Welcome to the Talking Theatrics monthly PPV column. I apologize for my absence over the last few weeks – I’ve been busy with a few different film projects which are quite exciting. Also, I’ve been on a rampage trying to market my company’s latest film ‘Dorothy’ – we were selected for 28 different film festivals with this little short and won a number of awards too, it’s a great little movie and only lasts 14 minutes so if you’re a fan of horror, follow the link because I’m sure you will enjoy it – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRkVwkxefpc
Now that my plug is out of the way with, let’s move on to the Survivor Series PPV – Please note that this is not a prediction column. However, in some instances I may mention who I believe the winner will be, simply because it relates to the build or where I see the storyline heading. I’ll discuss each build, how well the stories have been told leading up to the PPV, the characters and their effectiveness (or lack thereof) and any other noteworthy dramatic elements. I’ll then proceed to rate each build out of 10. I’ll give a final rating out of 10 in terms of how well the PPV on the whole is being built towards.
Singles Match (Survivor Series Kickoff)
- The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston
The Miz has finally turned into a heel, after a poor year as a face. Kofi was put at a disadvantage when Miz turned and left him during their recent tag match against The Real Americans – now, Kofi wants revenge. That’s it. I’m sure Miz will use some dastardly way to win to cement his turn and frankly, that’s the only thing I could see coming out of this one.
Build Rating – 1 / 10
- 5 on 5 Traditional Survivor Series Match
‘TOTAL DIVAS’ (Natayla, The Bella Twins, Eve Marie, JoJo and The Funkadactyls) vs. ‘TRUE DIVAS’ (AJ Lee, Tamina Snuka, Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes, Aksana, Summer Rae and Kaitlyn)
I understand these Total Divas are looked down upon by the ‘True Divas of the WWE’ (as AJ Lee would say). However, Natalya is perhaps the most technically sound female wrestler on the roster today so it’s confusing as to why this isn’t acknowledged and/or she is pigeonholed with her co-stars. Furthermore, it’s an insult when the ‘true’ divas consist of Aksana, a lady whom represents everything AJ Lee is opposed to. Likewise, Summer Rae hasn’t been presented as a credible competitor on the main roster as of yet so her inclusion is also a touch bewildering. To make matters a little more puzzling, the team of the Total Divas are presented as the faces – keep in mind, this is a team that consists of the highly unlikable Bella Twins and by precedent, is a team that wrestling fans are preordained to dislike. We don’t like outsiders. The Miz found this out very quickly when he first joined the company, a vast portion of Guest Hosts have too – more proof lies in the fact that musical artists (particularly at Wrestlemania) have been frowned upon by a large portion of the audience. On top of that, Kaitlyn – one of the top faces in the division is being paired with the heels – one of which, she has an intense history with. Personally, I like the concept of ‘Reality’ versus ‘Real but the execution has been horrendous.
Build Rating – 1 / 10
- 5 on 5 Traditional Survivor Series Match
The Shield and The Real Americans vs. Cody Rhodes and Goldust, The Usos and Rey Mysterio
Last month’s Hell in a Cell PPV saw the tag team champions successfully defend their titles against the team of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins and The Usos in a tag team triple threat match. I felt (and still do) that the match served as a statement – that The Rhodes Brothers are back and here to stay. This match lacks the story of Cody’s comeback and feels more like a blow off match between the champions and their main rivals The Shield who have been more involved with The Wyatt Family and the team of Punk and Bryan as of late. Originally, I thought the match at Hell in a Cell would be the final match between The Rhodes’ and The Shield but I have no issue with it being extended an extra month.
When this match was made official, I had a similar feeling of closure and felt this would be a great opportunity to sow the seeds for a Rhodes and Real Americans feud – however, with Mysterio back in the fold, I wonder if The Real Americans’ immediate future lies in a program with him – “GiT that Pesky Mexican!”
Whilst I would like each team to move onwards, part of me hopes that it gets extended once more, as the prospect of a Tag Team Triple Threat TLC is quite alluring. Regardless, I expect a fun encounter between an exciting combination of young talent (plus Goldust) and of course, the returning master of the 619.
Build Rating – 5 / 10
- Tag Team Match
The Wyatt Family (Luke Harper and Erick Rowen) vs. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan
I still a little surprised that this match wasn’t expanded to include some of the members in the previously discussed match – but, my guess is that something significant is planned in order to move this feud along. These men are the focus of this feud so that’s understandable.
Who is the Devil that Bray Wyatt speaks of? For all we know, the Devil is nobody – simply a cryptic red herring from the deranged mind of Bray Wyatt. More to the point, why has the Devil (or The Wyatt Family for that matter) decided to focus their attention on CM Punk and Daniel Bryan? Who knows. We’re only at the start of this feud so we have to allow it time to develop and answer some questions, or pose more which is likely the case. Regardless, it has quickly captured your attention and I’m sure the stakes will rise following the intriguing beginning.
Build Rating – 5 / 10
- Singles Match for the Intercontinental Title
Big E Langston (c) vs. Curtis Axel
Big E’s dominant win for the title strangely happened on Raw, with the rematch on PPV. Personally I would’ve switched it and had Langston win the title here with a rematch the following night or one week later. It’s likely to be a competitive match and Axel will be made to look like a fierce competitor, but nobody is expecting Curtis to win this one. I’m sure this will be a quick encounter to once again prove Big E’s dominance before he moves onto more of a challenge.
Build Rating – 1 / 10
- Singles Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
Much like the Intercontinental bout – this one is simply a rematch between the current and former champion. Like the previous encounter, this match seems like another match to prove John Cena is a dominant champion before he moves onto a bigger challenge. Granted, they have tried to up the ante a little more for this match by making John Cena (and in particular, his arm) more vulnerable but once again, this seems like another ploy to help establish Cena as a strong fighting champion.
Build Rating – 2 / 10
- Singles Match for the WWE Title
Randy Orton (c) vs. Big Show
Storyline wise, this is the best booked match on the card. There have been a few flaws, notably when Big Show was ‘fired’ but in general, the Big Show’s fight against the Authority has been booked quite well – sadly, better than Daniel Bryan ever was. As for the characters involved, Orton has been knocked around a little in the last couple of months – constantly being doubted by the duo who chose him hasn’t helped, neither has the fact that he was never able to beat the bearded one decisively.
Big Show has looked strong since taking the fight to Authority, but it was somewhat at the expense of Bryan’s rise to the top, it leaves somewhat of a sour taste in the mouth – particularly when you consider the latter’s intense popularity.
Am I excited about this match? Not really. I don’t have an urge to see Randy Orton and Big Show in a main event of a ‘Big’ PPV in 2013 – whilst the build has been reasonably solid, it’s let down significantly by a lack of originality.
Build Rating – 5 / 10
I’ll be frank, this was a hard column to write – aside from the main event, the matches haven’t really been built around an ongoing story and that hasn’t been that great it itself. Even in the case of The Wyatt Family, Punk and Bryan – the animosity is beginning to develop but it’s still too early to really capture your attention. Then of course, we have the diva abomination, two rematches and the pre show which has had no build whatsoever. I expect the Elimination Match to stand out, but on the whole things look badly built, badly booked and just bad in general.
PPV Build Rating – 2 / 10
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Until NXT Time.
