Step into the Ring

Thursday 29 November 2012

PUNK'D

Is WWE incapable of giving credit where credit is due these days? I mean, we all know that WWE don’t like people getting themselves over or standing up to the company when they always think they’re right about everything. But come on Vince. Your latest comment must have made C.M Punk feel worthless.

In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, then the curse of WWE has struck again. When questioned why C.M Punk has been WWE Champion for over a year, Vince replied, not by praising Punk and his top class wrestling ability or stating that Punk is a steady and reliable worker who has represented the company when called upon in a time where WWE hasn’t got anyone else, but by simply brushing all of that under the carpet and stating that he didn’t want to rile the Rock before his big comeback and change the plans that made the Rock sign a deal for 2013 in the first place.

Seriously? The Rock, my good friends, in case it slipped Vince’s mind, used to be a full time worker and one of the best in the business. The Rock is used to last minute changes in booking and plans. To me this just seems like a buy out clause so Vince doesn’t have to admit in public that WWE has failed to create any new and credible stars. This isn’t to say the Punk should have the lost the WWE Championship by now because he shouldn’t. For me, C.M Punk has been one of WWE’s best talents all year around. And I hate to think where WWE would have been without him.

Vince McMahon has taken to another low not recognizing Punk as one of the main factors WWE has been stable in 2012. In fact this has been backed up by the Wrestlemania 29 poster which bares only the likeness of the Rock, John Cena and Brock Lesnar. When Punk saw this he must have been apoplectic with rage. Punk has put his entire life on hold for WWE since November 20th when he defeated Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship. This isn’t the behaviour of a company that look like they appreciate Punk’s sacrifice and efforts. This looks like the actions of a company that are overlooking what they have now and trying desperately to plan for the future, six months too late.

It’s unthinkable that C.M Punk might not be in WWE’s plans after such an illustrious Championship reign. Maybe WWE are planning to switch the WWE Championship to the Rock at Royal Rumble and are going to allow Punk his leave early. I would then question WWE’s decision to do so in the run up to their most important event all year. Is there a good reason to leave your hottest property out of the Grandest Show of the year? Not really. Should C.M Punk defeat the Rock at Royal Rumble which your Wrestling God believes will happen, then the stage will be set perfectly for Punk to go down fighting at Wrestlemania 29. Royal Rumble may be one of the big four pay per view events for WWE but it seems a bit of a come down if Punk were to lose the gold in January. It would be much more of an event for him to do so at Mania.

Which brings me neatly back to the original point of this. Vince McMahon may very well be relying on Punk to draw in the numbers for Wrestlemania in a match with the Undertaker, regardless of John Cena, the Rock or Brock Lesnar’s involvement. If Punk is still WWE Champion when Wrestlemania 29 rolls around then I would have thought there would have been more interest in Punk losing the WWE Championship in what will obviously be dubbed ‘The Reign vs The Streak’ than Rock, Cena or Lesnar. Should this be WWE’s plan then it makes no sense whatsoever for WWE to leave Punk out of the equation why he’s been Champion for so long. We’ve been through WWE’s double standards before and they’re well documented to everyone who watches. Why WWE allowed Punk to be so honest and candid on his DVD and then brush the same facts under the carpet when it’s Vince’s turn to offer up an explanation is a hideous mistake. One even WWE cannot hide away from.

All it took was for Vince to say something in region of “C.M Punk has been WWE Champion for so long because he is the best WWE has to offer. In the ring he’s flawless and outside of the ropes he possesses a quality which makes him a personality to be feared.” This simple statement may have played to the old kayfabe, which would have been looked down on by certain people in the industry, what it would have ultimately done would have hyped Punk for his feud with the Rock. The Rock could have come out and stated he’s not scared of Punk and when Punk went over at Royal Rumble, it would have sensible brought the Undertaker out of the shadows to challenge Punk at Wrestlemania 29.

It really pisses me off that WWE could easily remedy their problems with one simple statement or sentence. Yet they seemingly lack the brain power to do so. Vince is looking for the reason that the three hour Raw each week is beginning to lose ratings. Look back on your interview Vince and every other dumb thing WWE has come out with, without thinking about the implications it would have on business. And should Vince do that, then I’m pretty sure that’s where he’ll find his ratings.

Onwards and upwards...

Thursday 22 November 2012

A BIG SHOW PERFORMANCE

If you would indulge me for a few minutes then I would like to take you back two months to WWE’s October Hell in a Cell pay per view. For the regular among you that read my blog every week and there are many out there, then you’ll know that I have been critical of the Big Show to say the least. I have good reason as you’ll know if you’ve seen any of his dire performances in that past years.

Apparently, I have been unfair and unjust to Big Show. Well, once at least. If you read my Hell in a Cell review then you’ll have read that I didn’t think much of the Big Show vs Sheamus Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. In fact I hardly gave it any credit at all. For me, a Big Show match is one of the dullest affairs out there today and at times even rivals a John Cena effort for tediousness. However, listening to recent people talk and several magazines that said otherwise, I decided that I would go back and watch the match again.

My comments about said match may have been met with frowns and a little criticism by those who read it. Just recently I’ve heard the encounter be called ‘The best thing on the show’ and a ‘tremendous effort by Big Show’. Reviewing the match once did, I won’t lie, make me think I may have gotten it slightly wrong on the occasion. Watching the match through a third time however I can see why some people think I didn’t give it the credit it deserved.

The ‘White Noise’ on Big Show by Sheamus was a great move and a daring one by both men, considering how much Big Show weighs and how much effort it must have taken Sheamus to get the blob man up. The final three minutes of the match were electric no doubt and the exchanges between Show and Sheamus were some of the best Show has had in recent years. To go as far as to say that this was the best thing on the card however was an oversight on others parts. Not mine.

For it to be the best thing on the card, the match would have had to have another element added to it. A defending Champion who is growing stale fast and a giant who has done nothing in the business since 1996 is never going to be the best thing on the card. Not when you have a performance from a Champion in the main event, like we got from C.M Punk.

Another fact that riled me was people describing Big Show as ‘Earning the Championship’. No. Not in a million years. To earn a World Heavyweight Championship reign a wrestler has to go through months of fine performances, sacrifices in his personal life and unrivalled matches which stand alone when viewed separate from a whole pay per event. C.M Punk has earned his one year plus, WWE Championship reign through consistency inside the ring, some grade ‘A’ matches and his sacrifice of his personal life to represent the company inside and outside the ring. That’s a man who has earned his Championship reign. Big Show is a man who had – upon reviewing the match a third time – a good match for the first time in maybe four or five years.

Just because Big Show put on a decent performance, which, judging by those he followed up with on Raw and Smackdown, was a fluke. Doesn’t earn him a Championship reign which has been ultimately dull in mostly every area. Sorry. No.

Yes, Big Show vs Sheamus was better than I originally described it as being but I only saw that on the second and third viewing. There’s no doubt looking at it now that Big Show put in a decent performance and by his very best for years and I will concede that the match was a very, very good one on reflection. When you take into account C.M Punk’s herculean effort in getting Ryback over, then Big Show vs Sheamus pails in comparison.

Onwards and upwards...

Monday 19 November 2012

SURVIVOR SERIES 2012 - TODAY I SAW THE FUTURE

After disappointing pay per views in the previous months, WWE had a lot, maybe too much riding on the twenty sixth annual Survivor Series. If WWE does anything well then it’s perform well under pressure. All the ingredients were there for WWE to succeed and for the future generations of WWE to take a giant step towards survival on November 18th.

From the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Indiana, this was WWE Survivor Series 2012.

WWE Championship Match
Triple Threat match
C.M Punk (Champion) defeated John Cena and Ryback

For once we start on a brighter note. I know, I know, don’t faint. This time around WWE really do need a giant pat on the back. As stated, there was a whole lot rising on Survivor Series, for WWE and the young guns who are eventually going to carry this business into the promise land.

WWE aren’t known in 2012 for making talent or getting them over on a big stage, just look how they treated Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase when they were apart of Randy Orton’s Legacy. At Survivor Series, though, WWE got it bang on the money. Anyone who has bothered to put themselves through an episode of NXT will have seen Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns on the show and know how talented at least two of these three are. I say two because I haven’t seen as much of Reigns as I have Rollins and Ambrose.

Seth Rollins, formerly Tyler Black of Ring on Honor has unlimited potential and should have been introduced into the WWE main roster before now, instead of being kept in development and NXT for what seems like an eternity. If this man isn’t at the top of the card in three or four years time then WWE should be kicking themselves hard. Because if Vince doesn’t take advantage of Rollins’ tremendous ability then I’m afraid to say that he shouldn’t be in control of a multi million dollar company anymore.

It was formative, the way WWE set out this triple threat encounter and there was only ever going to be one outcome. This is where WWE have to take credit. It would have been so easy for them have Cena and Punk take out Ryback and then have Punk capitalize, hitting Cena the ‘Go to Sleep’ for the win. Credit where credit is due, WWE refrained from booking what would have been a telegraphed finish and instead decided to introduce and make three new stars in the process. The finale to the match was done with utter panache. In fact I rejoiced when Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns put Ryback through the announce table and Punk covered a downed Cena to retain the WWE Championship.

Now though, WWE have to be very careful. It’s a short step from victory to defeat. Sensibly, Ryback is going to want and have to exact some measure of revenge. If WWE book Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose to job to Ryback in minutes, then all the good that was done at Survivor Series will be undone and the trio will be nothing more than a distant memory. There is no way WWE can build three talented people after a demolition job. It is imperative that WWE protect the three and divert the beatings somewhere else. I’m sure Paul Heyman, who will soon be revealed as the mastermind behind introducing the party of NXT talent, would be willing to take a pasting from Ryback in place of Punk’s Survivor Series saviours. Especially as it would be in the interest of talent development.

Whatever WWE deems fit to do with Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns, they must see that they have a gild mine on their hands if the three are protected and pushed well. Rollins and Ambrose have WWE Championship material written all over them. At the moment, until I’ve seen more of Reigns I’ll put him down as an Intercontinental Championship player. Just for now. It’s quite obvious that the plan is to put the three in some kind of faction with Punk as their leader. And as long as Paul Heyman is at Punk’s side and WWE don’t do a Straight Edge Society with the faction, which would be the death of all but Punk.

WWE have previous with successful factions. Degeneration X, Evolution, the Hart Foundation. Each and everyone of these factions have made stars without breaking them. If WWE can do it with those and seeing as its three of their future talent at stake, then I’m sure WWE can find the magic formula to do it again.

I was wrong. Savour that short sentence because it’s not something you’ll hear me say very often. Not because I’m big headed but because if you look at my previous statements you’ll see that almost every one of them has come true. Ryback on the other hand hasn’t. If you took a glance at my Hell in a Cell 2012 review then you’ll have noted my praise for Ryback which was largely deserved. Looking at him at Survivor Series though, it’s a whole different story.

With the much talented Punk and the ever annoying Cena, Ryback had a golden chance to make himself stand out in this triple threat match. Traditionally triple threat matches are a start attraction because they usually mean an opportunity for a wrestler to make a name for himself. Ryback is the exception to that rule. WWE could have had him run through Cena and Punk until the very end. Ryback himself could have executed perfect moves on Cena and shown the watching world that he’s better at this game than WWE’s top earner. He did none of this.

For me, you may have seen it differently, Ryback was a plodding example of why WWE seriously need to look at their development system. At Hell in a Cell, Ryback look competent in the ring with Punk. At Survivor Series Ryback looked ‘Shell Shocked’. Pardon the pun. The guy looked blown up in the first ten minutes and his execution of manoeuvres, at times, looked roughshod. Ryback didn’t exude future WWE Champion for me and on this performance, WWE needs to take the man once known to us all as Skip Sheffield and either send him back to basics or think of something better to do with his limited skill.

One option could be a Goldberg feud. There was talk a few months ago that Goldberg was close to signing a deal with WWE which I assume would kick in after Wrestlemania, when Brock Lesnar is suspected to exit. If WWE could get Ryback up to a decent standard before April then there would be huge interest if Goldberg marched out on Raw the night after Wrestlemania and challenged Ryback to a match at Extreme Rules. Especially if Goldberg then went for a spear and Ryback countered with ‘Shell Shocked’. I would genuinely like to see this happen as it would draw a line once and for all down the whole comparison between Ryback and Goldberg. Unless WWE can think of something this good for Ryback in 2013, then I don’t see any life for old Skip in WWE.

John Cena. John Cena! What can I say about John Cena that I haven’t already covered? Well, the new short isn’t as hideous as first feared so I suppose that’s a plus and even though his selling of moves was routine and...usual. The plus comes because John Cena once again took a back seat at a pay per view which is a huge plus. Despite making a mockery of Dolph Ziggler on the Hell in a Cell pre show in October, John Cena has played second fiddle to Punk throughout the year and even more so in their dire feud which should have been shelved at the ideas stage.

Even though the ‘Cenation’ doesn’t see it, looking at the lights has done Cena and his reputation wonders. When he was given the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship Cena was jeered and loudly hated at almost each and every event. Even in his home town the jeers weren’t absent. It’s a noticeable change when Cena is chasing the gold. Although the boos are still there and are warranted, Cena seems to be in favour with some of the crowd and not just those wearing his rag on their back. It would seem that the WWE Universe prefer to see a chasing Cena rather than a Champion Cena.

The problem that is swiftly approaching WWE, is that John Cena is about to run out of feuds. C.M Punk is off to better shores when the Rock comes home in 2013 and Ryback can’t be given to Cena because neither man has the ability to elevate the other. I can only liken a Ryback vs John Cena match to a car crash. I cannot see a match or feud between these two being anything but a huge turn off. So where does WWE take Cena from here? Looking down the roster I don’t see anyone else who would want or even need Cena. Randy Orton and the Miz have had their ‘Cena time’ both come off worse for it. We don’t ever need to see another Cena vs Big Show feud. Team Hell No are tied up in a better feud than either could ever have with the one man wrecking machine. WWE have booked themselves into a corner.

Vince McMahon knows that if he gives Cena a new and upcoming talent then it’s almost assured that said talent would be stripped of all credibility. Cena has proven he can’t help anyone in the ring and that he’s the one who needs aid and he’s now too big a name to drop down a few pegs and give another division some credibility. Thus is the dilemma WWE have brought upon themselves with John Cena. Without a hell turn then the options are severely limited to 1) destroy a promising career just to give Cena something to do or 2) recycle the same old shit again. Have a guess which WWE are going to choose.

One year. Three hundred and sixty five days. That my good minions is quite the feat. A deserved feat. C.M Punk has been the one constant in WWE since November 2011 and deserves some type of reward for keeping the main event spot ticking over. At some point in the next three or four months Punk will drop the WWE Championship much to the relief of the man known as Philip Brooks. It won’t be just yet though.

The Rock is coming. The Brahma Bull is charging is way to WWE and he has C.M Punk in his sights. All we have to do to get to that moment is sit through one more pay per view offering of either Punk vs Ryback or Punk vs Cena or Punk vs Ryback vs Cena. Keeping up? Good. The sensible money would be on WWE booking a second and final triple threat match to get all three men through the remainder of 2012 and safely into 2013. This time though WWE have to book it under TLC rules. Whilst it wouldn’t favour Punk as it would be a risky strategy in case Punk was injured in the process, the match would hide Cena and Ryback’s flaws and give WWE some breathing time to think what comes next.

I know that Punk is looking forward to his feud with the Rock in 2013 and it is one which should yield some tremendous results. I have no doubt that it will be infinitely more enjoyable than The Rock vs John Cena last year. All Punk has to do is stay injury free and he’s home and dry. What after though? After C.M Punk drops the WWE Championship to the Rock at either Royal Rumble or Wrestlemania 29, what then? C.M Punk will stay in WWE until at least Wrestlemania 29 where I would imagine he will be involved with the main event of the card. That would be a fitting thank you and pay off from WWE to Punk, for his time as WWE Champion when WWE really didn’t have anyone else.

After Wrestlemania 29, though is going to be a different story. C.M Punk needs rest. Philip Brooks needs to leave WWE and wind down, even though the whole place will be worse off without him. We’ve seen the results of wrestlers working themselves too hard. It often leads to hard drug use just to get through the day or serious injury. Seeing as Punk is, in real life, ‘Straight Edge’ then the latter seems more likely. I’m sure those with long enough memories remember Triple H’s potential career ending thigh injuries in 2001 and 2007. Where ‘The Game’ tore his muscle off the bone in matches. WWE don’t want that to happen to Punk because when he finally does return to WWE in late 2013, then there is a whole lot more WWE can get out of him. If Punk was out for a whole year and a half due to injury then I’m convinced WWE would be lost.

For now though, we’re going to bask in the glory of the ‘Straight Edged Saviour’, ‘The Second City Saint’. Because not everyone gets a whole year on top in WWE! And when you’re as talented as C.M Punk, then it can only be seen as a double victory.


Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team Ziggler (Dolph Ziggler, Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, Damien Sandow and David Otunga) defeated Team Foley (Randy Orton, Team Hell No, The Miz and Kofi Kingston) w/Mick Foley

Eliminations: Kane eliminated Damien Sandow; Dolph Ziggler eliminated Kane; Daniel Bryan eliminated David Otunga; Wade Barrett eliminated Kofi Kingston; Alberto Del Rio eliminated Daniel Bryan; The Miz eliminated Wade Barrett; Alberto Del Rio eliminated The Miz; Randy Orton eliminated Alberto Del Rio; Dolph Ziggler eliminated Randy Orton

Sole Survivor: Dolph Ziggler

Okay. Now you may have to settle in for the long run here as we have a lot to get through. So, put the kettle on, get something to eat, cancel everything else in your diary and turn off the television. Because this is all about survival.

Once again, for the second time on the same card, WWE got it spot on. This match was and always should have been used to advance Dolph Ziggler and his never ending quest for the World Heavyweight Championship. That briefcase must be weighing heavy in the hands of the man born Nick Nemeth and at Survivor Series the former member of the Spirit Squad took a giant leap towards ridding himself of the metal and exchanging it for some gold.

It’s interesting that on WWE.Com, the company actually recognize Ziggler as a former World Heavyweight Champion, even though his blink and you’d miss it reign was shorter than a Divas Match and frame for frame was identical to the Million Dollar Man’s WWE Championship reign all those years ago. A reign I must say, which isn’t recognized by WWE. Interesting that.

There was always going to be a struggle at the top of this match. Seeing as the Miz was on the poster and this was meant to be the beginning of Miz’s push, some would have expected Miz to be the sole survivor or at least have a strong showing. WWE gave him neither. Instead Dolph Ziggler was the man that WWE sacrificed another Miz opportunity for and in this case I can’t have too many complaints. Even though Ziggler and Del Rio lost to Orton and the Miz on the Smackdown before Survivor Series, in a top notch match in which Ziggler should have pinned Orton again.

WWE now have to capitalize on this victory and step forward and banish all memories of what happened after his momentous Money in the Bank victory. Vince and the creative team can’t be surprised that the paying audience will be expecting Ziggler to be buried once again because that’s what we’ve seen constantly with Dolph. To prove us all wrong, WWE have to make Ziggler a force to be reckoned with. And this is just one option.

WWE book a battle royal on Smackdown with the winner challenging Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship at TLC in December. Dolph Ziggler, despite having the Money in the Bank briefcase in his possession, wins the battle royal, last eliminating Sheamus. In the weeks leading to TLC Dolph is booked to go over Randy Orton in singles matches, thus furthering Orton’s frustrations and bringing to the surface his heel character. Whilst he’s winning on Smackdown the feud with Big Show is pushed forward and booked in Ziggler’s favour. Even though Show is hideously limited, Dolph Ziggler can come out of this looking a million dollars. If Big Show comes out and brags, then tries to hit Ziggler with the knockout punch, only for Ziggler to counter every time and make Show look like a fool, it’s going to start to look like Ziggler is better and smarter than Big Show.

Then we arrive at TLC in December. Due to the fact Ziggler has outdone Big Show week in and week out, pinned Randy Orton or another top talent at least twice in the main event of Smackdown and pinned Big Show in a tag team match before the pay per view, the WWE Universe will begin to believe that Ziggler can dethrone Big Show at TLC. As the match goes on, it doesn’t have to last long, Dolph Ziggler, after some convincing offence instead of Big Show just throwing him around the ring, Dolph Ziggler has to kick out of at least one chokeslam and punch and then after mounting a convincing comeback, Big Show gets himself intentionally disqualified and looks genuinely scared that Ziggler could have beaten him.

Dolph Ziggler would then leave TLC looking even stronger than he entered, for having a giant on the run. Yes, it would mean a second World Heavyweight Championship match in a row, on pay per view, would end in disqualification, but seeing as it would elevate Ziggler to another level then no one would care too much. The point is that WWE have to make Ziggler look unbeatable instead of a cowardly heel. A strong build without an end result would get the fans even more behind Ziggler than they are now. Finally, Ziggler would cash in at Wrestlemania 29 after he himself has fought the World Heavyweight Champion and lost by a narrow margin. Then after the match with the Champion down, all by Ziggler’s hand and no one else, Ziggler could cash in and take the gold without looking like a sneak. This would be a sure fire way to make sure Ziggler’s Championship win wouldn’t be looked up on as a fluke.

Alberto Del Rio made great strides in making up for some truly hideous pay per view results in the past few months. His endless defeats to Sheamus, which now, looking at how Sheamus’ World Heavyweight Championship ended and to whom, made Del Rio look like a chimp. A mere chimp to be experimented with and used when WWE needed to prolong characters popularity!

Before being eliminated in the final throws of the match, Del Rio was one of the final three in the ring with Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler. Eliminating Daniel Bryan and The Miz during the bout shone a new light on Del Rio. Not just because WWE booked him to eliminate two men who have a great future in this business but because both of them are former WWE and World Heavyweight Champions. This is exactly what Del Rio needed for his image. Putting the Sheamus series behind him, Del Rio can now branch out and build on the fact that he’s pinned two former WWE and World Heavyweight Champions. If that’s not momentum then I don’t know what is.

I’m still all in favour of putting the Mexican under a mask and creating a heel faction around him that would take WWE by storm. Failing that, WWE need to rush Del Rio into another feud, this time one he’s going to win. It was forgivable that Del Rio was eliminated by Randy Orton in the dying embers of the match, seeing as this was Dolph Ziggler’s night. Sadly though the Del Rio vs Randy Orton feud has run aground on the fact that Alberto Del Rio has now been pinned by Randy Orton on two consecutive pay per views. As a momentum killer, that will do it!

For the moment it looks like Del Rio will be dropped into the Intercontinental Championship mix which isn’t a bad thing. Maybe he can reignite the career there before finally moving back up the ranks and having another stab at the top. If that fails then Del Rio may want to weigh up his options and decide what’s more important to him. The money WWE is paying him to be their chimp or his dignity and legacy. If Del Rio decides the latter which he should, then WWE will be waving him out of the door when his contract expires, pondering on what they could have had.

I had such high hopes for Damien Sandow in this match. Especially when I heard that Cody Rhodes had been withdrawn from the match due to a nasty injury which occurred on Smackdown when Kane botched a backdrop. Taking one half Team Rhodes Scholars out of the mix should have been the reason WWE needed for making more of Sandow. Imagine my dismay when Sandow was the first eliminated by Kane of all people. The man that knackered one half of Team Rhodes Scholars, killed off the credibility of the other half.

Being the first eliminated meant that the Team Hell No vs Team Rhodes Scholars feud took a huge amount of damage. Team Rhodes Scholars lost to Team Hell No on the Main Event and even though they defeated the WWE Tag Team Champions via disqualification at Hell in a Cell, it’s beginning to look bleak. Cody Rhodes is going to be out for weeks if not longer and now WWE needs to find Sandow a new partner should Rhodes be more injured than originally thought.

Knowing the damage that could be caused by a Sandow primary elimination, WWE should have looked at the elimination schedule again and changed it. Damien Sandown should have eliminated Kane first and then lain down a serious beating on Daniel Bryan before being eliminated. At least Sandown would have looked a modicum of threatening thus being able to carry on the feud. If WWE are considering lengthening the Team Hell No vs Team Rhodes Scholars feud and Cody Rhodes does need a lengthily period of rehab to recover then please WWE, don’t choose David Otunga as Sandow’s tag team partner. Anyone else. But not him.

Which brings me neatly onto Cody Rhodes replacement. WWE had a whole roster to chose from. Literally anyone else. They could have followed their own example and followed what they were going to do in the main event in choosing someone from NXT to take Rhodes’ place. That would have been a huge boost. WWE could even have introduced Fandango early. But no, they made us sit through another David Otunga match.

We have to be thankful for small mercies, in that we didn’t have to sit through him for long as Otunga was eliminated by Daniel Bryan. What we did get though was more than enough. I like to try to find something about a wrestler that I can build on when looking to their future in WWE. David Otunga has so little talent that I’m not even going to bother. Not since my Wrestlemania 28 review on the Great Khali have I skipped over a wrestler, here though I will. Because Otunga has no future in wrestling. It’s as simple as that.

It’s hard to be impressed by Wade Barrett in 2012, seeing as WWE has absolutely no plan for him. The Brit seems to exist just for WWE to fill out a card or in this case team. I’ve neither heard of or know no plan for Barrett to do anything huge in WWE in 2013 and that’s a shame. There is still time for WWE to conjure up a feud with Kofi Kingston starting at TLC which would pass the time. It’s pointless though if WWE don’t come up with something else for him

There’s only so long Barrett can string out an Intercontinental Championship feud before it gets samey. We really don’t want to see a re-run of Sheamus vs Alberto Del Rio with Wade Barrett and Kofi Kingston. A feud with Sheamus would do both well, even though WWE sacrificed Barrett to Sheamus on a recent edition of the lifeless Main Event. There is potential coming out of Survivor Series for Wade. He could challenge the Miz although it seems Miz’s future lay with someone else which we’ll get onto in a moment.

For now though the man who looked to have the complete package in 2010 seems destined for WWE’s curtain jerker position for the foreseeable future. What a waste.

Knowing how this match was going to go, which I did, Team Foley were always at a disadvantage. Not just because Mick Foley was in their corner and let’s be honest, we don’t ever need to see him in the ring again. His cameo with the now ‘done to death’ mandible claw was a cheap pop, one this match could have done without.

As I write this and as you read this, I’m quite pleased. WWE seemed to have taken the initiative and employed what I suggested in our Survivor Series preview. For those who didn’t read it, I suggested that WWE use Randy Orton to pay back what he took at Night of Champions. Namely Dolph Ziggler’s push. And they did exactly that. Even though Orton dispatched Del Rio with ease, for the most part ‘The Viper’ was excellent in his role.

He was the aggressor when the heel needed a hot tag or credible comeback and the star maker at the very end of the encounter. Randy Orton should be very proud of himself for making Dolph Ziggler into a star. He can breathe easy now and not worry if WWE do something truly dumb with Ziggler. Randy Orton has played his part. And for that, I truly believe his punishment for violating WWE’s wellness policy is over. Hurrah!

The word coming out of WWE headquarters now is that Randy Orton will be turned heel and within six months, be pushed back to the top of the card. Another great decision by WWE. Did they have a personality transplant before Survivor Series went on air or, did John Cena save the day when he stood up against Vince McMahon? Maybe we’ll never know. Whatever the answer, WWE have taken someone’s words on board and decided to act quickly.

Randy Orton should have been turned earlier this year. He works best when he’s a nasty, couldn’t give a damn heel. Just look at his inspiring work against Triple H, the McMahon family and John Cena in 2009. Some of Orton’s greatest work to date, outside the ring. The fear was that Randy Orton would grow disillusioned with life in WWE and tire of playing the face. If that were to happen then WWE would have trouble keeping hold of Orton should something go awry with his contract or him. If WWE had to fire Orton for another wellness policy violation, remember he’s on his third and final warning, then the likelihood of rehiring him a year later would be shattered if they didn’t keep him happy now.

As usual Vince was repentant at first, not wanting to lose the money that Orton draws as a face for live Smackdown events. Eventually though he saw sense and no wonder. Randy Orton drew huge crowd numbers as a heel, even more so than a face. Eventually WWE came around to the idea that Orton had so much talent, as a heel he could help make a new star who would in turn sell tickets. The seeds of Orton’s heel turn were sewn on the Smackdown before Survivor Series when, after their victory against Ziggler and Del Rio, Orton landed a perfect RKO on the Miz, to a rapturous jeer from the audience. That was all WWE needed to give the Orton heel turn the green light. If the fans were that hostile to Orton nailing Miz, then it must have been what they wanted.

The question, like we need to ask it, is who will Orton turn on and against. The answer is simple. The Miz. You’ll read WWE’s plans for the Miz below. Let’s just say though that Randy Orton and the Miz will collide in a huge way in 2013 and it should be the making of ‘The Awesome One’. Should Randy Orton be able to undo all of the harm that John Cena and WWE did to the Miz, then Randy Orton can count the Miz s one of his greatest every achievements in wrestling.

The image of the WWE Tag Team Championships seemed to weigh heavily on the minds of WWE as Team Hell No played their part in this Survivor Series match. With Cody Rhodes gone thanks to Kane, WWE seemed to think that Damien Sandown could be fed to Kane and somehow that would help the image of the Championships. Quite how WWE figured that having one half of the number one contenders jobbed out like a dumbass moron, will bring interest to the division is beyond even me.

Whatever WWE’s thoughts or backward booking ideas here, it was still clear to them that Kane was the weak link in this match along with Otunga and had to be dispatched quickly and with ease. This was done thank god at the hands of Dolph Ziggler. Kane should have been less selfish and gone to WWE before the match refusing to eliminate Sandow. It would have looked better for him had he shown willingness to put over lower talent and done the WWE Tag Team Championships some good in the long run. No one is going to pay to see a Team Hell No vs Team Rhodes Scholars match now and that’s all because WWE and Kane couldn’t facing putting over Sandow for the good of their division.

I’m glad to say though that Daniel Bryan made up for Kane lacked. Both in the ring and in the elimination stakes. Had Cody Rhodes been involved then Bryan would have looked at the lights for the son of ‘The American Dream’. Instead Bryan did the job for Del Rio, making him look great in the process. John Cena needs to take notes.

Now though Team Hell No are looking for new challengers to their throne. Whilst WWE will want the feud with Sandow and Rhodes to continue it looks doubtful it can, unless Cody Rhodes isn’t as injured as first thought. I fear WWE will put Otunga in Rhodes’ place which would devalue the belts entirely. If you don’t have great talent competing for the WWE Tag Team Championships then they’re going to mean nothing. Now WWE must pluck Mysterio and Sin Cara from the undercard and put them in Team Rhodes Scholars’ place. Even Sin Cara would be a better choice than David Otunga.

The WWE Intercontinental Champion, Kofi Kingston must have been flooded with ideas when he heard about his participation in this traditional Survivor Series match. Even I came up with a fool proof way for WWE to get Kingston over and still eliminate him from the match. That plan was carried out in part, but ignored in others. Indeed it did take a ‘Wings of Change’ and ‘Bull Hammer’ to abolish Kingston, yet it wasn’t the kind of impact WWE needed.

I won’t go over what I suggested, you can read that for yourself in the preview. Instead this is the plan for Kingston going forward. At TLC WWE need to book Kingston to defend the WWE Intercontinental Championship in a fatal four way Ladder Match, against Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio and possible Damien Sandow. After Kingston has taken the ‘Bull Hammer’ from the top of the ladder and his reign as Champion has come close to ending, then Kingston needs to revive himself and plough through the field, portraying the injured yet warrior like victor.

Heart is the key word where Kofi Kingston is concerned. When WWE show us Kingston has more heart than anyone in the Intercontinental Championship division then we can buy into the Champion and his Championship defences. Even though Wade Barrett seems the most likely successor to Kingston’s gold at the moment, WWE can still do the right things and give us a Champions we can truly get behind.

The era of awesomeness is coming again. WWE have seen it. You have seen it and the audiences who pay their hard earned money to sit through the product on a nightly basis have seen it. WWE failed the Miz at Survivor Series. I know the match wads Dolph Ziggler’s but there was a better way to get Miz over than simply feeding him to the necessary.

WWE could have the match come down to Randy Orton and the Miz against Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio. Then after Orton had eliminated Del Rio, Ziggler could have eliminated Orton. Leaving Miz and Dolph Ziggler. After a hard fought battle between the two Dolph Ziggler would have pinned Miz clean in the ring and then Orton would have turned heel, citing that he could have won the match if he’d have been the last standing on Team Foley instead of the Miz. Several RKO’s to a fallen and prone Miz would have turned both men perfectly and the crowd were hot for that to happen.

Instead, Miz had a small part in the actual wrestling side, eliminating Wade Barrett before being purged from the pay per view by Alberto Del Rio. There was no point to the Miz being in the match, that I could see. On a night where WWE were meant to start his mammoth push to the top, they treated the Miz like a nobody yet again. They can’t keep expecting us to get behind the Miz if this type of treatment was to continue.

Luckily I have word that it isn’t. WWE are in the process of looking at ideas to turn Miz face. This could have been done at Survivor Series to great effect. But WWE think that their way is better. We’ll see if that is true. Either way I believe that Randy Orton will turn Miz face in the process of turning himself heel and that a Miz vs Randy Orton feud would do big business for both men and WWE in 2013. With a wrestler like Randy Orton, the Miz can make himself a star. Being the first man to challenge Orton in his new heel role, the Miz be sure to get the best of ‘The Viper’.

I firmly predict that by this time next year, Miz will be WWE Champion again. This time though he’ll be ready for it and when the day comes, it will be AWESOME!

Team Ziggler vs Team Foley wasn’t the spectacle or star maker it should have been. Nonetheless it was a bloody good match which put a strong case forward why Survivor Series should be kept in WWE’s annual pay per view schedule and why the event should play host to more traditional Survivor Series Elimination matches. Especially if they all do for other what this has done for Dolph Ziggler.


World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sheamus defeated Big Show (Champion) via Disqualification

I get a nauseating feeling when I have to talk about Big Show matches. In fact this blog is all that stops me from watching them from behind a blindfold. Big Show vs Sheamus is a classic reason why matches like this on pay per views like this, should be traditional Survivor Series Elimination Matches. To hide both men’s flaws and elevate other low level talent by association. There was one other traditional Survivor Series Elimination match on the card, which was sprung on us, in which both men could have captained a side.

Quite unbelievable, was the thought that went through my mind when the match ended via disqualification. I know I suggested that a proposed World Heavyweight Championship Match at TLC ended via disqualification, but that is TLC, a ‘B’ level pay per view. This was Survivor Series. One of WWE’s big four events of the year. The company would never book a finish like this at Wrestlemania so there’s no good reason to do it at Survivor Series. There were other ways WWE could have had Big Show retain the World Heavyweight Championship on November 18th without the lousy finish we were presented with on the night.

There wasn’t a great deal to take from the match. The action was dull in most parts and the highlight of the match came, when to his credit, Big Show performed a diving elbow from the rope. It was a dumb thing to do considering Show’s size and weight and history of knee problems. Though I feel that WWE thought that needed to have Show do something to liven the match up. It didn’t work. Actually the only thing that could have saved this match was for it not to have been booked at all.

Big Show is useless. I don’t like saying it, but it’s true. Yes he should be respected for putting his body on the line for our entertainment but come on. There a twenty other men in WWE that deserve the spot more than he does. Even Big Show knows this yet does nothing about it. A decent WWE performer, who knew they were that bad, would decline WWE’s offer of a main event run and step aside. Big Show didn’t. He took the spotlight with his sausage fingers and hogged it. That’s not the kind of World Heavyweight Champion we need.

WWE need a marketable Champion. All they can market Big Show for is fast food adverts, with the tag line ‘Would you like to look like this?’ Then insert a picture of Big Show with the food that they’re advertising. It’s a tried and tested formula. Big Show didn’t draw anyone new to WWE when he was ECW Champion or Intercontinental Champion or World Heavyweight Champion last time and he’s not done it now.

Sheamus is an enigma. One minute people love him and the next, he’s lost that taste that fans found so eager to chew on. It was plain from the start that Sheamus could only get over if he had an opponent of greater talent in the ring with him. And now it looks like Sheamus has relied so much on other wrestler helping him look good, when he’s presented with someone as bad as Big Show, Sheamus doesn’t know what to do with him.

Clearly Sheamus hasn’t learnt everything from Triple H. Triple H could take a sheep and make it look like a Champion. In fact the only man Triple H hasn’t been able to make look good was the seemingly dead Vladimir Kozlov. Even Sheamus looked like a Champion when he was in the ring with Triple H. WWE now have to look at the truth. Sheamus can’t make Big Show look any better so the only choice they have is to give Sheamus the World Heavyweight Championship back and get him some better opponents.

Once again, Sheamus came close to the aggression I’ve banged on about. After the bell, Sheamus’ attack on Big Show began to look like something WWE could build on. A nastier, less pure side to Sheamus. Whether they decide to do so is another story.

Unfortunately this feud is designed to go on into TLC. Maybe there’d be a small doubt in my mind as to this fact if Big Show or Sheamus had got the pinfall. As the match ended in disqualification then WWE will book this again under Tables, Ladder or Chair rules in December. For me though it’s pointless. WWE can keep giving us this tat all they like but at the end of the day it doesn’t make a blind bit of difference.

We’re not interested in Big Show. We’ve grown indifferent to Sheamus. And WWE need to inject some like into the World Heavyweight Championship scene quickly. Otherwise the thread which the division is holding on by may just begin to snap.


WWE United States Championship Match
Antonio Cesaro (Champion) defeated R-Truth

It must be disappointing for WWE to see a man that they’re high on get the kind of response he received at Survivor Series. As far as I could tell from my seat, the WWE Universe were largely indifferent to the WWE United States Champion. That has been the reaction for a while though and it’s all WWE’s fault. Had they been willing to actually do something exciting with Cesaro and the United States Championship then I’s be writing something different about this match.

Look at the evidence. WWE bury the Championship for years, leaving it off of pay per views and when there was a United States Championship Match it was usually first and fought between two wrestlers no one cared about. Then WWE look like they’re getting somewhere by making Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder U.S Champion only to then put the gold around the waist of Santino Marella where it suffered it’s worst lull since its creation. Putting the United States Championship or in fact any Championship on a comedy character who hasn’t had an impact on the business is always going to end badly. Then WWE don’t even bother to build Cesaro up before they give him the gold. And when they do make him Champion, the Championship changes hands on a pre show instead of the actual pay per view.

After this kind of treatment, WWE can’t blame us for having a vague reaction to the both the belt and the man whose waist it currently resides around. All it would take to remedy this would be something huge from WWE and just an ounce of thought and care. Yet here I am again, with the answer to WWE’s problems. Should the world’s biggest wrestling company decide to ever listen to us and show a willingness to change their plans. This is how they could make the United States Championship division a much more viable and interesting scene to watch.

What the United States Championship division lacks is a great feud at the top. The Champion, which is currently Cesaro, needs a feud to get his hands on. By booking Cesaro on pay per view, in a Championship defence, against any old jobber they can drag out of their ‘Superstars’ show is turning people off. WWE needs to plunge Cesaro into a gripping feud which would make people sit up and take notice of the U.S Championship Division. The second thing WWE need is to look back at their old ‘Raw’ magazine. Anyone who read the magazine in 1996 will remember that WWE printed, in the magazine, the rankings for Championships. A list of the top ten names who were in line for Championship shot. This gave stability to whichever Championship division they had rankings for and let people know who was in line. Then we could tune in with magazine in hand and see the Champion defend the gold against number one on the list. It made sense and it’s something WWE lacks today.

Putting some meaningless rankings on WWE.Com doesn’t allow people to see who is in line for a shot at a Championship. All it really tells anyone is who is in WWE’s plans and who isn’t. With some stability and a few gripping feuds the WWE United States Championship division could be a stand out for the company in 2013.

R-Truth was a dumb challenger for Cesaro, especially on a pay per view as big as this. At this present moment, Truth has no sway or favour with the WWE Universe and no one cares about him. Since he and Kingston shipped the Tag Team Championships Truth has disappeared from WWE’s plans. To take someone who has been quiet for months and then suddenly produce him as the number one contender to the United States Championship has to be an act of desperation in anyone’s books. Once again, as in the previous World Heavyweight Championship match there were other choices WWE could have picked to face Cesaro.

Personally I can’t think of any use for R-Truth in WWE. His last shot was as Tag Team Champion with Kofi Kingston and he even blew that. His performances were lacklustre and it was Kingston who held the tandem together. At the moment it seems R-Truth is in the top ten for a ‘Future Endeavour’ note in 2013. There are other wrestlers who are better and could do better than Truth has. And it’s about time WWE saw that.

Had Antonio Cesaro been placed into a Survivor Series Elimination Match and came out the sole survivor, then WWE could have built on that and maybe the United States Champion would have had some credibility. However beating another jobber on pay per view is doing more damage than it is good. WWE need something to work with when it comes to Antonio Cesaro. The man is talented but isn’t being allowed to show it because WWE don’t have the ambition to create a stable division around Cesaro so all involved could flourish.

Working on the idea of a hot feud for the Champion, WWE could have had Rey Mysterio challenge Cesaro. This would have both furthered Cesaro as a wrestler, the United States Championship as something the upper card talent wanted and the Mysterio / Sin Cara saga. Had Cesaro constantly defeated Mysterio after Cara had either failed to stop a run in or interfered and cost Mysterio the gold then both would be hot property going into 2013. That never happened.

I do hope WWE can work something out for Cesaro because they’re right to be high on him. Antonio could be big in WWE in years to come, if WWE can keep their enthusiasm for him fresh and their ideas exciting. Until then Cesaro will only be viewed as United States Championship material. And that’s a great disservice to a man who is much better than fifty percent of WWE’s current roster.


Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara, Brodus Clay, Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel defeated The Prime Time Player, Primo and Epico and Tensai

Eliminations: Tensai eliminated Brodus Clay; Justin Gabriel eliminated Tensai; Tyson Kidd eliminated Titus O’Neil; Tyson Kidd eliminated Epico; Rey Mysterio eliminated Primo; Rey Mysterio eliminated Darren Young

Survivors: Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel

Had this match been advertised a week before the pay per view went on air and not hours before, then it might have been a match that we could have all looked forward to. Seeing as WWE saw fit to make it a traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match on the Survivor Series pay per view then WWE should have gone out of their way to advertise this as a main attraction. The fact they didn’t was laziness, not to mention all of the heat its taken off of everyone involved.

Yet again this thrown together effort was another missed chance. Tensai could have been given a second chance in WWE with all of the talent Matt Bloom possess. WWE though don’t think he’s any good, so why did they hire him back in the first place? Had WWE booked Tensai to eliminate everyone on Mysterio’s team in convincing fashion then John Cena would have had an opponent for 2013 and Tensai would have been worth the money WWE are paying him. The fact that Tensai was eliminated by Justin Gabriel, so soon after he sent Brodus Clay packing signals an early exit from WWE in the new year.

The whole of the heel team were the epitome of cannon fodder and I won’t even bother dragging this out for several minutes. The Prime Time Players are done in WWE, there’s nothing else left for the untalented duo and I get the impression that Primo and Epico are just waiting for their contract to end so they can get out of WWE. Neither tag team has done anything in WWE and did even less in this match.

Not only does to do the teams harm though, it also does the WWE Tag Team Championships a great deal of disservice. That is now two tag teams, one bad one good that won’t be taken seriously again and two more tag teams that now can’t challenge for the Tag Team Championships. Ask yourself the question, when Team Hell No drop the straps, Mysterio and Sin Cara implode and Team Rhodes Scholars are no more, what is going to happen to the doubles gold?

Brodus Clay is a massive waste of space and reminds me of a white, overweight, Godfather. With less talent. To think that Brodus Clay was even a choice in this match, even though just for an elimination for Tensai tells us all we need to know about WWE’s undercard. I’d have rather seen several NXT rookies compete in a Survivor Series Elimination Match.

Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd are trying their level best to get somewhere in WWE but their height and lack of muscle dictate they’re fighting a losing battle. They did show some really good skills at Survivor Series, though I doubt it’ll be enough to persuade WWE they should be inserted into the WWE Tag Team Championship picture now or in the future.

The chance WWE missed came once again with the team of Mysterio and Sin Cara. The pair, somewhere down the line will be brought into the WWE Tag Team Championship picture, by which time the dissension in their ranks should be clear. However its not. How long have WWE had to sort something out now? Too long is the answer to that question.

It should have been so easy. Had Rey Mysterio performed a move from the apron to the outside of the ring, whilst Cara was the legal man, then Mysterio could have hit Cara by mistake or messed up a move for him from the top rope – had Mysterio used the ropes for leverage whilst Sin Cara was on top of them then Cara could have crashed to the mat – Sin Cara could have been eliminated and it would have all been Rey Mysterio’s fault. Then WWE could have began the heel turn storyline. It doesn’t matter if we all know its coming, the art is in the execution. From there Sin Cara could have had doubts about Mysterio and should they contest the Tag Championships at TLC or Royal Rumble then to further the split, Sin Cara could have Daniel Bryan or Kane defeated when a selfish Rey Mysterio tagged himself in and been caught in a chokeslam or submission move and lost the match. Sin Cara could then blame Mysterio for being selfish and costing them the gold.

Using that method WWE could even tease a Mysterio heel turn on Cara, who either keep getting in his way or accusing him of being selfish. Going as a far as to have Mysterio come out to jeers, which he does regularly anyway, and give a promo to Sin Cara about how he’s the one carrying the team because of his history in America. That would be gold for the pair who don’t seem to be doing anything. So why aren’t WWE doing anything about it?

In the end this match served just to get some faces on pay per view and remind us that they’re still being employed by WWE. I think you’ll agree when I say that the time allocated to this pointless affair could have either been used for a Survivor Series Elimination Match that actually did something for those involved or given to the one Survivor Series Elimination Match that actually mattered on the card. Had Team Ziggler vs Team Foley been given another ten minutes, it could have made more than just Dolph Ziggler a star.


WWE Divas Championship Match
Eve (Champion) defeated Kaitlyn

Did this make you sit on the edge of your seat? Did it make you grip your cushion and bite your lip with tension? No me neither. Then again, should we have expected anything else? I wasn’t expecting a roof raiser from these two.

Eve may look pretty but her wrestling skill doesn’t match her looks. As WWE Divas Champion, Eve is like a fish in a sauna. Totally out of her comfort zone. Since she captured the Divas Championship, Eve has failed spectacularly on every level to impress or perform. With our current WWE Divas Champion, without wishing to stereotype women in today’s world, it really is a case of smile and look pretty. Because she really can’t do anything else.

It struck me for the first time when watching this, how beautiful Kaitlyn actually is. Before, I saw her as some punk rock wannabe who was using WWE as a stepping stone to other means. Whilst that is still true, Kaitlyn may possess more natural beauty than any of WWE’s current Divas. Unfortunately that’s the very best thing I can say about her. Because her wrestling ability stinks and she has no connection with the WWE Universe at all.

What amuses and infuriates me on a monthly basis is how much WWE have ignored their current situation. They know the problem exists that no one is interested in their Divas Division and that they need to interject now to stop the rot taking over. But they never seem to. I don’t know if at creative meetings, the Divas Division crops up and they sit there biting their nails at the sheer thought of having to do something to make it better or they just pass it over and pretend everything is alright. Either way, Vince needs to step in and do something fast.

The Divas Division is a wonderful poster for why WWE should allow fans to send in their own creative ideas and pay them for it. Can you imagine how better the product would be if they allowed the fans to suggest what they wanted to see and acted on our suggestions? Despite the fact I’d be typing away for days on WWE.Com to submit my pennies worth, there are millions of other people around the world who know how to make things like the Divas Division better but don’t get the forum to express them. WWE are big on fan interaction these days, taking to Twitter, Facebook, this new and ridiculous video messaging service, so why don’t they try one year, fully interactive and allow us to pitch our best story ideas?

It can’t do any harm if WWE don’t have any of their own, right? Without sounding big headed, I know that I could make the Divas Division, the United States Championship Division and many more much better. But WWE would rather turn a blind eye to us. Which is why so many of us, turn the channel when the Divas come on.


Pre-Show Match
3MB defeated Team Co-Bro

Santino Marella! The name makes me gold cold. Please someone tell me why he’s still allowed to make a mockery of this business? The guy offers nothing and yet still gets booked. The tragedy is that Santino can really wrestle. WWE though don’t want that, not a programme about, you know, wrestling!

Team Co-Bro were a poor choice of replacement for Kidd and Gabriel who would compete in the pointless, thrown together Traditional Survivor Series Match later in the night. Zack Ryder could be used for so much more than this. I can only imagine how dead his soul is now WWE have saddled him with Santino. On the bright side though, at least his punishment for getting himself over, which he’s still going through one year later can’t get any worse. Once you hit the bottom you usually find Santino waiting there for you.

Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal were the pair chosen to show off their skills on the Survivor Series pre-show, not that it did them much good in the end. Drew McIntyre, who looks like a reject from a band instead of an actual member was left shouting instructions from ringside and looking suspiciously like he was posing for a Playboy shoot. Maybe WWE, who must still value McIntyre and his skills, thought that Drew would be better off out of this match seeing as Santino was involved.

There was no point to this match. Nothing up for grabs. No character advancement. Just a match to fill some time before the important wrestlers went to work. That’s how this match was presented and that’s how this match looked when 3MB took the victory.

I would just like to add though that John Cena has to be the most selfish prick in WWE. Cena and Ryder are best friends outside the ring and have been for years. Yet John Cena, with all his power and sway in WWE hasn’t been bothered to go to Vince and demand that Ryder be bumped dramatically up the card. It’s not selfish, it’s not getting ahead by who you know. This method has been done many times before in WWE. Edge used it to get Christian in the main event. Undertaker used it to get Kane in the main event and John Cena should be using it get his friend in the upper echelons of WWE.

Maybe Cena is too afraid that Zack Ryder will do better with the fans and in the ring because he’s a much more accomplished wrestler than Cena is. Or maybe John Cena is really that selfish. You’d have thought that the most unpopular and contemptuous man in wrestling – with people and the majority of the audience – would be trying to keep all the friends he can. Would it kill him to allow someone else to have a shot? Really?


Survivor Series 2012 was WWE’s chance to concentrate on the future survival of the younger talent and for the most part they accomplished that without worry. Maybe a first for a WWE pay per view this year. Now comes the continued development of what WWE managed to accomplish on Survivor Series night.

The 26th annual Survivor Series has to be classed as a triumph. Several very good matches and the beginning of what I like to think of the new revolution. Dolph Ziggler is finally a made man and three new WWE superstars emerged in what has to be WWE’s best creative move this year. WWE has to be commended and given a pat on the back because for the first time in a very long time they took a chance.

For the second time this year thought the night belongs to one man. And this time let’s hope the spotlight remains on him for a long time to come.


Onwards and upwards...