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Winfree’s WWE Survivor Series Review 11.25.23

November 25, 2023 | Posted by Robert Winfree
WWE Survivor Series CM Punk returns to WWE 2, Triple H Image Credit: WWE, TNT Sports
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Winfree’s WWE Survivor Series Review 11.25.23  

Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of WWE Survivor Series, I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be your host for the evening. Tonight we’ve got a couple of WarGames matches, one for the men and one for the women, the return of Randy Orton, the greatest Intercontinental champion of all time Gunther defending his title against The Miz and Rhea Ripley defending her title against Zoey Stark in our only title matches on the entire card. Is it just me or does it seem like Crown Jewel has overtaken Survivor Series as one of the Big 4 WWE events per year? I mean, no tag team titles, no Universal title, no US title, no world heavyweight title, no women’s tag team title, Roman Reigns not on the card at all, LA Knight not on the card at all, in fact the Bloodline is totally absent from this event entirely absent the ripples from that story that involve Jey Uso as part of Team Cody in WarGames. But none of that precludes the possibility of this being a good event, the men’s WarGames has a lot of talented people involved, Gunther is one of the best in ring talents in the world, Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee definitely could be a great lucha libre style match, and there are of course the rumblings about CM Punk possibly returning. So let’s hope for the best, shall we? Anyway that’s the preamble so bring on the action.

Pre-show notes:

Team EST has won the advantage for the women’s WarGames match. Normally that’s backwards booking but they made it work for the Bloodline last time when Roman got to be the last man into the cage and I think there might be something similar to that here for Damage Control at play. Or Becky or Charlotte turn and abandon the team, either is possible.

Michael Cole and Corey Graves are on commentary to welcome us to the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Only a two man booth tonight I guess?

We open with the first of the two WarGames matches.

Match #1 – WarGames: Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Shotzi vs. Damage Control (Bayley, Iyo Sky, Asuka, and Kairi Sane)

Becky starts for the good guys while Bayley is the first offering for Damage Control. Becky attacks Bayley and they fight over some cage spots but no one eats the steel yet. Bayley with some strikes but Becky fights back sends Bayley into the corner. They wind up on the top rope fighting over position, Becky tosses Bayley but misses a flying nothing and they just start trading strikes for a bit. Clothesline from Becky then a Bexploder out of the corner. Bayley is able to fight back and toss Becky into the cage a few times then they get between the rings and fight over a suplex which Bayley eventually hits. Becky fights back by tossing Bayley into the cage then hits a battery of low dropkicks against the cage then Becky grabs Disarm Her but Dakota Kai pokes a kendo stick through the cage to break that up. The stick winds up in the ring as the crowd chants for tables. Bayley with the stick and whacks Becky with it as Shotzi heads to the ring for the good guys.

Bayley tries to stop Shotzi from getting in the ring but Shotzi slams the door into her head. Shotzi goes under the ring and grabs a trash can and several chairs to litter the ring, but no tables much to the crowds consternation. Bayley has a chair but Becky kicks it into her face. Crossbody from Shotzi then they botch a kind of Victory Roll spot. Shotzy sets up a chair and launches herself off of it to hit a cannonball onto Bayley. Bayley rolls to the other ring, then Shotzi tries a suicide dive between both ropes but Bayley catches her with a Cutter. Becky has the stick now and she and Shotzi catch Bayley between the rings and whack her before Bayley climbs to the top of the cage. A reminder that if you escape the cage your team will lose. All three women fight on the top rope and eventually Bayley gets bounced off the cage and falls to the mat. Becky and Shotzi follow that up with a double shoulder block to floor Bayley just before Iyo heads down to the ring.

Iyo finds a chain under the ring and brings it into the ring then hits Bayley and Shotzi with it before using it to toss both of them around for a bit. Becky fights back and elbows Iyo but Iyo snaps her over the top rope then hits a double springboard into a double dropkick to both Becky and Shotzi. Low angel Meteora strikes from Iyo to both Becky and Shotzi then she gets the trash can and climbs the ropes. Bayley and Becky start fighting as Iyo is unable to complete a recreation of her prior WarGames spot with a trashcan when she moonsaulted off the cage onto a pile of bodies. Becky, Bayley, and Iyo fight on the top rope and eventually Iyo and Bayley hit a double superplex to Becky. Shotzi is left alone now and Bayley abuses her in the corner for a bit. They try for another double superplex as time runs down and here comes Belair.

Belair brings no other weapon, she’s got her hair done up in two braids and she proceeds to whip Iyo repeatedly. The trashcan wound up set up in a corner and Belair then drops Iyo with an Alley Oop into the can. Belair catches Bayley with a spinebuster then tries a 10 punch on Iyo but Bayley and Iyo wind up grabbing her braids but Belair is a freak and flips free then pulls them both into a double suplex. Shotzi with a top rope splash to Iyo then Becky hits a guillotine leg drop onto Bayley. That’s the last real action before Kairi joins the fray.

Kairi goes under the ring and finds the trashcan lid, the crowd still want tables though. In the ring Kairi proceeds to whack Shotzi with the lid then dropkicks it into Becky. Kairi out wrestles Belair next and hits a low Sliding D against the fence. Bayley and Iyo bury Shotzi in chairs then Kairi hits an elbow drop off of Iyo onto Shotzi. Belair and Kairi fight on the ropes, Belair eventually grabs a military press and tosses her onto Bayley and Iyo. Becky and Belair grab chairs and lay into everyone, Kairi cuts that off though and Damage Control lays in chair shots to stand tall as time runs down so here comes Poochie.

Charlotte grabs no weapons, just charges in and unloads on Bayley then tosses Iyo into Bayley in the corner. Chops for Kairi and Iyo then an attempted fall away slam into the cage on Kairi but it just kind of hits the ropes instead. Iyo tries a hurricanrana on Charlotte but Charlotte catches her and powerbombs her into the cage. Kairi and Bayley attack Charlotte and they fight into the second ring as the crowd again chants for tables. Charlotte makes her own save, because she doesn’t sell for peasants, and then hits a sort of double blockbuster to Kairi and Bayley. Not really lined up properly. Becky and Charlotte go face to face, but Iyo and Kairi attack them to break that up. Charlotte grabs Iyo on her shoulders and climbs the ropes, Iyo winds up on top of the cage and kicks Charlotte off. Iyo all the way up on the cage with the chain now, she drops the chain to Dakota who hooks it to a trashcan and Iyo pulls it up. Iyo then puts the can on herself and dives with a crossbody onto everyone, because she’s crazy. Right about then, here comes Asuka.

Asuka goes under the ring and finds kendo sticks, the crowd boos, she goes back under the ring, more sticks lead to more boos. Next she finds the table everyone’s been asking for and she and Dakota send the table into the ring. There’s a fire extinguisher for good measure and Asuka heads into the ring to officially start the match. Damage Control all have black kendo sticks and stare at all of the fallen faces who are down in the second ring. Kendo stick shots to everyone as the crowd chants “thank you Asuka” for the table. Iyo with the chain and chains Becky and Bayley together leading to all of Damage Control hitting a four way dropkick on them. Asuka and Shotzi wind up on the top rope, Asuka with what looks like purple mist to Shotzi and Shotzi’s down, then she hits a trashcan assisted dropkick to Becky but only a 2 count on the pin. The crowd still want tables, and Asuka and Kairi oblige them by setting the table up while Iyo lays in more kendo stick shots to the faces. Iyo and Bayley set Charlotte on the top rope but Becky and Bayley fight over to set up a stereo powerbombs to them leaving Charlotte on top. Charlotte climbs to the top of the cage, I guess she wanted the moonsault spot as she lands on everyone and had a very awkward landing with her leg onto Iyo’s head.

Becky and Charlotte team up to run wild on Bayley and Iyo, then a double powerbomb to Kairi. Again Becky and Charlotte face off, then loudly hug to a pop. Asuka and Iyo with double roll ups but nothing doing, everyone gets their submission moves but Bayley drops an elbow on Charlotte but when Kairi tries the InSane elbow on Becky Becky kicks her arm. Askua gets up on the shoulders of Belair and Shotzi with a Doomsday dropkick to Asuka but Bayley breaks up the pin. Kairi and Becky trade strikes for a bit then Becky hits an inverted DDT but Bayley comes in with a Rose Plant to Becky. Time for Everyone Get Your Stuff In and Belair blocks a mist spot with the fire extinguisher but Iyo crushes her with a chair shot. Kairi with a spinning back fist trash can shot to Shotzi but Charlotte comes in with a boot to Kairi. Bayley shoves Kairi out of the way of a Charlotte Spear then Shotzi follows with a senton, and Belair then hits a Kiss of Death to Bayley. The table is up, Becky’s on the ropes and Belair hoists Bayley’s body up for Becky to hit an avalanche Manhandle Slam through the table and that’ll end things.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Team EST won in 33:36

Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: A little slow in the middle and this really lacked fire or hatred between the wrestlers. WarGames needs some heat and this didn’t have it, it had some requisite crazy spots but this felt super contrived with how much standing around and convenient positioning there was. Bayley taking the fall was more or less a given since they’re setting up to give Bayley the boot out of Damage Control.

In the back Chelsea Green, Piper Niven, and Alpha Academy eat chips. Pretty Deadly show up and Otis argues with them over what to call potato chips, naturally things spill. Here’s R-Truth to a big pop. Kit Wilson asks when he got here, Truth has been here the whole time. They’re not chips or crisps, they’re Ruffles and you can taste the meat in them. Let’s just come together and watch Akira Tozawa to the Ruffle Shuffle. Tozawa obliges the request.

In the back Jey Uso and Sami Zayn find each other and they talk about getting ready. Sami says Randy Orton still isn’t here yet, Jey isn’t surprised as he helped put Randy on the shelf for about 2 years. Sami ignores “CM Punk” chants and says he and Jey were on the same side in WarGames last year and they came out stronger. They’ll do this together, then share a hug. Jey goes to find Cody Rhodes.

Match #2 – Intercontinental Title Match: (c) Gunther vs. Miz

Some circling to start, then Miz lands a leg kick. Miz looking to stick and move, he can’t afford to tie up with Gunther. Eventually they do tie up and Gunther forces things to a corner then Miz avoids a chop and lands one but Gunther no sells it and just stalks him again. Gunther grabs a kick and chops the lungs out of Miz. Miz kicks Gunther to avoid a single leg Boston crab, then Miz tries to attack with strikes and backs Gunther into a corner. Slap from Miz, Gunther is pissed and chases Miz out of the ring, Miz catches Gunther and slams his leg across the ring apron a few times. Now Miz wraps the leg of Gunther around the ring post then locks in the ring post Figure Four to further damage the leg of Gunther. Miz heads back to the ring but his flying nothing is intercepted by a Gunther big boot. Gunther with a chop and starts unloading on Miz in the corner. Miz tries to fight back with strikes, but Gunther cuts him off with one chop. Scoop slam from Gunther. Miz tries to fire up with punches but Gunther drills him with a German suplex and then glowers at him. Another boot from Gunther and he poses for the crowd, enjoying their boos.

Miz counters a powerbomb with a hurricanrana then he kicks the leg of Gunther a few times. More punches from Miz, Gunther lands a knee to slow him but Miz catches a kick and drops his knee across the back of Gunther’s leg to halt the momentum of the big Austrian. More kicks from Miz then a roundhouse to the head, and another one. Miz with more kicks in the corner but Gunther chops him away but Miz comes off the ropes with an around the world DDT for a 2 count. Gunter avoids the Skull Crushing Finale, hits a shotgun dropkick then spikes Miz with a Folding Powerbomb but Miz kicks at 2. Some stomps from Gunther and he tries a Sleeper, it’s in but Miz is able to fight to the ropes and removes the covering off of a turnbuckle, then hits a couple of low blows while the ref puts it back on. Skull Crushing Finale from Miz, but Gunther kicks at 2. Miz tries it again, Gunther counters into the Sleeper again but gets rammed into the buckle, Miz with the pin out of the Sleeper and Gunther has to break the hold. They start trading strikes, and Gunther hits a Lariat to floor Miz. Gunther up top for a Splash, hits it to the back of Miz but doesn’t like and then grabs a Boston Crab. Miz reaches for the ropes, but Gunther pulls him away from them and switches from a Crab to a Lion Tamer and that gets the tap.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Gunther retained the title in 12:20

Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: Good match but never quite hit great, the leg work from Miz was a nice idea but it didn’t play into much after it was used and there wasn’t a whole lot of belief in Miz actually winning. That said the crowd did get into this on at least one of the near falls which is a credit to both men. But ultimately these two just didn’t quite have the right spark between them.

In the Judgement Day’s locker room they blow hot air for a bit, Dominik Mysterio shows up and says Randy probably wont be here. More hot air about Randy Orton, then Priest leaves.

Match #3: Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee

Escobar with punches right away to drop Lee then some stomps behind it. Corner stomps from Escobar then a tilt a whirl backbreaker for a 1 count. Escobar puts Lee in the tree of woe and stomps him then hits a running dropkick as well all of which leads to a 2 count. Double knees in the corner from Escobar then he tosses Lee out of the ring. Out of the ring now Escobar tosses Lee into the ring steps then puts Lee’s leg between the steps and the ring but Lee fights back with elbows then to the apron and superkicks Escobar. Lee the with a diving hurricanrana that sends Escobar from the apron to the floor, then Lee with a big dive onto Escobar on the floor. Back in the ring Lee with a running knee strike for a 2 count. Lee with a front slam then tries to head up top, he has to stop and kick Escobar before getting there, but he takes too long still and Escobar kicks him. Escobar up top with Lee for a super hurricanrana and a 2 count. Escobar tears at the mask of Lee, that earns some nasty chants from the crowd then Escobar sends Lee to the apron and lands elbows. They head up top and Escobar wants a superplex but Lee picks the legs and puts him in a tree of woe then hits a nice looking double stomp and a near fall.

Lee runs into a stiff looking superkick and both men are down. They start trading elbows now, Escobar lands more but then they trade knee strikes before Lee avoids a clothesline and hits the counter Liger Bomb for a near fall. Lee and Escobar had to work to save that spot and both men did, credit to them. Escobar avoids Operation Dragon and hits a Canadian Destroyer, then a Phantom Driver to get the win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Santos Escobar won in 8:19

Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: Wish this had been given another 3-5 minutes, both men work a similar style and clearly worked well together. Lee was clearly taking the loss here but he got to show his stuff again and it’s not hard to see why they’re building him up. Escobar needed a win to get momentum as a heel and got it here, reminding everyone that he can go and honestly Escobar is a much more natural heel compared to how bland he was as a good guy not that long ago.

In the parking lot we see New Day arrive in a Slim Jim branded car, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods with some “long boys” references as they eat Slim Jims. OK then.

Match #4 – Women’s World Title Match: (c) Rhea Ripley vs. Zoey Stark

Some trash talk then they trade slaps before Stark with a double leg and they roll around trading punches on the mat. The crowd is very pro Ripley here. Some missed strikes then Stark with a dropkick to send Ripley out of the ring. Stark then with a triangle dive to the floor and wipes out Ripley. Back in the ring Stark hits a springboard dropkick for a 2 count. Ripley sends Stark to the apron then lands a headbutt to cut off Stark. On the apron now and they fight over a suplex, Stark fights free and the spikes Ripley on the apron with a DDT. Stark with a slingshot corkscrew senton but again only a 2 count. Ripley rolls out of the ring but Stark follows her, lands a kick but misses a jumping attack then Ripley with an Electric Chair drop onto the apron then she launches Stark into the ring post. Back in the ring now Ripley with some mounted punches and a headbutt. Another headbutt from Ripley and she’s happy to tell Stark that Stark is nothing. Ripley with a convoluted suplex which gets a 1 count. Some back work from Ripley then a surfboard to let both women catch their breath. Ripley stomps on Stark a few times before hitting a low dropkick.

Stark fights back with a kick but Ripley cuts her off with a combination then a corner clothesline. Ripley sets Stark on the top rope and they trade some strikes but Ripley is rolling now and follows her up there where they trade slaps and eventually Ripley with a sort of hip toss, Stark twisted in mid air and I’m not sure if she wasn’t supposed to land on her feet there, either way Stark lands a superkick for a 2 count. Victory Roll from Stark, only 2 then she kicks Ripley and tries a German suplex but Ripley fights free with an elbow then follows with a kick to the head. Northern Lights suplex from Ripley but only 2 again. Some pie faces from Ripley, Stark eggs her on and Ripley kicks her then tries Riptide but Stark slips free and hits a German suplex then a running knee strike for a 2 count. Ripley blocks the Z-360 and they trade strikes before Ripley hits the Riptide and wins.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Rhea Ripley retained the title in 9:14

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Another pretty abrupt ending, seems like a theme for the evening thus far. Stark never had a chance here and everyone knew it, Stark did alright but this was another match that felt a little heatless.

Alpha Academy remind us about shopping for WWE merch.

Jey and Sami find Seth Rollins in the back and they all lament that Randy isn’t here. Cody Rhodes shows up and says they’re good, Randy will be here. Just trust Cody, even though they’re up now. Sami says he’s trusting Cody after Seth and Jey have headed out.

Drew McIntyre comes out solo before the rest of Judgement Day join him. Still no Randy for the good guys despite entrances.

Match #5 – WarGames: Team Cody (Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, and Randy Orton) vs. Team Judgement Day (Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonaugh, and Finn Balor)

Balor starts things off for Judgement Day, smart choice all things considered, while Rollins heads down for the good guys. Rollins jumps across the space between rings to dive onto Balor and get things going. Strikes from Rollins and Balor and some audible “CM Punk” chants start up. Rollins bounces Balor off of the cage a few times then gets the crowd to sing his theme song and cut off the chants. Balor avoids a buckle bomb and lands a clothesline. Now it’s Rollins who gets sent into the cage a few times as Balor is in charge of things, then Balor hits a Sling Blade. “CM Punk” chants again, and Rollins lands a superkick to counter a John WOOOO dropkick. Rollins and Balor between the rings now, Rollins wants a Pedigree but Balor back drops his way out of it as everyone decides that at the moment Rollins has a bad back. Rollins avoids a Coup de Grace and hits his own Sling Blade. Some punches from Rollins now then a back suplex into a backbreaker and a running kick. That’ll be the last action before JD runs down.

Rollins kicks the human Funko Pop before he can get in, but Balor attacks and this all lets JD get a few kendo sticks and then head into the ring. Balor and JD with kendo stick shots to Rollins for a while and the crowd again chants “CM Punk” because they’re bored. Rollins fights back to halt those chants but JD hits an asai moonsault from one ring to the other to drop Rollins and keep the heels in charge. Balor and JD with a kendo stick clothesline to drop Rollins again. Some more slow work to keep Rollins on the back foot then a double cutthroat suplex to drop Rollins before Jey heads down.

Jey grabs a chair as he heads into the ring to counter the kendo sticks and he proceeds to lay into both JD and Balor with it. Punches to JD and Balor, Jey’s connection to the crowd is genuinely incredible as they’re with everything he’s doing while he lands enziguri kicks to both Balor and JD. Hip attack for Balor but JD intercepts a second with a Spanish Fly to put Jey down. Rollins saves Jey from a double suplex and they hit stereo superkicks to drop Balor and JD. Balor runs away from Rollins but Rollins walks the ropes to chase him and hit an ax bomber in the second ring. Jey stomps on JD, Drew wants in but he and Priest wind up arguing over who goes out and Priest says the plan hasn’t changed then Priest heads down to the match.

Priest enters and gets swarmed by Rollins and Jey but he’s able to fight them off just enough to let JD and Balor get back into the picture so the numbers are with the bad guys. Priest has a baton and uses it to whack Jey and Rollins down. Suplex from Priest to Jey then an elevated Flatliner to Rollins. Priest up top for a slightly modified Whisper in the Wind to drop both Jey and Rollins again. The crowd grows restless and we can hear “CM Punk” chants again. Priest stomps on Rollins for a bit while Balor and JD use a chair on Jey. Judgement Day stands tall as Sami heads down to the ring.

Sami cracks JD with a kendo stick then slams the door onto Balor’s head, he considers entering the cage but instead goes under the ring for a table to cheers. Sami enters the ring now and clotheslines Priest between the rings and stomps on him. Blue Thunder Bomb to Balor then Sami heads up top for a moment, he wants to go higher but JD is here to complicate things. JD and Sami fight on the ropes, Sami drops JD crotch first onto the ropes then pulls a metal pipe off of the cage and begins laying into Balor and JD with it. Pipe shot to Priest as well and Sami stands tall. Jey battles with Priest in the second ring, we get the “Ole” chants and Cole speculates that El Generico is in the crowd somewhere. Balor takes a kendo shot then Rollins slams him into an upright chair. Next here comes Drew though to sour the tone.

Drew walks into the ring, no weapons, and plants Rollins then Sami. Drew launches Sami with a belly to belly throw then crushes Rollins onto Sami with an inverted Alabama Slam. Drew is staring at Jey like there’s a tombstone already on his head and stalks him into the second ring. Jey sees Drew coming and the two men start throwing hands. Drew tries a Future Shock but Jey fights free and hits a superkick but Drew catches him with a neckbreaker. Drew bounces Jey off the cage while screaming that all he had to do was apologize and acknowledge what he did to him. Jey blocks a Claymore with a superkick, then he and Sami drop Drew with a 1D. Balor and Priest swarm Sami to keep him down as Cody enters the fray.

Cody runs wild on Priest for a bit then lays in punches to everyone else. JD eats a clothesline and then Cody elevates him with a back body drop. Cody then gordbusters Balor onto JD and pulls a bull rope out from under the ring. Rollins gets the other end of the rope and they both reiterate they’re on the same page for one night before using the rope on JD and Balor. Cody admits to Rollins that he’s not sure if Randy will be here. Things slow down as the countdown hits for Dom to enter the match.

Dom attacks Cody and Rollins, then Jey but not much coming out of it. Dom with a Three Amigos attempt on Cody, he only gets 2 though before he realizes he’s surrounded by the good guys. Everyone jumps Dom to a pretty good pop. The table comes back into play as they set it up in the corner of the second ring. Rollins goes to powerbomb Dom through the table but Priest and Drew break that up. We get a moment for Drew and Priest to stare off while the crowd alternate between “Randy” and “CM Punk” chants. Drew and Priest with a triple chokeslam to drop Cody, Rollins, and Sami. JD moonsaults onto Sami, Balor with a Coup de Grace to Rollins and then Dom with a Frog Splash to Cody. The table is set up, and Priest with a Razor’s Edge to Rollins through the table.

The clock counts down, the cage is empty. . . but here comes Rhea Ripley with Priest’s MITB contract, but before that can be cashed in “I hear voices in my head” and here’s Randy Orton to a thunderous ovation.

Randy enters the ring and beats up Dom for a bit. Snap powerslams for Dom and JD, then a hanging DDT for Balor. Drew and Randy stare down and there’s a boatload of history there. Randy with a punch but Priest jumps Randy from behind. Everyone stomps on Randy in the corner but the rest of Team Cody come to the rescue. A bunch of people are between the rings now, and Team Cody all hit hanging DDTs to stand tall. Randy looks a tad blown up but who could blame him, he sets for an RKO to Priest, then turns to look at Jey instead. Jey and Randy stare off, Jey apologizes then saves Randy from a Priest attack with a superkick. RKO to Dom, Stomp to Priest between rings, Cody Cutter, Drew takes a Helluva kick then an Uso Splash. Poor Funko man is left all alone, he tries to escape the cage but Sami and Rollins chase him up to the top of the cage. JD gets abused by Sami and Rollins, Randy stands below them and calls for them to toss him down so Randy can show off his impeccable timing again and catch him with a sick RKO. Priest eats Cross Rhodes and we’re done.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Team Cody won in 34:21

Rating: 4 stars
Thoughts: That was the shot of energy this show badly needed. The heat between different people was palpable, the intergroup drama made sense and the only contrived spot made sense as everyone set up JD for what Randy caught him with. Not quite as drama filled as last years men’s match but still pretty darn good work here.

The faces all stand tall, but then Cult of Personality hits and CM Punk walks out in a white t-shirt and jeans. Punk just hangs out on the entrance stage and soaks the reaction for a bit. He messes with the fans for a while and that’ll end the show.

Well thank you all for reading, be that live or after the fact. I cover MLW’s weekly TV offering plus WWE Smackdown and all the UFC events when they happen. Be kind to Tony on Monday and I hope to see you all Friday. But until next time thanks again, stay safe out there, and keep checking 411mania for all of your pop culture needs.

7.8
The final score: review Good
The 411
If this was just down to the main event and closing segment it would be much higher, the last 40 minutes or so was quality wrestling and a very hot crowd reaction. But I can't ignore the downtime between matches and the fact that I just didn't especially care for most of the rest of the card. It wasn't bad by any means, but the women's WarGames felt overly contrived and sloppy. Gunther is one of my favorite wrestlers but I don't think he an Miz really clicked, Escobar and Dragon Lee was a fun little sprint but was designed as a dominant win for Escobar(nothing wrong with that), and the Ripley and Stark match was another that felt a bit flat. So I can't quite get to Very Good here, but the strength of the last match and reaction to Punk returning largely saved this from a final rating standpoint.
legend