| Survivor Series | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuringThe Undertaker | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Date | November 22, 2015 | ||
| City | Atlanta,Georgia | ||
| Venue | Philips Arena | ||
| Attendance | 14,481 | ||
| Tagline | There Is No Greater Survivor | ||
| WWE event chronology | |||
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| Survivor Series chronology | |||
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The 2015Survivor Series was aprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) andlivestreamingevent produced byWWE. It was the 29th annualSurvivor Series and took place on November 22, 2015, atPhilips Arena inAtlanta,Georgia, which was the first time the state hosted the event. The event celebratedThe Undertaker's 25th anniversary in WWE, his debut occurring at the1990 Survivor Series. This was also the last Survivor Series event to be held before the reintroduction of thebrand extension in July 2016, and the final Survivor Series event untilthe 2022 event to not carry the brand supremacy theme.
Nine matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event,Roman Reigns defeatedDean Ambrose to win the vacantWWE World Heavyweight Championship; however, immediately after the match,Sheamus cashed in hisMoney in the Bank contract and defeated Reigns to win the title. In another prominent match, The Undertaker teamed withKane, thus reunitingThe Brothers of Destruction, and defeatedThe Wyatt Family (represented byBray Wyatt andLuke Harper).
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Survivor Series is an annualprofessional wrestlingevent produced every November byWWE since 1987, generally held the week ofThanksgiving. The second longest runningpay-per-view (PPV) event in history (behind WWE'sWrestleMania), it is one of the promotion's original four PPVs, along with WrestleMania,Royal Rumble, andSummerSlam, referred to as the "Big Four".[1] The event is traditionallycharacterized by havingSurvivor Series matches, which aretag team elimination matches that typically pits teams of four or five wrestlers against each other. Announced on July 13, 2015, the 2015 event was the 29th Survivor Series and was scheduled to be held on November 22, 2015, atPhilips Arena inAtlanta,Georgia, which was the first time the state hosted the event. In addition to airing on traditional PPV, the event waslivestreamed on theWWE Network.[2]
The event comprised nine matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers,[3][4] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Raw andSmackDown.
AfterSeth Rollins retained theWWE World Heavyweight Championship atHell in a Cell,[5] a number one contender was determined the next night onRaw. Eight wrestlers that were victorious at Hell in a Cell competed in singles matches, with the winners advancing to afatal four-way match.Roman Reigns emerged victorious and was named the number one contender.[6][7] However, on November 4, Rollins suffered multiple legitimate knee injuries at a live event inDublin,Ireland; therefore, the title was vacated and a tournament was set up to crown a new champion.[8] The tournament began on the November 9 episode ofRaw, with the semifinals and the final match scheduled for Survivor Series. Since Reigns was already the number one contender,Triple H offered him to pass directly into the finals if he would joinThe Authority. Reigns refused, preferring to go through the tournament.[9] On the November 16 episode ofRaw, Reigns,Dean Ambrose,Intercontinental ChampionKevin Owens, andUnited States ChampionAlberto Del Rio advanced to the semifinals with victories overCesaro,Dolph Ziggler,Neville, andKalisto respectively, setting up Reigns vs. Del Rio and Ambrose vs. Owens in the semifinals at the event.[10]
On the November 2 episode ofRaw,Paige defeatedBecky Lynch,Brie Bella, andSasha Banks in a fatal four-way match to earn aDivas Championship match againstCharlotte at Survivor Series.[7]
At Hell in a Cell,The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt,Luke Harper,Erick Rowan, andBraun Strowman) attackedThe Undertaker after he had lost toBrock Lesnar in aHell in a Cell match and carried him out of the arena.[5] The following night onRaw, Undertaker's brother Kane confronted The Wyatt Family but was also overpowered and carried out.[6] On the November 9 episode ofRaw, The Undertaker and Kane returned and attacked The Wyatt Family.[9] On the November 12 episode ofSmackDown, Wyatt challenged the brothers to a tag team match at Survivor Series against two handpicked members of The Wyatt Family, which they accepted.[11]
On the October 22 episode ofSmackDown,Tyler Breeze made his WWE debut and attacked Dolph Ziggler.[12] On the October 29 episode, after Ziggler defeatedThe Miz, Breeze attacked Ziggler.[13] On the November 2 episode ofRaw, Breeze distracted Ziggler during a match with Kevin Owens, allowing Owens to get the victory.[7] On the November 19 episode ofSmackDown, after Breeze defeatedZack Ryder, Ziggler attacked Breeze. Later in the show, a match between Ziggler and Breeze was scheduled for the event.[14]
TheFederal Bureau of Investigation investigated an alleged threat by theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) at the event. On November 21, 2015, the FBI released the statement, "The FBI is aware of reports of an alleged threat that includes an Atlanta, Georgia venue and event. While we take all threats seriously, we do not have specific or credible information of an attack at this time. We have, however, made the proper notifications as we continue to work closely with our law enforcement and private sector partners to keep our community safe."[15]International Business Times reported that the hacker groupAnonymous were responsible for uncovering the information. WWE released a statement stating that the show would go on as scheduled. The show went on with no attack from ISIS.[16]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Michael Cole |
| Jerry Lawler | |
| John "Bradshaw" Layfield | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Marcelo Rodriguez | |
| Backstageinterviewers | Tom Phillips(Pre-show) |
| Rich Brennan(Pre-show) | |
| JoJo | |
| Ring announcers | Lilian Garcia |
| Eden Stiles | |
| Referees | Mike Chioda |
| Darrick Moore | |
| John Cone | |
| Charles Robinson | |
| Dan Engler | |
| Rod Zapata | |
| Jason Ayers | |
| Pre-show panel | Renee Young |
| Booker T | |
| Corey Graves | |
| Byron Saxton |
During the Survivor Series Kickoff pre-show,The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley andD-Von Dudley),Goldust,Neville, andTitus O'Neil facedThe Cosmic Wasteland (Stardust,Konnor, andViktor),The Miz, andBo Dallas in aSurvivor Series elimination tag team match. Viktor was eliminated by Goldust after a snap scoop powerslam. Konnor was eliminated by Bubba Ray after a side slam. Neville was eliminated by The Miz after a Bo-Dog by Dallas, followed by a Skull Crushing Finale by The Miz. The Miz was eliminated by Goldust with a schoolboy pin. Dallas was eliminated by O'Neil after a Clash of the Titus. Stardust was eliminated by D-Von after a3-D by the Dudleyz, leaving Goldust, The Dudleyz, and Titus O'Neil as the survivors.[17]
The actual pay-per-view opened with the semifinals in the tournament for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. In the first semifinal, Roman Reigns faced Alberto Del Rio (accompanied byZeb Colter). In the end, as Del Rio leapt off the top rope, Reigns avoided Del Rio and executed aSpear on Del Rio to win the match and advance to the finals.[17]
Next, Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens competed in the second semifinal match. In the end, as Owens attempted a Pop Up Powerbomb, Ambrose countered with a Hurricanrana and executed Dirty Deeds on Owens to win the match and advance to the finals.[17]
After that,The New Day (Big E,Kofi Kingston, andXavier Woods),Sheamus, andKing Barrett facedThe Usos (Jey Uso andJimmy Uso),The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto andSin Cara), andRyback in a Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team match. Barrett was eliminated by Sin Cara after a Springboard Senton Bomb. Jimmy Uso was eliminated by Xavier Woods after a Backbreaker/Diving Double Foot Stomp combination with Kingston. Sin Cara was eliminated by Sheamus after a Brogue Kick. Big E was eliminated by Jey Uso after a Samoan Splash. After Big E was eliminated, Kingston and Woods left with Big E, eliminating Kingston and Woods. In the end, Sheamus received a Superkick from Jey Uso, a Hurricanrana from Kalisto and was eliminated by Ryback after Shellshocked, leaving Ryback, Kalisto and Jey as the survivors.[17]
In the fourth match, Charlotte defended the WWE Divas Championship against Paige. During the match, Charlotte executed a Natural Selection on Paige, causing Paige to roll outside the ring. Paige climbed onto the barricade and taunted Charlotte, who also climbed up and executed a Spear on Paige. Charlotte, with her arms under the bottom rope, forced Paige to submit to the Figure Eight Leglock to retain.[17]
In the fifth match, Tyler Breeze faced Dolph Ziggler. Breeze executed an Unprettier on Ziggler to win the match.[17]
In the penultimate match, The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane) fought Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper of The Wyatt Family, with Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman at ringside. Before the match, Undertaker and Kane performed a Double Chokeslam on Rowan. During the match, Undertaker and Kane performed a double Chokeslam on Strowman through a broadcast table. In the climax, Wyatt performed a Spider Walk to taunt his opponents, however, the Undertaker and Kane sat up simultaneously. Undertaker and Kane performed a Double Chokeslam on Wyatt and Harper before Undertaker pinned Harper after a Tombstone Piledriver to win the match.[17]
In the main event, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose fought in the tournament final for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship. During the match, Ambrose leapt off the top rope but was intercepted by Reigns with aSuperman Punch for a near-fall. Reigns performed a Spear on Ambrose for a near-fall. When Reigns attempted another Spear, Ambrose shoved him into the ring post and rolled him up for a near-fall. Ambrose executed Dirty Deeds on Reigns for a near-fall. Reigns performed another Spear on Ambrose to win the championship.[17]
After the match, Reigns celebrated in the ring with his newly won belt as pyrotechnics went off and confetti started falling in the arena.Triple H then came in the ring to congratulate Reigns, and offered him a handshake, but Reigns attacked him with a Spear. Sheamus then surprised Reigns with aBrogue Kick and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. After Reigns kicked out of a pinfall attempt, Sheamus executed another Brogue Kick on Reigns to win the championship. Afterwards, Sheamus and Triple H celebrated their win, confirming that Sheamus had now joined the Authority to take Rollins’ place.[17][18]
The entire event and also "particularly the event's finish, was widely met with negative reviews and utter disappointment from observers", as described by Adam Silverstein ofCBS Sports. This was due to "mundane matches that failed to captivate the audience" and "replicated a clunky finish from a pay-per-view just one year earlier", resulting in "a new World Heavyweight Champion in Sheamus that no one desires to see as part of the main event picture". Silverstein highlighted the negative reaction of former WWE ChampionMick Foley, who was "on the verge of becoming a former WWE fan" after seeing how "WWE has completely failed to capitalize not only on the male wrestlers drawing positive reactions from the crowd" like "Ziggler to Cesaro to Kevin Owens", but also the "female performers who are promoted well on the company's NXT developmental show but hardly given any time to 'get over'" on the WWE main roster.[19]
Aaron Oster ofRolling Stone declared that Survivor Series was "a night that started with much promise, but ended in disappointment". While the event was not "awful" due to a "phenomenal" entrance for the Undertaker on his 25th anniversary and three "solid" matches: the tournament semi-finals and the traditional Survivor Series tag match, "the main event ... never connected and concluded in a way that cast a pall over the rest of the show – and quite possibly the company, too." This was because "Sheamus cannot be the guy at the top of your card every night ... When a bad guy's biggest heel quality is his facial hair, it doesn't bode well." Also, it was "hard to buy" Roman Reigns as "a plucky underdog being screwed over by the Authority", when leading into the event Reigns "still seemed like Vince McMahon's handpicked guy". For other topics, Oster said the "whole night was a tribute to the Undertaker", who revived the "dead" crowd. Tyler Breeze's character was enhanced by using the Unprettier move, while Dolph Ziggler, in copyingShawn Michaels' dressing and mannerisms, "just needs to figure out who he is, and quickly." Lastly, Oster questioned, "If they are going to go completely random with the Survivor Series matches, are they really worth having?"[20]
James Cadwell ofPro Wrestling Torch rated the Del Rio-Reigns semi-final three-and-a-half stars out of five, "really good" in spite of the "outcome was never in doubt, removing some of the drama". The Ambrose-Owens semi-final was rated three-and-a-quarter stars, due to both wrestlers being "really good in the ring and they had strong chemistry building to the finish". For the women's match, Caldwell wrote that it "didn't generate enough of a reaction for a supposed grudge match", and that "it's so difficult for Charlotte’s character, like Reigns, to get sympathy in the babyface role when she towers over everyone and carries herself like she’s arrived". The Undertaker participated in a "fine nostalgic match" that would be "satisfying" for fans of his, but for others an "exhibition match victory over heels who were defined-down as henchmen". The tournament final was too short to be rated over two-and-three-quarters stars, where "WWE was just not going to waver from the plan to have Reigns win" despite Ambrose enjoying a more favorable reaction. Lastly, Caldwell wrote that "Lame Sheamus as champ" was "foreshadowed ... earlier in the show by having Sheamus act like an idiot so 'they'll never see it coming!'"[17]
John Powell ofCanadian Online Explorer wrote that Survivor Series was "one of, if notthe, worst WWE pay-per-view of 2015". It "exposed all of the WWE's weaknesses" and "epitomized the existing WWE product. It is musty, tedious and worst of all, predictable." Powell singled out three main areas for criticism. Firstly, a "slipshod, bumbling interview" involving Dean Ambrose and a "rambling" Roman Reigns. Secondly, WWE keeping "fans in the dark" after "Network streaming issues". Thirdly, "questionable booking": the world champion heading out of the PPV was earlier "portrayed as an out-of-step idiot, easily pinned and losing the match for his team after being abandoned by The New Day"; "claiming to have a 'Divas Revolution' then pushing nobody but Paige, The Bellas and Charlotte"; the tournament final being a "mediocre rush job" at 9 minutes while the traditional Survivor Series match which was unhyped and had unannounced participants was given almost 20 minutes.[21]
Will Pruett ofPro Wrestling Dot Net wrote that "WWE produced an evening filled with flaws, ranging from giant to minor" resulting in a "broken universe". "The largestlogical fallacy of Survivor Series was assuming anything being done on this show was being done for any reason other than 'it'll shock everyone' or 'that's how we've always done it'." Commenting on individual wrestlers, Pruett said that Roman Reigns, the 'supposed sympathetic star', 'lost all sympathy' by attacking Triple H, who "hadn't been very evil when it came to Reigns"; "Alberto Del Rio has been noticeably disconnected in his matches since his return last month"; and Sheamus "could be a legitimate WWE Champion at some point", but "WWE seems to abuse his character." Lastly, Pruett felt that the Undertaker's entrance and match was "a life raft of heartfelt joy", "in the sea of negativity and sadness WWE lead me to" at the event.[22]
The post-Survivor SeriesRaw was the lowest rated non-holiday episode since 1997 and the first timeRaw averaged less than three million viewers since then.[23] On that episode, Roman Reigns confrontedThe Authority and demanded a rematch against Sheamus for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship that night.Triple H scheduled a rematch forTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in aTables, Ladders, and Chairs match before leaving Reigns to faceRusev that night, which Reigns won by disqualification afterKing Barrett interfered.[24] On the November 30 episode ofRaw, Reigns attacked Sheamus during his WWE World Heavyweight Championship celebrations before taking the belt with him. This prompted Sheamus to give Reigns a title match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship that night, but with the stipulation that Reigns must beat him in 5:15 (the amount of time that Reigns' short-lived title reign lasted) in order to win the title. Reigns defeated Sheamus by disqualification after Rusev interfered, which prevented Reigns from winning the title. After the match, Sheamus was helped by Rusev, King Barrett, and Alberto Del Rio, and introduced themselves as The League of Nations.[25]
On the November 26 episode ofSmackDown, Dean Ambrose won atriple threat match against Dolph Ziggler and Tyler Breeze to become the number one contender to Kevin Owens's Intercontinental Championship.[26]
On the November 23 episode ofRaw, to celebrate one year as a tag team, The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods) decided to issue an open challenge to anyone who wants to have a shot at winning theirWWE Tag Team Championship, but when The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) and The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) got involved, they decided to cancel the challenge.[24] On the November 30 episode ofRaw, the match to determine the #1 contender between The Usos and The Lucha Dragons ended in a double disqualification after The New Day interfered. The Authority decided to make the WWE Tag Team Championship match aTriple ThreatTag TeamLadder match in which The Lucha Dragons were immediately inserted, but that The Usos would only participate if Roman Reigns defeated Sheamus that night. As Reigns won by disqualification, The Usos were inserted into the title match.[25]
On the November 23 episode ofRaw, The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper) (with Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman) defeatedThe Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) before repeatedly attacking them.[24] On the November 26 episode ofSmackDown, The Dudley Boyz defeated Strowman and Rowan by disqualification after Wyatt Family member Harper interfered in the match. Afterwards, The Wyatt Family put Bubba Ray through a table.[26] On the November 30 episode ofRaw, The Dudley Boyz introducedTommy Dreamer, making his return to WWE in over 5 years, to join them in their ongoing fight against The Wyatt Family.[25] AfterRhyno made his return, aneight-man eliminationtables match pitting The Dudley Boyz, Dreamer, and Rhyno against The Wyatt Family was scheduled for TLC.[27]
After failing to defeat Charlotte for the WWE Divas Championship at the event, Paige accused her of cheating similar to that of her fatherRic Flair on the November 23 episode ofRaw. The two faced each other that night in a rematch for the WWE Divas Championship which ended in a double count-out after Paige failed to get back in the ring in time after preventing Charlotte from getting back in first. After the match, Paige continued to attack Charlotte which ended with Paige trapping Charlotte in thePTO on top of the broadcast table.[24] On the November 30 episode ofRaw, Charlotte defeated her friendBecky Lynch after she faked a leg injury and her father distracted Lynch to allow her to roll Lynch for the win.[25] Their friendship was further strained on the December 3 episode ofSmackDown, when Charlotte attacked Lynch's opponent Brie Bella while locked in theDis-arm-her after Bella hit her by accident, giving Bella a disqualification win.[28] Afterwards, another title match between Paige and Charlotte was scheduled for TLC.[27]
The 2015 Survivor Series was the last Survivor Series held before the reintroduction of thebrand extension in July 2016, which again split the roster between theRaw andSmackDown brands where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform.[29] Additionally, the2016 event was the genesis of the 2016-2021 events, in which Survivor Series became themed around brand supremacy, featuring the brands competing against each other.[30] However, the 2022 event carried theWarGames concept instead of the brand supremacy theme, and was known asSurvivor Series: WarGames.[31]
| Eliminated | Wrestler | Eliminated by | Method | Time[17] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viktor | Goldust | Pinfall | 0:30 |
| 2 | Konnor | Bubba Ray Dudley | 5:27 | |
| 3 | Neville | The Miz | 8:40 | |
| 4 | The Miz | Goldust | 9:05 | |
| 5 | Bo Dallas | Titus O'Neil | 17:20 | |
| 6 | Stardust | D-Von Dudley | 18:10 | |
| Survivor(s): | Bubba Ray Dudley,D-Von Dudley,Goldust, andTitus O'Neil | |||
| Eliminated | Wrestler | Eliminated by | Method | Time[17] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King Barrett | Sin Cara | Pinfall | 7:46 |
| 2 | Jimmy Uso | Xavier Woods | 9:22 | |
| 3 | Sin Cara | Sheamus | 10:42 | |
| 4 | Big E | Jey Uso | 11:30 | |
| 5 | Kofi Kingston | N/A | Countout | 11:30 |
| Xavier Woods | ||||
| 7 | Sheamus | Ryback | Pinfall | 17:33 |
| Survivor(s): | Ryback,Kalisto, andJey Uso | |||
| 1st Round Raw November 9, 2015 SmackDown November 12, 2015 | Quarterfinals Raw November 16, 2015 | Semifinals Survivor Series November 22, 2015 | Final Survivor Series November 22, 2015 | ||||||||||||
| Roman Reigns | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Big Show | 11:57[9] | ||||||||||||||
| Roman Reigns | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Cesaro | 20:23[10] | ||||||||||||||
| Cesaro | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Sheamus | 15:30[9] | ||||||||||||||
| Roman Reigns | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Alberto Del Rio | 14:05[17] | ||||||||||||||
| Alberto Del Rio | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Stardust | 9:43[11] | ||||||||||||||
| Alberto Del Rio | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Kalisto | 10:05[10] | ||||||||||||||
| Kalisto | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Ryback | 12:35[11] | ||||||||||||||
| Roman Reigns | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Dean Ambrose | 9:02[17] | ||||||||||||||
| Titus O'Neil | 6:50[9] | ||||||||||||||
| Kevin Owens | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Kevin Owens | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Neville | 10:45[10] | ||||||||||||||
| Neville | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| King Barrett | 15:21[11] | ||||||||||||||
| Kevin Owens | 11:20[17] | ||||||||||||||
| Dean Ambrose | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Dolph Ziggler | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| The Miz | 5:01[9] | ||||||||||||||
| Dolph Ziggler | 16:45[10] | ||||||||||||||
| Dean Ambrose | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Dean Ambrose | Pinfall | ||||||||||||||
| Tyler Breeze | 11:08[9] | ||||||||||||||