A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: February 24th 2014
Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk
Price:
DVD £12.99
Blu-ray £13.99
(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)
Format Reviewed:
DVD
(Also Available on Blu-ray)
What It’s About:
WWE’s
27th annual Survivor Series event held at the Boston TD Garden in Boston,
Massachusetts on November 24th 2013. Featuring the WWE Championship Match
between Randy Orton vs Big Show as well as the World Heavyweight Championship
Match pitting John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio and two traditional Survivor Series
Elimination Matches.
Strengths:
Sadly,
Survivor Series boasts only one match worthy of the time spent watching the
show. The traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match featuring Cody Rhodes,
Goldust, The Usos and Rey Mysterio vs The Shield and The Real Americans is a
very astute piece of work. With so much talent on display it’s hard to be
engrossed as the match very rarely slows until the match comes to its
conclusion. Cody Rhodes is a hoot when he states that no one wants to see Zeb
Coulter twerk and then proceeds to do the move himself, whilst the opening
exchanges between the youngest Rhodes son and Dean Ambrose are crisp and
gripping, right until the moment the WWE Untied States Champion is prematurely
eliminated, damaging his image somewhat – it should have been Jack Swagger, seeing
as The Real Americans are no longer going anywhere. Both Jimmy and Jay Uso are
absolutely magnificent here, their dives to the outside just one example of
their brilliance – though afterwards The Shield drop out of view for at least
five minutes. It may be commendable selling but its too long for a simple dive.
Goldust should be bestowed with some type of award for his efforts since his
return. Your Wrestling God predicted he would be a strain on viewers and a
drain of WWE’s resources but gladly he has proved me wrong. I don’t believe
Dustin Rhodes / Runnels has ever been as good as he is and has been in 2013 /
2014. Goldust’s 360 Sunset Flip is na sight to behold. Antonio Cesaro is one if
the stand out stars of the heel team, he and Roman Reigns are headed for great
things. One of them will be WWE World Heavyweight Champion by the time 2015
drowns out its predecessor. Antonio Cesaro is a tour de force, his Gutwrench
Suplex has never looked better and his Uppercut on Jay Uso is divine. Cesaro
could be the perfect foil for John Cena in that its unlikely with Cesaro’s
skills he would be ruined by a series with WWE’s golden boy. However, Cesaro’s
elimination is done with haste and met with boos, once he has had what is
basically a victory tour. The match has one goal and one goal only. That’s the
elevation of Roman Reigns. Happily, it completes its task. Reigns looks like a
monster and threatens to leave The Shield behind with his performances – you’ll
have noticed the beginning of the end for The Shield began at the Royal Rumble
– and if he can just eliminate the dull rest holds from his repertoire, he’s
going to set the world alight. Mysterio should not have been allowed to pin
Seth Rollins, it should have been reversed, leaving Roman Reigns with a two on
one disadvantage which he able handles, though the ending is horribly dragged
out. It’s clear the audience have spotted Reigns’ ascension as they back him
fully. Roman and Goldust swap some excellent exchanges before The Shield member
dispatches both men with excellent Spears; the last to Mysterio off of a 619
attempt is particularly mouth-watering. The hope in the audience’s faces when
Reigns is the last men left for the heel team is evident. We expect great
things from the young gun and rightly so. He has almost everything he needs to
succeed on his own, WWE could have stumble upon a true diamond in the rough.
From what’s on display from everyone here, WWE could take a page out of Ring of
Honor’s book. If the company dropped their fascination with muscle bound morons
and focused their main event on the smaller but much more able and exciting
wrestlers like Ambrose, Rollins, Rhodes, Cesaro, Swagger and even The Usos it
would have lightening in a bottle. Yes the company would take a massive hit
financially to begin with, but it would be for the good of the future of the
company and best for business.
The
WWE Superstars Panel is mostly nondescript but it’s heartening to hear Bret
Hart get the biggest ovation of the night. Who said wrestling fans never
remember those who made today’s product possible?
As
for the extras, the only worthy addition is the fine Kick-Off match between The
Miz vs Kofi Kingston. Beginning with some superb and slick back and forth
action as they swap pin falls and counters, the pair put forward a case as to
why they should be higher up the card and worthy of WWE’s consideration when it
comes to names for pushes. For your Wrestling God’s money, this is The Miz’s
finest Kick-Off bout since WrestleMania 29 and his finest match since Payback 2013.
The Miz’s stiff boot to Kingston on the apron is wonderfully done, avoiding
facial injury for the faux Ghanan and the close falls are legitimately tense.
Rest holds slow the action down slightly but they don’t last long and whilst
the match is a little sloppy there’s a very well timed ending which at last
sees a victory for The Miz. One feels that Miz needs a complete transformation
if he’s going to go anywhere in the WWE anymore, whilst the slap Kofi Kingston
gives Miz after the match should have been the catalyst for a mega heel turn
which finally propelled Kingston to the WWE’s top tier elite.
Weaknesses:
Big
E. Langston vs Curtis Axel for the WWE Intercontinental Championship is capable
at best. That’s the greatest thing one can say about this bore. Notable only
for the advancement and pure strength of Big E. Langston – who to be fair, does
put in more of an effort than usual – neither man does anything of note and
sticks to a 1980’s formula which makes the offering appear dated and stuck in the
past. So bared are the crowd, they begin to chant ‘We Want Ziggler’, who isn’t
even a part of the show. Curtis Axel does try to his credit but the chants of
‘You Can’t Wrestle’ don’t help and he still should be barred from using his
fathers Perfectplex. The fact people kick out of it all the time now diminishes
its legacy. Dull rest holds add to an already dreary bout. However you will
need a bucket to be sick into when Langston addresses the Boston crowd after
the match has ended.
The
7 on 7 Divas tradition Survivor Series Match which sees the cast of Total
Divas, Natalya, The Bella Twins, The Funkadactyls, Jojo and Eva Marie vs A.J
Lee, Tamina Snuka, Kaitlyn, Aksana, Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes and Summer Rae is a
complete farce which means nothing and wastes the talent which actually exists
in the teams. The bout is one meaningless elimination after the next with very
little action in between. Naomi is impressive for the short time she’s
featured, but Summer Rae who excelled as a wrestler in NXT is dispatched after
a dance off with the pointless Nikki Bella – what waste that was. Kaitlyn, one
of the woman who actually can wrestle looks wholly uninterested and less than
impressed as she walks through a routine with Nikki Bella, before being bested
by a Missile Dropkick from Brie Bella. Kaitlyn took more of a beating than this
from A.J during their summer series and survived, making this elimination
unbelievable. The crowd dissatisfaction is rife throughout as they mercilessly
boo the hasty eliminations, with good reason. Jojo’s participation is a waste
of time. She may be cute, but when the commentators state this is her first
time in the ring, you wonder why she’s here or a part of Total Divas. Cute
doesn’t always mean important. A.J is saved until the end and naturally she
gets the biggest reaction of the match, whilst the end is a complete drag.
Tamina slows down the match and can’t do anything special with Natalya or Nikki
Bella and the time could have been allocated to the opening Survivor Series
Match to make it completely unforgettable. A.J should not have been booked to
tap out to the Sharpshooter even though it set up a Divas Championship Match at
TLC one month later. If you sit through this, you’ll want the ten minutes of
your life back afterwards.
Mark
Henry vs Ryback is as bad as it sounds. Making his return to the company, Mark
Henry – complete with a shaved head – is slower than he was when he left to
rehab an injury. If that’s possible. Ryback, who should have at least learned
something during his time with the company, is completely deplorable. The
match, which began with Ryback running down the legends on the superstar’s
panel and challenging anyone backstage to a fight would have been much better
had Mick Foley, Booker T and Bret Hart marched to the ring and taken Ryback
apart. It would have achieved a huge pop from the audience especially when Bret
Hart applied the Sharpshooter for the inevitable tap out – though it wouldn’t
have been a match. Nostalgia is still highly in demand and this would have been
a welcome distraction from the awful in ring action we’d just sat through. Mark
Henry’s hybrid of a jumping crossbody splash is passable but the rest of the
match is what fast forward buttons were designed for.
John
Cena vs Alberto Del Rio is their Hell in a Cell bout repeated, but with more
rest holds and less action. No one, including Alberto Del Rio believes the
Mexican will win the match. WWE should have allowed Del Rio to retain at Hell
in a Cell to cast at least some doubt on the outcome here. The way John Cena
destroys Del Rio’s every move is disgusting to watch and a disservice to the
business which had made Cena a millionaire more times over than he deserves.
Displaying the usual punch / kick / counter formula it’s not in the slightest
bit gripping, whilst the five minute beat down Cena suffers to literally leap
back up and put down Del Rio is just dumb. John Cena’s dropkick as Alberto Del
Rio comes off the top rope misses by a mile despite the commentators hyping it
as catching Del Rio in the side of the head and every counter is unbelievable.
John Cena literally doesn’t seem to be trying anymore. Alberto Del Rio stays
professional, though the lack of enthusiasm on his face is evident and the
ending of the bout is predictable. The ‘Fire Lawler’ sign in the crowd does
provide a laugh however.
C.M
Punk and Daniel Bryan vs Luke Harper and Eric Rowan is a disappointment which
should have brought the house down. C.M Punk takes the brunt of the punishment
to hype Bryan’s hot tag but apart from Daniel Bryan’s energetic performance,
Luke Harper’s sit down Powerbomb from the top rope and Eric Rowan’s press slam
on Punk over the top rope, the match doesn’t deserve the ‘This is Awesome’
chants it receives from the audience. None of the four can keep a steady pace
as it dips in and out, though Punk and Bryan do sell well for Harper and Rowan
and should have looked at the lights for Bray Wyatt’s stooges to make them a
serious threat. The ending of the match is better and Punk’s dive from the top
rope onto Bray Wyatt and Eric Rowan is well timed, but when it comes about the
match ahs already gone too long with too little to fill it. It’s once again
nice to hear the chant of ‘Randy Savage’ when Punk nails an awkward Flying
Elbow Drop. On the whole, disappointing from two men who should know better.
Randy
Orton vs Big Show for the WWE Championship drags the finale of a show which
really needs to wrap up by this point. Randy Orton can’t do anything special
with Big Show and barely manages to do anything memorable himself. This isn’t
one of Orton’s finest nights in the ring and it appears with the Championship
he’s held back. He was much more of a star without it. The opening Survivor
Series Elimination Match should have gone on second to last to raise the mood
in the arena, which was at an all time low by the time the pair locked horns.
Orton’s draping DDT from the top rope looks awful thanks to Big Show’s feet
falling off the rope and Orton having to drop him early before his feet hit the
floor and its not a patch on their Extreme Rules 2013 bout which was ten times
better than this. The RKO on Big Show is well timed and executed but it’s the
only thing that is in this bore. John Cena coming out at the end is designed to
set up their TLC bout the next month.
An
angle backstage with R-Truth, Fandango, Los Matadores and El Torito, Santino
Marella and John Laurinaitis which sees Truth and Marella playing with the
latest WWE action figures – because apparently they’re ten years old now – is
just pointless. John Laurinaitis gets a huge ovation from the audience whilst
Fandango gets the usual theme music sang back at him treatment. However I do
think it’s worth mentioning that whilst it may be fun for the capacity crowd to
sing the song, we have to be careful. WWE are believing the reaction to
Fandango is because we want to see him. If we carry on, then we may see
Fandango pushed into a position we don’t want to see him in. Then we’ll have no
one to blame but ourselves.
As
for the extras: ‘Randy Orton and Big Show’s Final Confrontation Before Survivor
Series’ (Smackdown, November 22nd 2013) is a seven minute drain on your senses,
though executed well. Full of contradictions and WWE’s version of its own
history, which we all know has been changed more times than Vince McMahon’s
mind, Big Show hysterically states that Randy Orton has always done what is
best for himself and not the company. I guess everyone the company and whoever
wrote that drivel has forgotten the two years Randy Orton spent stuck in the
mid-card doing jobs for everyone and anyone just to get them over in the hope
of creating new stars, when John Cena, the man who should be doing that as the
face of the company neither would nor could. How selfish that was of Randy. Big
Show also touches upon the fact that Randy Orton should have been the face of
the company years ago but never was. Someone should have explained to Big Show,
before he made a cock of himself that Randy Orton never got the chance to be
the face of the company because of the incredible amount of revenue John Cena
brought to Vince McMahon’s bank account. However, Randy Orton was the face of
the company as far as wrestling was concerned. 95% of this is complete bollocks.
‘Randy
Orton Reacts to Survivor Series’ is a blink and you’ll miss it thirty second
piece, which is solely designed to set up their TLC confrontation. There is
nothing here which couldn’t have been gotten over on Raw the next night or in
the weeks leading up to the Championship Unification Match.
DVD and Blu-ray Extras:
WWE Survivor Series
2013 – November 24th 2013
Survivors Series
Kick-Off Match
Kofi
Kingston vs The Miz
Randy
Orton Reacts to Survivor Series
Smackdown – November
22nd 2013
Big
Show and Randy Orton’s Last Confrontation Before Survivor Series
Blu-ray Exclusive
Features:
Monday Night Raw –
October 28th 2013
Street Fight
C.M
Punk vs Ryback
Shawn
Michaels Explains Himself to Daniel Bryan
Renee
Young Interviews Daniel Bryan
Monday Night Raw –
November 4th 2013
The
Authority Wants Big Show to Drop His Lawsuit
Smackdown – November
15th 2013
Arm
Wrestling Contest
John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio
Monday Night Raw – November
18th 2013
12
Man Tag Team Match
C.M
Punk, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Goldust and The Usos vs The Shield and The
Wyatt Family
Conclusion:
Survivor
Series 2013 doesn’t live up to the hype, given to it by the company in the
weeks previous. Both Heavyweight Championship matches are dreadful whilst the
only match of note is the opening traditional Survivor Series Elimination bout.
WWE
seem to be lost. There’s no direction, no goal which to work towards and it
shows. The event is disjointed, very poor in the ring and one great match does
not warrant the £12.99 / £13.99 asking price. One year ago we had the debut of
The Shield, one year on two thirds of that faction face an uncertain future
whilst everyone around them appears to be wandering what the hell has happened
to their careers.
Any
wrestling fan will of course want to purchase this because pay-per views are
history notes to be collected. But if you have any sense about you then you’ll
wait a few months until this has been knocked down to less than five pounds. In
short...
WORST!
SURVIVOR SERIES! EVER!
Rating: D
Next Time In Review
Corner: WWE Best of Raw and Smackdown 2013 DVD
and Blu-ray
Onwards
and upwards...
