November 29, 2021 Observer Newsletter: Survivor Series review, NJPW vs. NOAH show announced
The 2021 Survivor Series was a show built around non-title matches that had little storyline build-up and traditional matches with no interaction between brands.
It was a paradox. The show, on 11/21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, was, from a television standpoint, one of the weakest builds to a PPV to date. Because the name Survivor Series is traditional and it’s supposed to be an A show, no doubt viewership was higher than most B shows. But aside from Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair building a match based on a legit disagreement during the belt trading angle on Smackdown and their former friendship, and a minor situation where Big E vowed revenge for Roman Reigns and the Usos feuding on Smackdown with Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston, there was little to build the matches.
On the flip side, there was more mainstream media done related to the show than just about any show other than WrestleMania. The main characters, Lynch, Flair, Paul Heyman, and Roman Reigns in particular, were visible all over the place promoting the show and the brand.
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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.