The Miz def. Kofi Kingston:
WHAT I LIKED:
I may not LIKE why this match was made, but I do LIKE that it was made. Both The Miz and Kofi Kingston are veteran superstars who have not lived up to their talent. Kofi Kingston has been a babyface since he debuted in WWE six years ago. His act should be just as stale as John Cena's is, but because he has, um, what is it called again? Oh right, in-ring ability. We tend to overlook that he's yet to change his spots. The highest he's ever ascended to is Intercontinental Champion and it seems that is going to be his ceiling. If you ask one person, they may say Miz overachieved by winning the WWE Champion. If you ask someone else, they may say Miz is underachieving by falling out of the WWE picture. Some people even hold both views, saying Miz should never have been WWE Champion and he's simultaneously he's a failure for only having held it once. That is the very definition of cognitive dissonance. Both of these superstars need an injection of adrenaline into their stalled careers and since I LIKE both of them, I LIKE anything that gives them any type of exposure.
WHAT I HATED:
How ridiculous is it that this PPV match is derived only from Miz not making a tag? That scenario has happened so many times in WWE that I can't count. Is that all it takes now for a PPV match to be created? Of course, then again, this isn't really a PPV match, is it?
REACTION:
Not sure how I feel about how the match ended or the aftermath. It was a victory for The Miz which I did predict, but it was a rollup win. Not a statement win by any means. And after the match, he extended his hand to Kofi Kingston in a show of respect. That's not a heel move. I was weary that this wasn't a real heel turn for The Miz. But Kofi slapped him away, which while not a definite sign of a heel turn, does raise the question: Could it be Kofi Kingston who is actually undergoing a heel turn here? Interesting. I've seen Kofi Kingston as a heel and he's pretty good at it. If that's what happening (and that's a big IF), it could be the best thing to happen to him since his WWE debut.
Roman Reigns def. Rey Mysterio, becoming the sole survivor of the Elimination Tag Match:
WHAT I LIKED:
I really wish WWE would take stock of the fact that the crowd is growing to LOVE The Real Americans more and more. From the 'We The People' chant to outright cheering for the Cesaro Swing, they are gaining popularity and becoming fan favorites. I wouldn't want them to become babyfaces right now, at least not as long as the Tag Team Titles are on a babyface team. But maybe after they win the titles, they could switch over to good side. I don't root for face-turns often because being a good guy limits what you can and can't do, but in this case I think it would do wonders for Antonio Cesaro's future.
WHAT I HATED:
Dean Ambrose eliminated first? And within the first five minutes of the match? Talk about cutting off the head of the snake. In my opinion, Ambrose is the best wrestler and has the
REACTION:
"Look everybody, the BIG MAN in the match won. And he did by beating the little guy. See, BIG MEN are better than little men." That's the moral of this match. That's the message Vince McMahon is sending to everyone by having Roman Reigns dominate this match. And make no mistake, he did dominate this match. I LIKE it and I LIKE Roman Reigns. He's a BIG superstar with some legendary genes. In WWE, that usually equals success. But other than that HUGE spear, his amazing locks of hair and his growl, he's really has nothing to offer. Not that it matters to Vince. That aside, this was a fun match to watch. I was expecting the babyface team to win here, especially since Rey Mysterio was making his return. Superstars don't normally lose their return match. I guess the six-man tag match on Smackdown will have to serve as his token victory.
Big E Langston def. Curtis Axel, retaining the Intercontinental Championship:
WHAT I LIKED:
Good move interviewing Big E Langston after the match. Even though all he did was garner cheap pops from the fans, it showed just a tad bit of personality. He still needs to work on it, but that was a good start.
WHAT I HATED:
Where was this video that Michael Cole was talking about? The one where Curtis Axel said he'd break Langston's jaw, arm, etc. and he'd do anything to win this match? That sounds like an awesome video that might show a little bit of charisma that Axel has been sorely missing. Maybe instead of talking about said video, they should show that video. It might help Axel out in connecting to the fans.
REACTION:
This match was nothing more than the filler that I thought it'd be. Furthermore, it doesn't even seem like anyone revised the script from RAW last week. The finish was pretty much exactly the same. So, whatever I wrote on RAW for this match, just imagine I wrote it here too.
Natalya def. AJ Lee, becoming the sole survivor in the Elimination Tag Match:
WHAT I LIKED:
Thankfully, they did what I predicted they'd do and eliminated all of the lesser divas early and often. I was expecting Brie Bella and Kaitlyn to stick around a bit longer due to them being recent contenders for the Divas Title, but I'm not crying any crocodile tears for them.
WHAT I HATED:
I HATE Total Divas. I HATE that the cast of Total Divas came out to the show's theme music. I HATE that they were referred to as the cast of Total Divas. WWE is treating them like they are guest hosts from some show or movie they're pimping. If WWE would insist that their divas be wrestlers first instead of models, actresses or reality stars, maybe they'd have a better divas division.
REACTION:
I figured this match would come down to Natalya vs AJ Lee. That's what this match should have been in the first place. But I'm not complaining about seeing some extra skin from a lot of hot chicks... and Tamina. Plus, since it was always a given that Team Total Divas would win the match, it's probably for the best that the Divas Title wasn't on the line. I'm not ready for AJ to lose it just yet. If she does lose it to anyone, Natalya is the best choice. I'm glad they are establishing her as the #1 Contender. But I HATE that she couldn't celebrate to her own damn theme music. Natalya is a wrestler, goddammit! By the way, was Nikki Bella even eliminated? I guess technically, she left the ring so she would've been counted out, but there was no actual elimination. Strange.
Mark Henry def. Ryback:
WHAT I LIKED:
- 20 points for me!!! As soon as I heard that Ryback would be issuing the open challenge at Survivor Series, I figured it'd be Mark Henry who answered the challenge. Ryback hit the Shellshock on Big Show this past monday on RAW. He did the same to Khali on Smackdown. I just thought about any BIG MAN waiting in the wings and the answer was obviously Mark Henry.
- I am glad to see Mark Henry back. I thought for sure after his most recent setback, that it was curtains for him. But no. He worked himself into probably the best shape of his WWE career and looks better than ever.
WHAT I HATED:
Watching this match makes me weep for the future of WWE. Now that Vince is back on the BIG MAN juice, these are the sort of matches we're going to be in for. Slow and boring throughout, with a big, powerful finish. Basically, every match will be like watching a five minute match on RAW.
REACTION:
Once again, WWE makes Ryback look like a fool. Well, he looks like an idiot on his own. But WWE isn't doing anything to help him get over the brick wall he's currently stuck behind.
John Cena def. Alberto Del Rio, retaining the World Heavyweight Championship:
WHAT I HATED:
If it wasn't enough that the story that Alberto Del Rio was going to capitalize on John Cena's injured was unbelievable, Cena wasn't even wearing a brace or a sleeve on his shoulder. I mean, why give the heel any semblance of an opportunity to win? I know Cena doesn't sell, but does his ring gear not sell either? Haha. Who am I kidding? The only reason Cena is champion is because his ring gear sells.
REACTION:
This wasn't a bad match at all. Very good performance by both of them in a match that was anticipating overlooking. Like I said in the preview, these two superstars are a very good matchup. They've been in match together plenty of times and know each other well enough in the ring that they can anticipate the moves. But as I also said, it's a forgone conclusion that Cena would win this match and he did. There was no other finish to this match aside from John Cena winning.
CM Punk & Daniel Bryan def. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan:
WHAT I LIKED:
WWE believes Daniel Bryan and CM Punk aren't main-event material. At least they believe they are close to main-event material. This match was never going to be treated as the marquee contest of the night, but I'm glad WWE kept it for later. It's the only match I'm really interested in and due to it's placement, it allowed me not to mentally check out of the PPV altogether. It also helps that Denver is blowing out New England, which makes me pay more attention to the PPV than the football game. And how great is it that this match is happening during halftime? Perfect timing!
WHAT I HATED:
One of the big grievances I had against Bray Wyatt upon his debut was that he never wrestled a full match without the assistance of his two BIG guardians. So, in a tag match with Harper and Rowan being featured, I was hoping that Bray Wyatt wouldn't interfere so we could see what they could do on their own. I'm glad Wyatt stayed seated during the entirety of the match. Well, maybe not the entirety. But if Bray Wyatt did interfere, what could The Authority have done to stop him? Why even allow him to accompany Harper & Rowan to the ring since the 'no-interference' order was in motion? That was a glaring plot-hole. Since Bray Wyatt didn't interfere, they don't have make a retraction like they did for the amazing disappearing act that Nikki Bella pulled.
REACTION:
I knew this match would steal the show. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan are too good to not be the best in any match put in front of them. I wasn't even so sure that they'd win. I had to talk myself into picking them. But it didn't matter if they won or lost. They would make this match the Match of the Night candidate that it was always going to be. I'll give some benefit of the doubt to Randy Orton and Big Show by not outright calling this the MOTN without viewing all matches, but come on. We already know that match won't be able to compare to this one. I will give a nod to Luke Harper and Erick Rowan for being a lot more competitive than I've ever given them credit for. I know that the only reason WWE booked this match is to show-off their two BIG monsters, and they were right to do so. Rowan and Harper, especially, put on a great showing in this match and their efforts shouldn't be overlooked.
Randy Orton def. Big Show, retaining the WWE Championship:
REACTION:
This was not a WWE Championship match, was it? It definitely wasn't a PPV quality WWE Championship match. It was barely fifteen minutes, and that's including the entrances and in-ring introductions. How pathetic. I'm not even upset or disappointed. I knew it would happen. I called it. If anything, I'm embarrassed. This is the product that WWE wants to put forward? This is the match they preferred to have rather than allow Daniel Bryan get a legitimate title shot? I mean, yes I was disinterested in that rivalry but at least their matches was always good until the finish screwed every thing up. This may be the first time I have nothing to pick out of a PPV match that I either LIKED or HATED. I spent the entire match cringing at how slow and boring it all was.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
"What makes you think you're any better than us?" - Rosa
"Is that like a rhetorical question?" - AJ Lee
Nice promo from AJ Lee. It was almost a mini-pipebomb. AJ Lee is right, though. If any of those divas want to be taken seriously by the powers that be in WWE, they have to make a name for themselves. Just like she did.
"I am not a bully." - Ryback
Really? This off of the heels of bragging about how much he loves being a bully on Smackdown. Ryback is either his own evil twin, has dissociative identity disorder or isn't fully fleshed out as a character. I'm going with the latter. If WWE is as bad as scripting Ryback as they are booking him, mistakes like this will be made.
MATCH OF THE NIGHT:
I should never have given any benefit of the doubt to the WWE Championship. I should have just stuck with the match that I had no doubt would be the best; Daniel Bryan & CM Punk vs Erick Rowan & Luke Harper. This match really should have been the main event. If they can allow a tag match featuring Cena & The Rock to main event a Survivor Series, they could do the same for Bryan & Punk.
OVERALL REACTION:
The PPV didn't start on the right foot by having The Authority come out for an opening segment. This isn't an episode of RAW. Plus, they said nothing that couldn't have done without telling us. If you want no interference in any match, then just have no interference in any match. I don't understand the reason for announcing that and if they would listen to the fans, they'd hear that it's not something we want at all. We LIKE outside interference. We WANT outside interference. And most times, when dealing with boring matches, we NEED outside interference. It seems Nikki Bella is afforded the same protection as her boyfriend. She was never eliminated in the Divas Elimination Tag, and was posthumously awarded 'sole survivor' status alongside Natalya. I would say she picked up the win without doing any of the work, but she did eliminate the most divas. It was obvious that it was a mistake by Nikki and whomever scripted that match, but WWE played it off like the announcers just forgot to mention she was a survivor too. If I were Natalya, I'd be pissed that she left me like that. For all I know, that might be the reason it was done. More Total Divas drama.
I know I talk a lot about the BIG MAN fetish in WWE. I even listed it in my Pet Peeve article that I never got around to finishing. But the truth is that I don't mind the BIG MEN in the company. There's a place for them. There's a place in every facet of WWE for the BIG MAN. But the same can also be said for the smaller men like Daniel Bryan. They can and should exist in the main event picture. What Vince McMahon wants to do is put all of his big men in the main event and none of the smaller guys. That's not fair. Especially not when someone like Daniel Bryan, who wasn't physically blessed with size, still gives his all in every match he's involved in - rather it's a main event, WWE Championship match or just a throwaway match on Smackdown. He deserves to fight those BIG MEN in big matches as long as he can put up a good fight - which is always. I will never stop fighting against the prejudice shown towards bigger superstars in WWE and I hope others will too. The only way Vince will learn is if we keep supporting the little guys Vince would rather ignore.
The PPV as a whole seemed like a gallery for the BIG MEN in WWE, which I just said I have no problem with. But a lot of missteps happened due to them trying to feature the BIG MEN over everyone else. The PPV suffered greatly.
And don't ask me what the ending with Cena and Orton was supposed to be. My best guess is that it's the start of eventually unifying the two titles into one. There had been rumors of Wrestlemania XXX being a unification match for the World and WWE Titles. It certainly seems like WWE is headed in that direction. I'm torn on the decision. On one hand, since the brand extension is effectively kaput, you might as well have only one major championship. On the other hand, they could just make the WWE Championship the main title and leave the World Title for the lower-tier of main-eventers to fight for. If they get rid of the World Title, superstars like Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio and Daniel Bryan will never sniff the main-event again. If that's WWE's plan, I don't LIKE it one bit. I'll hold my tongue for now, until we get further information on what's going on. But I get the feeling that I'm going to HATE where this is headed.
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