A lot of times, WWE's feigned attempt at creating brand competition tends to be boring and tedious. But there are some good matches that emerge as a result of this forced "once a year" storyline. The best example is 2016's Raw vs. SmackDown Live Survivor Series Match featuring 5 members of each brand facing off. The question was would anyone really care once the bell rang? Well, I think you can definitely say that the answer was a resounding "YES!"
Let's do this!
WWE Survivor Series 2016
11/20/2016
Team SmackDown Live (AJ Styles, Shane McMahon, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, and Bray Wyatt) (w/James Ellsworth as Team Mascot) vs. Team Raw (Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins)
Here's a video WWE posted on 11/8/18 with the full match:
The bell rings. The WWE Universal Champion, Kevin Owens, and the WWE World Champion, AJ Styles, start off the match. Owens gets a side headlock in. Loud dueling chants from the crowd. Both men miss signature moves as they stand off and begin throwing fists. Again, both men avoid the other's big moves. "Stupid idiot" chants from the audience leads to a tag to Chris Jericho by Kevin Owens. AJ hits Jericho with a dropkick a few seconds later. Jericho and Seth Rollins have an argument, and Jericho pushes Rollins to tag him in. Dean Ambrose tags himself in on Styles. It's now Ambrose vs. Rollins. Both men try to get an early advantage and dodge each other's moves. Stalemate. Jericho tags himself in.
Jericho yells at Ambrose about destroying his jacket earlier this year. "YOU OWE ME $15,000!!!!!" Ambrose and Jericho go back and forth. More reversals and move avoiding. Enziguri by Jericho only gets a 1 count. Jericho was asking for a tag, but his teammates basically tell him "No. You got this one." Ambrose fires back with punches in the corner. Tag to Shane O'Mac. Potato punches. Flying back elbow by Shane. Arm drags by Shane. Jericho catches Shane with a dropkick off the corner. Tag to Rollins who continues the advantage. Then Reigns gets tagged in to a chorus of boos. Clotheslines in the corner by Reigns to Shane. Tag to Rollins. Jumping fist drop to McMahon as Reigns held up Shane. Rollins continues the attack until Shane gets a big back bodydrop.
Ambrose and Owens get tagged in. Dean and Kevin trade in shots. Cannonball attempt is met with a clothesline and a dive to the floor on Kevin Owens. Pop-Up Powerbomb is avoided. Jericho runs in and stops Ambrose from hitting Dirty Deeds. And everyone comes into the ring. And it's chaos in the ring now. Ambrose dives out on Strowman, but he just catches him. An awkward moment as Strowman carries Dean into position for AJ to hit a Slingshot Forearm to Strowman on one of the other sides of the ring while still holding Ambrose. Owens climbs up to the top and does a Cannonball off the top rope onto the pile of Raw and SmackDown superstars. Shane McMahon goes up, but Strowman just throws Shane into the ring. Ambrose and Styles gang up on Strowman. Shane nails a diving clothesline to the big guy sending both to the floor. Rollins and Reigns come in and get knocked out of the ring by Styles and Ambrose. Now, Styles and Ambrose start bickering. Shane tries to break them up as they start fighting. AJ blasts Ambrose from behind. Strowman nails the running powerslam on Dean. 1-2-3!
Dean Ambrose has been eliminated.
And now, Strowman just throws Shane in to make him legal for SmackDown Live. Shane tries to fight the big man, but Strowman has absolutely none of it. Running splash into the corner by Strowman. Styles just gets launched to the floor by Strowman. RKO blocked and Orton gets annihilated too. Bray Wyatt gets in the way of Braun attacking Randy. (Strowman was a member of the Wyatt Family before the brand split.) Jericho is now yelling at Braun. He grabs both Bray and Jericho by the throat. He attacks Bray and nails a running dropkick, sending Wyatt to the floor. Braun tears up a table at ringside and has bad intentions until... RKO OUTTA NOWHERE ON THE TABLE! Orton and Bray double team on Strowman and prepare another table. Braun is placed on the table as Shane climbs the corner! FLYING ELBOW OFF THE TOP ROPE TO BRAUN STROWMAN THROUGH THE TABLE!!! That spot never gets old! Reigns and Rollins run around fighting SmackDown Live stars, and there are bodies everywhere. "THIS IS AWESOME" chant from the crowd. AJ is checking on Shane and throws him in the ring. Braun is at the apron, but he can't get his feet up to get on the apron.
Braun Strowman has been eliminated.
James Ellsworth was under the ring and held Strowman's feet to get him counted out. The poor human turtle runs for his life but trips up the ramp. Strowman gets him and tosses him off the stage through a table with a bunch of equipment. Dang.
Jericho tries to cover Shane, but Shane kicks out. 4-4 right now for both teams. Tag to Kevin Owens. Running senton to Shane. Cover for a 2 count. Tag back to Jericho. Dropkick for a 2. Rest hold on Shane. Lionsault by Jericho. Rollup by Shane for a 2. Codebreaker! Codebreaker to Orton who ran in. 1-2-KICKOUT! Shane was saved by Orton's interference. Tag by Seth Rollins to Jericho. Stomps to Shane. Tag to Jericho. He climbs the corner but misses a flying splash. Shane crawls over to the corner and tags Styles. Styles attacks Jericho. Ushigaroshe to Jericho (nod to Hirooki Goto). 1-2-Kickout. Calf Crusher by Styles to Jericho. Jericho grabs Styles' head and smacks it against the mat to break the hold. Styles almost rolls up Jericho for a 3. Styles hits Owens in the corner. Owens responds by running in and hitting Styles with THE LIST OF JERICHO! POP-UP POWERBOMB! He's been DQ'ed!
Kevin Owens has been eliminated.
(A rare instance where the team captain is eliminated prior to the final fall of the match. Bonus point for that.)
Jericho is upset and notices his list is all over the ring! And he goes nuts about the destruction of his prized possession's destruction! RKO!!!! 1-2-3!
Chris Jericho has been eliminated.
It's now 4-2 with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns being all that is left of Team Raw. Roman and Rollins look at each other like "Damn." Rollins goes in to wrestle Orton. Snap Slam by Orton. 2 count. Bray is tagged in and goes to work on Rollins. Running splash into the corner. Orton tags himself back in and goes after Seth Rollins. Rollins is put on the top rope in the SmackDown Live corner. SUPERPLEX!!!!!! Both men are so hurt that Rollins is able to get to the corner and tag in Roman. Samoan Drop to Orton, Wyatt, and Styles. Styles is legal as well. Razor's Edge... NO. CRUCIFIX POWERBOMB! 1-2-Kickout by Styles. The Superman Punch is cocked and ready for contact. Styles catches him with a kick. Tag to Shane O'Mac. Shane unloads with punches to Roman. Float-over DDT to Roman!!! Rollins leaps in and gets clotheslined for his trouble. Shane grabs Rollins' leg and uses his own knee to bash his head in. Wow. Spinebuster to Seth Rollins. He rams Roman into the ringpost. Roman is sitting in the corner. Shane climbs the corner on the opposite side of the ring. He goes for the Coast to Coast, but Roman SPEARS HIM MIDAIR!!!! It looked like their heads collided, and Shane is freaking out of it. The referee counts, but Shane's shoulders are up. He legitimately is knocked the hell out here, and the referee just says he's done. This is scary as Shane just has the emptiest look in his eyes. The lights are out, and there is no one home at this point. The referee calls for trainers and other staff.
Shane McMahon is eliminated.
The wrestlers work on the outside while the medics and the referees check on Shane. Shane is on his feet getting helped to the back by the medics as the wrestlers work back into the ring. Styles is seen on camera asking if Shane is going to be alright before going back to the apron. It's Wyatt and Roman in the ring at the moment. Orton is coming back to the apron and tags in. (This may be where Orton reportedly broke character and told Shane's kids that he was going to be ok.) Bray is back in but gets caught with a big clothesline. Tags to Styles and Rollins. Rollins hits a blockbuster to Styles. Rollins dives at Bray Wyatt on the floor. Styles and Rollins continue to try to catch the other. Styles is on the corner. Rollins climbs up AND NAILS A SUPERPLEX/FALCON ARROW COMBINATION! Orton breaks up the cover and gets thrown on the floor. Orton and Roman are now fighting on the floor. Rollins joins in. They point at one of the announce tables. Roman says to do the other table left standing at ringside. And wouldn't you know it? It's the Spanish Announce Table. Styles breaks up whatever they were going for. Styles is in the ring and poses. HERE COMES AMBROSE!!! Ambrose jumps Styles and starts beating him down in and out of the ring. Referees are trying to stop Ambrose from beating up on Styles. Rollins and Reigns see this and help Dean fight off security. It's a Cross-Brand SHIELD REUNION!!!! THEY DO THE TRIPLE POWERBOMB TO AJ STYLES THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE!!!! Rollins rolls Styles in the ring and gets the pin.
AJ Styles has been eliminated.
(I love this moment as it just shows the different storylines that are going on on both shows coming together. Plus it gives the fans a SHIELD reunion on their 4th anniversary on the main roster.)
Roman and Rollins are in the ring waiting for Wyatt and Orton to come in the ring. They just pace the ringside area. HERE'S LUKE HARPER!!!! And now, it's an old SHIELD tactic by The Wyatt Family to Rollins and Reigns. Orton tosses Roman to the floor. In the ring, it's Rollins and Wyatt. Luke knocks out Roman on the floor. Sling Blade in the ring by Rollins and a RUNNING SENTON DIVE TO THE FLOOR ON HARPER!!! He landed on his feet and runs back in the ring to attack Wyatt. Orton gets kicked in the shoulder. Bray gets superkicked by Rollins. He climbs to the top and dives.... INTO AN RKO OUTTA NOWHERE!!!!!!!!! Bray Wyatt covers! 1-2-3!
Seth Rollins has been eliminated.
It is now Roman Reigns alone against Orton and Wyatt (with Luke Harper at ringside). "Let's Go SmackDown" chants from the crowd. It's Bray and Roman in the ring. Roman Superman Punches Randy and sends Bray out to the floor. Roman is fighting off both men. He tosses Orton into the steps and throws Bray into the rail. Drive-By by Roman to Wyatt. SPEAR TO LUKE HARPER. Roman gets Bray in the ring and nails a Superman Punch. Wyatt crumbles. Roman goes for the spear, and Orton runs in between him and Wyatt to take the spear. SISTER ABIGAIL! 1-2-3! SmackDown Live Wins!
Roman Reigns has been eliminated.
Winners: Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt (Team SmackDown Live)
Match Grade: A+. That was an amazing match and probably the best Survivor Series match ever put together. All 10 men had moments to shine in this one, and the layout of the match allowed for a lot of creativity. The great thing was that they didn't try to make everyone get together in a way that suspended whatever each show had going on. Instead, they incorporated the storylines into the match and allowed the heels to be heels and the faces to be faces on both sides. Hell, even Luke Harper and James Ellsworth got a moment in the sun despite not even being in the match. Survivor Series 2016 itself is a great event with a lot of great matches and moments, but this was the highlight of the entire show and perhaps the event's best namesake match.
_ _ _ _ _ _
Next time on the Survivor Series edition of UnWrest Focus, I review a match from the 1996 Survivor Series. No, it's not the overstated debut of Rocky Maivia. No, it's not even the classic Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin match (I'll be doing that feud later). Instead, I'm reviewing the match where the Boyhood Dream came to an end. I think you can put 2 and 2 together on this.
Until then, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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