Embarrassing number of buys for Survivor Series 2009

[Tastycles]

I'm going to reserve going over the top with my analysis until the actual figures for this PPV comes out in early February. However, the chances are that this early indication is reasonably accurate. The answer is in two things. The first was the lacklustre title matches. Last year had a triple threat match too, as well as the return of Cena. In both instances, there was a realistic chance of a title change, and in the case of Jeff Hardy's injury, there was a last minute grab into the action.

This year, we had two matches where the title had almost no chance of changing and where there was almost no build up for either except that it was two tag teams feuding with champions.

The Mysterio vs Batista match is probably where most of the buys came for this event, because nobody is interested in 10 man tag team matches any more. What used to make Survivor Series unique is now a massive burden, because it hasn't stood the test of time. It used to be a time when the WrestleMania feuds would begin, but there is simply too much television and too many PPVs between the two events for that to be realistic. Survivor Series has outlasted its purpose. The best number it has drawn since WWE went public was in 2005, when there was only one 5 on 5 match, which was booked as SmackDown vs Raw and one of the participants was the World Heavyweight Champion, and the rest were mostly bona fide main eventers.

There we have it then, Survivor Series didn't draw because it had a crappy build, and it insisted on using a dated format.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I'm going to reserve going over the top with my analysis until the actual figures for this PPV comes out in early February. However, the chances are that this early indication is reasonably accurate. The answer is in two things. The first was the lacklustre title matches. Last year had a triple threat match too, as well as the return of Cena. In both instances, there was a realistic chance of a title change, and in the case of Jeff Hardy's injury, there was a last minute grab into the action.

This year, we had two matches where the title had almost no chance of changing and where there was almost no build up for either except that it was two tag teams feuding with champions.

The Mysterio vs Batista match is probably where most of the buys came for this event, because nobody is interested in 10 man tag team matches any more. What used to make Survivor Series unique is now a massive burden, because it hasn't stood the test of time. It used to be a time when the WrestleMania feuds would begin, but there is simply too much television and too many PPVs between the two events for that to be realistic. Survivor Series has outlasted its purpose. The best number it has drawn since WWE went public was in 2005, when there was only one 5 on 5 match, which was booked as SmackDown vs Raw and one of the participants was the World Heavyweight Champion, and the rest were mostly bona fide main eventers.

There we have it then, Survivor Series didn't draw because it had a crappy build, and it insisted on using a dated format.

I am going to have to completely disagree on the your comments that you don't think anyone is interested in the Elimination Matches anymore. That has traditionally been what Survivor Series is all about, and as a long time WWE viewer back to 1990, that is one of the only things that intrigues me about the event itself.

It offers something unique other than the average PPV with nothing but singles matches.

And as far as your comments regarding most of the buys coming because of Rey vs Batista?? What the Hell are you smoking? That was an undercard singles match. Nobody is going to purchase a PPV because of a match like that.

A lot of people will purchase the PPV just because they are in a habit of purchasing PPV's monthly or at least the Big 4.

A lot of people will purchase because of the Main Events. Which granted, maybe having 2 Vince Specials as the Main Events intrigued some newer fans. I bet the older fans, however, were less than impressed and I think that was a major reason, like I indicated above, on why they didn't make the purchase this time.

But maybe what is needed is they need to find a way to spice up the Elimination Matches and somehow get a title on the line for someone in an Elimination Match itself.

But I vehemently disagree that the Elimination Matches are actually hindering the WWE, like you seem to imply.

 

[Tastycles]

I am going to have to completely disagree on the your comments that you don't think anyone is interested in the Elimination Matches anymore. That has traditionally been what Survivor Series is all about, and as a long time WWE viewer back to 1990, that is one of the only things that intrigues me about the event itself.

It offers something unique other than the average PPV with nothing but singles matches.

And as far as your comments regarding most of the buys coming because of Rey vs Batista?? What the Hell are you smoking? That was an undercard singles match. Nobody is going to purchase a PPV because of a match like that.

A lot of people will purchase the PPV just because they are in a habit of purchasing PPV's monthly or at least the Big 4.

A lot of people will purchase because of the Main Events. Which granted, maybe having 2 Vince Specials as the Main Events intrigued some newer fans. I bet the older fans, however, were less than impressed and I think that was a major reason, like I indicated above, on why they didn't make the purchase this time.

But maybe what is needed is they need to find a way to spice up the Elimination Matches and somehow get a title on the line for someone in an Elimination Match itself.

But I vehemently disagree that the Elimination Matches are actually hindering the WWE, like you seem to imply.

I think you are completely right about people blindly buying PPVs, because that's what they do. I buy the majority of PPVs, purely because I generally find something to enjoy in them, itwould have to be a horrendous card for me not to bother, but I am fortunate that I only have to buy half of them, if I had to buy every single one, I doubt I would have bought Survivor Series. I was saying that the Rey vs Batista match was the only one with a real build up and therefore probably the only one that anyone would have bought based on the build to the event.

As for the elimination matches, I think if it was between the big stars on both brands then they would be a draw, definitely. The Raw vs Smackdown match at 2005's event was hugely successful, and I think that what made the match successful back in the day was that you'd see the likes of Ultimate Warrior and Hogan in the same match. Guys like Evan Bourne and Finlay are not what the people want to see.

The modern idea of a PPV - big title matches with an undercard, is incongruous with Survivor Series matches. Now, if they got rid of the title matches, I'd be all for 5-on-5 matches, but I don't think that is realistically going to happen. The Royal Rumble has survived because dull wrestlers are an afterthought with in it, but when the lower card 5-on-5 matches have about 4 people nobody gives a shit about in them, they are a detriment to the PPV.

I was probably arguing one way too hard, and I'm willing to concede that, but essentially, the WWE has to ditch the title matches or ditch the Survivor Series matches, because otherwise they will continue to generate poor buys. I've had another look at the numbers since my last post, and I was wrong but it supports my argument further. 2005 and 2006 have delivered the best numbers in years and both times one of the champions was involved in the elimination matches. I was wrong to say elimination matches should go, it is a choice between the two, and I'm inclined to agree with you, upon further reflection.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Survivor Series has been DROPPED:

After the disappointing results of the show this year, Vince McMahon announced today that the Survivor Series has been dropped as an annual event.

The event, the second oldest annual event in company history, dating back to Thanksgiving of 1987, did 235,000 worldwide buys this year as compared to 319,000 the year before.

McMahon blamed the decline on the idea the team concept is obsolete, was good for its time but no longer resonates.

In reality, the decline from being one of the bigger events of 2008, was because of poor television build-up of the main events, and secondarily, coming one day after a UFC event.

The team concept has not even been a major part of the selling point of the show, but the name and history of it being a "big four" event has kept it among the bigger sellers most years. The elimination matches have usually been promoted as more along the lines of a high mid-card match, with the focus being on championship matches, this year being three-ways for Raw and Smackdown. The HHH vs. John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels buld up was heavily reliant on comedy, and that, more than the name of the event, was the reason for the major decline.

Obviously the company will do a new November event this year, with a new name.

It's a shame. Vince is right that the team concept doesn't resonate with fans anymore like it used to. However, they had a big multi-man match in the previous month with Bragging Rights. It's hard to sell people on multi-man tag matches two months in a row. It's even harder to do it when in the elimination matches, the captains had a feud, and everyone else was sort of just thrown in. They did a poor job building up the event as a whole this year, basically admitting defeat with the poor buildup. It's hard to get fans to care about the event when the writers themselves don't care.

The name alone had so much value that it's terrible to kill it for Gimmicked PPV #9. I suggested that they had to make one elimination match, make it special, and build the fuck out of it. It's a concept HHH has wanted so badly to return.

War Games. You put that elimination match as the co-main event in a War Games setting, and it sells a lot of people on the PPV, especially when most of the new fans haven't been exposed to it. It also brings in the nostalgia factor for some fans. Why couldn't they just keep it called Survivor Series with the one War Games match?

It's a stupid idea, and I'm shocked they're actually pulling the plug.

Eulogize Survivor Series here.

 

[Wald]

I didn't watch the Survivor Series at all this year, still haven't gone to Dailymotion or anything, and the reason is that the card bored me outside of Team Orton vs Team Kofi.

HBK vs Cena vs HHH has been done to death when you think of the amount of times in the past few years we've had Cena vs HHH or Cena vs HBK, and they were never going to split DX at this PPV

Taker vs Jerishow isn't something to get the blood going, especially considering Big Show is involved with an Undertaker that was having difficulty moving at the time.

Rey vs Batista felt like a throwaway feud from the outset

and the other survivor series match, whilst being a solid undercard match, would not force me to part with my money.

So really they were asking me to pay a substantial amount of money to watch Team Kofi vs Team Orton which didn't happen

 

[rb299]

Its just that recent Survivor Series are so pathetic that no one wants to watch it, just look at this year's. Pointless triple threat matches and predictable elimination matches. Only edge's return at 2008 gave us a momment to remember and now they want to get rid of it?? how bout getting rid of those stupid creative