‘What would you do, to survive?’ Went the old voice over at the beginning of Survivor Series. Well WWE’s answer to that was, not scrap a popular pay per view event just to replace it with yet another themed pay per view. It’s true that in past years WWE have weaned out the traditional Survivor Series Elimination Matches – which used to be the highlight of each Survivor Series pay per view – to replace them with more singles and tag team matches to further their own storylines.
Survivor Series was only saved because WWE failed to come up with another winning formula that would be popular with the fans. And thank god for it. With everything else in WWE becoming samey and stale right now, Survivor Series is the one time a year WWE can shake things up and give us a different flavour to entice us and lock the ‘some time fans’ in for the Road to Wrestlemania.
This year Survivor Series rolls into Indianapolis, where we, the WWE Universe anxiously awaits WWE’s penultimate pay per view of 2012.
WWE Championship Match
Triple Threat Match
C.M Punk (Champion) vs Ryback vs John Cena
Something momentous took place in the hallowed halls of WWE a few weeks ago, by all accounts. Something which your Wrestling God never saw coming and that’s saying a lot. Something which made me believe that WWE won’t be stuck in the rut they’re in forever. Ladies and gentlemen, you may never hear me say this again. But let’s give a big round of applause to John Cena.
Before you begin throwing the plastic cups and tomatoes at me, let me explain. According to reports flooding out WWE Headquarters, the man we all love to hate and just genuinely despise, the walking merchandise stand himself actually did what no one else in the company has the bollocks to do and stood up to Vince McMahon. This took even me by surprise. The man WWE pay to shut his mouth and smile no matter how bad things get around him. The man who has mindlessly followed the heard and the instructions he’s been given for the past ten years because of the massive amount of money that’s deposited in his account each month has finally come to the dark side. In a matter or speaking.
Maybe this was a ploy by John Cena. Maybe he was just waiting until he had enough money to live comfortably on in case Vince did sack him, before he spoke out. Maybe John Cena, I know it’s unlikely, is a master tactician after all. Could it be that John Cena was biding his time until he had enough power and sway in WWE before he stood up and say something? It was palpable to all of us years ago that something was wrong with the WWE product so reasonably it must have been clear to Cena and the rest of the WWE locker room as well. Certainly, wrestlers such as C.M Punk have seen it and spoke out about it. Punk bashed WWE in his new DVD, at numerous Comic Con events and that speech in 2011, which was faintly overseen by WWE anyway. But not like this.
From what we know, Cena lashed out at McMahon, to the surprise of everyone in WWE and told him in no uncertain terms that the boss man himself was out of touch with the audience and his very own product. Cena signalled to Vince, who you can bet hated what he heard – no one in WWE likes hearing the truth – that the company was in trouble, at least creative wise and that it was time for some changes. Yes! Yes! At last! Someone inside the company who thinks so as well. John Cena has to be given credit for this. Even Triple H and Stephanie McMahon won’t dare speak out against Vince even though both are direct Ayres to the WWE empire.
Reasonably, Cena knew he could do this. Because he never gets punished for anything. Making a mockery of Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules 2012 – Cena got away with. Being lousy in the ring – Cena gets away with. This guy gets punished for nothing and we all know why. This time though? Will Cena get away with calling Vince out on the problems within the company? Of course he will. Because it doesn’t matter how mad Vince gets he only ever sees one colour. Green. The colour of the American money. Vince knows that should he punish Cena for his warranted outburst, there’s a good chance Cena will see red and possibly do a Hulk Hogan when his contract expires. Vince will never take the chance of losing that much money. No matter how many chairs were thrown in the office afterward.
Could this have been yet another clever twist by Cena? Could it have been the leader of the juvenile ‘Cenation’ which is ruining this business pleading for a heel turn? Perhaps. Which brings us to Survivor Series. John Cena’s inclusion in this match was always going to happen. WWE need a way to extend the C.M Punk WWE Championship reign into 2013 and couldn’t risk Punk pinning Ryback yet again. That would be disastrous for Ryback and WWE’s plans for him in 2013. So John Cena provides a logical and sensible answer.
Before we go any further I just want to point out that I predicted this match would happen in my Hell in a Cell Review last month. Cena, Punk and Ryback at Survivor Series. Yep, it’s all there! You could almost say this is John Cena’s punishment for his outburst. Either way, Cena is the scapegoat at Survivor Series. For C.M Punk to retain his WWE Championship at Survivor Series, with yet again no disqualification or count out rules, and to retain Ryback’s image, C.M Punk will pin Cena to walk out as Champion. I’m not saying he’ll do it fairly or cleanly. I can almost see Ryback delivering the ‘Shell Shocked’ to Cena before Punk knocks Ryback out of the ring and covers the former WWE Champion. If that is how it has to be then so be it. It’ll do everyone including Cena good to play the fall guy for a while longer.
Ryback is storming ahead in WWE, a run even I couldn’t predict. I thought that he’d have a small run near the top of the card before petering out and dropping into the abyss of WWE’s failed attempts to create new stars. However a strong and seminally impressive run against C.M Punk for the WWE Championship has yielded good results for WWE with the fans getting behind Ryback and chanting ‘Feed me more’. It just goes to show that if you throw enough shit at a wall it really does stick.
At the moment it’s hard to see WWE sustaining Ryback’s popularity. Partially because the wrecking machine is running out of opponents and WWE don’t have anyone on Raw capable of helping him take that next step. It would surely be a catastrophic move if WWE began feeding him local athletes and non important members of their roster again. To keep the push moving forward WWE need someone just as strong and big as Ryback to pit against their latest attempt at star making. I’ll touch more upon that in the Survivor Series Review.
Now though Ryback has a chance to breathe. Being put into a triple threat match helps al three competitors. Ryback can take a step back and let Cena and Punk go at it, initiating his power moves with effect before being taken out of the match by a big move from both men. This way Ryback can look destructive without relying on Punk to make him look like a star. Because Ryback won’t be able to rely on Cena to make him shine. I’m pretty sure that big moves from both Cena and Punk before Ryback will go down will make WWE’s next destroyer look good.
Ryback’s WWE shelf life may be limited because of the fact that characters such as Ryback or Goldberg can’t be sustained without sacrificing others around them. There’s going to come a time, when, to further the product or charter WWE are going to have to have Ryback lose clean in the middle of the ring. There’s no way WWE can keep rolling out the old ‘screwed’ finish to explain why the man who has been so dominant is suddenly losing here, there and everywhere. After five or six pinfall losses, the WWE Universe are going to start to disbelieve the whole monster image Ryback and WWE have built up so far.
Whilst the Ryback character won’t be around forever in WWE, there are options that the creative team have. Ryback can be built back up again if WWE use him sparingly after his feud with C.M Punk ends. A feud is only as strong as the last match fought. If WWE have Ryback run through his next opponent on Raw time and time again, then by the time it comes to the pay per view whose going to pay to watch a match Ryback has already won four times on television. There’s no mileage in that. Keep Ryback out of the ring until pay per views and maybe, just maybe WWE will be able to string him out for another year.
It’s become quite obvious that WWE have begun to run out of ideas for the WWE Champion. Booking choices are limited when you have two opponents such as Cena and Ryback. People may not be looking forward to the Rock returning to challenge Punk at Royal Rumble but I’m telling you now, what Rock and Punk will produce in 2013 will be ten times better than what we’ve been given so far. Both on the microphone and inside the ring. If you look at the WWE product in November 2012 then it’s obvious to anyone that the company are just winding down time until January.
As Survivor Series draws closer, C.M Punk’s WWE Championship reign approaches one complete year. And even though in days Punk’s Championship reign won’t have hit a year on Survivor Series night, as far as WWE Pay Per Views go, C.M Punk will have been WWE Champion for a whole year. Luckily for WWE this gives them an edge to play on for the Champion. Bragging and giving him a meaning going into the match. The whole ‘can C.M Punk retain the WWE Championship on his one year anniversary’ will be played on until the barrel has been scraped well and truly dry.
I have no doubt that with the addition of John Cena, we’ll see a more selfish C.M Punk in the ring at WWE’s annual survivor event. I wouldn’t expect to see the wealth of help from Punk that he gave Ryback at Hell in a Cell and quite right too. By now, WWE should have conditioned Ryback to get himself over and Punk can’t keep making others look good at the expense of himself. To expect him to do so is an oversight on WWE’s part. For the feud between Punk and Rock to work in 2013, C.M Punk has to start thinking of himself first and once again make himself a force to be reckoned with.
A big part of that comes in the form of Paul Heyman. Being credited with masterminding Punk’s Championship reign for months – not to mention being given the kudos for part of the WWE 13 game – Heyman has been nothing short of magical at ringside with Punk. This will all change of course in 2013 when Brock Lesnar returns to WWE and Heyman takes up his usual role as advisor to the former ‘Next Big Thing’. It’ll be sad to see Punk and Heyman part ways because the two have been gold and it’s great to see Heyman involved right back at the top again. For years, Paul Heyman was one of wrestling’s most underrated managers. Not anymore.
Hopefully Heyman will be involved in some way in the Punk vs Rock feud in 2013 even if it’s just a cameo. Using their brains could serve WWE well when they realise that the last time the Rock lost the WWE Championship, it was to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2002 and Paul Heyman was the man that guided Lesnar to the gold. WWE would be wise to play on that fact and have Heyman stick with Punk under the guise of the man who has guided his superstar to victory over ‘The Great One’.
I expect a fuzzy, sentimental feeling that you rarely get with WWE these days, at Survivor Series. When Punk pins Cena to retain the WWE Championship it will mark a truly momentous shift in WWE. A shift that has gone from protecting Cena at every turn to actually planning for the future of the company at the expense of Cena. Before, WWE would have had Cena prevail and to hell with the consequences, all for the ‘good feeling’ end to the pay per view. We can all rejoice when Punk covers Cena for the final time. Rejoice because maybe WWE have seen the light and fingers crossed, there’s a change coming in WWE. How apt that it begins at Survivor Series.
Winners Prediction: C.M Punk
Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team Ziggler (Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, Wade Barrett and Team Rhodes Scholars) vs Team Foley w/Mick Foley (Team Hell No, Randy Orton, The Miz and Kofi Kingston)
Going into a huge pay per view, for the first time maybe this year, WWE have actually done the right thing. I know, I felt a little light headed as well when I saw this match announced. By putting all the elements together in a traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match, WWE have not just switched on the spotlight for the younger WWE Superstars, they’ve also added an air of credibility to a match which was heading for the bargain bin.
In recent years, WWE have cut away what made the Survivor Series so special and ground the whole affair down into just another average pay per view. What used to be the highlight of the month of November, with Survivor Series Elimination Matches galore has become another routine night of wrestling where we expected the same as the previous month. In the late eighties and for the whole of the nineties, WWE pitted two teams led by a well known and loved wrestler, who captained lower card wrestlers. This was a formula that worked every year. Not just for a one night stand, but in the long term of WWE’s planning.
By putting the lower card talent who were yet to get over with the audience, alongside a WWE headliner, the company made the lower card wresters popular by association. It’s a plan that worked and worked well. I doubt wrestlers such as the 1.2.3 Kid would have ever have gotten over in WWE had they not been partnered with people such as Razor Ramon both at Survivor Series and on television. Being the sole survivor along with Marty Jannetty at Survivor Series 1993, after team Captain Razor Ramon had been eliminated was a huge boost to career of the man who would soon be known as X Pac. In the early eighties, WWE used to throw together tag teams in Survivor Series Elimination Matches to get them over as well. It was a plan that was rich in the rewards it repeated after Survivor Series and heading into Wrestlemania.
The overall Survivor Series that stick out in your Wrestling God’s mind is Survivor Series 1990. Not just because it was the debut of the Undertaker, but because WWE shook up the bag of tricks and did something revolutionary with the Survivor Series concept. In addition to the usual and often exciting Survivor Series Elimination Matches, WWE added a tournament facet to the pay per view, in which the sole survivors of each match would advance to the final Survivor Series Elimination Match. In the end it came down to a three on five Survivor Series Elimination Match which saw Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior and Tito Santana take on the team of Ted Dibiase, Rick Martel, The Warlord and Power and Glory (Hercules and Paul Roma). This is one of the matches which I credit with the rise of the Ultimate Warrior.
Had WWE never booked this concept in 1990 then the Ultimate Warrior, although still popular, would never have risen to the heights he eventually would in WWE. Warrior, a man devoid of much wrestling ability and who looked like a man having a fit as he made his entrance had to step up in the finale of Survivor Series 1990. Although he had uber faces Hulk Hogan and Tito Santana to help him, that match was do or die time for the Warrior. And although his performance was bordering on lacklustre, the Ultimate Warrior – by association with Hulk Hogan and Tito Santana plus being thrown into an underdog situation where the heels outnumbered the faces – came out looking a million dollars.
The point is that by using this format year in year out, WWE created two or three new stars in one night. All based on association. If an undercard wrestler managed to eliminate a headline team captain then their stock would rise two fold. The one man though that benefitted most from the Survivor Series Elimination Match format, was Owen Hart. Survivor Series 1993 was the beginning of Owen Hart after spending years trawling the circuit. Fresh from a so-so tag team with Ko Ko B Ware, Owen Hart’s crowning moment came when the seeds were sewn for him to turn on his brother Bret Hart. What escalated from that night made Owen Hart a household name. If you haven’t seen it or don’t know what I’m talking about then get yourself a copy of Survivor Series 1993 and see for yourselves. It’s master booking by WWE.
Right then. That’s enough of the history lesson. Onto Survivor Series 2012 and finally WWE look to have booked the most important Survivor Series Elimination Match since 2004 when Team Orton took on Team Triple H. In an age where WWE have abandoned the star making match of the year in favour of single or tag team matches which serve only to enhance the storylines for television and future pay per view events, I believe that this match on November 18th will recoup some of that star making quality and if booked correctly, could make wrestlers like Wade Barrett and Kofi Kingston into stars.
Firstly let’s take a look at Team Ziggler. The captain, Dolph Ziggler has been handed a get out of jail free card by WWE, despite the fact that he was left off of the main body of Hell in a Cell and sacrificed to John Cena on the pre show, and now both parties need to cash in on what they’ve got. WWE’s treatment of Dolph Ziggler since he secured the Money in the Bank briefcase has been disgusting. They made one of his biggest victories ever – over Chris Jericho – look like a second rate afterthought by booking it on Raw instead of at SummerSlam and denied him another huge victory on pay per view at Night of Champions when he lost a great match to Randy Orton. Not content in their humiliation of the future World Heavyweight Champion they then job him out to John Cena and seemingly want us to glance upon Ziggler as nothing more than a ‘never will be’.
I have my fingers crossed that WWE have this outlandish rubbish out of their system now and that Survivor Series is going to be the beginning of Dolph Ziggler. WWE have taken a huge step towards that notion by making Ziggler the team captain and naming the team after him. It may not seem much but it is a huge deal. By giving such a distinction to Ziggler, WWE are making their intentions towards Dolph clear and hopefully this is the beginning of a message that shouts out to the WWE Universe that the big guns are getting behind Ziggler and his ascent is underway.
There are several things WWE can do in this match to elevate Dolph dramatically. The first being not use him as a punch bag. Someone to humiliate, like they have in the past few months. Dolph Ziggler needs to come across as a mean son of a bitch who has one goal in mind. The World Heavyweight Championship. Because that’s what this is all about. WWE need to allow Dolph most of the momentum and eliminate at least two top stars on the opposing team. Most importantly, should Ziggler’s team triumph, which i believe they will, Dolph Ziggler must be one of the survivors.
After Survivor Series, should Ziggler be allowed to break out and shine, then WWE can look to injecting him in some way in the dull Sheamus and Big Show feud and finally dethroning one of them at either Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber or even better, Wrestlemania. More on that to come.
Alberto Del Rio has a massive chance to rebuild himself on November 18th. After what can only be put down as a disastrous end to 2012 for the so called millionaire, following defeat after defeat on pay per view to Sheamus and Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio can take a step forward – which hopefully won’t mean two steps back in the fallout – by eliminating Randy Orton and one other wrestler, preferably Kane. Even though Randy Orton and Kane don’t have any high profile Championship Gold around their waist, both men are former WWE and World Heavyweight Champions.
Even though both men lack serious Championship Gold and no we can’t yet count the WWE Tag Team Championship, as WWE have yet to do anything earth shattering with the belts that currently sit around the waist of Team Hell No, Alberto Del Rio would be given serious plaudits for pinning both former WWE and World Champions. Del Rio’s feud with Randy Orton which the Viper won the first leg of last month at Hell in a Cell, would effectively be over before it’s even begun if Del Rio was to be eliminated by Orton. At my count that would be two high profile feuds which WWE have entered Del Rio into in 2012 and both have ended prematurely without a Del Rio pay per view victory. If WWE’s aim is to bury Del Rio so deep they can’t possibly hope to retrieve him from this absurd situation, then they’re going the right way about it.
Team Rhodes Scholars are riding high in WWE after their victory, albeit by disqualification, over the WWE Tag Team Champions at Hell in a Cell despite the lack of challengers who WWE should be lining up for the current number one contenders and it just goes to show how much they’ve come on in recent weeks that WWE have put the team in this all important match. You might not think so now but knowing how WWE look on Damien Sandow, the Scholar part of the tag team, this has to be considered a major leg up the ladder.
Both Sandow and Rhodes have so much talent that it’s almost childish that WWE are keeping them so low in the company at the moment. But of course neither man looks like they’ve been downing steroids like sweets and neither can lift a car about their heads, so I guess it comes as no surprise that Team Rhodes Scholars are where they are. Although I do think it’s worth mentioning that in a time when WWE are so desperate for headline stars, then they could do a lot worse than Cody Rhodes.
Anyway, I fear the part of Team Rhodes Scholars at Survivor Series will be to play the cannon fodder for Team Hell No. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Damien Sandow as the first man eliminated from the match and looking down the line then everyone else towers above him in the WWE pecking order. Even though this may do damage to Sandow’s character, I’m convinced that Team Rhodes Scholars was only created to benefit Cody Rhodes in the long run. I am going to be looking for a strong showing from both Rhodes and Sandow before at least one of their eliminations. If Cody Rhodes an eliminate Daniel Bryan then it would sensibly set up a Tag Team Championship rematch at TLC in December.
WWE could always surprise us as it seems that Survivor Series is Cody Rhodes’ event. Strong showings in previous years have upped Rhodes’ popularity when it comes to the November’s Survival of the fittest. 2007’s Survivor Series saw Cody Rhodes plummet with tag team partner Hardcore Holly to WWE Tag Team Champions Trevor Murdoch and the late Lance Cade – in truth the team of Rhodes and Holly were always doomed. In 2008 Cody Rhodes was one of the survivors when as part of Team Orton he eliminated now WWE Champion C.M Punk with the silver spoon DDT. In 2009 Rhodes was on the losing end as part of Team Orton although he did look good and eliminated MVP with the Cross Rhodes before his departure. 2010 saw the same fate befall Rhodes as part of Team Del Rio, a night which Cody will want to chalk off as something to forget. Last year, Survivor Series 2011 saw a return to form when as part of Team Barrett, Cody Rhodes wasn’t only one of the survivors but also eliminated the massive and talentless Mason Ryan with the Cross Rhodes.
Cody Rhodes may not have the type of record here that Undertaker has at Wrestlemania but it is still a respectable record and even more if you actually saw the level of performance Rhodes gave on those nights. If Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler are the survivors and if Rhodes can eliminate at least one high profile wrestler this year then it will do so much for the WWE Tag Team Championship Division and gives Team Rhodes Scholars a real edge going into WWE TLC 2012.
Wade Barrett, who takes the Miz’s place in this Survivor Series match was a wise pick for WWE. Since his return from a nasty injury in February, Barrett has been reading water in WWE and seems stuck in a rut that WWE can’t get him out of. Before his forced absence Wade Barrett was in line for a World Heavyweight Championship reign and he was the original pick for this years Money in the Bank winner for a contract at said Championship. I would have been interested in a Sheamus vs Wade Barrett feud. The two are old friends from their days in Britain’s Irish Whip Pro Wrestling.
However, instead of keeping Barrett’s place warm WWE decided to fill it with Alberto Del Rio and Big Show. Two what would turn out to be pointless challengers and feuds when all was said and done. WWE would have been just as well advised to keep Barrett’s spot for him on his return so he could play on the whole English and Irish divide with Sheamus. Instead, WWE have booked a watered down Wade Barrett vs Sheamus match on the Main Event and now Wade Barrett finds himself saddled with a gimmick that doesn’t work and an uninteresting character that needs scrapping. Should WWE have pitted Barrett, on his return, against a top line star or someone the WWE Universe cares about then at least he’d have had some momentum going into the Survivor Series Elimination Match. As it is, Wade Barrett has none.
Still that can all change. In the landscape of WWE anything can change in twenty four hours. Look at this match for example. By rights, I should have been writing about an almost completely different heel team, one that was originally going to be captained by WWE Champion C.M Punk – coming off of his feud with Mick Foley. Now we’re faced with a mid card Survivor Series Elimination Match instead of a main event one. Wade Barrett can take heart from the fact that there are many opportunities to come from this match. A feud with WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston for one or another avenue WWE could go down with Barrett is having him feud with Mr. Lard Arse himself, Mick Foley.
Should WWE, in their wisdom, decide to book Barrett to eliminate Kofi Kingston in the match and then attack Mick Foley at ringside, WWE could book a WWE Intercontinental Championship feud between Kingston and Barrett, where Kingston is managed or aided by Foley. Or WWE could build on Foley’s inevitable ring return, most probably at Wrestlemania 29 and have Barrett challenge Foley to a match on the grandest stage of them all. Don’t let WWE fool you by their negligent booking, there are a wealth of opportunities for WWE to do something with Barrett at Survivor Series. Now they need to get their brains in gear, get off their backsides and take the imitative.
Mick Foley! Old Mickels! Could WWE really not think of a better ‘team captain’, even though he won’t wrestle on the card, than Mick Foley? I respect everything Foley has done for wrestling and all the sacrifices he’s made for the business, as you should. In 2012, when WWE are desperately trying to find new stars, did it really have to revert to a washed up one? Despite what WWE or Foley think, Mick will never be a star in wrestling again. He’s too fat, too beaten up and has a serious knee injury which he needs to get fixed. This isn’t a one time deal, WWE didn’t bring Mick in for a lap of victory, they mean to keep him here for a while. If WWE were determined to go down this route, then they might have been better versed in hiring back Ric Flair to lead the face team – that’s assuming his TNA contract is up.
Still, make the best of a bad situation and looking at Team Foley, then the team consists of some really good talent. Although, just to point out, WWE have put the focus of the team on the aged manager and not any of the young and vibrant talent who make up the band. Glad to know their priorities are in the right place.
Randy Orton is by far the biggest name on this team and I’m afraid for all Orton fans, of which I’m one, Randy Orton’s role at Survivor Series should be star maker. Whether we like it or not, an elimination victory over Randy Orton will boost a career. At this present moment, with the feud between Orton and Del Rio looking to continue, I believe that Alberto Del Rio will eliminate Orton from the match so that WWE can book their rematch at TLC under either, Tables, Ladders or Chairs rules.
On WWE.Com, instead of hyping Orton, WWE seem to have taken to asking if he’s lost his bite or not. Come on, we all know why Orton is in the position he is. It amazes me that WWE aren’t rebuilding the best chance they have of reviving their main event scene and aloes, if you’ve been privileged enough to see the new C.M Punk DVD ‘Best in the World’ – which I thoroughly suggest you do – then you’ll know that on the DVD, Punk trashes WWE and it’s talent masking system. WWE have allowed Punk to be candid and truthful about the ways of the company and what he despises about it, even though it could be detrimental to the company – even though it won’t be. WWE will be applauded for keeping in material that could hurt them – yet WWE can’t be honest about Orton’s position and why they’re still punishing him in November. Madness!
Randy Orton has a chance to make up for the selfishness of both himself and WWE at Night of Champions when he defeated Dolph Ziggler when Orton of all people, should have refused to defeat Ziggler, citing that Ziggler needed the victory over a name such as Orton. That didn’t happen however and now WWE are feeling the repercussions. You might look at this match as a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match, I look at it as a chance for WWE to do the right thing and right some wrongs of previous months. And that all starts with Randy Orton giving back to the younger talent what he took.
You could almost hear the sigh of relief from Kofi Kingston, when WWE made him Intercontinental Champion again. Free of the shackles that held him back in the Tag Team Division, Kofi Kingston has begun a slow and steady road back to singles stardom. It’s just a little unfortunate that the road Kofi Kingston is taking has to go through this Survivor Series Elimination Match. Don’t get me wrong it’s great that WWE see Kingston, as Intercontinental Champion, worthy of such a spot but in reality, if you look around the field of competition and where want to go with this match, it couldn’t have come at a worse time for Kofi.
Just as he thought he’d ditched the image of enabler for others, it looks like the old monster has reared its head once again. Looking down Team Ziggler, I can’t see anyone with the exception of Damien Sandow that WWE would sacrifice for Kingston. The way WWE see it is that the man who holds the Intercontinental Championship is expendable and someone who they can just snap their fingers at and everything will be fine again once he’s done what they want. That is exactly how the Intercontinental Championship got into so much trouble in the first place.
WWE have a much more important agenda at Survivor Series, namely the protection and future of Dolph Ziggler. I fear that Kofi Kingston is going to slip under their radar and become the proverbial fall guy for the team. Someone to sacrifice for a quick and impressive elimination. If this is how WWE plan to book Kofi on November 18th then they need to allow him some impressive offence so that when he does finally get pinned, his character isn’t damaged in the slightest. Otherwise WWE are going to have the old problem on their hands, namely an Intercontinental Champion who rolls over far too easily and therefore one we can’t buy into.
Just for the sake of WWE, I will give them the solution to the problem they’re scrapping around for possibly as we speak. If you’re reading Vince, then this how to get Kofi Kingston over effectively but also use him as the sacrifice you need. Okay, Kingston has to be in the match for at least ten minutes taking a heck of a beating but eliminating at least one of Team Ziggler in the process – let’s say Damien Sandow for example. Then the remaining Team Ziggler members each try and eliminate Kofi, hitting him with their finisher which Kofi then kicks out of every time. When the fans see that Kofi won’t surrender to the ‘Bull Hammer’, ‘Zig Zag’, ‘Cross Rhodes’ and ‘Cross Arm Breaker’ and has the heart to carry on fighting, Wade Barrett then tags in and hits a second ‘Bull Hammer’ to finish Kingston off. Fans will appreciate Kingston’s effort and respect his refusal to quit. This not only reinforces that the WWE Intercontinental Champion is worthy of the Championship he carries, but also that WWE are ready to take the division seriously. And should this happen then anyone who does dethrone Kingston of the gold in the months to come would also look good defeating a man who took so many finishing moves and still refused to give in.
Team Hell No are an odd couple to pin down. The current WWE Tag Team Champions are obviously on a collision course, and will split and resume the feud they started at SummerSlam this year, sometime in 2013. For now though WWE have dynamite on their hands should they be able to sustain the momentum and the skits that Kane and Daniel Bryan have been able to pull off with aplomb. The danger is that the comedy will get old and stale and therefore so will Kane and Bryan. WWE have to make sure that this isn’t one team they prematurely pull apart all because they’ve run dry of material.
At Survivor Series, I’d expect Daniel Bryan to do better out of the two and Kane to be one of the first eliminated in the match preferably by Damien Sandow or Cody Rhodes. Seeing as Team Hell No and Team Rhodes Scholars will most likely collide again at TLC 2012, possibly with the team of Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara in a triple threat tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championships, then Kane being eliminated by Sandow or Rhodes would set that match up perfectly.
Daniel Bryan should be one of the last men left in the match. His natural skill and storytelling ability in the ring would be a dramatic loss and waste should WWE book Damien Sandow to eliminate Bryan in the first five minutes. Should WWE allow Bryan to be either the last member of Team Foley or one of the final two then it would open up an avenue for a heated and potentially brilliant series of exchanges between Ziggler and Bryan. That I can’t wait to see.
In the end we’ll see yet more dissention in the Team Hello No ranks. One will inevitable be eliminated, one will last until the very end and the feud between Team Hell No and Team Rhodes Scholars will be furthered. That is the role of Bryan and Kane at Survivor Series. To push the feud for the WWE Tag Team Championships further along the road and make Team Rhodes Scholars look good. When you think about the other talent on show in this match then maybe that’s a fitting role for the Tag Team Champions. It’s better than being jobbed out to Mr. Nobody again, right?
Finally, we come to the WWE Universe’s supposed choice to fill out Team Foley. I don’t believe for one moment that the WWE Universe voted for the Miz to be on the face team and if they did, then it shows that the paying audience want the Miz in the main event situations and not floundering like a helpless seal in the mid card. If WWE are taking note, then this may be the wake up call they need. Providing WWE didn’t, not so accidentally predetermine the results. After all it is the way in WWE.
The inclusion of the Miz in this match as a wheel in Team Foley throws up a major dilemma for WWE. Seeing as WWE’s public excuse for stripping the Miz of the Intercontinental Championship was that they were planning for him to make his way back into the upper echelon of WWE, eventually building him back up for a run with the WWE Championship, then the creative team has to handle the booking of this match carefully. Miz’s great run was meant to start at Survivor Series, seeing as WWE need to use this match as a vehicle for Dolph Ziggler, then the Miz looks like he’ll have to wait yet again.
Whilst it may be better for Miz to wait for his run to start, which looks like developing into a feud with Randy Orton if the pre Survivor Series Smackdown is anything to go by, it has to be a huge blow to Miz to know that he’s in a match, on a team that can’t be favourites to win in any fan’s mind who knows how wrestling works. It begs the question why WWE publically announced plans for the Miz knowing this situation was always an option. This is another case of acting before they think.
However plans for the Miz do look rosy. WWE are tossing around ideas to turn Miz face which will be a lot easier should they turn Randy Orton heel. A face Miz has a lot of potential seeing as he’s done everything he can as a heel. WWE currently lacks a face that can talk on the mic as well as back it up in the ring and in the Miz they have all of that. It’s something which worked for the Rock in the late 1990’s, turning him to heel then face and judging by the crowd’s reaction to the Miz, lately, it’s something they want as well. There is great mileage in a Miz face character, one that could outsmart the heel on the mic would get over even more.
At Survivor Series however, the Miz may have to settle for being the last man left on Team Foley and being pinned by Dolph Ziggler at the conclusion of the match. However, should Miz be toppled by Ziggler after Orton turns heel on him in Chris Jericho fashion – for those who remember Survivor Series 2001 – then Miz’s character wouldn’t be harmed at all and even though Ziggler’s pinfall victory wouldn’t be a clean one at least this would go some way to safeguarding both men and their future inclusion in WWE’s headline scene.
Should WWE allocate this match more than fifteen minutes then I’m confident we’ll see at least one new star made at Survivor Series. If WWE plan carefully and add their wisdom to the mix, which they still have lots of believe it or not, they just need to open the basement door and dig around for it slightly, then each member of each team can look good despite their impending eliminations. If either Cody Rhodes or Damien Sandow are eliminated within three minutes of the opening bell without an elimination to their name, Team Rhodes Scholars will clearly be labelled ‘time passers’ for Team Hell No whilst WWE prep Mysterio and Sin Cara for a Tag Team Championship feud. If, and it’s a big if, WWE allow either Rhodes or Sandow to eliminate a big name and be one of the survivors then the future won’t look so bleak for Team Rhodes Scholars after all.
This match is designed for one thing though and one purpose. The advancement of Dolph Ziggler. And quite right too. Dolph Ziggler must leave Survivor Series looking a million dollars. If WWE fail in their task this time around then one has to question the commitment WWE has to Ziggler and furthering their scarce headline roster.
Winners Prediction: Team Ziggler (Survivors: Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes)
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Big Show (Champion) vs Sheamus
For the life of me, a month after Big Show defeated Sheamus at Hell in a Cell 2012 for the World Heavyweight Championship, I still cannot think up a half decent reason why WWE put the gold over the shoulder of Big Show. After McMahon openly criticised Show on Raw, saying that the great oaf has done nothing with his time in WWE, it was the last thing I expected to happen.
There is the train of thought though that WWE have made the worlds biggest bore Champion to prolong Sheamus’ run at the top. Should Big Show – let’s hope this doesn’t happen – retain the World Heavyweight Championship again the feud could be stretched to TLC. However if Sheamus was to topple the Champion at Survivor Series then it would make Sheamus look like a stronger Champion. But all this is under the banner of ‘if’.
I can’t be the only one who looks at this match and then down the WWE roster and thinks that if WWE wanted to preserve the feud until December, then surely a traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match, captained by both men would have been the way forward. On a pay per view which used to pride itself on matches of survival which made numerous stars in the process, this would have been the perfect opportunity for WWE to take eight wrestlers who have either been saddled with appearances on Superstars and the Main Event and throw them into the mix. It would have looked a lot better especially if Sheamus and Show were to battle to a double count out, eliminating them from the match and preserving their feud, leaving the undercard guys to battle it out.
Had WWE put a lot more gumption into this match then this is how it could have looked. Team Sheamus (Sheamus, Zack Ryder, Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara and Santino Marella) vs Team Show (Big Show, Tensai, Drew McIntyre and The Prime Time Players). After Show and Sheamus had battled to a double count out the match would have been open for talent building. Providing Big Show hadn’t destroyed the credibility of half the wrestler on Team Sheamus. Mysterio and Cara could have taken another step towards imploding when Cara was eliminated by Prime Time Players, in Owen Hart fashion and blamed Mysterio for his elimination. Ryder and Tensai would have a chance to show WWE what they’re missing by putting them on shows which simply do not matter.
This, as a Survivor Series Elimination Match would have been the perfect attraction for Survivor Series 2012 and a great detour away from the feud no one wants to see any more of. It would saved Big Show’s blushes and possibly injected Sheamus with the aggression his character still hadn’t found in November 2012. A Sheamus who didn’t care about the match or his elimination, only getting revenge on Big Show for his defeat at Hell in a Cell could have been the making of ‘The Celtic Warrior’. I did suggest a few months ago that Sheamus needed to find some aggression to his character, I believe it was in his never ending feud with Alberto Del Rio. As of yet, even though we’ve seen glimpses of the man Sheamus should have become, we’ve yet to see a full transformation. Just when it looks like Sheamus may have the hang of it, he produces that ridiculous smile and it all washes away. The aggression and pissed off attitude that Stone Cold Steve Austin exuded after his ‘Ringmaster’ phase was the making of the character and I’m convinced that it would be for Sheamus as well.
Big Show as World Heavyweight Champion in today’s climate is as ridiculous as Santino Marella’s character from beginning to present day. Something that should have never have begun to begin with. I have tried to rack my brain to say something positive about Big Show and the predicament WWE have put us in and I can’t find anything. The guy has all the charisma of a turtle in its shell and is so limited in the ring that his repertoire consists of head butts, choke slams and getting in and out of the ring. Which by the time he’s stepped over the top rope he’s usually blow up (worn out for those not in the know). There is no life in Big Show’s Championship reign as proved by his month on top from Hell in a Cell onwards. Name me one thing Big Show has done in the last month that has truly astounded and I will shut the hell up and move on. Anyone? Didn’t think so.
WWE have the option of recycling the Mark Henry vs Big Show feud. Henry’s sustained absence from the ring and face turn upon his return would have sensibly laid the foundations for another feud of the big guns. In truth, look deep inside yourself and tell me if you can stomach another Big Show vs Mark Henry feud. Me neither. Their feud over the ECW Championship was rotten and their 2011 feud over the World Heavyweight Championship was worse. Feuds like Mark Henry vs Big Show are what ‘Fast Forward’ buttons on DVD remote controls and ‘Channel up and Channel down’ buttons on television remote controls are for. Something you really don’t need to see.
Above we covered Sheamus’ need to find something within to make his character truly standout. As of yet ‘The Great White hasn’t found it. WWE needs to light a fire under his pale arse before fans grow indifferent to the former World Heavyweight Champion. Sadly, Vince and the rest of the Muppet Show think that Sheamus’ complexion and his hair are enough to set him apart from the rest. They’re wrong. Yes, they make him stand out around the tanned, greasy haired competition, but come on, it’s 2012 and Sheamus’ character and personality are as flat as Tensai’s career.
The obvious choice would be to turn Sheamus heel again. As a face he’s been largely disappointing to the point where I was praying for Alberto Del Rio to walk away with the World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions just so we didn’t have to see the Irishman walk down the aisle with that grin on his face. If Sheamus was to turn on a fan favourite in 2013 then maybe WWE could salvage some interest and begin to build on that. As a heel in 2009 and 2010 Sheamus was hot. He drew heat from the crowd and had WWE kept him on that path as they did with his mentor Triple H in 2000, Sheamus could have grown to become one of those people that fans paid to see get beat.
It’s a glaring obvious fix for WWE and Sheamus, yet one that’s being ignored time and time again because if WWE were to actually look at the character and see what was wrong then it might destroy their idea that everything’s fine in their little world and we all know WWE don’t like to see the cracks in their foundations. I would suggest to WWE that if the heel Sheamus doesn’t appeal to them then other steps that could be taken to a rebuild would be stop Sheamus talking for one. I’m sure that half of the American audience watching can’t understand him, I know I have trouble sometimes. And if the fans in the USA and U.K can’t understand what Sheamus is saying – the English speaking countries – then what chance does a non English speaking country have? A strong, brooding, silent Sheamus would be far more effective and begin to convey the aggression he needs to find. And if that isn’t lighting up the light bulbs above Vince’s head then please stop him saying ‘Fellah’. It’s become an in-joke in WWE and is just stereotyping Irish people. For the people reading who aren’t British, no, not all Irish people walk around saying ‘Fella’ instead of ‘Fellow’ or ‘Mate’ which are the more common terms for all people in the United Kingdom.
As we head into the match which should have never been, for me there can only be one winner. Sheamus has to defeat Big Show at Survivor Series in order to scrape back his image and set events in order to change his stale character. Toppling a giant like Big Show would put a new slant on Sheamus even if the feud is going into TLC in December. ‘The Great White’ isn’t only beginning to become extinct in WWE, worse than that Sheamus is falling into the crowd. Whilst Sheamus would never be stuck entirely on Superstars or the Main Event, his prospects can’t look good if WWE begin to lose interest in him. When that happens there’s only way for a wrestler to go.
If that was to happen then extinction would be kinder for Sheamus. At least he’d be remembered for something.
Winners Prediction: Sheamus
WWE Untied States Championship Match
Antonio Cesaro (Champion) vs R-Truth
WWE are high on Antonio Cesaro in 2012, which means one of two things. Either Cesaro will soar through the ranks of WWE finally challenging Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental Championship before making his way into the WWE Championship scene, or, knowing WWE, Cesaro could plummet downwards through the bottom of the United States Championship division and keep going until he hits the bed of ‘Superstars’ gets lost in the shuffle like so many have before him. Let’s all hope that it’s the first.
It’s hard to get excited about a United States Championship Match these days. Mostly because WWE has done nothing with a wrestler and Championship that could have done so much in the months since Cesaro defeated Santino on the SummerSlam pre-show. There has been countless opportunities for WWE to make both look important and each one of them have passed by without even so much as a glance by the booking office and creative team. That is a major oversight by WWE, one which has contributed to the downfall of the United States Championship.
It’s too tempting to hark back on the days the United States Championship was important. I’m talking about the WWE’s version. When Eddie Guerrero won the inaugural WWE United States Championship and feuded with Chris Benoit over the strap, it looked like WWE had found a natural succession to the Intercontinental Championship – as far as a star builder goes. Since then it has faded into the shadows and WWE wonder why no one cares anymore.
It’s a shame, because WWE only has to look at its roster to see that it has a ready made and vibrant United States Championship Division, ready made. With wrestlers such as Tensai, Zack Ryder, Tyson Kidd, Justin Gabriel, Santino Marella (I know, I know. I’m trying to make a point here), R-Truth, Sin Cara, Ted Dibiase, Trent Baretta and even some of the rookies from NXT thrown in, the United States Championship Division could be a thriving scene that makes names instead of tarnishing them with being associated with a dying Championship.
WWE already have the perfect protagonist in Cesaro for the faces to try and topple. Some first class booking ingenuity would make Cesaro a hated heel among the masses and the person who finally did dethrone the reigning United States Champion would be made for the next few months in WWE. BY that time of course the division, being a hotbed for new and exciting talent would be something which fans could finally buy into. The long term isn’t a quick fix, don’t get me wrong, but the short time is fixable with views to a fuller and fresher future.
By rights, WWE should have had Cesaro go out on Raw the night after SummerSlam and call out the entire WWE Universe. Wrestlers and fans alike. Spouting that he’s the new face of the company and that with the United States Championship in tow he will plough his way through the roster until he finally reaches the pinnacle of the mountain. By doing that Cesaro would have looked like a serious threat to anyone on the roster and if WWE had have had some of the big names such as Kane and Daniel Bryan challenge Cesaro and lose, then it would have done wonders for the gold and Cesaro.
It’s not too late for WWE to do something with their latest flavour of the year and I’d expect him to rise further in 2013 as long as WWE can find the right medium. I’d expect a long United States Championship reign from Cesaro with more action than this one has begun with. A decent feud, an important spot on every pay per view, a great showing in the Royal Rumble Match in January and consistency in the ring should get Cesaro noticed more so than he is now.
R-Truth is another wrestler who has been stuck in a rut since his tag team with Kofi Kingston ended. Endless defeats and appearances on ‘Superstars’ has seen the former WWE Tag Team Champion’s stock fall. WWE just about kept Truth’s head above water as tag Team Champion but now he’s out on his own, the artists formerly known as K-Kwik is struggling to survive and with good reason. Truth isn’t the most natural singles performer in WWE today. He looks awkward in the ring when not partnered with a wrestler capable of hiding his flaws. In short, R-Truth is not even a candidate for United States Champion.
I believe the only reason that Truth is in this match, is because WWE don’t want us to forget him and after all, you have to be seen to be remembered in WWE. I bet if you said ‘Tensai’ to a WWE fan now, they’d look at you with confusion. Seeing as the first section of 2013 is going to be totally dominated by the Rock and C.M Punk, it’s a sad fact that Truth, Cesaro and the United States Championship are going to be buried under the tidal wave about to hit WWE. It’s the perfect time for WWE to re-imagine Truth and give him something new to make him appeal to the fans. Honestly, the rapper is getting 1990’s and no one believes Truth is going anywhere. WWE need to come up with something to change that opinion.
If reports are to be believed then WWE are looking at a potential feud between a Face Miz and Heel Cesaro for a top line feud in 2013. This would be a masterstroke by WWE. Miz’s qualities as a face, discussed above, would offset Cesaro’s heel perfectly. The only snag would be that Cesaro would have to drop the United States Championship in order for that to happen. WWE would never think of having a man in the Miz’s position, that is heading towards the top of the card once again, fight for the United States Championship. They see that as a step in the wrong direction for anyone they’ve singled out as a future star.
All in all the WWE United States Championship Match at Survivor Series could do a lot for the Champion but is designed to do almost nothing for the challenger. Maybe that’s we should expect now. We’ve seen it with John Cena for years. When WWE have a bee in their bonnet about a certain person they will go all out to protect him whatever the cost, regardless of who they destroy on the way.
Winners Prediction: Antonio Cesaro
WWE Divas Championship Match
Eve (Champion) vs Kaitlyn
I have never, ever found it a chore to write this blog. Not even when there seemed nothing to talk about. When it comes to the WWE Divas section of the pay per view though, it’s beginning to get harder and harder to think of something to write about, without repeating what I said last month.
Without a strong backbone of a story to it, this Divas Championship Match is going to be the card filler we all know it is. WWE’s attempts to make the division more exciting have failed hideously and the departure of Kharma and Beth Phoenix have spelt all but the end of an already lacklustre division. There is nowhere the Divas Division can go from here. The current champion is lifeless in the ring and the challengers are even worse. Even WWE’s best shot at a female wrestler on the professional roster, Layla, seems to have thrown in the towel and adopted the ‘if they’re not bothering, why should I?’ attitude. She can hardly be blamed there’s nothing left for the women in WWE. The company can’t stick them back as valets that would be seen as a sexist stereotype. Like WWE can do with anymore of those.
I have voiced in the past that WWE should axe the division and almost every female performer in it. That would give WWE a chance to take another look at their female division now and in the past. Hopefully that would spurn Vince to get this stupid idea he’s got in his head, that models and future playboy models have a place in wrestling, and hire real wrestlers. I don’t think its any secret that Vince doesn’t like hiring ugly women, but if they’re going to revolutionize WWE’s Women’s Division then it’s time Vince conceded defeat and put the models to one size. The big man knows that a huge pair of tits don’t make a great wrestler and on a product that is routinely churned out with a ‘PG-13’ rating on it, Vince should be concentrating what’s in the ring and not what’s in a bra.
I don’t even want to talk about this match because it’s the same old story. Boring challenger, dull champion, uninterested audience, blah, blah, blah. For some reason WWE think that we’re still interested in this whole Layla, Kaitlyn storyline and I’d be surprised if Layla didn’t fully turn heel on Kaitlyn and cost her the Championship. Would it make any difference to the overall situation of things? No!
If WWE truly believe that Survivor Series is the night on which their talent has to ‘Strive to Survive’ then maybe its time they looked at the problems they have seeded inside their own product. November 18th would be the perfect time for WWE to start making major changes to its Divas Division of it wants it be around by this time next year. After all, it’s all about survival.
Winners Prediction: Eve
Pre-Show Match
3MB vs Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd
Another example of how WWE are beginning to throw wrestler on pay per view just to keep up their image. Like I said. They have to be seen to be heard. 3MB are a pointless waste of time. Reminiscent of Curt Henning’s country and western group in WCW, 3MB posses only one member who has any real chance of making it big in the next few years. Drew McIntyre should have been spared this farce and had WWE been bothered to think up anything else for him, he would have been.
Heath Slater – the ‘future endeavour’ chart topper. Jinder ‘Put me out of my misery’ Mahal and Drew ‘Where did my career go’ McIntyre are the men who will be sacrificed to this years pay per view Pre-Show. At one point in time both Mahal and Slater looked to have real potential and anywhere else in the world they could be stars. In WWE, they’re scapegoats. Drew McIntyre on the other hand does have the potential to make it into the upper reaches of WWE. It’s just scary to think what damage this stint in 3MB may do him.
It baffles me why Vince gave the okay for McIntyre to be part of this village people tribute band. We’re all friends here and we all know 3MB’s prospects in WWE, even if we don’t want to shout them from the rooftops. I think it’s safe to say that WWE can mark at least Slater and Mahal down in the ‘Opportunities pissed up the wall’ category.
Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd must realise by now that their push is never coming. Not only have they been sacrificed to numerous tag teams for a quick victory, but neither man has sparked any interest in the creative crew at all. At Money in the Bank it looked like Kidd may have finally cracked it when WWE included him in their Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a Contract for the World Heavyweight Championship. On the pay per view Kidd gave a decent account of himself yet still WWE didn’t think he’d be any good in a higher division.
If anyone has a rubber stamp handy then you may want to load it up with ‘Jobber’ print any minute now. Because after their inclusion on the pre-show that’s what the team of Kidd and Gabriel have written all over them. I can’t imagine how frustrating it is to go out and storm people with your endless talent and still get nowhere. Actually I know exactly how that feels and that’s why I can sympathise with Kidd and Gabriel.
By rights, Justin Gabriel should have been on top of the world after surviving the first series of NXT. Seeing how fast WWE have done away with other winners and contestants of NXT, then Gabriel so easily could have gone with them. I believe it’s only his superior athleticism that keeps him on WWE’s books. That and he makes great cannon fodder. WWE could have built the United States Championship division around men like Gabriel and Kidd, yet they continue to make them look like punch bags.
If you’re watching on You Tube then expect a routine 3MB victory. I don’t expect anything from the match and I don’t expect any type of feud of push to come from it. So if you’re waiting for something spectacular, then you’re going to be very disappointed.
Winners Prediction: 3MB
Granted a reprieve from the swinging axe, Survivor Series hopes to enthral audiences so it’s not up for the chop again next year. The card looks strong at the top and weak at the bottom, in-between is undecided even though it has the potential to be star making for at least three of the men involved.
Sadly at an event that used to give us one match type for ninety percent of the card, there is yet again only one Survivor Series Elimination Match on show when there could have been three or four. Had WWE gone back to tradition and booked only the main event for the WWE Championship as the sole non Survivor Series Elimination Match on the card, it would have no doubt attracted old and new fans alike. Those who abandoned WWE with good reason years ago, did so because of decisions like WWE have made with Survivor Series. Rethink those decisions and dare to try something new, or old in this case and the rewards would be apparent.
The world may look at November 18th and see another routine pay per event where not much happens. Myself and hopefully all of you will look on it and see a chance for WWE to begin again. Not just for us, but for themselves. Vince keeps getting these opportunities to change things for the better and lets them pass him by every time. Whilst WWE will never go out of business they need to ask themselves one question for the continued success of their future.
What will WWE do, to survive?
Onwards and upwards...
