To WWE Survivor Series or not to Survivor Series, that is the annual Vince McMahon question. Well Vinnie Mac has saved the traditional event for one more year and has given it a big WrestleMania boost with the in-ring WWE return of The Rock.
I don’t know if I would call this a stacked show, but it is much better on paper than the last few WWE pay per views. Seeing The Rock before WrestleMania 28 is a big bonus, although it really is nothing more than a glorified squash match. At the same time, the ten man elimination match looks fantastic, and the WWE championship match has enormous potential to send the fans home happy.
The Rock and John Cena vs. Awesome Truth – The “Super Team” of The Rock and John Cena will team up for the first time ever at the Survivor Series. R-Truth and The Miz will play the supporting act of opponents in a tag team match which quite frankly still doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
[adinserter block=”2″]The original story of the match made sense. John Cena couldn’t handle Truth and Miz together so he went to the only guy not in the locker room, The Rock for assistance. That makes perfect sense. Unfortunately the logic ended there because Cena has handled Awesome Truth without much of a problem over the last couple of weeks. Additionally, The Rock’s explanation of accepting the match makes as much sense as CM Punk’s logic did for returning to the WWE after a two week hiatus in July.
While we can sit here and debate the intricacies of WWE creative all day, the fact of the matter is that we have a match to talk about here. I think we are all expecting pretty much the same thing here. Some tense moments early on between The Rock and Cena but a rather dominant effort by the Super Powers of the WWE Universe is the obvious formula here. I don’t think there is a chance we see much of anything else.
Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk for the WWE championship – I feel like I have seen this match about four times over the last several months on WWE RAW because…well I have. However, the WWE has shined this puppy up for pay per view and one of the biggest shows of the year.
I like Alberto but this feud has just been all wrong. Punk has been a bit of bully in the WWE’s anti-bullying world and has bullied Del Rio into giving him this title match. Del Rio will be looking for his second successful title defense on pay per view.
Looking at the booking over the last few weeks and the win Del Rio got on Punk Monday, the obvious choice here is Punk to regain the title. It is a tricky situation here because you want to keep Punk strong yet at the same time Del Rio has to stay strong. There is a strong indication that these two will rematch in a Ladder or TLC Match at TLC on the next show, thus I think we get some kind of screwy finish with Del Rio retaining the championship.
I expect a long match here with a lot of back and forth. Both guys should be pretty over with the crowd here in Madison Square Garden. I don’t expect much brawling on the floor as I think that will be saved for the main-event. I look for Del Rio to retain, but not clean. This series is just getting started.
The Big Show vs. Mark Henry for the WWE world heavyweight championship – I am really digging this feud. The finish of the last pay per view was a great way to sustain interest in a feud that probably wasn’t that well received upon the outset. These monsters will clash once again and hopefully, the WWE provides a reinforced ring just like they did when Andre the Giant would take on giant foes.
Mark Henry is in a weird spot right now. He had finally gotten over as a monster heel yet he has been tweaked as a babyface over the last few weeks , which started with the finish of his last match with the Big Show. At the same time, Show is stronger as a babyface than he has been in awhile so I can’t see any kind of a turn here from either guy.
I think you get a shorter match here than you’d probably see elsewhere. The New York crowd can be demanding and they will boo this one out of the building if this turns into a slow, plodding, 20 minute big man match. I’d expect some heavy hitting, a fast pace, and a match that lasts under ten minutes with Mark Henry retaining the WWE world heavyweight championship.
Team Barrett (Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler & Hunico) vs. Team Orton (Randy Orton, Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Kofi Kingston & Sin Cara) Elimination Match – How can this one not be good? The WWE would stack these matches with some of the worst wrestlers on the roster back in the 80s, yet the matches would all be great because they were fast and exciting. I expect that here from these ten guys…even Mason Ryan!
[adinserter block=”1″]Randy Orton is losing a lot lately, a lot more than usual. I would be shocked if he didn’t come out of this one as the top dog. At the same time it would be a great way to elevate someone like Sheamus en route to a program with Mark Henry. I think this one comes down to Orton and Sheamus against Swagger, Cody, and Barrett which results in Orton vs. Barrett (I would have gone with Christian if he wasn’t pulled from the match). The Viper strikes and the fans get an intense, action-packed, elimination match to boot.
Full WWE Survivor Series 2011 card & matches…
The Miz and R-Truth vs. John Cena and The Rock…Tag team match
Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship
Mark Henry vs. Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship
Team Barrett (Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Hunico & Dolph Ziggler) vs. Team Orton (Randy Orton, Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Kofi Kingston & Sin Cara) Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team match
Beth Phoenix vs. Eve…Lumberjill match for the WWE Divas Championship
Dolph Ziggler vs. John Morrison for the WWE United States Championship
WWE Greatest Rivalries: Shawn Michaels Vs Bret Hart DVD
Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com
I would much rather have seen The Rock and John Cena captain a 5 man team against another 5 man team instead of taking on two glorified jobbers (by comparison). It would have been a lot more interesting seeing John Cena and The Rock (intermittently so as not to blow their wad too early) interacting with people like Randy Orton, Christian.. I'm running out of people to care about…
I just don't care about The Miz (I'm awesome. I'm awesome. Rinse. Repeat.) or even R-Truth. Either way, it's going to be a squash.