WWE Survivor Series 2017: Star Ratings For All 7 Matches
6. Women's Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
It's strange; this match was almost the polar opposite of the main event in that it started with an ominous dread, but ended with reassuring catharsis.
As if Asuka's inclusion on Team Alicia Fox wasn't enough of a spoiler, Stephanie McMahon's grandstanding speech all but confirmed their victory. How were they not going to secure the win, having heard such deeply inspiring words? That sentence, reading it back, is salty - but WWE all too often invites that sort of despairing cynicism.
A nice throwback though it was, the folly behind the shocking, early elimination of Becky Lynch was exposed when Nia Jax and Tamina performed what was framed as a major meeting between two monsters - an approach undermined by the fact that Tamina is pure filler on the blue brand. Still, the surprise package trope was another welcome return, even if the removal of one of the best talents in the match highlighted the botches that defined the first half of it. Nobody is going to confuse Tamina with Toshiaki Kawada - but her apron assaults on Asuka created a neat narrative throughline, one paid off beautifully with Asuka's awesome reckoning in the final third.
In the end, it was predictable - but in wrestling, that's often for the best.
Star Rating: ***1/2