TV Show Review 015 WWE Survivor Series PPV Recap & Review 112215

WWE Survivor Series in Atlanta, Georgia 112215 [1993->] 4.5/5

} In Ring + The longstanding announcer Lilian Garcia gave a proper opening by singing the American National Anthem, to some patriotic audiences and a few who appeared not so. (* Patriotism Boost *)

> Running Thread: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament

1. Roman Reigns vs Alberto del Rio /US Champion\ with Zeb Colter [1st Match of the Semifinal]

+ With the title ever so close for both competitors, they were understandably on edge and careful to not make any mistake. Roman Reigns had a slight edge but Alberto del Rio had to be sneaky to cancel him out and when he was resisting, he had to be smart by using his ring awareness to keep him down. It proved to be an effective method and when Roman accidentally injured his shoulder on the steel post, the Mexican tried to capitalize but failed miserably by jumping off the ring past the evading Samoan. Reigns began the fightback with a Drive-By and a couple knocks in front of the announcer's table with continuing assaults in the ring but when he lined up his Superman Punch, del Rio countered it with his own Backstabber resulting in a near fall. With the tide moving back to Alberto's side, he piled it on the former SHIELD member but his attempt for a Superkick was countered yet again with a Samoan Drop. As the melee moved on to the top of the turnbuckle, the counters kept coming in when Roman's Superplex was countered with an attempt of Alberto's Double Stomps which missed again and allowed his opponent to land a Superman Punch. When the crowd-favourite tried to end it with a Spear, the see-saw dynamic was still alive when the heel landed a Superkick and the match was far from over when the US Champion's Rolling Cross Armbreaker attempt was countered with a Sit-Up Powerbomb. When he least expected it, del Rio sneaked in the submission attempt to Reigns' shock but he did tremendously to get out of that and as he tried to recover, he ducked under his opponent and finally landed the elusive Spear, earning himself the spot in the Tournament's Final.

(Roman Reigns won by pin fall [Spear], Rating = 4.5/5, Duration = 14m 06s, +1 to Roman's & Alberto's form)

} Backstage + Jojo tried to interview the still recuperating Roman Reigns who was congratulated by his longstanding friend, Dean Ambrose who returned the good gesture by wishing him good luck for his own match. The same couldn't be said about the opponent, Kevin Owens, who appeared to remind Roman in his own way how close he got to the Title before and it would be his turn to be on his way this time around. (+1 to Kevin's persona)

2. Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens /Intercontinental Champion\ [2nd Match of the Semifinal]

+ The champion tried to overpower everything in his path in the opening exchange but the former SHIELD member used his quickness and agility to outmaneuver the other wrestler in the ring. Both of them got the chance to apply some finishes but it was the former who got the upper hand on the latter, dominating the flow of the match and taking any chance he can to taunt the crowd as well as the crowd-favourite. When headlocks and hard knocks were not enough to keep him down, the Lunatic Fringe kept fighting with a Side Body Drop, then evading the Back Body Splash and simultaneous Clotheslines. With both on a leveled playing field, they exchanged punches and blows right after they stood up, it was Ambrose that got the near fall when he landed a Heightened Elbow Drop after he got out of the way of Kevin's Heightened Moonsault. They then started to change blows at the top turnbuckle and now it was Owens's turn to land a Twisting Superplex but again it was only a near fall, to his chagrin. When Dean started to retaliate, he jumped through the ropes on top of the champion but when presented with another opportunity, he took it but Kevin was prepared to catch him and throw him on top of the announcer's table. The end was nigh as he tried to land his Pump-Up Powerbomb with a couple of head kicks but it wasn't enough to keep the Lunatic Fringe down as he countered the second attempt and hooked in his Dirty Deed to finally end the match, confirming the Title Match to be between two former SHIELD members and current best friends.
(Dean Ambrose won by p/f [Dirty Deeds], R = 4.5/5, D = 11m 20s, +1 to Kevin's & Dean's form)

3. 5 on 5 Tag Team Elimination Match > Ryback, Lucha Dragons & the Usos vs Sheamus, the New Day & King Barrett [Survivor Series Traditional Elimination Match]

+ With the crowd pumped up by the arrival of the first team of babyfaces, it was time for the New Day to make an entrance that only they can: mentioning (or rather dissing) the crowd and their opponents while applauding themselves and their tag team partners for the day, although the Mohawk tried to join in the fun but failed miserably.

+ As per tradition as it seemed, Xavier Woods started the match again but all on his mind was his hairdo (mind you, that was a great set of hair) but the Uso brother he was wrestling with was having none of it as their team dominated the early exchange. This was culminated in the throwing of their opponents off the ring and they simultaneously jump off the apron together on top of them, with the Big Guy also surprisingly joining in on the fun. With most of the wrestlers still on the mat, Jay Uso tried to capitalize on the situation but with the help of referee's distraction by Sheamus, King Barrett was able to make him lose his footing and fall on top of the top rope, giving them the chance to control the flow. After a Unicorn Stampede and an obligatory celebratory dance by the New Day and the King, they appeared to be in control but that was before the battered Uso pulled out a Spinning Kick to enable him to tag in the fresher Uso who quickly got the better of Woods. When Barrett tried to interfere and succeeded, he quickly tagged himself in but it wasn't long before he was on the receiving end of Jimmy's Superkick and Sin Cara's Senton Bomb from the top rope. ("King Barrett has been eliminated", 5-4)

The babyfaces got some time to shine and the Lucha Dragon's great double team move was the highlight but it was Kofi and Xavier's double team that proved effective when Jimmy made the mistake to go to the opponent's corner. ("Jimmy Uso has been eliminated", 4-4) Sin Cara came in quickly to took advantage of the still livid Woods but in the confusion, he didn't notice Big E tagging in and he was rewarded with a Big Spear off the ring and then a Brogue Kick by Sheamus. ("Sin Cara has been eliminated", 3-4) When the Mohawk was scolded by the New Day member for tagging himself in before, Ryback came in to dispatch the Scottish and although he tried to fight back, the combining teamwork of the whole three babyfaces managed to tame the Big E into submission. ("Big E has been eliminated", 3-3) The New Day seemed truly shocked with that elimination and all of them moved out of the arena together to 'cater to the injured', both of them getting counted out in the process and leaving the Money in the Bank winner to fend the others himself. He did a good job dominating over the smaller Calisto but the former arrogance allowed the latter to land an acrobatic kick to the head and tagged in the remaining Uso twin. Jay was able to apply some of his finishes but an Irish Curse forced him to give Ryback a shot on the Celtic Warrior and his explosive power was effective against the diminishing energy of Sheamus who had to dig deep to stop the Big Guy in his tracks. As he desperately tried to land his finishing move, Ryback was able to counter it and with the help of the nimble Calisto, Jay landed a Superkick and it was followed by the Big Guy's Shellshock.

(the babyfaces won by p/f [Shellshock], R = 4.5/5, D = 17m 35s, +1 to the babyfaces' form, +1 for an entertaining match & +1 for the babyfaces' matching gear)

> Running Thread: Divas Championship Title Match

4. Paige vs Charlotte /Divas Champion\ 

+ The challenger seemed cautious at the beginning of the match although she played quite a mind game leading into this encounter but the champion certainly affected by it with her holding onto her tightly and tried to ground her whenever she can. Paige had to used her ring awareness to her advantage by catching Charlotte at the ropes and pushing her into the steel post, earning her the upper hand in the grappling exchange. As much as she screamed about earning her title back, the second generation wrestler was able to fight out of the young blood's submission and an early attempt for her finishing move was countered with a Roll-Up and a kick to the face. With Paige's constant attempt to mock her competitor's father's legacy, her own attempt to execute a Figure Four Leg Lock was countered by Charlotte's own Leg Lock, both of them screaming in pain and agony as they rolled closer to the ringside. When they were there, the champion held onto the submission at the ropes as long as she could according to the referee's counts and the challenger's attempt to kick her was countered again with a Facebuster right onto the side apron, giving her mocking response a little credence. She then proceeded to lay it onto the downed wrestler with a little flair of her own father but a lot more of her own as Charlotte dominated Paige with the use of her legs to inflict more pain and attempt a unique take of a headlock.

+ Although she was able to show off her athleticism by throwing her all over the ring and ended it with a kick up for good measure, she wasn't enjoying none of it since this feud had been made personal by her former friend. As her anger arose, three direct spears to Paige's stomach was to be followed by the fourth but it was not to be when her intended target moved out of the way quickly enough for her land straight into the opposing steel post. This was the turning point of the match as the British started to dominate and kept down the American with a variety of submission moves and hard knocks but it was still not enough to keep the determined champion down. A neckbreaker was enough to level things up again as they started to exchange punches in the middle of the ring but the edge was earned by Charlotte's Spear but Paige smartly moved out of the ring repeatedly to recuperate and took her chance when she could to use the ringside to her advantage. When she felt the need to shout to the world her prowess on top of the barricade, she left herself vulnerable to another Spear which left her unable to fight out of the champion's submission attempt, from a Figure Four Leg Lock to finally her signature Figure Eight which Paige was forced to oblige with.

(Charlotte won by submission [Figure 8], R = 4.5/5, D = 14m 16s, +1 to the champion's & the challenger's form & +1 for an entertaining match)

} Backstage + Jojo interviewed Dean Ambrose who earned his spot in the Final but had to fight his own longtime friend, Roman Reigns, and he mentioned their close friendship together but the title was certainly at the top of both people's list, no matter who they had to go through to get it. (+1 for their friendship)

5. Tyler Breeze with Summer Rae vs Dolph Ziggler

+ This was a unique showdown between an up and coming wrestler full of potential and a seasoned wrestler who filled his own potential and then some, both of them mirroring each other in the way of their personas and styles. With the latter tried to teach a lesson to the former, he did well to lead the exchange but only for a little while when Tyler first used Summer Rae as a shield and then used the ropes to his advantage, earning him the leg up against the initial flow of the match. There was always a little flair in every Breeze's move as he attempted a Half Boston Crab but Ziggler was able to get to the ropes and Prince Pretty's followup move was countered by the Showoff's Dropkick. As he got a surge of energy and started to fight back, it was still early for Dolph to execute his finishing move as both of them started to exchange a continuous pin attempts with even a cheating attempt by Tyler which was caught by the referee. The following melee was won by the senior wrestler but his Heartbreak Kid homage was caught by the junior and he moved smartly to the ropes after evading the second attempt to gain a timeout and he slyly attacked his opponent's injured leg for him to line up his finishing move, the Unprettier.
(Tyler Breeze won by p/f [Unprettier], R = 3.5/5, D = 6m 41s, +1 to both form)

> Running Thread: the Wyatt Family versus the Brothers of Destruction

6. Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper vs Kane & the Undertaker

+ With both of the teams made their entrance, the latter certainly still instilled fear as it was evident on the leader's face that it was. Eric Rowan's attempt to jump the gun was quickly extinguished with the Brothers' Double Boot and Double Chokeslam, forcing Bray Wyatt to rethink his plan and surprisingly included himself in the match beside Luke Harper instead of the obvious stronger Braun Strawman.

+ The underling tried to start the exchange well but was overwhelmed by Kane but when the Undertaker was tagged in to the joy of the crowd and went to execute his Old School move, Luke fought out of it and quickly let the leader took over. It was only for a moment before the Phenom pulled out a Lariat to the Eater of Worlds' surprise who quickly tagged out and letting Harper ran into the legend's Uppercut and finally the crowd favourite's Old School. The Undertaker followed it with his vintage move, the Leg Drop at the ringside, and his brother tried to follow up on his effort but he was smartly moved to the Family's ringside and got blindsided by Strowman with a throw to the announcer's table. Now it was to Wyatt's advantage to keep beating down the downed Demon as his Family continued in the ring but a temporary fightback forced Bray to use a Bodycheck and as he intended to execute a Sister Abigail while mocking the Phenom, Kane fought out of it and managed to land a DDT to create a stalemate.

+ With the audiences cheering behind them, the pumped up Undertaker started to lay it on Luke Harper and when he tried to execute him with a Choke Slam, Wyatt came in to interfere and ran straight into his own choke but the legend has to punch off  Braun at the ringside, leaving him opened to be Clotheslined out of the ring himself. As Kane Double Clotheslines the Wyatt members in the ring, he quickly came down to help his brother to put the biggest threat out of commission with a Double Chokeslam on the other announcer's table to the crowd's delight. The Undertaker moved his attention back into the ring, the referee's attention was on Kane who was not the legal man and this allowed Luke to land a Superkick and Bray to execute his Sister Abigail on the Phenom, resulting in two counts only because of his brother's interference. He proceeded to Uppercut the leader out of the ring and leaving him free for Harper's Discus Clothesline, leaving the Family felt to have the upper hand and when they tried to line up their finishes, both brothers rose up to life in their signature way, look at the remaining members straight in the eyes and Chokeslams both of them down on the mat. This gave the Undertaker the chance to finally end the match ceremoniously with his Tombstone Piledriver on the unfortunate Luke Harper.

(the Brothers of Destruction won by p/f  [Tombstone Piledriver],  D= 10m 19s, R=4.5/5, +1 to the Brother's form, +1 for an entertaining match, +1 to the amazing appreciating crowd & +1 to the Undertaker for an amazing 25 years career)

> Running Thread: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament

7. Roman Reigns vs  Dean Ambrose [Final]

+ What a situation these two best friends to be in in light of their former team member's injury with their history together making it one of the most intriguing storyline in recent times. This match would witness their amazing journey came to a collision with a no nonsense motive behind it at all and it may only came down to the best man winning the title. Both of them appeared to be obliging by going at it by trading blows and showing prowess over each other with Roman Reigns came on top first with his strength and stature while Dean Ambrose then used his agility and skills to bog down the bigger opponent. His armbar was fought out with a Powerbomb from the top turnbuckle and a following Sit-Up Powerbomb that earned the Samoan a temporary control before he also was countered with a Powerbomb but the Lunatic Fringe's followup from the top rope was met in mid air with a Superman Punch which he kicked out of.

+ Another attempt by Roman was unsuccessful and he met Dean's Clothesline instead but he managed to pull a Spear out to keep it leveled for the time being. As both of them tried to recuperate, Reigns was trying to line up his Spear again but there's still life in Ambrose as he kicked out of the first attempt and moved out of the second, letting the approaching Spear went straight into the steel post as he tried to roll him up and then executed his Dirty Deed, but to no avail and to his surprise and frustration. As he tried to stand up but ended up on the ground again, they were both sitting beside each other and it started with a rather friendly shoulder bump which was followed with face shoving and then big punches as they stood while still trading haymakers with the crowd reacting to each blow. They were both appeared to be beating each other with every ounce of their energy at the end of a tiring night and a knee to the mid section was met with another knee to Roman's abdomen and the match was still in the balance as they both got a chance to beat the other at the turnbuckle. When Ambrose appeared to have a slight edge, his followup run to the opposing corner was met halfway with a devastating Spear from Reigns, earning him deservedly the elusive three count and finally the WWE Heavyweight Championship.

(Roman Reigns won by p/f [Spear], R = 5/5, D = 09m 03s, +1 to both's form and +1 for their friendship)

} Post-Match + Emotions ran high as Roman Reigns hold the coveted title in his hands as his efforts were finally rewarded as he is congratulated by his SHIELD teammate Dean Ambrose. When he tried to bask in the moment, the confetti and the limelight, the COO, Triple H, came out to also congratulate the new champion but the Samoan was skeptical and having none of it because of the way he treated him before. When he appeared to offer a handshake as a sign of respect, Roman turned his back on him and with another look at the title in his hands that he won by himself with no help from anyone at all, he felt the need to land a Spear on legend as a payback to the surprise and delight of the crowd. When he was still focusing on the downed Hemsley, he didn't notice the slight change of the audience's reaction until it was too late when he turned around to be met with Sheamus's Brogue Kick out of nowhere.

> Running Thread: Money in the Bank Contract for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

8. Roman Reigns /WWE Champion\ vs Sheamus /Money in the Bank Winner\

+ The Money in the Bank winner finally took this moment to cash in his contract that earned him a WWE Title match and with the champion appeared down for the count thanks for his blindsided attack, the announcement had to come first and then the bell but that valuable seconds maybe allowed the current champion the time to regain his strength or it was just a pure instinct move and kicked out the pin. To the shock and dismay of the Scottish, he was livid to the referee for the count and as he lined up his followup Kick, Roman Reigns slowly got back to his feet and as a last gasp move, he moved out of the way of the first attempt but couldn't do anything about the second one that landed perfectly for the challenger. What a rollercoaster ride for the crowd and the announcers as they saw the title changed hand in a matter of seconds and they jeered throughout the mayhem while only the COO congratulated the Celtic Warrior with the now former champion at his feet.

(Sheamus won by p/f [Brogue Kick], R = 5/5, D = 00m 37s, +1 to Sheamus's persona for picking the right time at the right place, +1 for one hell of a shock)

"A fitting performance by the Brothers of Destruction in the honour of the Dead Man's 25th anniversary with an entertaining Survivor Series Five on Five Elimination Match that took a back seat for the amazing tournament that culminated in a one hell of a finale."

(WWE Channel, Rating - TV-PG, Founded 02211980, Episodes >>, Founders Vince & Linda McMahon, Duration - 2 hrs 15+ mnts, Genre - Wrestling, Action, Drama, Comedy, WWE Universe, Violence)