Survivor Series 2017: Lesnar and Styles Deliver While Triple H Hijacks the Ending

The opener succeeds because both teams wrestle like complete units rather than six singles stars sharing a ring. New Day control Ambrose with rapid tags and layered combination offense, while Shield repeatedly create openings through timing and aggression rather than simply overpowering everyone. The crowd grows louder as the teams begin matching signature sequences. Big E carries Rollins and Ambrose at once, Kingston and Woods add the double Midnight Hour variation, and Reigns has to break the pin. The final reset, with all six men returning to opposite sides, gives the closing run a fresh structure. Shield isolate Kingston, Reigns rises to the middle rope, and the triple powerbomb ends a match that earns every minute of its twenty-one-minute runtime.

The women's elimination match is uneven until Asuka gives it a clean final story. Becky Lynch disappears too early, Bayley and Nia Jax are removed without enough payoff, and Alicia Fox's elimination is visibly awkward. The middle therefore feels more like a sequence of planned exits than a team match gathering momentum. Once the field narrows, the structure improves. Sasha Banks falls to Natalya, leaving Asuka alone against Tamina and Natalya. Asuka submits both women in succession and becomes Team Raw's sole survivor without needing outside help. That ending is exactly right for her undefeated presentation. The match is not consistently smooth, but the final five minutes create the image WWE clearly wants to carry forward.

Corbin and Miz build a simple heel-versus-heel match around personal insults rather than championship stakes. Miz uses Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel to create distractions, while Corbin relies on size and the threat of End of Days. The crowd never fully chooses a side, which makes the opening feel flatter than the pre-match social-media feud suggests. Miz's kicks and corner offense gradually create some momentum, and the Miztourage interference gives him a believable path to stealing the win. Corbin eventually avoids the decisive kick, catches Miz in motion, and lands End of Days cleanly. The result gives SmackDown its first point of the night. Nine minutes is enough for the idea, but neither wrestler produces a match that feels important beyond the scoreboard.

The Usos and Cesaro and Sheamus work a match that feels more competitive than most brand-war exhibitions because both teams arrive with established championship credibility. The Bar slow Jey down with power and isolation, while the Usos gradually create space through strikes and fast tags. Several counters are excellent, especially the reversed Doomsday Device variation and Cesaro sacrificing himself to absorb a double superkick meant for Sheamus. That sacrifice gives the final sequence emotional weight. Jimmy dives onto Cesaro outside, Jey tags in during the run, and the top-rope splash finishes Sheamus. The teams avoid overloading the match with near falls, so the decisive last two minutes feel earned. It is one of the strongest tag matches on a card full of marquee names.

Charlotte and Bliss take time to establish the size mismatch, with Bliss attacking the ribs and repeatedly preventing Charlotte from building a sustained power advantage. The first half is slower than necessary, but the work gains purpose once the damage begins affecting Charlotte's offense. Bliss escapes or counters several signature attempts and gets a strong near fall from the DDT. Charlotte survives, lands the big boot, and eventually traps Bliss in the Figure Eight for the submission. The clean finish gives SmackDown a meaningful scoreboard lead and lets Charlotte look like the stronger champion without making Bliss appear helpless. Fifteen minutes is slightly generous for the story, yet the closing stretch rewards the patience with a serious championship-level presentation.

Lesnar and Styles make the size mismatch the entire point rather than something to work around. Brock dominates the first half with throws, knees, and contempt, forcing Styles to survive before he can even begin a comeback. The match changes when Brock misses in the corner and Styles attacks the leg. From there, every piece of Styles offense has a target. The springboard 450 and Calf Crusher make the upset believable, and Lesnar's desperate way out of the submission gives the smaller champion credibility. Styles lands the Phenomenal Forearm for an excellent near fall, then attempts another. Lesnar catches him in midair, hits the F-5 while still selling the leg, and wins. It is compact, physical, and beautifully structured.

The main event has too much talent to fail completely, but its priorities become more frustrating with every elimination. Strowman pins Nakamura and Roode quickly, Cena removes Joe, Angle eliminates Cena, and Orton catches Bálor. Those exchanges are competent, yet the younger wrestlers rarely get enough time against one another to make the dream-team lineup feel special. Once Shane becomes SmackDown's last survivor, the match turns almost entirely into an authority story. Owens and Zayn interfere, Angle traps Shane in the ankle lock, and Triple H suddenly attacks Angle before placing Shane on top of him. Triple H then pins Shane himself. Strowman finally destroys Triple H afterward, earning the night's closing cheer, but the thirty-three-minute match feels hijacked by its final five.