7 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Survivor Series 2017

4. Kickoff Shows: Still Skippable

The first two matches on Survivor Series' Kickoff Show were much of a muchness. Neither Matt Hardy vs. Elias nor Enzo Amore vs. Kalisto did anything to dispel the notion that this portion of the pay-per-view is entirely skippable, and even though the latter was a title fight, you'd have missed nothing at all by swerving the first 90 minutes of WWE's coverage.

Hardy vs. 'The Drifter' was a textbook limb match, with Elias continually working Matt's arm en route to the finish. Simple, basic wrestling psychology executed competently, but there was little heat throughout, and the offence was as middle-of-the-road as it gets. It was a dull Raw match played out on a PPV pre-show: exactly what you'd expect, basically.

While that bout wallowed in mediocrity, the Cruiserweight Title clash was actively bad. Kalisto is skilled, but not skilled enough to drag a good match from a dud like Enzo Amore, and their battle was in-line with their previous encounters. That means it was sloppy, disjointed, and entirely without merit, and it's about time WWE found new opponents for both.