After a tumultuous road to the 32nd annual Survivor Series forced several changes to the card, the WWE Universe was treated to an explosive and unpredictable night of sports entertainment on Sunday night as RAW faced off against SmackDown in a battle for brand supremacy.
Muscle & Fitness is here to give you the hook up on the most jaw-dropping moments that went down live at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Survivor Series 2018 can be seen on-demand via WWE Network. For more information, and to get your first month FREE, visit WWE.com.
The 2018 Survivor Series kick-off show featured a 10-on-10 elimination contest between some of the best of RAW and Smackdown. It was a bout filled with some heart-pounding action, but what happened towards the end of the match was pure class.
In the closing moments, Jimmy Uso, preparing to deliver a splash from the top rope, locked and loaded his fist in a nod to his cousin Roman Reigns, who is currently taking time out to battle Leukemia. This was not the first time that the Usos have given a shout-out to Roman, but it meant all the more at a show like Survivor Series, where the former Universal Champion is greatly missed. The Usos picked up the victory for SmackDown following the move, echoing the best wishes of the WWE Universe. Here’s hoping Roman is back in action very soon.
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Nia Jax is Public Enemy #1
Due to injuries sustained by Becky Lynch, courtesy of Nia Jax, last-minute substitutions were required for the show, with Charlotte leaving Team Smackdown to face Ronda Rousey one-on-one at the event. The team changes continued right into Sunday night, as RAW Captain Alexa Bliss threw Ruby Riott and Natalya off her side in favor of Sasha Banks and Bayley. Come bell-time, RAW’s official team comprised Nia Jax, Mickie James, Tamina, Sasha Banks ,and Bayley vs. SmackDown’s Asuka, Naomi, Carmella, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose.
A notable elimination occurred when Mandy Rose handed Mickie James her first ever pinfall at Survivor Series, signaling that Mandy’s star could be on the rise. Both teams would closely match each other for eliminations, keeping the numbers fairly even throughout much of the contest. Nia Jax received the crowd’s scorn for breaking Becky Lynch’s nose on Monday Night RAW but looked to be in a great position as she hung on with Sasha Banks to face SmackDown’s only remaining survivor, Asuka.
Not much for making friends, Nia would attack her own teammate, allowing Asuka to pin “The Boss.” Jax then took glory for team RAW by pinning the already prone Asuka. It was a big win that came following little work on her part and so Nia’s popularity has plummeted even further as the lone survivor.
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Battle of the Tag Team Champions
SmackDown’s Tag Team Champions, Sheamus and Cesaro (accompanied by the Big Show) battled their Monday Night RAW counterparts, the Authors of Pain, who are managed by Drake Maverick.
Akam and Rezar, with a combined weight of 615lbs, attempted to author some serious pain against The Bar and did a great job of cutting Cesaro off from his partner Sheamus in the opening minutes of the match. When Sheamus did get into the action, he soon became a one-man wrecking crew, holding his own against the AOP until Drake Maverick attempted to save his side with some interference.
This angered the Big Show, who tried to choke-out the pint-sized manager, in response Maverick promptly peed his pants. As embarrassing as that might have been, it gave the AOP just enough time to blindside Sheamus and pick up the biggest win of their careers to date. Chalk one up for the reds.
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Cruiserweights Collide
WWE’s 205 Live! matches are often relegated to kick-off shows on bigger events, so it was refreshing to see Buddy Murphy win the Cruiserweight Title in front of 70,000 of his hometown fans in Melbourne during Super Show-Down in October. The belt was elevated even further on Sunday night, when it was contested during the main Survivor Series card.
Murphy laid it all on the line to defend the Championship against Mustafa Ali, picking up the win in a fast-paced bout that drew respect and applause from the L.A. crowd who chanted “205” and “This is Awesome.”
RAW’s Intercontinental Champion collided with the SmackDown United States Champion, when Seth Rollins took on Shinsuke Nakamura in a superb contest between two of pro wrestling’s greatest mat technicians.
Rollins took the early advantage, which included some comedic mind games, mimicking Nakamura’s movements and catch phrases, but the Japanese sensation soon got his head together and blasted Rollins with a viscous kick to the face. A superplex into a Falcon Arrow looked certain to put Nakamura away, but the United States Champ kicked out and fought back hard. Rollins tried once again to end things with a Frog Splash but missed.
It was anyone’s match in the closing moments, but Seth Rollins finally brought the action to a halt with a devastating Curb Stomp. Strike up another win for the red team.
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The Alphas Survive
The battle for brand supremacy continued as RAW’s Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Finn Bálor, and Bobby Lashley faced SmackDown’s team of The Miz, Shane McMahon, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio, and Jeff Hardy.
The first notable elimination went down when Samoa Joe tried to put Drew McIntyre away with an early Coquina Clutch, but was instead made short work of by the Scottish Psychopath. An argument for the position of alpha male then erupted into a brawl between McIntyre and Strowman which threatened the stability of Team RAW, and so SmackDown capitalized on the chaos when Shane-o-Mac dove from the top rope to the outside, putting Strowman straight through the announcers table.
With Strowman out of action at ringside, Shane was able to pin Dolph Ziggler following a Cost-to-Coast, making him the MVP of the match thus far. With Lashley now on the mat, Shane would attempt a second Coast-to-Coast, but was swatted away by the tree trunk-like arms of Braun Strowman.
The “Monster Among Men” changed the complexion of the match and bulldozed his way through team blue, leaving just Shane remaining for SmackDown. He wasted no time eliminating McMahon for good measure, too, making Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley your survivors. Though RAW prevailed, the fallout will undoubtedly roll on.
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Charlotte Flair Snaps
The highly anticipated Champion vs. Champion match between Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch hit the skids when Nia Jax thumped the “Lass Kicker” in the face last week on Monday Night RAW, breaking her nose and forcing her to miss significant ring time in the process. In Becky’s place, Charlotte Flair was chosen to represent team blue, and despite the last-minute change, expectations were high for this WrestleMania-caliber contest.
The “Rowdy One” took some stiff shots in the opening minutes of the match, including a shot to the bottom turnbuckle and a strike that would open up a painful looking cut inside Ronda’s mouth. She fought back with her Judo instincts, trying to catch Charlotte in an arm bar, but was instead caught with a spear that took all her might to recover from. With Ronda now drenched in her own blood, it was clear that this match had become her biggest test since entering WWE. But no matter what Charlotte dished out to Rousey, she would not stay down.
Sensing that the bout was slipping from her hands, Charlotte resorted to attacking Ronda with a kendo stick. The daughter of the “Dirtiest Player in the Game” then saw to it that Ronda tasted a steel chair before using it as a vice and crushing her chest. Losing via disqualification, Charlotte Flair was out of control, displaying an inexplicable level of brutality that will be a huge story going forward.
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Daniel and the Lion
Daniel Bryan pulled off a shocker when he dethroned AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, ending an impressive title run of 371 days. As a result of the victory, Bryan was added to the Champion vs. Champion match against Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. Since winning the belt thanks to a low blow, Bryan’s attitude has been a problem, and this was again displayed when he taunted “The Beast,” dancing around him until he was finally clubbed by a hard righthand.
Bryan, with a history of concussion problems, was then dumped squarely on his head courtesy of Suplex City. Like a lion picking apart his prey, Lesnar knocked Bryan from pillar to post before looking to put him away with an F-5. Unfortunately for Lesnar, the referee was caught up in the move, allowing Bryan to illegally whack the former UFC Champ below the belt. This cheap shot provided the “YES Man” with an advantage, and he made the most of it.
Could he pull off an upset? It certainly seemed possible when the WWE Champion looked for a submission, but in the end, Lesnar would find the all-important F-5 and put Bryan away for the victory and a clean sheet for RAW on the main card.
This match turned out to be one of Brock’s most physical matches in recent memory and a provided a great showing for Daniel Bryan, but in the end RAW won the bragging rights and beat SmackDown 6-0 at Survivor Series.
