WWE Survivor Series 2011
Dolph Ziggler/With Vickie Guerrero VS John Morrison- United States Championship
I thought this was a good opening match. This one really did feature some good back and forth action, and this match did have a nice competitive feel. Usually, Vickie Guerrero is the biggest distraction during a match, when she roams around the ringside area, but the MSG crowd stole the show here. Vickie did do her best to help Dolph win the match (placing Zigglers leg on the ropes, when Morrison tried to go for a cover), but nothing could top the VERY loud WE WANT RYDER! chants from the crowd. Ziggler and Morrison were actually having a good match inside the ring, but the loud chants were very distracting here, and the crowd did take a good amount of focus off of the match. I dont know whats next for Morrison, but the chances of him wearing some mid card gold are very slim, and a push towards the WWE Championship seems very unrealistic. Morrison might fade away into obscurity soon enough, or he could part ways with WWE, but a push of any kind probably wont happen anytime soon. Zack Ryder received a warm reception from the live crowd during his post match attack on Ziggler. Ryder has gained a good amount of momentum over the past couple of months, and I actually hope WWE pulls the trigger on him in the near future, because a US title win could give him a nice boost.
Match Rating- 7/10
Eve VS Beth Phoenix/With Natalya- Lumberjill Match- Divas Championship
I havent had any real interest in the Divas division for months now, and I didnt expect anything good or great from this match, but this was actually a surprise for me. There was some decent back and forth action here, and Beths Glam Slam from the top rope looked unreal. Going to the top rope made her finisher look a lot more devastating, and Eve did a good job of selling her inevitable doom, because Eves look of fear before she hit the mat was priceless. I actually enjoyed the match, but I really didnt understand the point of the Lumberjill stipulation here. The Lumberjills in this match were reduced to the roles of cheerleaders, and they didnt help influence the outcome of the match at all. I guess WWE wanted to provide some extra eye candy here, but the Lumberjills really didnt play a major role in this match, and their presence at ringside did feel very meaningless. As far as Beths next challenger for the title goes, I cant say I care too much. The Divas division has had this overwhelming lackluster feeling for months now, and The Divas Of Doom havent brought anything special to the table.
Match Rating- 6/10
The Rock Backstage
The Rock was able to pump up the crowd with his hilarious and energetic promo from the backstage area. Rocks mentions of the past wrestling shows, concerts (Frank Sinatra), and sporting events (Ali VS Frazier) provided a good amount of nostalgia, and he did do a good job, as he built up the mystique of Madison Square Garden. Also, I enjoyed Rocks timeline of his personal history at MSG, and the mentioning of Andre The Giants name did get a good reaction from the crowd, and this was an nice moment. This was a very enjoyable promo, and this was a good way to build some more hype for the big main event tag team match.
Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Hunico, & Dolph Ziggler VS Randy Orton, Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Kofi Kingston, & Sin Cara- Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match
The early moments of this match did feel exciting, and there was a quick pace here, but Sin Caras injury did kill all of the momentum. This was an unfortunate moment, and the sudden injury was a tough break for Cara, but everything eventually picked up again. This match had a nice steady pace, and some of the eliminations were jaw dropping and surprising (Ortons RKO on Hunico, and Sheamus DQ for losing his temper). This was a pretty enjoyable Survivor Series elimination tag team match, I always look forward to these matches, and this one was very entertaining for the most part.
Match Rating- 7/10
Mark Henry VS Big Show- World Heavyweight Championship
The crowd almost killed this one for me, because it was kind of hard to ignore the VERY loud BORING chants from the crowd at MSG, but I still enjoyed this match. This match did have a slow pace, but Henry and Show still delivered another entertaining battle of the big men for me. I enjoyed the tests of strength in the early stages of this match. Both men wanted to flex their muscles, and both men wanted to showcase their power. This match was pretty physical, and Shows elbow drop from the top rope looked unreal. It looked like Show was legit scared, as he contemplated the move on the top rope, and his elbow drop was an amazing spot here. The ring break after the suplex at Vengeance did feel more shocking and jaw dropping, but the elbow drop was still an impressive spot. Henrys low blow on the Big Show was a surprise for me. I had a strong feeling Henry would retain here, but the DQ finish did catch me off guard. Although, I thought the low blow was a nice touch, because this moment was completely unexpected, and the crowd was pissed. This match had actually gained a nice amount of momentum towards the very end, but Henry took the easy way out, and he really looked like the dirty heel, who didnt want to fight fair, and he wanted to retain his title at any costs. Henry suffered an injury during Shows post match leg drop. Show got some revenge, as he returned the favor for Henrys attack back at Money In The Back, and I really want to see how this storyline will unfold. Whats next for Henry? How will be the new #1 contender? Will Henry take time off because off the
injury? There are some very interesting questions that need to be answered, and Mark Henrys reign as the World Heavyweight Champion is STILL interesting.
Match Rating- 8/10
CM Punk VS Alberto Del Rio/With Ricardo Rodriguez- WWE Championship
Wow. I was literally in shock, when Alberto Del Rio tapped out to the Anaconda Vise, because I didnt think Punk had a chance here. I thought someone would find a way to screw Punk out of the title again, but Im kind of happy they didnt go down that route. Yeah, I know, Punk is supposed to be the underdog, but eventually, the underdog has to prevail, so Punk would have to win the gold at some point, if WWE is serious about him being a top dog in the company. This was an enjoyable WWE Championship match, and the MSG crowd was firmly behind Punk here. Ricardo played his usual role as the loyal lackey, he did cause some distractions, and he did interfere in the match, but his shenanigans didnt bother me too much here. This match featured some very solid back and forth action, and there was a good amount of suspense in the final moments of this one. Punk couldnt hit the GTS, because Del Rio softened up his left arm, with numerous attacks throughout the match. Punk had to go with the Anaconda Vise, and Del Rios frantic struggle did provide some good suspense. As far as Del Rios future goes, I really dont know what to expect as of right now. Sure, hell have his rematch against CM Punk, but I highly doubt hell win the title back so soon. WWE obviously has a lot of faith in Punk, and he might receive a lengthy run with the belt this time around, and Del Rio probably wont see too much main event spotlight in the near future. Alberto Del Rio has received a HUGE push this year, but I think he needs to take a long break from the world title picture. The bar has been set very high for the man of destiny, but Del Rios time on WWEs flagship show has felt very disappointing most of the time. Del Rios time on Raw hasnt been that spectacular, and both of his WWE Championship reigns were very forgettable. I think Del Rio could use another fresh start, and a future move to Smackdown could help him, and maybe he could have another try at the main event scene in the future.
Match Rating- 7/10
The Miz & R-Truth VS The Rock & John Cena
The Rock didnt show any signs of ring rust, because he was sharp as ever here. The Rock was in great physical condition, and he was in the zone during the entire match. The Rock looked very good here, this was an impressive in ring return for him, and he really didnt show any signs of a seven year layoff. As far as the match goes, I thought this was a pretty entertaining tag team match. This match had a lot of hype surrounding it, and for the most part, I thought it delivered well. The crowd was really into this, you could feel the tension between Rock and Cena here, and this match did feature some good energy at times. Also, the Rock Bottom on Cena during the post match celebration/argument was a nice touch here, because a friendly handshake and the I dont like you, but I respect you stuff wouldve been incredibly lame and corny here. If they DO plan on doing something like this, I hope the friendly truce happens after the match after Wrestlemania. This will be a big match at Wrestlemania 28 next year, this feud needs to stay fresh, and staying on the these two superstars dont like each other path is a good choice. The post match Rock Bottom threw some more fuel on the fire, and these two wont have a friendly contest at Wrestlemania, because The Rock took another shot at Cena. This rivalry will have more steam heading into Wrestlemania, and everything seems a little bit more interesting now. This was an enjoyable main event, this tag team contest did help build some extra hype for the match at Wrestlemania, and this was a nice way to close out the show.
Match Rating- 8/10
Overall Show Rating 8/10- Survivor Series 2011 was a pretty good show overall. Both world title matches delivered, and Punk could finally breathe some new life into the WWE Championship picture. It always felt like this show couldve been more epic, because we did see Rocks long awaited return to the ring here, but this show was still very enjoyable. Rock and Cena VS Miz and Truth was a fun main event, and Punk winning the WWE Championship did provide an amazing highlight for this show.
