WWE Survivor Series 2017 review: What we learned, takeaways, future projections
By Luke Norris
Women’s 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team RAW (Alicia Fox, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Nia Jax & Asuka) vs. Team SmackDown (Becky Lynch, Naomi, Carmella, Tamina & Natalya)
What we learned: We learned here that Asuka is going to continue to be booked very strongly heading into the new year.
I have to say that I was hoping for a little more from this match. It’s not that it was bad but it definitely wasn’t great either. Some of the booking was a little confusing — I did not like Becky Lynch being eliminated just two minutes into the match — and there were a few sloppy spots, the most notable happening with Naomi and Alicia Fox, but for the most part this match told the story it needed to tell. The Tamina vs. Nia Jax moment was great … until they started actually getting into it. With two women that size, I was hoping for more than some headbutts. They did the right thing by not having Nia get pinned, and it keeps her protected for a little while longer.
While there was some focus on some of the other women, this match was always going to revolve around Asuka. She’s the most popular female on the roster right now, and the crowd went crazy for her. It took her a while to get in, but she made the most of her time in the ring and was responsible for three of the five eliminations for her team, including the final two when she was at a disadvantage, which only makes her look even stronger. She’s been having a lot of matches against some enhancement talent, so it was nice to see her in there with the big names. Again, this match was good enough but could have and should have been so much better.
What’s next: Asuka is obviously being built up to challenge for the RAW Women’s Championship at some point, and it will be interesting to see how quickly they want to put it on her. With rumors still swirling about the possibility of a women’s Royal Rumble, I could see her winning that and getting her big moment at WrestleMania. A women’s Rumble could set up a lot of things for the division that really needs more than a match or two at WrestleMania this year to keep the momentum going. Bayley and Sasha is inevitable, and one of them eliminating the other would be an easy way to kickstart a heel turn for either. Nia and Tamina would be a presence in that match as well. Carmella still has her Money in the Bank briefcase, and I’m thinking that could finally go down at Night of Champions in a few weeks.