Survivor Series (2018)
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The 2018 Survivor Series was a
professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
(PPV) and
livestreaming Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non- liv ...
event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...
produced by
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
. It was the 32nd annual
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
and took place on November 18, 2018, at the
Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, held for featured wrestlers from the promotion's Raw,
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
, and
205 Live ''WWE 205 Live'' is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by WWE. It premiered on November 29, 2016, as a replacement for ''WWE Superstars'', and ended on February 11, 2022. The show originally aired e ...
brand divisions. The theme of the event was brand supremacy, where all but one match involved wrestlers of the Raw brand facing wrestlers of the SmackDown brand. Eight matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. The card was highlighted by two traditional Survivor Series elimination matches: Raw's men's and women's teams were victorious over SmackDown's. In the main event, Raw's Universal Champion
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...
defeated SmackDown's
WWE Champion The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand ...
Daniel Bryan Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
. Also on the card,
Raw Women's Champion The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defe ...
Ronda Rousey Ronda Jean Rousey ( ; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, and former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE. She was the first Am ...
defeated SmackDown's
Charlotte Flair Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. Flair is a second-generation professional wrestler, being t ...
via disqualification and
Buddy Murphy Matthew Adams (born 26 September 1988) is an Australian professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Buddy Matthews and is a member of the stable Hounds of Hell. He is a former one-time AEW World Trios C ...
retained the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against
Mustafa Ali Adeel Alam (born March 28, 1986) better known by his ring name Mustafa Ali ( ), is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former TNA X Division Champion. He also makes appearances ...
in the only title defense on the card, as well as the only non-interpromotional match, which was the only match featuring wrestlers from the 205 Live brand. Raw won brand supremacy with a clean sweep over SmackDown in all six interpromotional matches on the main card. SmackDown's lone win occurred on the Kickoff pre-show in the 10-on-10 tag team elimination match.


Production


Background

Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
is an annual
professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...
produced every November by
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
since 1987, generally held the week of
Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...
. The second longest running
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
(PPV) event in history (behind WWE's WrestleMania), it is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania,
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
, and
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
, referred to as the "Big Four". The event is traditionally characterized by having
Survivor Series match The Survivor Series match is a professional wrestling tag team elimination match held in WWE. The match typically sees two teams pitted against each other and members of the teams are eliminated one-by-one until one entire team is eliminated. Memb ...
es, which are
tag team elimination match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...
es that typically pits teams of four or five wrestlers against each other. Announced on November 16, 2017, the 2018 event, which was the 32nd event in the Survivor Series chronology, was scheduled to be held on November 18, 2018, at the
Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. In addition to airing on traditional pay-per-view, the event was available to
livestream Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...
on the
WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings. The service relied on technology develo ...
. Tickets went on sale on March 16. Since WWE reintroduced the
brand split The brand extension, also referred to as the brand split, is the separation of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE's roster of wrestlers (and, at various times, creative staff) into distinct divisions, or "brands". The promotion's ...
in 2016, Survivor Series had centered around competition between wrestlers from Raw and
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
for brand supremacy. In addition to traditional Survivor Series matches between the two brands, the 2017 event began the theme of having the champions of the Raw brand facing their counterparts of the SmackDown brand in non-title matches. The 2018 event had Raw's Universal Champion against SmackDown's
WWE Champion The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand ...
, Raw's
Intercontinental Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world championships, and ...
against SmackDown's United States Champion, and the
Raw Tag Team Champions The World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's main ro ...
against the
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's mai ...
. A match featuring the
Raw Women's Champion The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defe ...
against the
SmackDown Women's Champion The Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, along ...
was planned, but called off due to the latter sustaining a legit injury just days prior to the event. The Raw Women's Champion was instead scheduled to face a former SmackDown Women's Champion. As the
205 Live ''WWE 205 Live'' is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by WWE. It premiered on November 29, 2016, as a replacement for ''WWE Superstars'', and ended on February 11, 2022. The show originally aired e ...
brand's WWE Cruiserweight Championship was the only title of its kind in WWE, it was the only title defended on the show and the only non-interbrand match. This was also the only Survivor Series to include the 205 Live brand, and the first since the 2009 event to feature three brands.


Storylines

The event comprised eight matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, ''
Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Netflix. The show features character ...
'', ''
SmackDown Live ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
'', and the cruiserweight-exclusive ''
205 Live ''WWE 205 Live'' is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by WWE. It premiered on November 29, 2016, as a replacement for ''WWE Superstars'', and ended on February 11, 2022. The show originally aired e ...
''. At
Evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
,
Ronda Rousey Ronda Jean Rousey ( ; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, and former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE. She was the first Am ...
defeated
Nikki Bella Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace (born November 21, 1983), also known by the stage names Nikki Bella and Nikki Garcia, is an American television personality and professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE. She is the host of the game show, '' B ...
to retain the Raw Women's Championship, while
Becky Lynch Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987), better known by the ring name Becky Lynch, is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand and is the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion in her ...
defeated
Charlotte Flair Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. Flair is a second-generation professional wrestler, being t ...
in a
Last Woman Standing match A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts come in many styles and sizes, depending on the exact job they are designed for. Common variations ...
to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship. During a backstage interview following her win, Rousey was confronted by Lynch and an interpromotional non-title match between the two champions was scheduled for Survivor Series the following night on ''Raw''. On the November 12 episode of ''Raw'', Lynch led the SmackDown women's division in an invasion of Raw and applied the "Dis-arm-her" on Rousey. During the melee, Lynch suffered a legit broken nose and concussion following a punch from
Nia Jax Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nia Jax ( ). Fanene signed to WWE in early 2014 and was first assigned to th ...
. Due to the injury, Lynch was pulled from the Survivor Series match and chose Flair as her replacement. At Crown Jewel,
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (or A.J. Styles), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, ...
defeated
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
to retain the WWE Championship, while
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...
defeated
Braun Strowman Adam Joseph Scherr (born September 6, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Strongman (strength athlete), strongman. As a wrestler, he is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2013 to 2025, where he performed un ...
to win the vacant Universal Championship, setting up a rematch between Styles and Lesnar from the previous year's event. On the final ''SmackDown'' before Survivor Series, Styles and
Daniel Bryan Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
had a heated exchange stemming from their WWE Championship match two weeks prior. As such, ''SmackDown'' Commissioner
Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon ( ; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenures in WWE. The son of Vince McMahon, he is a fourth-generation wrestling promoter as a ...
scheduled Styles to defend the championship against Bryan later that night. Bryan defeated Styles to become the new WWE Champion after hitting him with a low blow while the referee was knocked down, thus Bryan replaced Styles as Lesnar's opponent for Survivor Series. After the match, Bryan attacked Styles, turning
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
. During the Crown Jewel Kickoff pre-show,
Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former 3-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his first rei ...
defeated
Rusev Rusev ( ), female version Ruseva ( ) is a Bulgarian language surname derived from the first name Rusi and it may refer to: *Rusev (wrestler) (formerly known as Miro), ring name of Bulgarian professional wrestler Miroslav Barnyashev. *Angel Rusev (f ...
to retain the United States Championship. Following the event, a match between Nakamura and Intercontinental Champion
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...
was scheduled for Survivor Series. At Crown Jewel, The Bar ( Cesaro and
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...
) retained the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The New Day (represented by
Big E Big E may refer to: * Capital letter "E" People * Big E (wrestler) (born 1986), American professional wrestler, born Ettore Ewen, formerly known as "Big E Langston" * Elvin Hayes (born 1945; nicknamed "Big E"), American basketball player and rad ...
and
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
), while on the November 5 episode of ''Raw'', AOP ( Akam and
Rezar } Gzim Selmani (born 16 June 1994) is a Dutch professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Rezar. After signing with WWE in 2015, Rezar has since teamed with ...
) defeated Seth Rollins in a
handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
to become the new Raw Tag Team Champions. A match between the two teams was then scheduled for Survivor Series. At
Super Show-Down WWE Super ShowDown (originally stylized as Super Show-Down) was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, an American-based promotion. It was broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE's livestreaming service, the ...
,
Buddy Murphy Matthew Adams (born 26 September 1988) is an Australian professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Buddy Matthews and is a member of the stable Hounds of Hell. He is a former one-time AEW World Trios C ...
defeated
Cedric Alexander Cedric Alexander Johnson (born August 16, 1989) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is performing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH). Alexander worked for ROH ...
to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. On the October 31 episode of ''205 Live'',
Mustafa Ali Adeel Alam (born March 28, 1986) better known by his ring name Mustafa Ali ( ), is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former TNA X Division Champion. He also makes appearances ...
defeated
Tony Nese Anthony Nese (born August 6, 1985) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also appears for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor, where he is a member of The Premier Athletes stable. He is best known for his ...
to become the number one contender, and his championship match against Murphy was scheduled for Survivor Series. On the November 5 episode of ''Raw'', Acting Raw General Manager
Baron Corbin Thomas Pestock (born September 14, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner, former professional football player and former amateur boxer. He is wrestling as a freelancer under the ring name Bishop Dyer, appea ...
revealed Braun Strowman,
Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he performs under his real name, stylized as Nic Nemeth, where he is one-half of the TNA World Tag ...
, and
Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. Galloway began ...
as the first three members of Team Raw's men's team while naming himself as captain, although stating he would not compete due to his managerial position.
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
interjected, wanting to replace Corbin as captain, therefore Corbin had Angle face McIntyre where if Angle won, he would have been on the team; however, Angle lost. The following week,
Finn Bálor Fergal Devitt (born 25 July 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler. As of May 2014, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Finn Bálor (). He is a member of The Judgment Day stable. Devitt began his car ...
defeated Ziggler in a match and returning Raw Commissioner
Stephanie McMahon Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023. The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...
rewarded Bálor by adding him to the team. Later,
Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team C ...
won the final spot by defeating
Elias Elias ( ; ) is the hellenized version for the name of Elijah (; ; , or ), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy books. Due to Elias' role in the scriptures and to many later associated tradit ...
. Also on that episode, Stephanie promised Strowman another Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar and also a match against Corbin, who had cost Strowman his Universal title match at Crown Jewel (with Strowman choosing the stipulations for either match), if he could lead Raw to another victory over SmackDown and not touch Corbin until after the event. For Team SmackDown's men's team, on the November 6 episode of ''SmackDown'', the brand's Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Paige appointed
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
and Daniel Bryan as co-captains of Team SmackDown. Miz and Bryan then added Shane to the team as he had won the
WWE World Cup The 2018 Crown Jewel was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American company WWE. It was the inaugural Crown Jewel and took place on November 2, 2018, at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh ...
at Crown Jewel. Later,
Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Widely regarded as both one of the greatest '' luch ...
and Samoa Joe joined the team after defeating Andrade "Cien" Almas and
Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and also appears on partner promotion WWE on its NXT (WWE brand), NXT brand. He is re ...
, respectively. A brawl then ensued between Joe, Bryan, Miz, and Shane. The following week, Bryan was removed from Team SmackDown due to his actions and subsequent WWE Championship match victory against AJ Styles, therefore replacing Styles in the champion vs. champion match. Following that alteration, Hardy replaced him after defeating Almas. On the November 5 episode of ''Raw'', Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin named
Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera ( Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was assigne ...
as captain of Team Raw's women's team, but in a non-competing capacity due to injury. The following week, Bliss revealed
Mickie James Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American Country music, country singer and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE. She is also signed to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) as Cre ...
, Nia Jax, Tamina, and
Natalya Natalya () is the Russian form of the female given name Natalia. The name Natasha (), being originally a diminutive form of Natalya, became an independent name outside the Russian-speaking states since the late 1800s. People with the given name ...
, who was absent, as her first four picks and revealed that the winner of a match between Bayley and
Sasha Banks Sacha, Sasha, or Sascha may refer to: People * Sasha (name), includes list of people with the name and the variants Sascha or Sacha Musicians * Sacha (singer), born Sacha Visagie, Canadian singer and songwriter * Sasha (DJ) (born 1969), born Alex ...
would be the final member. During the match, the women's team attacked Bayley and Banks, causing a no-contest ruling and Bliss said neither would be on the team and then introduced
Ruby Riott Dori Elizabeth Prange ( ; born January 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Ruby Soho, and is a former member of The Outcasts stable. She is also known ...
as the final member. For Team SmackDown's women's team, on the November 6 episode of ''SmackDown'', SmackDown General Manager Paige revealed Asuka, Carmella,
Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...
, Sonya Deville, and Charlotte Flair as the members of Team SmackDown, but Flair did not show up; the previous week, Paige asked Flair to be captain, but Flair felt she was not the right person and then said she would think about it. Flair was instead named Becky Lynch's replacement to face Ronda Rousey, and the final member of Team SmackDown was not revealed on the final ''SmackDown'' before Survivor Series. On the November 6 episode of ''SmackDown'',
The Usos The Usos were a Samoan-American professional wrestling tag team which consisted of twin brothers Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are signed to WWE, where Jey performs on the WWE Raw, Raw brand while Jimmy performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), Sma ...
(
Jey Uso Joshua Samuel Fatu (born August 22, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Jey Uso. He is a member of the Anoa'i family of professional wrestlers. Trained since ...
and
Jimmy Uso Jonathan Solofa Fatu (born August 22, 1985), better known by his ring name Jimmy Uso, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand. He is a member ...
) defeated The New Day (represented by Big E and Kofi Kingston) to become the captains of Team SmackDown in the 10-on-10 tag team elimination match. Immediately after the match, The Usos chose The New Day as their first pick. The following week, The Usos added
Sanity Sanity (from ) refers to the soundness, rationality, and health of the human mind, as opposed to insanity. A person is sane if they are rational. In modern society, the term has become exclusively synonymous with ''compos mentis'' ( and ). The ...
( Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, and
Killian Dain Damian Mackle (born 20 February 1985) is a Northern Irish professional wrestler currently performing on the independent circuit under the ring name Big Damo (shortened from his initial ring name Damian O'Connor). He is best known for his time in ...
),
Luke Gallows Andrew William Hankinson (born December 22, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Doc Gallows. He is best known for his three tenures in WWE, where he performed under ...
and And or AND may refer to: Logic, grammar and computing * Conjunction, connecting two words, phrases, or clauses * Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition * Bitwise AND, a Boolean oper ...
Karl Anderson Chad Allegra (born January 20, 1980) known by the ring name Karl Anderson , is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is primarily performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is also known for his time in WWE. Ander ...
, and The Colóns (
Primo Colón Edwin Carlos Colón Coates (born December 21, 1982) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He works with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as Eddie Colón and is in a tag team with his cousin Orlando Colón. He is best known for his tenure ...
and
Epico Colón Orlando Tito Colón Nieves (born March 24, 1982) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he performs as Orlando Colón and is in a tag team with his cousin Eddie Colón. He ...
) to the team. On the November 12 episode of ''Raw'', a tag team battle royal occurred to determine Team Raw's captains. The team of
Bobby Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer. Roode is known ...
and
Chad Gable Charles Edward Betts (born March 8, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. He has been signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Chad Gable and also portrays the masked luchador El G ...
defeated
The Revival Revival most often refers to: *Resuscitation of a person *Language revival of an extinct language * Revival (sports team) of a defunct team *Revival (television) of a former television series *Revival (theatre), a new production of a previously pr ...
(
Dash Wilder Daniel Marshall Wheeler (born May 17, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Cash Wheeler, where he is a former two-time AEW World Tag Team Champions with Dax Harwood together ...
and Scott Dawson), The B-Team (
Bo Dallas Taylor Michael Rotunda (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. , he is signed to WWE where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring names Bo Dallas and his alter ego Uncle Howdy and is the leader of The Wyatt Sicks fa ...
and
Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and performed under his real name, styliz ...
), Lucha House Party (
Gran Metalik Metalik (born November 3, 1988) is the ring name of a Mexican ''luchador'' '' enmascarado'' (masked professional wrestler) currently working for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and on the independent circuit. He also p ...
, Kalisto, and
Lince Dorado José Rafael Cordero (born May 11, 1987), better known by the ring name Lince Dorado (Spanish for Golden Lynx), is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a wrestler and a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. Cordero began h ...
), The Ascension ( Konnor and Viktor), and the team of
Heath Slater Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Heath Slater. He also performed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Impact Wrestling ...
and
Rhyno Terrance Guido Gerin (born October 7, 1975) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Rhyno (or Rhino). He is a freelancer, appearing for various promotions such as All Elite Wrestling (AEW), National Wrestling Alliance ...
to win the captaincy of Team Raw, composed of all of the teams in the battle royal except Slater and Rhyno (who were the first eliminated) and the tag team elimination match was scheduled for the Survivor Series Kickoff pre-show.


Event


Pre-show

During the Survivor Series Kickoff pre-show, the 10-on-10 Survivor Series tag team elimination match featuring Team Raw's tag teams (Bobby Roode and Chad Gable, The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor), Lucha House Party (Kalisto and Lince Dorado, with Gran Metalik), The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder), and The B-Team (Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas)) against Team SmackDown's tag teams (The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso), The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods, with Kofi Kingston), The Colóns (Primo and Epico), Sanity (Killian Dain and Eric Young, with Alexander Wolfe), and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) occurred. Kalisto suffered a knee injury and the referee allowed Metalik to replace him. The Revival performed "Shatter Machine" on Primo to eliminate The Colóns. Anderson pinned Dallas with a schoolboy to eliminate The B-Team. Gable and Roode performed their neckbreaker/moonsault combo on Young to eliminate Sanity. Woods, with assistance from Big E, performed a splash on Viktor to eliminate The Ascension. Metalik performed a springboard swanton on Anderson to eliminate Gallows and Anderson. Jey performed the "Alley Uce" on Dorado to eliminate Lucha House Party. New Day performed "UpUpDownDown" on Gable to eliminate Roode and Gable. The Revival performed "Shatter Machine" on Woods to eliminate The New Day. In the climax, Jimmy performed the "Uso Splash" on Dawson to eliminate The Revival and win the match as the lone survivors for Team SmackDown. Also during the pre-show, Naomi was revealed as the captain of Team SmackDown's women's team and introduced
Mandy Rose Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her career in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose, and was ...
as the final member of their team. For Team Raw, a brawl ensued between Natalya and Ruby Riott. Team captain Alexa Bliss then removed Natalya and Riott from the team and replaced them with Sasha Banks and Bayley.


Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with the women's 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match, featuring Team Raw (Nia Jax, Tamina, Mickie James, Sasha Banks, and Bayley) (accompanied by Alexa Bliss) against Team SmackDown (Naomi, Asuka, Carmella (accompanied by R-Truth), Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose). Tamina performed a superkick on Naomi to eliminate her. Carmella then surprised Tamina with a schoolgirl to eliminate her. Deville performed a sliding knee on James followed by Rose pinning James to eliminate her. Bayley performed the "Bayley to Belly" on Carmella to eliminate her. Banks applied the "Bank Statement" on Rose, forcing Rose to submit, thereby eliminating Rose. Bayley and Deville brawled outside of the ring to a double countout, eliminating both women. After a competitive battle between Asuka and Banks, Banks attempted a Meteora on Asuka from the top rope, but Jax shoved her off and into the "Asuka Lock" by Asuka, resulting in Banks' elimination. Afterwards, Jax performed three leg drops and a Samoan drop on Asuka to win the match as the sole survivor for Team Raw. Backstage, Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin celebrated the win. Stephanie told Corbin that if Raw has a clean sweep over SmackDown on the main card, she would consider making him the permanent Raw General Manager. Next, Raw's Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins faced SmackDown's United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. During the match, Rollins performed three
suicide dive Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are performance techniques used in professional wrestling for simulated assault on opponents. The techniques involve jumping from the ring's posts and ropes, demonstrating the speed and agility o ...
s and a springboard clothesline on Nakamura for a nearfall. Rollins performed a ripcord
knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...
for a nearfall. Nakamura performed a "Kinshasa" for a nearfall. In the end, Rollins performed "The Stomp" on Nakamura to win the match. After that, Raw Tag Team Champions AOP (Akam and Rezar) (accompanied by Drake Maverick) faced SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) (accompanied by Big Show). In the climax, Sheamus performed the "Brogue Kick" on Rezar, but during the pin attempt, Maverick placed Rezar's foot on the bottom rope, voiding the pinfall. Cesaro chased Maverick, who ran into Big Show. Big Show grabbed Maverick by the throat, only for Maverick to pee in his pants. This distraction allowed AOP to perform a
neckbreaker In professional wrestling, a neckbreaker is any throw or slam that focuses its attack on the opponent's neck. One type of neckbreaker involves the wrestler slamming an opponent's neck against a part of the wrestler's body, usually the knee, head or ...
/
powerbomb A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a s ...
combo on Sheamus to win the match for Raw. Next was the only non-interpromotional match and only title defense on the show in which Buddy Murphy defended the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Mustafa Ali. In the end, Murphy performed "Murphy's Law" on Ali to retain the title. In the fifth match, the men's 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match, featuring Team Raw (Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley (with Lio Rush), and Finn Bálor) (with Baron Corbin) against Team SmackDown (The Miz, Shane McMahon, Rey Mysterio, Samoa Joe, and Jeff Hardy) was contested. Strowman was going to start the match, only for McIntyre to quickly tag himself in. As McIntyre mocked Strowman, Joe took advantage and applied the "Coquina Clutch" on McIntyre, who was able to escape and perform the " Claymore Kick" to eliminate Joe. Shane and Ziggler then faced off. A brawl broke out between Strowman and McIntyre, which led to Team SmackDown attacking them. Outside of the ring, Shane performed an
elbow drop Strikes can be offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional ...
on Strowman through an announce table. Mysterio eliminated Bálor after a "619" and a springboard frog splash. Shane performed a "Coast to Coast" on Ziggler to eliminate him. Shane attempted another "Coast to Coast" on Lashley, only for Strowman, who recovered from earlier, to perform a clothesline in mid-air on Shane. Hardy went for the "Twist of Fate", but Strowman blocked and powerslammed Hardy to eliminate him. Mysterio was able to momentarily subdue Strowman and attempted a "619", but Strowman intercepted him with a powerslam, resulting in Mysterio's elimination. After chasing The Miz out of the ring and back inside, Strowman performed a powerslam on The Miz to eliminate him. In the climax, Shane told Strowman to "bring it", and Strowman responded with a dropkick and a running powerslam to win the match for Team Raw with Strowman, McIntyre, and Lashley as the survivors. After the match, Corbin attacked Strowman and quickly retreated with McIntyre and Lashley. Backstage, Seth Rollins was interviewed by Charly Caruso. She informed Rollins that he would be defending the Intercontinental Championship against his friend-turned-rival
Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Champion in his record-setting fourth ...
at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. In the penultimate match, Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey faced SmackDown's Charlotte Flair in a non-title match. After an even match between the two, Rousey performed "Piper's Pit" on Flair, only for Flair to perform a "
Spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...
" on Rousey for a nearfall. Rousey attempted an "
armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armpit lock is very useful; it will immobilize an opponent and pin them on the ground. An armlock t ...
", but Flair blocked and applied the "
figure-four leglock Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...
". Rousey was able to reverse the pressure, and both women rolled out of the ring. Flair performed a "Big Boot" on Rousey for a nearfall. In the climax, Rousey performed a second "Piper's Pit" on Flair and attempted the "Armbar" again, but Flair rolled out of the ring. After Flair beat the count back in the ring and went back outside, Rousey charged at Flair, only for Flair to strike Rousey with a kendo stick, thus Rousey won by disqualification. After the match, Flair continued to attack Rousey with kendo sticks. In the ring, Flair performed "Natural Selection" on Rousey on a chair. Flair positioned Rousey's neck in the chair and stomped on it before departing backstage.


Main event

In the main event, Raw's Universal Champion Brock Lesnar (accompanied by Paul Heyman) faced SmackDown's WWE Champion Daniel Bryan. Lesnar performed several suplexes on Bryan. Lesnar performed an "F-5" on Bryan, but during the pin attempt, he intentionally broke the fall himself. Lesnar attempted a second "F-5" on Bryan, only to accidentally hit the referee in the process. While the referee was down, Bryan seized the opportunity to low blow Lesnar. Bryan performed a running knee on Lesnar for a nearfall. Bryan began to target Lesnar's knee by slamming it into the ring post. Back in the ring, as Lesnar attempted another "F-5", Lesnar's knee gave out. Bryan capitalized and performed the "Yes! Lock" submission, only for Lesnar to escape. In the end, as Bryan applied a triangle hold on Lesnar, Lesnar countered and performed the "F-5" on Bryan to win the match, with Raw winning brand supremacy with a clean sweep over SmackDown on the main card.


Enzo Amore hijacking incident

Former WWE wrestler
Enzo Amore Eric Arndt (born December 8, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Enzo Amore and came to prominence for his partnership with Big Cass, whom he teamed with from 2013 to 2017. Toge ...
was spotted during the event wearing a disguised wig and hoodie in the background. At the beginning of the AOP and The Bar match, when it became clear that it was Amore, he started making a scene, standing on his chair, dancing and yelling at the crowd. While WWE did not acknowledge his presence, Amore was then escorted out of the building by security and was banned from future events at the Staples Center. Reports also stated that Amore had bumped into a woman, causing her to get knocked over, injuring the fan in the process. This incident came hours after he released a new album called ''Rosemary's Baby Pt. 1: Happy Birthday'' featuring a song that seems to include lyrics about his ex-girlfriend and current WWE wrestler
Liv Morgan Gionna Jene Daddio (born June 8, 1994) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Liv Morgan. She is one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions wi ...
.


Aftermath


Raw

The following night on ''Raw'', Commissioner Stephanie McMahon opened the show and celebrated the Raw brand's clean sweep over SmackDown. Stephanie was interrupted by Braun Strowman, who wanted his promised matches. She granted Strowman a match with Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs and Strowman chose a
TLC match A tables, ladders, and chairs match, often abbreviated as TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match that originated within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The TLC match is a variation of a ladder match, which is modified to co ...
as the stipulation. In regard to his promised Universal Championship match, Stephanie said that if Strowman defeated Corbin, then he would get his title match at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
and Corbin would be stripped of all authority, but if Corbin won, Corbin would become the permanent Raw General Manager. Later that night, during an elimination tag team match, Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley attacked Strowman, injuring his elbow, as a storyline excuse for Strowman to take a short time off and undergo surgery to remove bone spurs. Fresh off her disqualification victory over Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey confirmed that she would be defending the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs as Jax had won a 20-woman battle royal at Evolution to earn the title match. Rousey then made an open challenge and successfully defended the title against Mickie James. After the match, Rousey was taunted by Jax and Tamina.


SmackDown

Charlotte Flair explained her actions on the following episode of ''SmackDown'', stating that her attack on Ronda Rousey was for the women of SmackDown and for her friend Becky Lynch. However, SmackDown General Manager Paige fined Flair $100,000 for attacking WWE officials during the brawl. After being interrupted by
The IIconics The IInspiration are an Australian professional wrestling tag team consisting of Jessie McKay and Cassie Lee. They are both signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. They are best known for their time in WWE as The Iconic Duo and later The II ...
(
Billie Kay Jessica McKay (born 23 June 1989) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Jessie McKay. She is known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Billie ...
and
Peyton Royce Cassandra Arneill (née McIntosh) (born 10 November 1992) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Cassie Lee. She is known for her time with WWE, where she performed un ...
), Flair had back-to-back singles matches with both. She defeated Kay by submission and then Royce by disqualification after Kay attacked Flair, who in turn laid out both IIconics. The following week, a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match between Lynch and Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship was scheduled for TLC. Later that night, Asuka won a
battle royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...
to be added to the match. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan explained his actions from the previous week by stating that he was following his dreams to become champion again and accused the fans of not being there for him during his three-year quest to return to the ring. Bryan claimed that he allowed Brock Lesnar to beat out what was left of his old self and rechristened himself as the "new" Daniel Bryan while also saying that the "Yes! Movement" was dead. It was then announced that AJ Styles would receive his WWE Championship rematch against Bryan at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs.


Results


Survivor Series elimination matches


Footnotes


References


External links

* {{WWEPPV, Survivor Series
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