10 Match Star Ratings For WWE Survivor Series 2019
6. Roderick Strong Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura Vs. AJ Styles
Too long and too slow to get going, this should - but absolutely will not - finally convince a certain pocket of the fandom that Shinsuke Nakamura, and to a lesser extent AJ Styles, simply aren't the performers they once were.
If they were, this would have torn down the house. They aren't, and so it didn't.
What's telling is that this was the perfect context in which to put on a show. Roderick Strong is in the shape and form of his life as a propulsive, perfectly-conditioned athlete, but he didn't need his "head" on a "swivel". Moreover, the presence of Sami Zayn at ringside allowed for an additional layer of drama, and yet, this was all too sluggish and forgettable in the opening third. Styles and Nakamura traded rest holds in a Triple Threat match, which was both boring and pointless: doesn't the psychology of a Triple Threat match necessitate a series of blistering exchanges? Isn't the idea to put away your opponent quickly, to take advantage of the one-on-one scenario? Isn't the revealing prolonged sell spot the actual time to rest in a Triple Threat match?
It was still, in phases, a well-worked and very exciting match, as to be expected by the finish: Styles and Nakamura know what they're doing, they're just not as good at it in 2019.
Star Rating: ★★★½