'Fiend' Bray Wyatt, Daniel Bryan Steal Show at Underwhelming WWE Survivor Series

Survivor Series was a big deal for any number of reasons. The so-called brand war between Raw and SmackDown, as well as NXT finally making the jump, was the main attraction to the pay-per-view. 

Tucked away in the middle of the card, though, a certain match stole the show and offered up a few big implications in the process. 

Leave it to Daniel Bryan to pull off a feat like that—and leave it to an attraction like Bray Wyatt's The Fiend to stand out. 

Bryan found himself targeted by The Fiend in recent weeks and it naturally devolved into a title match. But there were serious reservations going into the bout purely based on the monster's last few matches with Seth Rollins. 

Which is to say The Fiend had lost almost irreparable momentum, hence sitting around the middle of the card here. The infamous Hell in a Cell finish with The Beastslayer was the initial wound, slapping the universal title on him at a later date in the admission of the mistake didn't fully patch things over. 

That's where Bryan comes into play. He's arguably the best in the world and has been for a long time. Sunday's bout with The Fiend had shades of his memorable encounter with Brock Lesnar recently where, against all odds and despite the apparent mismatch, he almost took down The Beast Incarnate himself. 

Similar story here. Bryan got some good offense in and looked like he was staggering The Fiend. There weren't any cheesy mannerisms or an abundance of foreign objects. He was tactical if not surgical in trying to pick apart the creature he found himself in a ring with. Some of the photos from the match seem downright iconic. 

Granted, Bryan eventually got caught and lost. He couldn't win. Not this time—WWE might want to milk this rivalry quite a bit longer and fans should be more than happy to see it continue. Bryan isn't just one of the most over people in the entire company, he's example No. 1 of the perfect opponent for a complex character like The Fiend. 

Because right now, Wyatt's demonic alter ego needs the help. It was nice to see him react to some real damage and not seem overpowered this time out. He still taunted the opponent and needed to find an opening to pull off the dastardly win to choke out everyone's favorite hero. But it works. 

This was the blueprint for The Fiend matches WWE should use now as things continue. He looked beatable but strong at the same time. Nothing too ridiculous or rushed. 

And what is there to say about Bryan? As if WWE or fans needed a reminder he's still the red-hot good guy everybody wants to see succeed. Just look at how quiet the crowd was Sunday night until he took command of his match and the reactions of the fans in attendance. 

Fun as Survivor Series was at times, nobody topped Bryan.  

And the pay-per-view was indeed fun. But it wasn't hard to see what was coming from a mile away: NXT promotion.

Maybe it was billed as a sappy underdog story, but the result was obvious. NXT's debut on this stage was always going to result in a win. And while nobody would dare say it publicly, WWE wanted to give it the boost so it looks like an equal to both the red and blue brands as it continues to compete with All Elite Wrestling in the Wednesday night wars. 

There were plenty of non-Bryant-Fiend moments. Keith Lee is a star. Numerous players put on great matches. Good cross-brand showdowns. But it was hard to shake the feeling something bigger would happen. It seemed like there would be some tomfoolery (or more of it) in the Rey Mysterio-Brock Lesnar title match.

And with the women's Triple Threat on last, it sure seemed like a spot for Ronda Rousey to make her surprise return (the announcers certainly wouldn't let listeners forget she existed). 

Instead, nothing, really. It was about as by-the-books as it gets. That's not always a bad thing, but it certainly left the door open for an unexpected match to steal the show. 

Bryant and The Fiend did just that. With one match, another long-term pursuit of the top title by Bryan should have fans salivating. And within that match, some tweaks to The Fiend have him registering as wholly engrossing again because who knows where this all goes next. 

Odds are most fans wouldn't have predicted SmackDown's title match would leave Survivor Series as the high point. But that's just how it goes given the two participants involved, which WWE would be wise to lean into more, quickly.