WWE Survivor Series WarGames

A company that started off with perhaps the worst it has ever looked in years, Triple H turned the tides on its head, ending a very pivotal year for the company under hopes that it will only grow better from here, while I may enjoy AEW for the wrestlers' indie-rific in-ring match quality and the long-term storytelling of NJPW, Triple H has a goal to perfectly mesh the two in perhaps what has in the last few months probably been the Promotion of the Year by a long shot. Picturesque Premium-Live-Event, proving War-Games a stipulation to be the forefront of Survivor Series henceforth and even without, has enough to develop storylines elsewise. Fulfilled during its very compact runtime and a handful of matches that remained solid throughout.

• Team Bianca Belair def. Team Damage CTRL:

Ever since I made a Letterboxd account writing reviews for wrestling shows, the constant theme of Bayley taking the L looms over it, it did however make sense of it for her to move on from the title picture, and to move on to better things which there are not enough in the Women's Division as the constant burial does affect the credibility of the group as a whole. Though there isn't any particular individual performance to take away from the initial Women's WarGames match in the main roster as everyone played their part rather well, the lack of a story or any direction going forward does hurt some of its credibility, though an Asuka-Iyo singles match-up is certainly needed. ⭐⭐⭐¾

• AJ Styles def. Finn Balor:

Perhaps I expected too much but having the two go at it without any distractions, a trademark lamented by Judgement Day. However, not only the attendees outside were taken care of, but Styles and Balor had what they can call as a mat classic as I do not really recall either of them leaving the ring (then again there were 2 rings but besides the point). A technical match that makes sense through out, Finn's agonizing selling only to have ended with an abrupt ending where it could have gotten more, but from what was seen, this was enough to get a 4 star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Ronda Rousey def. Shotzi:

I kept on calling it bathroom break, but I didn't expect either of them to defecate on the match as well. Horrendous, incoherent and uninteresting as the crowd showed, guess I was giving Liv much less credit than I needed to when she carried Ronda to a good match months prior. ⭐½

• Austin Theory def. Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley:

I wonder whatever happened to the "Austin Theory is buried" suggestions and outcries from fickle Wrestling fans, who need to be spoon fed without any long-term development of a character who is perhaps the latest mega-star in the making. If anything, this being booked in a way where neither of the men ever needed to slow a paced match, a finish that does not underwhelm either of the former champions, maneuvers that look flashy under no overexaggerating of moves that would not make sense and a result that solidifies Theory into upper-mid-card-main-event status. A great match that balances storytelling and match quality, a Premium-Live-Event with Rollins in it and does not deliver? Quite the contraire for my Wrestler of the Year. ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

• Bloodline def. Brawling Brutes, Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens:

Alluding toward the end on the Wrestler of the Year category deadlocked on Rollins, a case can be however made for Sheamus and Roman Reigns respectively, that week in week out have been nothing short of but "....banger after banger after banger after banger after." Nevertheless, the whole ethos of the match has been built around Sami Zayn and the heartbreaking decision on where his allegiance lies, commendable and noticing how cute the aftermath of Jey Uso finally coming to terms with him is, an uppercut around his Best Friend's groins is just as impactful emotionally as much as it sounds. A brilliant story driven match, carried by the emotions throughout, ending for more cravings after. A very Ucey main-event indeed. ⭐⭐⭐⭐¾

⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (9.0/10)

Fun fact: while this isn't the first WWE PPV I saw, it's the first one I ever saw live, so that's neat. Anyway, on to the review.

What an event. I've always been a bit iffy on checking out recent PPVs since I've never heard many great things, but since Triple H has taken over and proven himself to do a damn good job at creative, I wanted to tune in on the next one I could: which was this one. And damn. Am I glad I did. The entire concept of the War Games match is brilliant, as the idea of a 5 vs. 5 match with 2 rings locked into a cannot-escape cage until someone submits or is pinned is one that I hope the WWE sticks with for good. Both of the matches, Bianca's team vs. Damage Ctrl and company, as well as the Brawling Brutes and company vs. The Bloodline, were incredible, and a couple of the most engaging matches I've seen in recent memory. Each in ring performer did an outstanding job at displaying heart, passion, pain, courage, and treachery, and they all made it seem all the more legit and heart pounding.

Of course, that last comment doesn't just go for the ones who competed in the war games, as the rest of the card was relatively awesome as well. The angle they went with by having 2 former best friends: AJ Styles and Finn Balor, was awesome, and the match itself was, as well, as the 2 men (and their respective managers/tag team mates at ringside) did a phenomenal job-see what I did there? Same can be said for the other 2 non-War Games matches, as the triple threat match between Austin Theory, Bobby Lashley, and Seth Rollins for the US championship was one of the most entertaining and back and forth affairs I've seen in a while. The match between Ronda Rousey and Shotzi for the Smackdown Women's championship was the only match that felt a bit lacking, but it was helped immensely thanks to the backstory given to it, as it was also a revenge story. I just wish it went on longer and ended differently. Though, again, the talent of each woman involved cannot be understated, as they were awesome and showed the grit necessary to make the viewer invested.

Mix all of that with the just awesome inclusion of Ozzy Osbourne not only announcing the show briefly, but also recreating himself singing along to "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath (which could not have been a more perfect theme, nice job guys. Seriously), and what you've got here is a damn good time from start to finish. My only issues with this event are the length and the circumstances. While the War Games were undoubtedly amazing and lasted long, I feel like the event could've benefited greatly with more non-War Games matches, as 3 seemed a bit low. I know the event was already more than 3 hours long, but I would've maybe thrown in 1 or 2 more, because with 5 matches total, it left me wanting a bit more. Also, the circumstances make this event one that may not age the best, because, as we all know, the storylines within the WWE change pretty fast. While that's not an issue in and of itself, of course, some big things that did happen here (which I won't say just in case anyone hasn't seen it yet) may or may not take away from these great matches in time. This isn't to take away from the incredible performances put on here from start to finish, but it's still something worth noting.

Aside from that, this was a damn good show, and if this is the new standard of WWE PPVs, you bet I will most definitely tune into the next one. If you haven't seen this, I highly recommend it. It's not only filled with memorable moments, but it's also filled with plenty of carnage, and the talent who made it all happen deserve all of the kudos in the world. I can only dream of doing the things they are able to do.