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CM Punk Returns At Survivor Series

After 18 months away, Randy Orton stepped back into the ring–but even more of a shock was seeing CM Punk return to WWE

Justin Barrasso

CM Punk Returns At Survivor Series
CM Punk Returns At Survivor Series /

Randy Orton is back.

And so is CM Punk,

After a tumultuous exit from the company that led to an ugly lawsuit, Survivor Series closed with Punk returning.

The acquisition is immediately the most noteworthy of the Endeavor-owned era. For years, it appeared Punk would never, ever return to WWE. Yet the seemingly impossible happened at Survivor Series, with Punk returning to the company where he became a mega star.

Here are the results:

  • Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Shotzi defeated Bayley, Iyo Sky, Asuka, and Kairi Sane in a WarGames match
  • Intercontinental champion Gunther defeated The Miz by submission
  • Santos Escobar defeated Dragon Lee
  • Women’s world champion Rhea Ripley defeated Zoey Stark
  • Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, and Sami Zayn defeated Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh in a WarGames match

Survivor Series opened hot, with the women’s WarGames match a mixture of nonstop action and physicality. A lot was made about whether Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair could co-exist, which they were able to do.

Courtesy WWE
Courtesy WWE

In her first WarGames match, Flair hit a moonsault from the top of the cage, causing everyone from both teams to hit the ground. The spots where everyone falls look a bit cartoonish, but it was an extraordinary feat of athleticism.

Chairs, kendo sticks, a fire extinguisher, and a table were all part of the madness. The crowd was heavily into this match, and Iyo Sky did her signature trash can spot from the top of the cage.

This match was so compelling that it even kept the crowd in Chicago from making any CM Punk chants. In a match full of stars, Shotzi especially stood out. The finish saw Belair hit a KOD on Bayley, and then Lynch finished her with a Manhandle Slam through a table for the win.

Ruffles sponsored Survivor Series, which led to too many advertisements throughout the show. One that stood out featured the return of R-Truth, who has been out of action for the past year after tearing his quad tendon, as he returned to introduce a new “Ruffle Shuffle” dance for Akira Tozawa. Moving forward, it will be great to have R-Truth back.

Gunther defeated The Miz, further extending his historic reign as Intercontinental champion. Entertaining as it was, this match was never in doubt, and it adds to the aura of Gunther, who dominated the former eight-time IC champ. Miz merely served as a road block for Gunther to take a step closer to his next big story, which should coincide with WrestleMania 40.

Following an attack on Friday’s SmackDown, Santos Escobar removed Carlito from Survivor Series (which would have been his first singles pay-per-view match in WWE since 2007). Carlito just returned, so it was too soon to have him lose to Escobar, who is about to receive a massive push as a heel. Dragon Lee replaced Carlito, which was smart. The talented masked luchador kept the crowd in the match, ensured that Escobar’s offense looked vicious, and fulfilled his role in a match centered around Escobar.

Zoey Stark was no match for Rhea Ripley. As expected, the reigning women’s world champion overpowered Stark. Similar to the Gunther-Miz match, the champion made multiple concessions to make people believe that the title could change hands, but this one was inevitable. Stark fought hard, but Ripley’s Riptide ended it.

In the men’s WarGames match, the match was executed perfectly. The focus was centered around Drew McIntyre seeking revenge on Jey Uso for all of his misdeeds with The Bloodline. McIntyre adds a whole new element in Judgment Day, especially considering his reason for joining makes complete sense.

As Judgment Day was on the cusp of taking control of the match, with Rhea Ripley about to deliver the Money in the Bank briefcase for Priest, a shredded Orton made his entrance to the ring. His scoop powerslam, to no one’s surprise, remains a thing of beauty, and Orton looked like he hadn’t missed a beat after being away for 18 months.

The finish came when Orton hit an RKO on McDonaugh, who was flung off the cage, followed by a Rhodes’ Cross Rhodes on Priest that sealed the victory. Orton, a 14-time world champion, stepped aside for Rhodes to have the win. Perhaps that was symbolic, but it adds another chapter to their story.

This was a quintessential Paul “Triple H” Levesque booked card. The broadcast team was given freedom to mention former talent (like Chris Jericho winning the IC title nine times), as well as referencing Cody Rhodes created his own event (All In) just like his father created WarGames. A more mature tone was felt as Michael Cole and Corey Graves went heavy on gambling lines (Hello, DraftKings). Survivor Series was a tightly-booked card of five matches, built around the bookend of two WarGames matches. Like he did with his popular NXT TakeOver events, there was a video introduction before each match. No titles changed hands, but storylines were advanced, and talent not part of the card (most prominently New Day) were featured.

Orton’s return and the women’s WarGames match were the highlights of an entertaining Survivor Series. That would have sufficed, but then Punk returned.

Even on a night without Roman Reigns, WWE’s hot streak continues. All of sudden, their programming, beginning this Monday on Raw, becomes cannot-miss.

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Justin Barrasso
JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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