it. Asuka took offensive control. Asuka knocked Banks off the apron with a hip attack.
At ringside, Banks climbed onto the barricade and went for a meteora, but Asuka caught her with a Codebreaker on the way down. Both women barely beat the referee’s count. Banks ended up getting a near fall on Asuka while highlights were being shown around 10:00. Banks avoided a hip attack attempt, then kicked Asuka from behind and followed up with a Backstabber that led to a near fall.
Banks connected with a meteora in the corner. Banks leapt from the ropes, but stopped when Asuka raised her knees. Banks put Asuka in the Bank Statement. Asuka escaped the hold and went for the Asuka Lock, but Banks avoided it. Moments later, Asuka caught Banks in the ropes and performed another Codebreaker (now being called just “double knees” by the broadcast team) and got a near fall.
Asuka applied an ankle lock and ended up rolling Banks into a pin. Banks countered into a pin of her own for a near fall. Asuka used a backslide to get another near fall. Asuka ran the ropes and Banks rolled her into a pin and got the three count…
Smackdown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defeated Raw Women’s Champion Asuka in 13:05.
Powell’s POV: The usual top notch work from Banks and Asuka. As much as their feud feels overexposed, this was a very good match that will likely end up in contention for best match of the night. Here’s hoping that WWE keeps Banks and Asuka apart long enough that their next match feels special.
The broadcast team recapped The Miz winning the dual-brand battle royal on the Kickoff Show. They also reminded viewers that Miz holds the Money in the Bank contract. They also set up footage of the Gobbledy Gooker winning the WWE 24/7 Title on the Kickoff Show…
Backstage, the Gobbledy Gooker found a bunch of seed left as a trap. Akira Tozawa ended up pinning the Gooker to win the WWE 24/7 Championship. R-Truth showed up and hit Tozawa with the bag of seed and then pinned him to win the WWE 24/7 Championship…
Powell’s POV: Using Gobbledy Gooker thirty years to the day that he disappointed everyone was actually kinda cute, but it’s not enough to justify the 24/7 Championship silliness.
5. “Team Smackdown” Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Bayley, and Natalya vs. “Team Raw” Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Lana, Lacey Evans, and Peyton Royce in a Survivor Series elimination match. Phillips, Graves, and Saxton called the match. The Raw women all wore red, the Smackdown women wore blue, and only Bayley wore one of the bad brand t-shirts. Bayley also wore a “captain” armband.
A few minutes into the match, Jax tagged in and ended up in the Smackdown corner. She quickly threw everyone off and got the better of Morgan. Lana tagged herself into the match and hit Morgan with a high kick. Natalya tagged in. The Raw women called for Lana to tag out, but she ignored them.
Lana got the better of Natalya and got a near fall, then took her to the Raw corner and stuck her hand out, but no one wanted to tag her. Jax finally tagged in and barked at Lana to leave. Lana stood on the ring steps instead of the apron while her teammates jawed at her. Belair paid tribute to Taker by performing Snake Eyes on Royce.
Jax shoved most of Team Smackdown to ringside, but Bayley hit her from behind and sent her to the floor. Bayley went to the ropes, but Royce cut her off and superplexed Bayley from the ropes onto the pile of wrestlers below. Lana remained on the ring steps with her lipstick smeared. In the ring, Royce performed her Deja Vu finisher on Bayley and pinned her.
Bayley was eliminated by Peyton Royce in 9:55.
Royce worked over Natalya with a series of strikes and got a near fall. Royce applied a single leg crab, but Belair pulled Natalya’s hand for leverage. Natalya got free and ended up applying the Sharpshooter for the submission elimination.
Peyton Royce was eliminated by Natalya in 11:40.
Evans went for a moonsault on Natalya, who moved. Natalya went for her submission hold again, but she gave it up when Baszler ran in. Evans hit the Woman’s Right on Natalya and then pinned her.
Natalya was eliminated by Lacey Evans in 12:35.
Belair got the better of Evans and went up top, but she was distracted by Baszler, which allowed Evans to cut her off. Evans executed a Spanish Fly on Belair and had her pinned, but Riott and Morgan broke it up. A short time later, Baszler caught Riott in the Kirifuda Clutch. Riott tried to tag out, but Jax pulled Morgan off the apron. Riott rolled onto Baszler and had her pinned, but the referee was distracted. Baszler released the hold and Riott was still out, so Baszler pinned her.
Ruby Riott was eliminated by Shayna Baszler in 16:50.
Morgan caught Evans in a crucifix pin and got the three count.
Lacey Evans was eliminated by Liv Morgan in 18:00.
Morgan worked over Jax for a moment, but Jax caught her with a Samoan Drop and pinned her.
Liv Morgan was eliminated by Nia Jax in 19:05.
Belair was the last member left of Team Smackdown. Baszler and Jax approached Belair from opposite sides, but Belair fought her way out of it and then went to work on Jax while Baszler went to her corner. Jax came back with a leg drop for a near fall. Jax went to the ropes.
Belair dropkicked Jax off the ropes, but Baszler had tagged in and ended up going for the Kirifuda Clutch. Belair escaped the hold and then went for a handspring move, but Baszler saw it coming and applied the Kirifuda Clutch again. Belair powered her way to her feet and ended up reaching the ropes. Baszler didn’t release the hold when the referee counted, so she was disqualified.
Shayna Baszler was eliminated by DQ in 22:25.
Jax went after Belair. They ended up fighting to ringside where Belair shoved Jax into the ring steps. Belair disposed of Jax over the ringside barricade, but she couldn’t make it back to the ring in time and both women were counted out.
Team Raw member Lana was the sole survivor in 23:20.
After the match, Lana boasted that she’s the winner and celebrated in the ring while Jax threw a fit at ringside…
Powell’s POV: You had to see that finish coming. The match was more good than bad. The typically consistent Riott had an off night with a couple of her kicks missing by a mile. Are fans supposed to cheer for Lana? The company was still encouraging ThunderDome viewers to give her the thumbs down as of Monday, so I’m not really sure what they are going for.
An ad aired for WWE TLC on Sunday, December 20. Phillips noted that the show will be held at Tropicana Field (WWE is moving out of Amway Center)…
A video package set up the main event match…
6. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns (w/Paul Heyman) vs. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre in a non-title match. Cole, Graves, and Joe called the match. Once both men were in the ring, they had a staredown while standing with their title belts draped over their shoulders. Cole reminded viewers that The Miz was in the building with the MITB contract. Reigns and McIntyre also met face to face in the middle of the ring and raised up the title belts.
The first few minutes were described by Cole as a feeling out process with neither man gaining a clear advantage. Reigns took a powder after McIntyre knocked him down with a shoulder block. Once Reigns was back inside the ring, McIntyre ended up chopping him in the corner. McIntyre grabbed Reigns, who dazed him with a headbutt. Reigns worked over McIntyre, who then tossed him into the corner and returned the favor.
McIntyre charged Reigns, who sent him over the top rope to the apron. Reigns clotheslined McIntyre with the top rope, then ran him into the ring post. Reigns left the ring and went after McIntyre on the floor. Reigns slammed the head of McIntyre off the apron, broke the count, and then whipped McIntyre into the ring steps. Reigns brought McIntyre back inside the ring and remained on the offensive at 9:30.
McIntyre looked like he was going to make a comeback, but Reigns cut him off with a leaping clothesline. Reigns eventually went for a Future Shock DDT, but Reigns stuffed it and sent McIntyre into the corner. Reigns followed up with a Samoan Drop and got a near fall. Reigns went for a Superman Punch, but McIntyre avoided it and put Reigns down with a spinebuster. They went to ringside where McIntyre roughed up Reigns and ran him into the ring steps at 14:40.
McIntyre sent Reigns back inside the ring and then followed. Reigns kicked him low to go back on the offensive. McIntyre cut him off with a Glasgow Kiss headbutt. Reigns fired back with a big boot. McIntyre ducked a Superman Punch and hit a Future Shock DDT for a good near fall. McIntyre set up for the Claymore Kick, but Reigns hit him with a Superman Punch. Reigns went for a guillotine choke. McIntyre stuffed it, but then ran into a big boot. Reigns ran McIntyre through the ropes and into the ring spot at 17:35.
Reigns went for a spear. McIntyre countered by rolling Reigns into an armbar. Reigns struggled and was able to reach the ropes. Reigns went to ringside. McIntyre followed and charged Reigns, who backdropped him onto the broadcast table. Reigns hoisted up McIntyre and gave him a Samoan Drop that broke the table. Reigns rolled back inside to break the count. Reigns sat on the apron and glared at McIntyre, who was scrambling to try to get up.
Once McIntyre got to his feet, Reigns speared McIntyre through the barricade. Reigns rolled McIntyre back inside the ring and covered him for a great near fall. “How the hell did McIntyre kick out?” Graves asked on commentary. Reigns waited for McIntyre to get up and then went for a spear, but McIntyre caught him with a kick. McIntyre ran the ropes for a Claymore Kick, but Reigns speared him and covered him for another great near fall.
Reigns started talking to himself. Reigns went to the corner and told Samoa Joe, “You’ve seen this shit before.” Reigns went for a spear, but McIntyre caught him with a Claymore Kick, which sent Reigns crashing into the referee. Ref Bump!!! Jey Uso ran out to help his cousin, but McIntyre quickly fought him off. McIntyre turned his attention back to Reigns, who hit him with a low blow. Uso superkicked McIntyre, Reigns hit McIntyre with a Superman Punch, and then applied the guillotine choke. A second referee ran out. McIntyre powered up for a moment, then fell down to the mat. The referee called for the bell.
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated WWE Champion Drew McIntyre in 24:50.
After the match, Reigns left the ring and spoke with Heyman on the floor, then slowly made his way up the stage where Jey Uso was applauding. Reigns stared at his cousin, looked down, then looked back at him and nodded approvingly. Reigns hugged Uso and told him “good job.” Reigns put his arm around his cousin and held up the WWE Universal Championship while McIntyre watched from the ring…
Powell’s POV: Outstanding. My big concern about this match was that they would tarnish Reigns vs. McIntyre as a potential WrestleMania main event, but it a hell of a match and I’d gladly see them have a rematch on the big show in April. The finish was done in a way that sets up the need for that rematch. If both guys are healthy and The Rock doesn’t come back for the showdown match with Reigns, I would be shocked if we don’t get Reigns vs. McIntyre in the WrestleMania main event.
An ad aired for Undertaker making another appearance on The Broken Skull Sessions with Steve Austin coming up after the pay-per-view…
Ring announcer Mike Rome stood in the ring and said, “This is the Undertaker’s Final Farewell.” Shane McMahon, Big Show, JBL, Jeff Hardy, Mick Foley, Godfather, The Godwins, Savio Vega, Rikishi, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Triple H, and Kane all received separate entrances. On commentary, Cole set up the Undertaker video package that was shown on the Kickoff Show, which was set to a Metallica song.
Vince McMahon was introduced and he stood in the ring alone and spoke about Undertaker. He said it marks the end of an era that will never be duplicated. “Tonight, we say goodbye,” McMahon said. “They say nothing lasts forever. I think they are wrong because the legacy of The Undertaker will live on eternally. So now I give you the Deadman, the Phenom, ladies and gentlemen, The Undertaker.”
Undertaker made his entrance and received a great display of lighting and pyro while canned crowd noise was inserted to an appropriate degree. The ThunderDome screens had tombstones and other imagery rather than fans. A canned “Undertaker” chant was played as he stood in the ring with mic in hand.
Taker paced around the ring as the production team went back and forth between “Undertaker” chants and crowd noise. “For thirty long years, I’ve made that slow walk to this ring and have laid people to rest time and time again,” Taker stated while speaking in character. “And now my time has come.” A “thank you, Taker” track played. “My time has come to let the Undertaker rest in peace,” he said. The “thank you Taker” track played again.
Taker tipped his cap, then dropped down to one knee, and struck his pose. A Paul Bearer hologram appeared in the ring holding out the urn briefly while his voice could be heard for a moment. An “Undertaker” crowd chant track played as Taker remained kneeling with the spotlight on him in the otherwise darkened arena. The bell tolled and Taker’s music played. Taker got to his feet and the lighting in the venue changed. Taker made the throat slash gesture and then slowly made his way from the ring to the stage. Taker held up his fist and then headed to the back…
Powell’s POV: The production team deserves a lot of credit for that segment. The audio tracks felt appropriate in volume rather than overbearing, and it there weren’t any of the awkward audio moments that we tend to get during live sporting events. This came off as well as it could have in an empty venue. Part of me kept waiting for Randy Orton or Seth Rollins or someone to attack him, but they took the straight forward approach with this as a retirement ceremony. Taker remained totally in character, perhaps with the idea of a more out of character speech at a Hall of Fame ceremony someday.
Overall, this turned out to be a really good show. Perhaps my guard was down due to my dislike of the brand vs. brand approach that the company takes for Survivor Series events, but there were several good matches. The main event out terrific, and the Undertaker sendoff was really well done. Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it and voting in our best match poll via the main page. Jake Barnett and I will be teaming up shortly for our Survivor Series audio review for Dot Net Members. Join us via PWMembership.net.
Liv Morgan looks like the first time you do meth. Ruby Riott looks like the last time.
I’m sure you’re a looker
Did you just reply to yourself?
I think he’s fighting with himself and losing
Roman and Drew were having a great match between two guys who look like they could win a real fight. Then it turned into a finisher kickout fest and ref bump with interference. What a terrible, lazy way to finish what had been excellent until the final few minutes.
Cheers the 24/7 champion Gobbledy Gooker 30 years to his debut. the 24/7 title has been fun to watch.
You’re easily amused.
So to be the head of the table means you hit your opponents in the junk when adversity strikes. Consistently evidently.
Are fans supposed to cheer for Lana? …………
YES WWE wants Fans to cheer Lana make her sympathetic Babyface why else would she be put threw a table for two months straight.
if Fans were live many would be cheering for her.
I honestly was surprised that they would have her be the lone survivor I kept expecting her to turn on her teammates and join Team Smackdown after growing fed up with the abuse she’s been getting on Raw. It seems she may be getting one of those “lucky streak” pushes where her opponents meet with some kind of misfortune during her matches (tripping over an untied bootlace, mouse running across the ring and causing a distraction, opponent slips on a banana peal, top or middle rope breaks or opponent slips off when opponent goes for an ariel move and Lana wins as a result.)
Wow. Vince has sure had some work done.
The Tesla coils playing the music bringing in Taker were pretty awesome.
Yep. The whole Thunderdome version of the entrance is spectacular.
Of all of the foolish ways to have Baszler be disqualified and eliminated not breaking on a five count. It would have been better if she decked the referee (possibly after accusing him of touching her inappropriately) at least that way she’d look more like a hothead than a complete fool with no understanding of the rules.
I could see what was coming in the main event from a mile away. Every other match on the card ended in a clean finish with a clear and decisive winner, you couldn’t literally end an Interbrand show with everyone who won beating their opponent in the center of the ring and everyone who lost being pinned or tapping out in the center of the ring without any shenanigans to do so would make for a pretty boring event.
Plus it doesn’t give the losing side any kind of an out or excuse for losing they simply lost it’s as plain as that so in a way it damages and devalues them when they return to their own brand.