5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Survivor Series 2023 (Results & Review)

Decent WarGames matches, big win for Santos, disappointing title bouts, and a HUGE return.

By Scott Carlson /

WWE.com

Up until the last three minutes of Saturday’s WWE premium live event, Survivor Series was headed toward middling status, with a heartwarming Randy Orton return and mixed reviews from the five-match card.

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And then Cult of Personality blared out, changing the entire complexion of the night.

In the coming days, weeks and months, Survivor Series 2023 won’t be about Santos Escobar picking up a critical win weeks after turning heel on Hall-of-Famer Rey Mysterio, or both Damage CTRL and Judgment Day going down to defeat – though the results of their matches will factor heavily into storylines going forward.

All the chatter will be about CM Punk’s return to WWE after nine-plus years away from the company. Punk’s appearance at the end of Survivor Series blew the roof off the Allstate Arena and immediately became the talk of the wrestling world. Everything from here on out will just be a lot of fun to watch.

But to be fair to the rest of the event, Damage CTRL suffered a crippling loss that could spell a major shift for the stable, while Judgment Day saw its momentum derailed for at least one night. Orton’s big return was a nice moment, but it was immediately upstaged by Punk.

Miz’s big Intercontinental Championship challenge fell flat, and the Women’s World Championship match was disappointing in how flat it fell with fans.

If it hadn’t been for Punk’s arrival, this would have been one of the most disappointing WWE PLEs of the year. But instead, it’s a major topic of conversation.

Let’s get to it…