The Smarks are back with our 2012 Survivor Series predictions! Yeah, we might be a man down for this one, but I guess you can just call us a three man band? Let’s get to it!
Youtube pre show match: International Airstrike vs The 3MB:
KP: Impromptu matches like these are kind of lame to have on the PRE-SHOW. It does nothing for these teams in my opinion and I’ll just pick a winner.
Winner: 3MB
ML: So, the short-lived experiment of splitting Kidd and Gabriel up was exactly that, short-lived. I would prefer to see them in singles action than a tag team but as long as they continually appear on my television, I’m happy. I’m not sure why the pre-show change in the match but Drew McIntyre being ready to return is probably why the match changed. Kidd and Gabriel should be competing for the IC Title and US Title, not stuck in tag team limbo hell.
Prediction: 3MB
Confidence Points: 4
JT: This match changed during the middle of the week. I’m guessing WWE thinks Kidd and Gabriel are more exciting to watch in a match than CoBro. My only other guess might be that CoBro is going to be involved in another impromptu match during the show. I’ll pick the guys that have on a roll as of late to win this one. It’s the Three Man Band, baby! Confidence Points: 5
Divas Championship: Kaitlyn vs Eve Torres:
KP: I somewhat care about the match, but doesn’t anyone like Kaitlyn? I remember her entrance at Hell in a Cell, barely a reaction to that loud song. I can’t lie, I like Kaitlyn but she can barely get a crowd going and a decent match together. If their storyline has meant anything to many people…Kaitlyn should be Diva’s Champion. Then again the lack of reaction might change that, though I will go along with their little story and hope it plays out. Kaitlyn needs revenge for being attacked, what better way right?
Winner and NEW Diva’s Champion: Kaitlyn
ML: So, after months of being a contender and hovering around the Divas Title picture, Kaitlyn finally gets her one-on-one shot with Eve. The WWE has continue to ride Eve’s success outside the WWE but the WWE has reverted back to making the Divas Division practically obselete. I know that WWE officials are high on Kaitlyn and plan on her being the face of the Divas Division in the near future.
Prediction: Kaitlyn to become the New Divas Champion
Confidence Points: 2
JT: Kaitlyn has been chasing the title for awhile, and Eve has been champion since September. I’m not sure what WWE has planned for the divas(if anything) for the near future, but I just don’t see a title change coming here(even at a major show). Booking a title change on the card just to have a title change seems too predictable, even for WWE. Eve retains. Confidence Points: 5
United States Championship: Antonio Cesaro vs R-Truth:
KP:Antonio Cesaro…I really like Claudio Castagnoli but his gimmick sucks. Will they at least make him look like a former Rugby player? I mean he’s got a great signature move in the Uppercut, make something out of it. They need to make him legit. R-Truth can do that to an extent, Jim Duggan could have sold the USA chants better though or Sgt Slaughter (just saying). But I think Cesaro needs to go over here and maybe down the line he’ll get over. Building a foreign heel is TOO hard when the American fans won’t boo him enough. Maybe have him get cheap heat weekly by running down the local sports team(s) or the town itself. Give him the mic and let him do work WWE, come on now, you need new stars….make it happen
Winner and STILL US Champion: Antonio Cesaro
ML: I’m ecstatic that the WWE has kept the US Title meaningful and that Cesaro has had a lenghty reign. I’m also happy to Truth staying important and being a serious contender to some sort of singles title. Cesaro is one of the WWE’s bright spots for the future and he’s proving his worth as a champion.
Prediction: Antonio Cesaro to retain the US Title
Confidence Points: 3
QuickNote: If Cesaro does lose, I expect a returning Aksana to cost him the match.
JT: Cesaro has had a strong run as champion, and this feud with Truth has been given a little bit of attention on WWE TV in recent weeks. I like Truth and I think he can have a great match with Cesaro, but I’m guessing WWE will cut this one short and not deliver a good length match. I expect Cesaro to retain the title until a young face on the roster steps up and gets that next push. Cesaro wins. Confidence Points: 5
Traditional Elimination Match: Team Ziggler(Dolph Ziggler, Team Rhodes Scholars, Alberto Del Rio, and Wade Barrett) vs Team Foley(The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Team Hell No, and Randy Orton):
KP: Switching team leaders….Foley really has no reason to be the leader now that Punk isn’t in the match. All of these are rematches basically. Rhodes’ injury may cast him out of the match but I hope he’s alright. But to me I kind of lost the point of the match after it was changed. Team Foley is winning; only thing I’ll be waiting for is how they’ll do Miz’s face turn. That’s really it though at least to me.
Winners: Team Foley (predicted sole survivor = Miz)
ML: My favorite match of all the Survivor Series matches every year. This match is chalk-full of main event caliber talent and should be the bright spot of the card. Ziggler’s rise to the top of the company has been awesome to watch. More importantly, The Miz is turning face, and I know a lot of fans are skeptical on whether it’s a ruse or not, but I firmly believe that The Miz’ face turn starts here. This match will be the base to further enhance storylines and feuds, as well as generate new feuds and storylines.
Prediction: Team Ziggler with Ziggler & Barrett surviving
Confidence Points: 2
JT: I honestly feel like the entire card should consist of traditional elimination matches. Survivor Series was created as a show to be something different than normal pay per views. Since 1991, WWE has flip flopped about how they want to book the card. The name of the show is Survivor Series, and surviving an elimination match is what it’s all about. Okay, on to the match. I think there are two scenarios of what could happen here. First, team Foley could get the win with Miz and Randy Orton as the sole survivors. Second, team Ziggler could get the win when Randy Orton turns heel and nails an RKO on the Miz to cost them the match. I’m going with the former and predicting Team Foley to get the win. Confidence Points: 5
World Heavyweight Championship: Big Show vs Sheamus:
KP: Big Show winning the World Heavyweight Title was a surprise…clean EVEN considering the roll Sheamus was in. I think to solidify the run they need Big Show to go over again, then again they may drag this to TLC where Sheamus puts Big Show through a table and wins the title or something like that and then have Ziggler cash in. They’re really misusing Ziggler in my opinion. He’s a very talented guy getting the shaft in my opinion. Sheamus had a great run and I think he’s got other plans leading into Wrestlemania soon. We’ll see where this goes but I’m not too high on a transitional reign….leading back to its former champion right away.
Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Big Show
ML: They stole the show at Hell in a Cell, and so question becomes…can they repeat what they did at HiaC? I’m going to be negative about this and say no. Though I believe this match will be a good match, I believe that they tapped the maximum ability out of each other with their last match. Big Show held the IC Title for a month before losing it back to Cody; is the WWE Creative Team that predictable?
Prediction: Big Show to retain the World Title
Confidence Points: 4
JT: I don’t believe these two can duplicate the quality of what we saw at Hell in a Cell, but I do believe they can have another good match together. I’ll always tell people to be watchful for Dolph Ziggler cashing in, but in this case I don’t care. I expect Sheamus to defeat the Big Show and win back the World Heavyweight Championship at either SS or TLC in December. I’m actually predicting it will happen at SS. Confidence Points: 1
WWE Championship: CM Punk vs Ryback vs John Cena:
KP: Oh boy what can I say about this….as much as I really like CM Punk, the WWE has turned him into yet another CHICKENSH-T heel. Why the hell can he not get a clean win like a Kurt Angle did, Orton did, even The Game himself. I really don’t get that, another thing I don’t get is why WWE showed footage of Jerry Lawler’s heart attack….how could any logical person RECORD THAT? Speaking of logical people, who booked the Ryback-Punk finish at Hell in a Cell? Sure it’s a great heel tactic move but why in the HELL did they have to do that? If you can buy CM Punk defeating Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, Kane, Mark Henry, The Miz, Del Rio ALL clean….but John Cena & Ryback he needs a Dusty finish (one I didn’t mind) and a “screwjob” finish with a rogue referee. Does every heel need these finishes? Antonio can win clean as a midcarder….but a main eventer like CM Punk can’t? Its bullsh-t, it’s so annoying. It’s crap like this is why I refuse to buy pay-per-views, how could anyone bear to pay for this? This is why the product is the way that it is, they have to stoop to low levels on television just to give CM Punk as much heat as possible. I don’t really have a problem with that, I have a problem with all these lows they’re stooping to and they’re making their WWE Champion look bad. Just give him the microphone with more to say, and get him the hell away from Cena. I’m sick of those two being paired together now because of how terrible the story has been. It felt almost like a burial against CM Punk. What does that say going near a year into reign? I went from being completely enthused by the idea to now being annoyed by having him face Cena at all. He doesn’t need to face John Cena; they should have kept his ass OFF RAW for the time he was injured. Keep him off tv, maybe we’d end up missing him and you know what? Cena vs Punk at Survivor Series sounds like a good idea and they have plenty of heat to go on? This match however has the wrong kind of heat, because Cena was on almost every week….they ruined any heat those two could have. CM Punk went from legit champion to needing anything to stay legit period. WWE really dropped the ball in my opinion. I doubt I’m the only one that feels annoyed like this, I just hope his character rebounds leading into the Royal Rumble and maybe even passed that.
Winner and STILL WWE Champion: CM PUNK
ML: I was going to keep this little statitstic to myself because I’m surprised no one has mentioned anything. During my research for my Hell in a Cell prediction column, I came across an interesting stat about John Cena at Survivor Series. Cena is currently 7-0 at Survivor Series events. That makes for an interesting and intriguing twist on this match. I condone the WWE for sticking with Ryback despite his inability to carry a match much less main event match. CM Punk has been a great heel champion.
Prediction: CM Punk to retain the WWE Championship
Confidence Points: 4
QuickNote: The stat about John Cena is interesting because a lot of people are firmly set that Cena was going to get pinned to continue to make Ryback look strong. With that statistic, I’m now expecting Brad Maddox to somehow factor into the outcome of this match again which will cost Ryback the match and more than likely be the one to get pinned.
JT: I feel like things would’ve been more interesting if WWE had stuck with the original concept with Punk and Ryback in the elimination match. This match just screams obvious retaining of the title for Punk. WWE wants us to see Cena and Ryback as the ultimate threats to taking the title off Punk, but in reality there is no plan for him to lose his title until the Rumble. What I find most annoying about this situation is that a potential Dolph Ziggler/John Cena matchup could have taken place instead and been the most exciting match of the night. Instead, we get Ryback in a triple threat where the odds of a good match happening are slim to none. Punk retains and the show closes with a boring match. Confidence Points: 5
Final Thoughts:
KP: Should be a decent show that I hope is way better than decent. I just want WWE to at least in my opinion, do the right thing and build their stars up and maybe we’d have more main eventers in the title picture. I just hope there’s improvement soon or else what’s the point in watching anymore?
ML: There were grumblings this week that the WWE was toying with the idea of adding another traditional SS match to the card. With the change in the pre-show match and the WWE nixing the idea of a four team elimination tag match, it’s making believe we could possibly see another SS match added. Ryder, Marella, Mysterio, Sin Cara, PTP, Epico and Primo are all off the card at this moment. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 4-on-4 Elimination Match with those wrestlers. This card has the potential to do big things; I just hope the main event Triple Threat match delivers as advertised.
JT: The card isn’t as strong as I expected it to be, and it almost feels like this is a duplicate of Hell in a Cell in a lot of ways. I hope Punk and Cena can find a way to incorporate Ryback into the match to make it interesting, but the predictability of the outcome is what bothers me so much as a fan. Sheamus and Big Show will have a good match, but it won’t be up to the standard they set at HIAC. I really want to see a quality elimination match and perhaps even a show stealing effort from Truth and Cesaro, but overall it’s hard to enjoy the concept of Survivor Series with how WWE has treated it. Thanks for reading!
