Moving Survivor Series Back to Thanksgiving Eve

[RKO920]

I'm sitting here watching the WWE Network, more specifically Survivor Series 1992. It got me thinking, if WWE wants more eyes viewing their "special events" or PPV's whatever they want to call them now. Why not move the Survivor Series back to Thanksgiving Eve. Almost everyone in the US at least has off the next day given that it is Thanksgiving and with the WWE Network they don't have to hold true to any specific scheduling slots from InDemand PPV.

8-11 pm on Thanksgiving Eve on the WWE Network, and only for $9.99. It sounds like a winner, have families all together, since that's what WWE is going for now. Go back to the roots and have the event on a week night before a major holiday. Could be a winner for the WWE.

Thoughts....

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Yes making Survivor Series on Thanksgiving Eve is actually fitting, it's appropriate just think about it, it gives it a sort of classic feel like think the 80s going into the early 1990s, it is perfect and I hope WWE does it

 

[Aeon Mathix]

I can see the thought process behind this idea, but families on their holidays will have wrestling in the back of their mind or not at all. Besides the thanksgiving holiday has been an absolute huge couple of days for football for years and I guarantee depending on who is playing, they are going to choose that over a WWE pay per view. Would it harm anything seeing as how mostly WWE judges their viewership off of the network rather than PPV buys now? Hard to say as they would still get their 9.99 a month, but people might complain if its on a day where they have far more important priorities than watching wrestling.

I know when they aired tribute to the troops on christmas back in the day I would bug my family to watch it but we were all preoccupied with the holiday. I like Pay Per Views to be on a random sunday in the month, it sort of makes it feel like a special holiday to myself and my family that way and we treat it like so. Get some pizzas cuddle up on the couch and just watch some wrestling on a sunday night with no other priorities.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Thanksgiving Eve Survivor Series for $9.99 it would be awesome think about it? I definitely hope WWE if they are smart enough they will capitalize on this if not next year for Survivor Series 2015 then definitely for Survivor Series 2016 because it is a tradition for this PPV to be on Thanksgiving Eve

 

[WBL]

Bad idea. It'd make no logical sense.

Why would you want people to fall asleep BEFORE the turkey is served?

I'm such an asshole...

 

[RKO920]

The point is the event would be the night before Thanksgiving not on Thanksgiving, there would be no NFL games to go head to head with, probably just Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving or the Wizard of Oz. It would bring back a tradition that the WWE started in the beginning with the Survivor Series and with it being the night before a major holiday and schools and most businesses being closed on Thanksgiving or for at least the morning of Thanksgiving. The WWE could capitalize on this and hold the event that Wednesday instead of Sunday when most kids go back to school and adults back to work on a Monday.

 

[MMK]

I'd give thanks if they went back to the old school Survivor Series formula with every match being an 8 man elimination tag match. And bring back those team names like "The Perfect Team" and "The Warriors".

Also, bring back Vince McMahon tearing out his voice box during the introduction to the ppv as he introduces each team and their respective members.

Only this time have something on the line in each match. What killed the Survivor Series was that nothing was ever on the line.

Do a survivor series match for all the tag teams, then a mid card survivor series match for your IC/US level guys, as well as a Diva's survivor series match, and finally a main event featuring the top 8 guys in the company including the WWE World Champion. Then the survivor(s) of each match would then receive a title shot against the champion of their division.

For example, if Brock Lesnar was WWE champion at the time, and he and Cesaro were the survivors of the main event, then Cesaro would go from teaming with Brock at one ppv to facing him for the title at the next.

This way matches would not only be used as a vehicle to set up number one contenders, but also as a clever way to turn partners against one another, as well a great opportunity to turn a top heel into a face or vice versa.

 

[RKO920]

I 100% agree bring back the team names and team captains, that was an awesome part of the Survivor Series. It could easily be brought back take guys with connecting storylines and then boom make teams out of them. Currently you could have team Ziggler vs team Miz, or team Show Off vs team Moneymakers.

I look at the Survivor Series and think it's one of the big 4 events out there that the WWE has so why not save the huge matches for them. Something main evented WrestleMania, don't have the rematch til SummerSlam. I get it we have 12 events a year it doesn't work that way but I would love to see the huge matches be saved for the big events.

 

[The Brain]

1987-1990 was on Thanksgiving Night. 1991-1994 was Thanksgiving Eve. Since 1995 it's been a random Sunday in November. I enjoyed the first eight years because the Thanksgiving theme gave Survivor Series a little bit of a more important feel. With that said I always thought the day after Thanksgiving would have been best. The day before is one of the busiest (if not the busiest) travel days of the year. It has also become one of the biggest bar nights of the year. Plus those hosting their Thanksgiving parties are likely to be busy preparing. I don't think Thanksgiving Eve would work.

The day after makes more sense. Those that are traveling are likely to stay put for another day or two and may be looking for something to do. I know Friday isn't usually ideal for tv but that Friday may be the exception. People may still be recovering from their wood coma from the day before and they had their night out on Wednesday. That night is just a chill night for a lot of people, especially is they're exhausted from Black Friday shopping. If you're a wrestling fan I think a big PPV on Friday night would be the perfect relaxer after Wednesday night drinking, Thursday night binging, and Friday morning shopping.

 

[Evil Ken]

I would love to see this back on Thanksgiving. I have such fond memories of it. I imagine they got more buys moving it to Sunday or else it would have stayed. With NFL running 3 games nowadays; it probably isn't the best business decision.

What I would also like to see is a return to the team elimination format for the entire card. However; spice it up a bit to make it meaningful. For example; the survivors of each team then progress to a battle royal at the end of the night. This could either be for the WWE WHC or a number 1 contender spot. Something to that effect.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It does make a lot of sense to move it back, but they really have to decide what SS actually is... Is it a big 4 PPV? Is it one they want to can like a couple of years ago... it's kinda been the red headed stepchild for a long time. As I've long said, I want to see it go back to strict 5 on 5 matches but with a twist...

The Wildcard scenario ala Battlebowl. Make it like WWE's Ryder cup where captains can pick their team except for one wildcard which is a random member. For example Team Heyman wildcards Curtis Axel and their opponents Cesaro... would each man stick with their team, or use past slights from Heyman against him?

Likewise Team Authority has to take Dean Ambrose? Will he care about winning or would they take him out themselves, risking a man disadvantage rather than risk him taking them down from the inside... If this went top to bottom through the card and included Brock then it's an easy sell to make it a premiere event again, and an easy night for Brock... hell Hogan can even manage THAT much of a match...

 

[Ol'Canucklehead]

Seeing as though the WWE is now a global phenomena it would never work. It also shows how narrow minded Americans are. Not everybody's Thanksgiving is in November nor does everybody celebrate it.

 

[Jeritron5000]

It may have worked in 92, but not anymore. The night before thanksgiving is now the biggest bar night of the year. It's the one night where everyone is in town from wherever they have moved to visit family and friends. Reunions are also huge the night before Thanksgiving for this reason. It's a fun idea but it really wouldn't make any economical sense.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Out of the sake of nostalgia, I'd be interested in seeing this happen. Here's the problem though.... This won't make Survivor Series into a better brand. All it does in the grand scheme of things is change the day the event is held on. The nostalgia it brings to the older fans will not be enough for it to generate a significant amount of WWE Network members. JBL could scream all he wants about how you should pay $9.99 to watch Survivor Series on Thanksgiving Eve with your family, but there is still the matter of the quality of the show. I'd like a nostaltic tribute by having it on Thanksgiving Eve as much as the next oldschool fan, but they have bigger problems to address.

Survivor Series is only clinging onto life as a PPV brand due to the history that the brand holds. For the past several years WWE has been incredibly lazy with booking it and setting up the traditional elimination matches. If they make us care about the event, more people will want to watch it. They should focus more on setting up actual storylines beyond "hey we let's put this group of guys up against this other group of guys, oh and let's do one just like this for the divas too!". I hope this is the year that they change this, but I am not counting on it.