WWE has hyped Survivor Series pretty well this year. Well...sort of. I love what they've done with the traditional Survivor Series elimination matches, but the WWE Championship triple threat build up has been extremely suspect at best.
Regardless of all that, this card looks damn good on paper and definitely a lot better than last year's lackluster showing by far.
It's time to preview and predict Survivor Series 2009!
Mickie James, WWE Divas Champion Melina, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, and Gail Kim vs. WWE Womens Champion Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, Jillian Hall, Alicia Fox and Layla (Survivor Series Elimination Match)
WWE has trained us not to care about the Divas, so I really have no interest in this match—other than pointing out all the women competing are gorgeous and deserve better.
Well, at least the women that can actually wrestle (Phoenix, James, Kim, Hall, and Melina) do.
Prediction: Look for my girl Beth Phoenix to pin Melina to become the sole survivor, not Michelle McCool. Lord knows how many times she's been overexposed on TV and NOT in the good way.
Dave Batista vs. Rey Mysterio
Big Dave got tired of his b.f.f.s for life turning on him, so he beat the crap out of Rey Mysterio at Bragging Rights back in October. Technically, all Rey did was try to win the World Heavyweight Championship in a fatal four way match, which is you know, every man for himself.
The Animal didn't get the memo and proceeded to destroy Rey-Rey after the match.
Which leads us to their big showdown. This should feel like a bigger deal, but WWE's rapid fire build up combined with lackluster promos, makes this one an "okay, this MAY be interesting" kind of match.
They should have held this match off until WrestleMania, since it's you know, one of the few original and semi-entertaining feuds left for Batista.
Prediction: After a long match with Mysterio getting many near falls, Batista knocks him out with a devastating clothesline, followed by not one, not two, but THREE Batista bombs for the win.
Post-match, Big Dave powerbombs Mysterio through the announcers' table, putting him out of action until he makes a surprise return at the Royal Rumble. Meanwhile, Batista sets his sights on the World Heavyweight Championship.
WWE Intercontinental Champion John Morrison, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, and Finlay vs. United States Champion The Miz, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, and Jack Swagger (Survivor Series Elimination Match)
This match annoys me. Dolph Ziggler just lost ANOTHER Intercontinental Title match to John Morrison. It's pathetic that one of WWE's hottest heels can't catch a break. He's on a PPV? GREAT.
This guy should be champion. Not like Morrison needs the belt right now, as they're probably pushing him higher up the card in a few months anyway. Oh well, I understand the concept of Miz and JoMo trying to outdo each other, but hate that it's at the expense of Mr. Ziggles and his monster potential.
And don't get me started on Jack Swagger and Shelton Benjamin! That being said, it's nice to see all the young talent in one ring (minus Finlay who regardless of his age, can still go).
Prediction : When it's all said and done, Morrison and Miz will be the final two in the ring. After a fun back and forth exchange, JoMo reverses the Skull-Crushing Finale into a DDT, setting Miz up for a dose of Starship Pain, giving Team Morrison the victory.
Kofi Kingston, MVP, Mark Henry, Christian, and R-Truth vs. Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, C.M. Punk, and William Regal (Survivor Series Elimination Match)
I'll give Vinny Mac and Co. their props. They have finally had Kofi Kingston do away with the happy-go-lucky Jamaican gimmick and are making fans taking him seriously, via his white-hot feud with Randy Orton and The Legacy.
Too bad I can't say the same for MVP. This video pretty much sums up the awesomeness of Kingston's coming of age and the feud overall.
Wow that was awesome!
Prediction: I want to say Kofi Kingston's team wins, but I have a feeling RKO will pin the former Jamaican with a...um...RKO. That sets up a big time match between the two at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs.
Either that or they could have Orton punt Kofi's head to the heavens and have him return to eliminate The Viper at the Royal Rumble, setting up a huge WrestleMania match.
Hmmm.....WWE slowly booking towards Mania with one of their young stars? Eh, I won't hold my breath.
The Undertaker vs. Big Show vs. Chris Jericho (Smackdown World Heavyweight Title - Triple Threat Match):
Jeri-Show are the current Unified World Tag Team Champions. There has been tension in recent weeks between the two, setting the stage for this match very nicely. All three men can go in the ring, which is a huge plus.
Big Show is the brawn. Undertaker brings the incredible psychology. And Jericho is one of the most all-around gifted performers ever . If done correctly, this match could be one of the best triple threats and WWE main events in awhile.
This could also be Undertaker's best match since Mania 25 with HBK. It won't be nearly as good as that classic, but The Phenom has seemed a step slower since coming back in late August.
Look for a ton of near falls, Jericho getting bounced around like a basketball, and Taker and Show participating in a super heavyweight game of one-upsmanship.
Prediction: WWE will go one of two ways. They will either have Undertaker retain the title via the Hell's Gate triangle choke hold and then move on to a great match between The Phenom and Batista at TLC.
Or they could have Jericho sneakily claim the World Heavyweight Title by allowing Show and Taker to take each other out, as the self-righteous Canadian swoops in for the pinfall. I'm really hoping for the latter.
Think about it.
Yes, Jericho and Taker fought on Smackdown a couple weeks back, but who wouldn't wanna see these two again at Mania—especially if Edge isn't back by then. Then again, this past Raw indicates it'll be Taker vs Cena at WrestleMania 26. O-M-G! Unpredictability in wrestling! Vintage Attitude Era! I hate Michael Cole.
John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H (WWE Heavyweight Title - Triple Threat Match):
This sucks. This is a match that could be a classic. These are three of WWE's biggest stars in terms of popularity, drawing power, and how strong they are portrayed on television, yet the average fan wouldn't know there was any actual tension between the three.
You see, unlike the Smackdown main event, which has been hyped through competitive matches, great promos, and hints of deception amongst tag team partners, RAW's marquee bout has been the total opposite.
When a world title program involves Hornswoggle aka the leprechaun-like midget, comedy, more comedy, really really bad comedy, lame comedy promos that aren't funny, and more crapola of the aforementioned, then you know the build-up sucks.
You also lose that feeling of epicness (I made that word up, so shut your mouth). Sigh, I can only think of what could have been had WWE PROPERLY built this match up.
Prediction : Despite the horrendous build up, this match should be extremely fun to watch, with hints of a Triple H heel turn. Whether it'll happen now or later on remains to be seen, but look for Cena to somehow, someway, retain the WWE Title and beat the odds! Again. Vintage Cena (Damn you, Cole)! YAWN.
Next month at TLC, I predict we'll see Christian vs. CM Punk, The Undertaker vs. Batista (Hopefully I'm very wrong about Jericho losing at this PPV!), and Orton vs. Cena vs. Michaels vs. DX (Ultra-YAWN). Enjoy the November classic everybody!
Photos courtesy of World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE.com
Fred "The F-Bomb" Richani is a columnist for The Sports Courier , 411Mania.com , and everythingyntk.com . Richani founded The Sports Courier in 2009. His work has been featured on CBS Sportsline , Pro Wrestling Torch , GOOGLE News , and USAToday.com . He has also interviewed Platinum-selling bands Blue October and OneRepublic . Richani currently resides in Freehold, N.J., just an away hour from New York City and Philadelphia.
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