How’s it going everybody? Thomas Robinson here once again with the Armbar Analysis once more. Winter is coming, which could only mean one thing. Survivor Series is almost upon us as faces and heels settle things in the ring.
Bad poetry aside, the traditional elimination match not being promoted at all this year puts a damper on this year’s Survivor Series. It’s one of the WWE’s biggest traditions and the WWE Championship Tournament has really got in the way of a proper five on five elimination match being promoted and booked.
It’s still expected that a match will take place but the pressure is on those involved to live up to the standards of these five past matches…
#5 – The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose) and The Real Americans (Jack Swagger and Cesaro) vs The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso), The Rhodes Brothers (Cody Rhodes and Goldust) and Rey Mysterio
If WWE really wants to push Roman Reigns as their top man, perhaps tracking down this match on the WWE Network should be one of the first things they do. This match was one of the main reasons why Roman rose to prominence in the first place. This was one of the first things that made Roman stand out as he was simply the star of the show and considering who is partners were, that’s quite a feat. In an action-packed match, Roman smashed his way through the good guys in incredible fashion. He turned the tide for his team as he eliminated four of his five opponents to equal the record for most eliminations in a single match and got the win for his team. This Survivor Series match was nothing short of a success and by far the highlight of the show.
#4 – WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, Undertaker, Kane and Big Show) vs The Alliance (Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam and Shane McMahon)
Say what you will about the Alliance storyline, at least it ended with a bang. This was for all the marbles and all of the big guns available were on the front line for this battle to determine to fate of the WWF. The stakes were high and the drama was there from start to finish with The Rock and Chris Jericho having to overcome a two on four disadvantage. After mounting the comeback, it was down to Austin and The Rock. Despite Chris Jericho selfishly attacking his partner, the WWF triumphed when Kurt Angle betrayed Austin to put the Alliance out of business. Say what you will about the storyline but you can’t deny that it came to a dramatic end at Survivor Series.
#3 – RAW (Shawn Michaels, Carlito, Chris Masters, Kane and Big Show) vs SmackDown! (Batista, Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley, JBL and Randy Orton)
This was brand supremacy done right. SmackDown! were invited guests to RAW’s Homecoming but RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff ended the scheduled SmackDown!-exclusive match before it even began by turning off the lights. SmackDown! were not going to take this lying down and kicked off a brawl later that night. This lead to a number of invasion angles between both shows with Bischoff finally deciding to settle things with a traditional five on five elimination match between both shows and it delivered on all fronts. The banter between the RAW and SmackDown! commentators gave the storyline a truly competitive feel and the in-ring action was exceptional in it’s own right. Shawn Michaels put on a hell of show but it was Randy Orton that grabbed the winning pin fall for his brand. This was another major angle in WWE that ended as it should at Survivor Series.
#2 – Team Cena (John Cena, Erick Rowan, Big Show, Dolph Ziggler and Ryback) vs Team Authority (Seth Rollins, Mark Henry, Rusev, Luke Harper and Kane)
Last year’s Survivor Series elimination match gave us one of the WWE’s most dramatic matches in recent memory as Team Cena looked to get the Authority out of power. This gave the chance for new singles stars like Erick Rowan and Luke Harper to mix it up in this high stakes match as well as giving Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler their chance to shine in a huge PPV main event. After Big Show turned heel once more, Ziggler was left to fight Kane, Harper and Rollins all on his own. A superb combo with the Super Kick and the Zig Zag eliminated Kane and he was able to get rid of Harper as well. He had Rollins beat but Triple H got involved. Sting’s debut in the company was pulled off tremendously as he helped Ziggler pin Rollins as Team Cena prevailed. Despite the Authority’s exile from power lasting just over a month, this match gave us an incredible in-ring match, especially from Ziggler and Rollins. It was a truly great main event which salvaged a rather bleak Survivor Series PPV.
#1 – Team Austin (Shawn Michaels, Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Booker T and Rob Van Dam) vs Team Bischoff (Chris Jericho, Christian, Randy Orton, Mark Henry and Scott Steiner)
Survivor Series 2003 was truly one of those rare pay-per-views in the first few years of the brand extension where RAW crushed SmackDown! during the dual-branded show. Along with actually having a World Heavyweight Championship defence by Goldberg, it featured an magnificent Survivor Series elimination match with Stone Cold Steve Austin’s role as General Manager on the line. The match and the storyline was put together tremendously as Steve Austin had to break his rule of “Don’t trust anybody” as his job was at stake. Shawn Michaels stole the show once more with an great performance as he stood as the last member for Austin’s team against Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and Christian. The difference make was Batista, who powerbombed Michaels and helped Orton pick up the win for Team Bischoff. Like the Authority match, Austin’s exile from power only lasted about a month. However, few will forget the performance of the Heartbreak Kid.
You can praise the writers and the bookers for how well these matches were booked but the wrestlers involved showed that they were truly capable of shining. Whether it’s Roman Reigns in 2013 or Dolph Ziggler in 2014, there’s always a chance for someone to be elevated with this match. I’m hoping this year’s edition can do the same for another potential star.
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