10 Match Star Ratings For WWE Survivor Series 2019

4. Daniel Bryan Vs. The Fiend - Universal Championship Match

The Fiend Bray Wyatt Daniel Bryan
WWE.com

This, you suspect, is as good as it is going to get for the Fiend in-ring.

The stupid, distracting, counterproductive red light only barely tarnished a powerful and very intelligent performance from WWE's undisputed best in-ring talent. Bryan told a great and somehow halfway believable story through actual pro wrestling strategy. His opening blitzkrieg flurry was inspired; it was the only logical way of approaching such an impervious monster character, and the pace and physicality of the onslaught unglued a crowd that was naturally hesitant to absorb themselves into a spectacle that, thus far, has insulted their intelligence and eroded their faith in the system.

Daniel Bryan is a special, special talent. An all-time great. His timing and decision-making here, in combination with just how believable his work looks, actually conspired to create a convincing near-fall. This was thought impossible in light of just how far WWE went to kill the trope in the Fiend's awful horror movie series with Seth Rollins.

Bryan extracted relative success from inevitable failure in a match that rebuilt the Fiend's aura somewhat and didn't prolong itself to the point of farcical over-kill.

Star Rating: ★★★½

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!