The Stockwell Section – Barely Surviving

WWE has no shortage of monthly PPVs throughout its calendar, but 4 in particular stand out amongst the 13 currently active events. These 4 events are more affectionately known as the Big Four – they are of course Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, Summerslam and Survivor Series. Over the years, one of these 4 events has undeniably become the weaker and has even come close to extinction. I am talking of course about Survivor Series.

 


 

Throughout its 25year history, Survivor Series has produced some key moments in the history of the company – such as the debut of The Undertaker, the in ring debut of Kurt Angle, the first Casket Match, the first Elimination Chamber, the Montreal Screw Job and the official end of the Invasion story arc. Additionally, the event has served as a catalyst in the past for many fondly remembered feuds, with the Undertaker and Yokozuna feud and the sibling rivalry between Bret and Owen Hart being the most notable. Quite frankly, the Survivor Series PPV has helped shape the WWE into what it is today.

Like another member of The Big Four, the Survivor Series has become synonymous with a particular type of match, the multi man elimination tag match. This match has received its criticism in the past, more recently from none other then Bret Hart. However, unlike the rumble, the traditional Survivor Series matches have slowly dwindled into obscurity and in turn, the PPV no longer seems to have that particular draw which sets it apart from other monthly events. 

Now one could easily blame the poor booking leading into the event as a problem and one could also argue that the attracting match hasn’t got the appeal it used to, especially in comparison to say, a Money in The Bank or a Hell in a Cell match but why is this? Well, one only have to look at the audience itself. Granted, we see elimination tag matches sporadically on Raw and Smackdown, but it’s hardly enough to warrant such a loss in appeal and are there really enough to justify why we have become accustomed to such a match?

Personally, I enjoy watching elimination tag matches as they usually have enough intrigue within them to make the encounter worthwhile – particularly if a babyface finds himself against the odds with five heels staring at him across the ring or when a heel dominates and becomes the sole survivor of his team. In my opinion, the problem isn’t the matches themselves but rather the participants.

Year after year, teams are just thrown together for the event and whilst we get the opportunity to see glimpses of matches or feuds that could one day come to fruition, on the whole, there isn’t enough bite going into the match that we as fans can dig our teeth into.

Take 2009, WWE could have built a traditional Survivor Series match around Legacy but essentially it was just Kofi and his mates against Legacy (plus Punk and Regal). Take last year, had WWE not thrown the massive elimination tag match together in time for Summerslam, the final battle for WWE against the invading Nexus could have taken place at Survivor Series – which would have been more suitable war zone – although in fairness, this would have required patience and faith, something that the company seemingly lack at times. Skip to the upcoming event and once again WWE has wasted the opportunity for another traditional match that could have had purpose for all those involved. 

Let’s consider the current Survivor Series card – we have the two title matches and the Rock/Cena tag match. Underneath that, we have a traditional Survivor Series match between Team Orton and Team Barrett, composed of a selection of stars. I have no issue with the three main events or that Rock and Cena are in a basic tag match – my issue lies in creation of the traditional match on the card.

Just recently, the Raw stars walked out on Triple H – this was all spearheaded by Christian, Rhodes and Ziggler with Vickie and Swagger in the backseat. On top of that, Del Rio, Miz and Truth have had numerous problems with Triple H and his style of management. On the other side of the coin, John Cena, CM Punk and Sheamus were supportive of how Triple H ran the show as shown by their presence on the Raw following the walkout angle.

Of the aforementioned stars, if you were to take away the men who are not involved in one of the three main events then you still have 4 heels, Sheamus and Triple H. Let’s for example, also consider the two notable absentees from the recent walkout angle, Randy Orton and Mason Ryan and what do we have – four heels and four faces. The groundwork was laid for the match already and it wouldn’t have taken more then a minute to justify the inclusion of Orton and Ryan. 

There you have it, without much effort at all, a traditional Survivor Series match with a purpose for each individual – those against Triple H and those for Triple H. Interestingly, all of these men either don’t have a match on the card or they have been thrown  into the upcoming traditional match which ultimately serves little purpose. 

What about Kevin Nash? How would he fit into the equation? Well quite simply, I’d put him in the corner of the heels – this way, his still technically against Triple H and he doesn’t have to be in an actual match. Therefore, providing cover for his in ring ability, or lack there of.

I could easily blame the poor booking as of late but I’m more inclined to think its creative being short sighted or rather, lazy and too focused on the Rock and Cena storyline to even try and create a decent undercard but considering how such a match was at their disposal, it’s ridiculous to consider how it just passed through their fingertips and it’s no wonder that the second longest running PPV in the WWE cannon is barely surviving.

Until NXT Time…..

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