Tuesday 22 November 2011

Survivor Series

Dolph Ziggler vs John Morrison

Really good mid-card match, kind of like what they would have in a Superstars main event spot. Morrison continues to look infinitely better than he did this time last year, hitting all his flashy athletic stuff really fluidly, and Ziggler is currently on a hot streak of quality matches. Plenty of cool spots and counters, exchanges that kept you guessing, and they did a really great job of getting the most out of their moveset for hot nearfalls (the Sleeper, the Fame-asser, the running knee, etc).

Randy Orton/Sheamus/Kofi Kingston/Mason Ryan/Sin Cara vs Wade Barrett/Cody Rhodes/Jack Swagger/Dolph Ziggler/Hunico (Elimination)

WWE usually has no idea how to book these kind of big elimination tag matches, and whilest this one actually did have some solid booking going on, it was still a pretty drab affair. Cara injuring himself early obviously fucked up their plans and caused them to change it up, which didn't help. Way too much Mason Ryan, too much Kofi and too much Hunico. Not that I have much against Hunico (other than his lack of ring attire), but he's clearly the weakest worker on the heel side. Sheamus getting DQ'd was probably the cheapest way of protecting him, but atleast the finish was smartly booked with Wade and Cody both getting to look like a big deal without Orton losing face.

Mark Henry vs The Big Show

This was really dissapointing. I wouldn't go far enough to say it sucked, because they did enough right, but it was easily both men's worst match of the year. It was laid out pretty well, and the count-out nearfall playing off Summerslam was pretty smart, but the action was dull, and the crowd shitting all over it made it worse. That said, I will never hate a match that sees The Big Show doing a goddamn top rope elbow drop. Merciful Mother Of Fuck, that was one of the most insane things I have ever seen in wrestling.

Alberto Del Rio vs CM Punk

This was a good match, but I'd be lying if I said I was really into it. Despite the shitty build, I was still excited as it's two of the better workers in the company, but I thought this should have been much better. Took a long time to really get out of first gear, and the duelling arm-work (which kept the match interesting most of the way) didn't really go anywhere or get sold in a meaningful until the very end. Del Rio's best attributes as a worker (charisma, taking wicked bumps) weren't really shown, and I kinda hated the finish with Punk catching him in the Vice mere seconds after having his arm almost ripped out it's socket.

The Rock/John Cena vs Awesome Truth

First, let's talk about The Rock. He looked great, hadn't lost a beat. It'll be different working a singles match, but still. Those armdrags were SNAPPY, he took bumps, his charisma and presence is un-matched and he even busted out a freakin' Magistral Cradle. As a match this bombed, but literally had zero chance of ever being good. The "feuding partners" deal pretty much never makes a good match, especially when the WWE seemed to put so much effort into making it clear the heels had no chance of winning. Cena worked hard bumping and selling for them, but Awesome Truth just aren't a good in-ring team, which made most of the match a massive chore with everyone just waiting for The Rock. While this didn't make me any more excited about the WM28 main event, it did make me wish for Rock to return as a full or part-time roster member. Really it is a collosal waste that this might be one of the only two Rock matches we get, and only further highlights the stupidity and conservative nature of the WWE. Bah.

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