WWE Survivor Series 2016: Most Memorable Moments from Event

On Nov. 20, WWE presented the 30th installment of its long-celebrated Survivor Series pay-per-view. If it was aiming to deliver an event that will be talked about for years to come, it was successful in doing just that.

The top-billed bout between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg was what had fans talking coming out of Survivor Series. The show's decisive conclusion saw Goldberg squash Lesnar in a matter of minutes, making it one of the most lopsided main event matches of all time in WWE.

In addition to that, Raw and SmackDown Live were at odds throughout the night, battling for bragging rights. Each of the elimination matches had something special to offer—whether it was one specific moment in the match or the ending itself.

WWE needed to hit a home run of a live special following its latest string of less-than-stellar shows this fall. It's arguable whether Survivor Series will be remembered as being a great show down the line, but the fact that it will be remembered at all means it left its mark on the annals of history.

Here, we will look back at the most memorable moments from the event that have since sent shock waves throughout the WWE Universe.

Becky Lynch Forces Nia Jax to Submit

Credit: WWE.com

The five-on-five women's tag team elimination match pitting Raw against SmackDown Live started Survivor Series on Sunday night, and while it had all the makings of an instant classic, the bout never seemed to fulfill its full potential.

There were a handful of odd eliminations—from Naomi getting counted out to Sasha Banks getting ousted from the bout relatively early on—but nothing was stranger than seeing Nia Jax tap out to Becky Lynch's Dis-Arm-Her submission hold as quickly as she did.

It should be noted that, in the weeks preceding the pay-per-view, Jax had been made to look like an unstoppable force. She had not suffered a single defeat since arriving on Raw back in July, so it didn't seem likely that she would be eliminated by pinfall or submission.

Despite that, Lynch's signature submission proved to be too much for the former NXT standout to handle, forcing her to submit. However, Jax sought vengeance afterward by ambushing Lynch and tossing her into the barricade at ringside.

Jax remains unbeaten in singles competition, but this blemish on her record will remain one of the more memorable moments from an otherwise forgettable women's match.

The Miz Maintains Possession of the Intercontinental Championship

Credit: WWE.com

One of the biggest questions heading into Survivor Series was whether the Intercontinental Championship would be switching shows. Although it has been property of SmackDown Live since the start of the brand split, it could have belonged to Raw had Sami Zayn reigned supreme at Survivor Series.

For the blue brand, everything was riding on The Miz, who was fresh off regaining the gold against Dolph Ziggler on SmackDown's historic 900th episode. He has proved in the past that he will do anything it takes to retain his title, and that was the case on Sunday night.

After working over Zayn's knee for a majority of the match, the former NXT champion turned the tables and was on the verge of forcing the champion to tap out to his own move. However, before he could score the submission win, the bell randomly sounded, signifying the end of the contest.

Of course, it was merely Maryse, who distracted Zayn long enough to allow her husband to capitalize and retain his title in fluky fashion. It was shades of the infamous Montreal Screwjob finish from nearly 20 years prior, which WWE has done to death in the past.

Whether you loved or loathed Miz winning the way he did, fans won't soon forget how Zayn was hoodwinked in his native Canada.

The New Day Gets Eliminated Early

Credit: WWE.com

After falling short in the first five-on-five tag team elimination match of the night, SmackDown Live was desperate to bounce back in the next elimination match featuring the tag teams. Together, 20 men stood in the ring prior to the bell ringing, ready to prove whose show was superior.

Fandango, who started off the match for Team SmackDown, was too busy dishing out fashion violations and was quickly sent packing by The New Day. But in the midst of celebrating, The New Day was also eliminated in shocking fashion at the hands of The Usos.

The turn of events was especially surprising when one considers how long The New Day has been at the helm of the tag team scene in WWE. It has been in possession of the Raw Tag Team Championships for over 400 days and is closing in on breaking the long-standing record of Demolition.

That said, it seemed as if it would have lasted until the end, given its role as team captain. Instead, due to its rookie mistake, The New Day was forced to head to the back far earlier than expected.

The match itself was enjoyable, and the pace picked up down the stretch once it came down to Sheamus, Cesaro and The Usos. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that The New Day was out early because it gave us that fantastic finishing sequence, but no one saw it coming.

The Shield Reunites on Four-Year Anniversary of Group's Debut

Credit: WWE.com

The final Raw vs. SmackDown Live tag team elimination match for brand supremacy was easily the best of the bunch on Sunday night, as everyone involved (including those at ringside) played their parts to perfection.

From Bray Wyatt coming face-to-face with Braun Strowman to Shane McMahon's phenomenal flying elbow off the top rope, the match was filled with monumental moments that had fans on the edges of their seats the entire time. But the bout was not made great until one specific spot down the stretch.

After being directly responsible for Dean Ambrose's elimination early on, AJ Styles was forced to pay the price when Ambrose resurfaced from the backstage area and aided Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in their assault on the WWE world champion. As such, it was an unofficial Shield reunion.

Exactly four years removed from when they first came together as a unit at Survivor Series 2012, Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns banded together for one night to take out a common enemy in Styles. They put him through a table with a brutal triple powerbomb, leading to Rollins eliminating him from the match shortly thereafter.

Due to all three members of the black-clad trio being on separate brands, it's impossible for them to engage in a full-fledged reunion. But for one night, fans were ecstatic to see the former friends return to their roots.

Goldberg Annihilates Brock Lesnar

Credit: WWE.com

Similar to the Raw vs. SmackDown matches, there wasn't anything on the line in the highly anticipated Survivor Series main event between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg. However, there didn't need to be because most fans were looking forward to the "fantasy warfare" match more than anything else on the card.

Lesnar set out on a mission to avenge his loss to Goldberg from a decade earlier, while Goldberg was simply content wrestling one more match so that his son could see him in action. Of course, it had been over a dozen years since Goldberg last set foot in a WWE ring, so it was widely assumed The Myth wouldn't last long against Lesnar.

Once the match officially got underway, however, it was quite the contrary. Goldberg immediately delivered two devastating spears to Lesnar before finishing him off with a picture-perfect Jackhammer, handing him his premiere pinfall defeat in over three-and-a-half years.

The crowd roared as soon as it realized The Beast had indeed been conquered, but there were those who weren't fans of the finish and figured Lesnar should have remained unbeaten for a while longer. Either way, WWE created a moment that genuinely surprised people—a rarity nowadays.

Never before in a WWE pay-per-view main event had someone been defeated as decisively and as quickly as Lesnar was, and regardless of whether it was the right thing to do, the moment itself will forever live on as one of the most shocking in Survivor Series history.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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