WWE Survivor Series (November 2015)

Original Airdate: November 22, 2015

From Atlanta, Georgia; Your Hosts are Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, and Jerry Lawler

Opening WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament Semifinal Match: Alberto Del Rio v Roman Reigns: Feeling out process to start, until Del Rio pounds him into the corner. He tries a ten-punch there, but Reigns backdrops him, and they spill to the outside. Del Rio rams him into the post out there, and a flying bodypress on the way back in gets one. Corner whip gets reversed, however, and Reigns delivers a ten-punch of is own, followed by a nasty, Road Warriors-esque bodyslam for one. Roman's not in a good mood tonight, is he? Del Rio manages to dump him back to the floor after an enzuigiri, and he whips Roman into the steps out there. Alberto with a flying punch on the way back in for two, and he grabs a chinlock. Reigns escapes and dumps him to the floor for a Drive-By, then back in he decimates him in the corner, and plants a big boot. Superman Punch looks to finish, but Del Rio counters with a double knee backbreaker for two. Alberto with a DDT for two, but gets dropped like a Samoan by Reigns. Roman tries a superplex, but Del Rio counters him into a tree of woe to setup a flying double stomp, but Reigns counters with the Superman Punch. He starts shaking the ropes like the Ultimate Warrior as he prepares a spear, but Del Rio counters with a superkick for a dramatic two. Hey, Big Dog, maybe next time don't howl at the moon like a maniac before charging, yeah? Del Rio tries the Rolling Cross Armbreaker, but Reigns counters with a sitout powerbomb for two. The match stops cold as both guys lie around for a while, until Del Rio suddenly springs back to life with the Cross Armbreaker. Reigns easily escapes, however, and the spear sends him to the finals at 14:01. Solid outing, but it felt like they weren't really clicking here, and were just going through the motions without any conviction. * ¾

WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament Semifinal Match: Kevin Owens v Dean Ambrose: Ambrose works a hammerlock to start, before taking Kevin down in a mat-based side-headlock. Kevin reverses, but loses a criss cross to a pair of armdrags, and Ambrose schoolboys him for two. German suplex, but Owens hooks his own schoolboy for two, so Dean clotheslines him over the top, and dives after him with a plancha. Back in, Ambrose bulldogs him for two, but gets crotched as he tries going upstairs, and Owens hits a somersault bodyblock in the corner for two. Chinlock applied, but Ambrose headbutts his way out, so Kevin gives him a spin-out fireman's carry neckbreaker for two. Kevin with a senton splash for two, and he adds a short-clothesline between a series of loud taunts. Back to the chinlock, but Ambrose escapes again, so Owens tries another senton, but Dean dodges. Dirty Deeds, but Owens blocks by turning it into a slugfest, and he stunguns Ambrose. Fireman's carry gutbuster sets up a flying moonsault, but Dean dodges again, and he capitalizes with a flying elbowsmash for two. Superplex, but Owens counters with a fisherman's buster off the top for two - only to get knocked out of the ring before he can finish, and nailed with a tope. Dean tries another one, but this time gets caught, and Owens drops him onto the announce table. Inside, he tries the Pop-Up Powerbomb, but Ambrose leapfrogs him, so Kevin settles for a pair of superkicks instead. Back to the Powerbomb, but this time Ambrose counters with a rana, and Dirty Deeds sends him to the finals at 11:19. A couple of missteps, but strong stuff overall. ** ½

Survivor Series Elimination Match: Sheamus, King Barrett, and The New Day v Ryback, The Usos, and The Lucha Dragons: Jimmy Uso starts with Xavier Woods, and Woods is extremely concerned that this match might mess up his hair. And, unfortunately for us all, he's right. The Usos double-up on him, so he quickly passes to Kofi Kingston, but Kofi runs into a triple-team. Sin Cara hooks a northern lights suplex for two, so Kofi tags out to Sheamus - who promptly walks into a sunset flip for two. The heels run in, but get cleaned out for a dog pile spot on the floor - the entire babyface team diving out after them with simultaneous tope suicidas. Ryback punctuates it with a flying bodypress onto everyone, but Jey Uso gets crotched on the top rope on the way back in, and Barrett unloads on him in the corner. The heels cut the ring in half on Jey, but he manages to fight off Woods long enough to tag. Sin Cara with a springboard swanton bomb on Barrett to score the first elimination at 7:50. Kingston comes in next, but takes a slam, and Kalisto somersault splashes him for two. They work Kingston over, but he manages to tag, and a backbreaker/flying double stomp combo ends Jimmy's night at 9:20. That was a badass spot! Cara rushes in and peppers Wood with offense, but can't put him away, and Big E gets the tag - spearing Cara off the apron. Tag to Sheamus, and the Brogue Kick ends Cara's night at 10:42. Ryback blitzes him with a clothesline over the top before any more damage is done, and Jey is able to catch Big E with a flying splash at 11:29. The rest of New Day is so offended by this, they decide to walk out on the match with him - both counted out at 12:00. That leaves Sheamus all by himself, but he makes the most of it as he hammers away on Kalisto. Kalisto manages an enzuigiri to allow the tag to Jey, and he hits Sheamus with a flying bodypress for two. Sheamus fights back with a uranage across the knee for two, but Jey avoids a vertical suplex, and passes to Ryback. ShellShock finishes Sheamus at 17:33.
Survivors: Ryback, Jey Uso, and Kalisto
Given where this night was going, you'd think they'd at least allow Sheamus to eliminate one of the Dragons or Usos before losing, but nope. * ¾

WWE Diva's Title Match: Charlotte v Paige: Charlotte takes her down in a waistlock to start, and hangs onto that for a while. Paige scrambles for the ropes to escape, and drives a series of kneelifts at the champ before shoving her off the apron into the post. Back in, Charlotte tries to shoot for the leg, but Paige is ready for it with a front-facelock. She shifts into an abdominal stretch, but Charlotte fights her off with some chops, and drops her with a big boot. Figure four, but Paige counters with a small package for two, then counters another big boot with a superkick for two. Paige tries for a figure four of her own, but Charlotte reverses. She tries to bridge up into the Eight, but Paige fights into the ropes, so Charlotte drops her weight off the apron to turn it into a figure four off the apron. Neat! Electric facebuster onto the apron follows, and inside, Charlotte drops a pair of knees before grinding on a vicious headscissors - smacking Paige's face into the mat while in the hold. That was pretty awesome! Charlotte works her over in the corner, but misses a charge, and Paige hooks a bow-and-arrow. Paige with a bodyslam to setup a surfboard - Charlotte's long and flexible legs making it seem extra painful. Paige shifts to a bodyscissors, but Charlotte fights out with a stungun in the corner, and delivers a neckbreaker for two. Both stagger up for a Paige-won slugfest, but she runs into a spear during a criss cross, and Charlotte follows with a somersault stunner. Paige bails to the floor, and Charlotte's following proves to be a mistake as she eats rail. Paige climbs onto the rail to gloat, but it's premature, and Charlotte manages to spear her off - a neat spot in theory, but it looked terribly choreographed. Inside, Charlotte slaps on the Figure Eight, and we're out at 14:14. A few awkward bits, but the effort was there, with both ladies working hard. **

Dolph Ziggler v Tyler Breeze: Ziggler looks like a total fucking tool tonight. More than usual, even. And let's not even get started on Breeze's outfit. It looks like something Vince originally envisioned for The Barbarian, before good sense interjected. Ziggler annoys him by stealing his pose (which, really, he stole from Shawn Michaels anyway), and a dropkick sends Breeze to the floor. He tries to hide behind Summer Rae out there, but Dolph keeps after him, and gets dropped. Inside, Breeze unloads in the corner, and slaps on a half-crab. Dolph gets the ropes to break, so Tyler tries a 2^nd rope axehandle, but gets knocked out of the air via a dropkick. Dolph makes a comeback with a pair of clotheslines and a stinger splash to setup a swinging neckbreaker, followed by an elbowdrop for two. Fameasser, but Tyler counters with a schoolboy for two. Dolph keeps coming with a sunset flip for two, and another triggers a pinfall reversal sequence. Ziggler with a flapjack, but a superkick is countered to the Unprettier - countered back by Dolph with a backslide for two. Superkick, but Breeze counters to the Unprettier again - this time getting it for the pin at 6:40. This was really clumsy and unsure of itself, but certainly energetic. ¾*

The Brothers of Destruction v Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper: It's been about twenty minutes since the last match ended, ten of those taken up by the Undertaker's entrance alone. Erick Rowan tries to speed things along by attacking before the bell, but gets dispatched with a tandem chokeslam. Kane starts with Luke Harper, and quickly sidewalk slams him for two, then hits a seated dropkick. Tag to Undertaker, but Harper manages to block the ropewalk forearm, and tag. Bray gets clobbered with the jumping clothesline, however, and he tags right back out to Luke - Undertaker delivering the ropewalk forearm successfully. Well, that was a pointless sequence. Undertaker with a guillotine legdrop, but a tag to Kane ends with him getting clotheslined over the top, and the Wyatt's gang up on him out there. Calling it now: Undertaker versus Braun Strowman is happening at WrestleMania. Inside, the heels cut the ring in half on Kane, but he manages to block the Sister Abigail, and catch Bray with a DDT. Tag to Undertaker, and he's a funeral parlor of fire, so Strowman attacks, and it takes both Brothers to tandem chokeslam him through the announce table. That allows Bray to Abigail Undertaker, but it only gets two, and triggers a cool stereo sit up spot. Tombstone finishes Harper at 10:19. It's getting scarier and scarier watching Undertaker struggle through that move every time. You know, it's really difficult to feel any nostalgia for Undertaker and Kane as a team, given that they've NEVER GONE AWAY over the last twenty years. Not to mention that most fans like myself, who lived through the team in real time, didn't particularly care for them to begin with. But, hey, low expectations are the easiest kind to live up to! And they did a fabulous job of doing so here. ¼*

Main Event: WWE World Heavyweight Title Match: Roman Reigns v Dean Ambrose: Reigns slams him around to start, but telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a series of jabs. Roman stops the onslaught with a clothesline and a headbutt, but Ambrose tells him to hit harder. Reigns obliges, but gets cactus clotheslined over the top, and hit with a tope. Yeah, Ambrose should really not take his shirt off, ever. Like, not even in the shower. Dean with a missile dropkick for two on the way back in, and he hangs onto a single-arm DDT to shift into a fujiwara armbar, but Reigns won't quit. Yeah, and neither will his bookers. Dean unloads with some body shots in the corner, and I feel like we really need Jesse Ventura here to properly gripe and grandstand about how unfair it is that Reigns gets to have on riot gear. Jesse would have turned that into one of the most memorable moments of the night, while the announcers today don't even mention it in passing. Reigns fights out of the corner with a powerbomb, then adds a sitout version. He tries a Samoan drop off the top rope, but Dean counters with a sloppy sunsetbomb. He tries capitalizing with a flying elbowsmash, but runs into the Superman Punch for two. The camera totally missed that, but luckily they have a replay ready - one of the few advantages of their super hyper replay fixation. Superman II, but Dean counters with a rebounding clothesline, so Reigns throws a spear for two. Superman III, but Ambrose kicks him to block, then dodges another spear - hitting Dirty Deeds to a close two. A long slugfest ensues, and Ambrose tries for a bulldog out of the corner, but Reigns is ready with a spear to win his first world title at 9:02. This was like the last ten minutes of a much longer match - down to the way both guys were selling throughout. Still solid, though. Afterwards, Reigns is overcome with emotion, and starts outright sobbing at center ring, as an insane amount of confetti falls from the ceiling. Like, seriously, it's so much confetti you can barely even make out what's happening. Guess they must have shredded up all the tickets for WrestleMania 32 that they've given up hope for selling, or something. ** The celebration is cut short, however, as Sheamus cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase, giving us...

WWE World Heavyweight Title Match: Roman Reigns v Sheamus: Sheamus attacks with a Brogue Kick from behind, but only gets two. Another one finishes him though, crowning Sheamus champion at 0:34. Well, he is Yokozuna’s cousin. After he kicked out of the first one, I was really thinking they might just have Reigns beat him to put a cherry on top of the tournament win, but nope. Apparently World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus was their actual intention and everything. DUD

BUExperience: There was nothing about this one to love, and very little to like either.

DUD