7 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Survivor Series 2017

2. A Complete & Utter Shambles

Braun Strowman Table
WWE.com

TLC 2017's main event was an overbooked car crash of a match that featured every bad WWE booking trope, yet still succeeded as a gloriously ludicrous spectacle.

WWE captured lightning in a bottle. Such layouts usually produce unwatchable dreck, and after that bout's success, there was always the risk WWE would make an ill-advised attempt at recreating the accidental magic in last night's men's elimination bout. That's precisely what they did, and it fell flat on its face.

Shinsuke Nakamura's early elimination was the last nail in his waning superstar aura's coffin. John Cena barely stuck around for a cup of coffee. Shane McMahon, a 47-year-old company executive, single-handedly ran Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens off. Bobby Roode was anonymous. Braun Strowman, the supposed 'Monster Among Men,' was neutralised for 20 minutes by a single suplex. The list goes on.

Survivor Series' main event was a clusterf*** of awful booking decisions, and the action wasn't exciting enough to compensate. It was a colossal failure, and while WWE birthed several new stories within its 33 minutes, they were centred around the wrong people...

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.