Random Thoughts on WWE Survivor Series 2023

Survivor Series 2023 is in the history books and I’m here to share my thoughts on the show. As always, this is a spoiler heavy blog so look away now to avoid spoilers, otherwise you’ll end up looking like a punk.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..

.

.

Women’s War Games Match

Damage CTRL (Bayley, Asuka, IYO Sky, Kairi Sane) vs. Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch & Shotzi

I thought it was an excellent match. They got plenty of time to tell a story and it was really fun to watch. Give a lot of credit to Iyo Sky and Charlotte Flair hitting those impressive moves off the top. Those moves are not easy to do, but Sky’s spot with the trash can was very creative while Flair did a great job with her moonsault. That moment with Flair and Lynch hugging was cool because there were questions about if they would be able to work together, so having that spot in the match was a smart thing to do. Bayley kept on making the save for her teammates throughout the match, but in the end it was Bayley getting pinned. That could led to Bayley getting kicked out of the group she created just because of the changes in the group. I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s a possibility. Lynch getting the win for her team is similar to last year when Lynch won for the babyface team a year ago as well. Overall, I really enjoyed it with the weapons being used throughout the match, some highspots that really worked and an ending that made the fans happy.

I’m happy for Shotzi being involved with three of the biggest names in the women’s division. It’s a good thing for all of them, but also for Shotzi looking like a bigger star by being in this match.

Winners: Bianca, Charlotte, Becky & Shotzi

Rating: **** ½

WWE Intercontinental Championship

The Miz vs. Gunther ©

That was very good for a match that didn’t go long like a 20-minute match, but it was fast-paced and full of action from the moment it began. Those nearfalls for The Miz were really well done with Miz hitting his finisher for one of them and then Miz countering the sleeper for another nearfall. I thought Miz was really impressive with some of the moves that he did. That counter move he did to a DDT isn’t something Miz usually does, but he pulled it off well. Gunther always has awesome matches, so that’s not a surprise at all.

Winner and STILL WWE Intercontinental Champion: Gunther via pinfall

Rating: *** ½

Dragon Lee vs. Santos Escobar

A decisive win for Escobar as a heel that just turned recently, so it make sense for him to win and continue his momentum. I thought Lee did a nice job with his offense as he got the crowd behind him, but then Escobar put an end to the match with two moves. Going under ten minutes is a bit of a surprise although I’m okay with it because it makes Escobar look better by picking up a win like that. A Destroyer and Phantom Driver were all that Escobar needed to get the win.

Winner: Santos Escobar via pinfall

Rating: *** ½

Women’s World Championship

Zoey Starks vs. Rhea Ripley ©

The crowd was into the match for the most part. With that said, I don’t think any of the nearfalls that Stark got were that strong in terms of making the fans think that she had a shot to win. Stark is technically sound and has a lot of moves that look good, but she’s just not at a point where fans would think of her as a threat to Ripley. It was the second title match on the show where it was obvious that the champion was going to retain. That’s not a complaint. It’s just a statement that Ripley is a dominant champion.

Winner and STILL Women’s World Champion: Rhea Ripley via pinfall

Rating: ***

Men’s War Games Match

The Judgement Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh) & Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso & Randy Orton

I liked the match a lot, but it was also a different kind of WarGames match since Orton was so dominant when he got in there. They really didn’t have Orton sell much at all, so there wasn’t that much drama in the WarGames match. It was just the babyfaces kicking ass and dominating the match as soon as Orton got in there. Randy looked great and it was fun seeing him in the ring again. I just think the heel side looked a bit weak in terms of how they were dominated as soon as Randy got in there. With that said, I’m sure The Judgment Day will be fine and I really don’t mind seeing Orton look as dominant as he was.

Winners: Rhodes, Rollins, Uso, Zayn & Orton

Rating: ****

The show ends and nothing else happens…..

Nah, just kiddin’, ‘Cult of Personality’ hits and out comes CM Punk! Yes, THAT CM Punk! The fans were going crazy shouting “CM Punk” repeatedly as CM Punk appeared in the entrance area wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. CM Punk looked at the watch and shouted “It’s Clobbering Time” with the fans shouting it too. CM Punk hugged some fans while the crowd was chanting for him and shouting CM Punk’s name. The announcers didn’t say anything while Punk walked out there. CM Punk let out a yell and that was it.

After nearly ten years away, CM Punk is back in WWE and Chicago was absolutely the right place to do it. I certainly hope it goes well for him. I think it’s a great thing for him, for the company and most of all for the fans. It’s awesome seeing CM Punk back in WWE. This will get fans talking for sure just to see what happens next with him.

Overall Show Rating (out of 10): 8

I thought it was an excellent show. It was a five match card that went under three hours with a super hot crowd in Chicago. There wasn’t a bad match on the show either, so to me it was one of the better WWE PLE’s this year.

The two War Games matches were top notch, with the women’s being better than the men’s. The non- War Games were solid but with predictable outcomes. It was a fun show overall. I think maybe a stronger card in terms of the non-WarGames match could have helped, but that’s just a small complaint.

The return of CM Punk was a huge moment to end the night. Chicago certainly loves the guy. Not a massive Punk fan, but I’m interested to see what happens next. As a viewer, that’s how you want to feel after a big show.

Finally, can I just give praise to Triple H for making Survivor Series feel like a big show again.

2023 Premium Live Event Rankings

WrestleMania 39 – 9.5

Elimination Chamber – 8

Survivor Series – 8

Backlash – 8

SummerSlam – 8

Money in the Bank – 8

Royal Rumble – 8

Payback – 7

Fastlane – 7