There should be more disappointment about what Survivor Series has become than the fact The Rock didn’t show up for it.

Survivor Series was still an entertaining show — but not up to Big Four standards — Sunday at Barclays Center because WWE remains chockfull of incredible talent. It’s really hard to consider it a Big Four pay-per-view when it received one of the worst builds for an event of this magnitude ever, the outcomes of the matches mean almost nothing in the long run, zero was at stake and WWE didn’t even keep score between Raw and SmackDown this year (Raw won 5-2).

And no, we didn’t get The Rock despite a night full of references to him. However, that shouldn’t be something to pout about like many did on social media. The show may have delivered something else in terms of The Great One instead. Here are five takeaway from Survivor Series:  

The Rock himself didn’t show up to a show in which he was omnipresent. So what? Yes, Survivor Series was a huge ad for Dwayne Johnson’s new movie “Red Notice.” Vince McMahon’s “$100 million” movie-related golden egg The Rock gave was stolen, WWE ran highlights of Rock’s career and had a 25-man battle royal to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of his debut.

Should there be a little feeling of letdown? Sure. But leave it there. Yes, a video message was perhaps the least they could do. But WWE never did anything that truly teased The Rock was going to appear – but man did they come close.

A casual fan may have more reason to be upset, because the minute Kayla Braxton told Paul Heyman that Brock Lesnar’s suspension is no longer indefinite, anyone who is really following along at home should have dropped any hope Rock would show up. Let’s go one main event at a time. It also would make little sense for Rock to appear on the same show as Reigns until they are ready to push full steam ahead with their story. Doing so before then is even a bigger tease.

What we may have gotten instead was Chapter One to a potential Reigns-Rock storyline. A disinterested Universal champion had to listen to his boss gush over his cousin and the expensive Cleopatra egg gifted to him by Rock, only to say it will be worth as much as his next contract. Reigns also used a Rock Bottom in his win over Big E in the main event. We may not have gotten the Rock himself, but we just may have gotten the first page in the story of him returning. That could just be the next best thing. Maybe he shows up to Raw on Monday to find McMahon’s egg and all is forgiven? Maybe Reigns addresses the anger over not getting the Brahma Bull on Smackdown.

Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair still have amazing chemistry — even when they aren’t getting along. Their match, under the backdrop of reported real-life backstage heat, delivered everything you would hope both in story and action. This was a fight, as it should be, not a technical classic. The blows were stiff and the action fast. Each woman, out to prove they’re the best ever, tried every trick they had including doing each other’s moves (Figure Four, Beck-sploder, Disarm-her) and were trying to win right from the jump. Two pros doing what they do best.

The finish was about as good as you could hope for under the testy circumstances of a war of words that spilled into their media interviews. Flair, the SmackDown champion, got caught holding the rope by the ref as she tried to roll up Lynch. Big Time Becks did not. The Raw champ curiously grabbed the rope as late as she could to keep the story, but one-upped her former best friend with her own dirty tactics. By doing so, it kept up Lynch winning in an underhanded way but made her look smart. It also protected Flair, who gave the perfect look of disbelief. She will have something to complain about next time they meet. Lynch, who called Flair a “b–h” during the match, did add one final dig at the end saying to the camera: “She can go run to her dad and she can go run to the dirt sheets and tell them I’m the frickin’ best.”

While there was little at stake in the two five-on-five Survivor Series matches — and they suffered in crowd reaction for the most part because of it — WWE did use them to tell some stories and give talent some moments.

The men’s bout started with Raw’s Kevin Owens walking away and being counted out after fighting to start the match. It left Seth Rollins — who once willingly scarified himself in a Survivor Series match — looking completely offended. Jeff Hardy got some of the biggest reactions of the night. It makes it clear WWE should considering giving him one more world championship feud or at least an Intercontinental title run. Newcomer Austin Theory got a moment to hang onto by pinning the veteran Sheamus. Ultimately having Rollins win the match for Team Raw gives him plenty of verbal ammunition to show up Monday night with as he readies for a program with Big E.

The women’s match continued to make Bianca Belair look strong. The EST rallied from a 4-1 hole to win it for Team Raw, pinning Shotzi after a Kiss of Death. Young stars Liv Morgan (Raw) and Toni Storm (SmackDown), the next in line to face their brand’s respective champions, got little momentum with one elimination each before being taken out themselves. Shotzi and Sasha Banks could not coexist — surprise — to continue momentum for their feud on SmackDown. Banks, the captain, was counted out after infighting with Shotzi and Natalya. This was a strange match that lost the crowd a bit.

Big E may not have beaten Roman Reigns, but he left Survivor Series with everything else he could have hoped for. The WWE champion looked like he belonged in the main event with the biggest star in the company as the two told the classic story around the babyface’s resiliency. Big E had a moment where he got back to his feet energized after taking three Superman Punches. Big E and The New Day can be everything Reigns and The Bloodline need in foils. Having Reigns win clear with a spear works because it keeps Big E in the hunt for a win over Reigns when the two need a story to fuel there next encounter.

Randy Orton deserves a little appreciation. The Viper broke Kane’s record for most WWE pay-per-view matches (177) when he and Riddle defeated The Usos in one of the night’s better matches. They got their hands raised after Orton hit an RKO on Jimmy Uso as he attempted a diving splash. Orton is also six matches away from the most in Raw history, a mark held by Kane (436). Let’s take a moment to acknowledge the greatness and consistency we’ve gotten from The Viper and hope he continues to find new ways to deliver the RKO for years and years to come.

Notes

The 25-man battle royal, rightly won by the giant Omos, was really one big ad for the Pizza Hut the Street Profits brought to the ring. R-Truth went to get it, Otis ate some and Montez Ford went back to grab more after the match was over and threw slices into the crowd. What a great way to honor The Rock

Intercontinental champion Shinsuke Nakamura beat United States champ Damian Priest by disqualification on the kickoff show. Priest became enraged when Rick Boogs played his guitar with Nakamura fading in a submission and ended up hitting the musician and his opponent with the instrument.

No one was more interested in SmackDown winning the night than Pat McAfee. Credit to the former Colts punter for trying to create the meaning and buzz WWE failed to.  

Biggest winners: Becky Lynch, Big E

Biggest loser: Survivor Series

Best match: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair

Grade: C+