Survivor Series 2014: One Great Main Event Rescues a Thin Undercard

The four-way tag-title opener gives Survivor Series an energetic start and benefits enormously from Damien Mizdow's popularity. Goldust and Stardust work from the champion position, The Usos supply the fastest offense, and Los Matadores keep the match moving through frequent legal-man changes. Miz spends much of the bout trying to control when Mizdow can participate, which gives the championship action an easy character hook without overwhelming it. The finish pays that story off when an Uso lands a Samoan Splash on Goldust and Mizdow steals the pin before Miz can capitalize. The title change is opportunistic but clean within the four-way rules. It is a good opener with a memorable crowd payoff, even if the division's actual championship story remains secondary to Mizdow's comedy momentum.

The women's traditional elimination match is competently structured and gives several wrestlers defined moments, but the clean sweep prevents the contest from developing much suspense. Naomi eliminates Cameron, Alicia Fox removes Layla, Emma submits Summer Rae and Naomi finishes Paige, leaving all four members of Team Natalya alive. That sequence keeps the match easy to follow and gives Naomi the strongest individual spotlight. The problem is competitive balance. Once Team Paige starts losing members without answering back, the outcome feels increasingly inevitable rather than dramatic. The fourteen-minute runtime is useful and the match respects the Survivor Series format, which already puts it above token undercard filler. It remains a solid showcase rather than a memorable elimination classic.

Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt wrestle a strong grudge match that is deliberately designed not to finish their rivalry. Wyatt slows the pace with heavier offense and character work, while Ambrose creates the match's bursts of violence and urgency. The crowd remains invested because both wrestlers feel volatile enough that the bout could collapse into chaos at any moment. That is exactly what happens when Ambrose uses a chair and is disqualified. The post-match attack escalates through Dirty Deeds on the chair, a diving elbow through a table and Ambrose burying Wyatt beneath furniture before climbing a ladder. The wrestling is good, but the non-finish turns the pay-per-view match into an advertisement for the TLC rematch rather than a satisfying destination.

Adam Rose and The Bunny against Slater-Gator is a two-and-a-half-minute comedy segment placed in the middle of a Big Four pay-per-view. The match is intentionally light, with The Bunny receiving the crowd reaction and Rose increasingly annoyed that his mascot is becoming the center of attention. Heath Slater and Titus O'Neil provide the heel opposition, but there is no meaningful competitive structure before the finish arrives. The Bunny lands a missile dropkick on Slater and scores the pin, continuing the tension with Rose. The segment succeeds at advancing that small character story and ends quickly enough not to derail the show. As a wrestling match, however, it offers almost no substance, stakes or reason to revisit it outside the novelty of the gimmick.

Nikki Bella's Divas Championship victory lasts only thirty-three seconds, so the historical title change carries far more weight than the wrestling itself. Brie Bella immediately kisses AJ Lee on the apron, distracting the champion and echoing the famous WrestleMania XXVIII finish involving Daniel Bryan. Nikki follows with the Rack Attack and pins AJ before a real match can develop. The result gives Nikki the championship and keeps the Bella storyline central, but it also reduces AJ's title loss to a single interference gag. There is no opportunity for either wrestler to build momentum, establish a competitive story or create suspense. The segment is memorable because of the surprise and championship change, not because it functions as a satisfying pay-per-view match.

The forty-three-minute main event gives Survivor Series 2014 nearly all of its lasting reputation. The eliminations steadily reshape the match, beginning with Mark Henry's fifty-second exit and eventually leaving Dolph Ziggler alone after Big Show knocks out John Cena and betrays the team. Ziggler then eliminates Kane and Luke Harper, survives repeated Authority interference and appears finished when Triple H attacks the referee. Sting's WWE debut changes everything. He confronts Triple H, drops him with the Scorpion Death Drop and places Ziggler over Seth Rollins for the final pin. The match combines comeback drama, a genuine surprise debut and a meaningful stipulation payoff. Ziggler emerges as the sole survivor, while The Authority is removed from power.