Survivor Series 2018: Recap, Reactions, & Biggest Moments

Have we all recovered from the epic show that was NXT TakeOver: WarGames II? Probably not, right? Nevertheless, WWE waits for no one, and 24 hours later it was time for Survivor Series. A night full of matches we don't see all that often since they pit Raw Superstars against their SmackDown Live counterparts. In fact, the three top singles matches on the show were happening for the first time ever. Read on for everything you need to know about that trio of bouts and all the other milestone moments from Survivor Series.

As if the Survivor Series card hadn't been changed enough at the last minute heading into the show. WWE decided to make a couple more switches on the kickoff show. Since Natalya and Ruby Riott couldn't get along, Alexa Bliss switched them out for Sasha Banks and Bayley. The women's elimination match then opened the main Survivor Series card, and it didn't take long for the first casualties to take place. Naomi was eliminated first, and she was quickly followed by Tamina to level things back up. Bodies continued to fall until Asuka was faced with the tall order of having to take on Nia Jax and Sasha Banks. It actually looked as if Jax handed The Empress a lifeline, shoving her own partner off the turnbuckle and into an Asuka Lock, As it turns out, Jax only did that so she could pick at the bones of Asuka and take all the glory for herself.

Not only did the champion versus champion of Survivor Series throw up some first time ever matches this year, but a fair few of them were dream matches. Perhaps none more so than Seth Rollins going up against Shinsuke Nakamura. WWE fans have been patiently waiting to see more of the Nakamura that we witnessed when he was in New Japan and hoped The Architect would be the one to coax it out of him. One thing is for certain, there were some hard hits in this one. Both men will have been hurting by the end, but only one man could win. That man was Rollins. There was no expected Dean Ambrose interference to cost him the win, just a stomp and a three count for the Intercontinental Champion.

By the time the men's elimination match rolled around, Raw was already winning three matches to zero. That meant Team Blue had to win this one to stand any chance of catching up. Things did not start out well for them on that front. Samoa Joe managed to lock in the Coquina Clutch on Drew McIntyre, but The Scot broke free, hit Joe with a Claymore, and eliminated him. SmackDown Live actually rallied a little after that as Shane McMahon rendered Braun Strowman out of action. However, when The Monster returned, it was game over. Strowman eliminated Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, and The Miz in quick succession. That left Shane O Mac all alone against the three remaining Raw Superstars. Strowman didn't need the others, though. He took care of McMahon himself and picked up Raw's fourth win of the night in the process.

The main attraction at Survivor Series was supposed to be Ronda Rousey versus Becky Lynch. Sadly, that couldn't happen, and in its place, we got a match that was rumored to be headlining WrestleMania 35. A dream match between Rousey and Charlotte Flair. The way things unfolded in this one, that might very well still happen. The two of them put on an extremely physical match as most would have expected. The Rowdy One even spent the majority of the match with a mouth full of blood. Despite the competitive and even match, Flair eventually gave up. Not by submitting, but by getting herself disqualified. Then the violence really began. Flair first used a kendo stick and then a steel chair to decimate Rousey. She ended her brutal attack by placing the chair around the neck of the Raw Women's Champion and stamping on it.

If you thought Flair's picking apart of Rousey was hard to watch, then wait until you get a load if the main event. Remember when Brock Lesnar unceremoniously decimated John Cena at SummerSlam a few years ago? Imagine that but with Daniel Bryan, a man with a history of head and neck injuries. Thankfully, just when fans had lost all hope, the match was saved. With the referee groggy, Bryan resorted to his new best friend, the low blow. He then hit a running knee and almost won the match. From then on in it was something we never believed The Beast would agree to, an even match with Daniel Bryan. Not only that, but Lesnar did some of the best selling he has done in years. It became the best match the Universal Champion has had since he returned to WWE in 2012, without question. Lesnar did end up winning in the end, but not before he and Bryan had the world convinced that he might tap out, even it was just for a brief moment.

NEXT: RAW PERFORMS A CLEAN SWEEP AT SURVIVOR SERIES