WWE Survivor Series: Matches We Need to See at the Blockbuster Event

What's up, ladies and gentlemen? My name is Eric Kanes and I am back here today with one of my favorite columns to write: fantasy booking.

Now, I wrote a similar column back in May shortly after WrestleMania season where I booked SummerSlam because I felt the projected SummerSlam card looked boring. I had a lot of fun writing the column and it turned out to be a huge success, as it was almost unanimously acclaimed, so I figured I'd make this a regular column that I'll write three times a year—one for SummerSlam, one for Survivor Series and one for WrestleMania.

The rules will be the same as in the last column. I am going to book this card as if I'm trying to draw one million buys. You won't see any lazy booking here.

Will all of these matches actually take place? Hell no. I doubt that any of them will. This is simply a fantasy card that I think would be very entertaining to watch and one that would be very beneficial to WWE in the long run.

With that said, let's take a look at the three things I will write out for all of the matches:

The Story: This is how I'd book the story behind the feud going into the event. How did this match come about?

The Match: This is how I'd book the actual match and who I'd book as the winner of this match.

The Aftermath: This is what would happen to the competitors after this PPV match. If I can't come up with a good aftermath scenario, then that match can be considered pointless.

And now, without any further ado, let's get this show on the road.

NOTE: There is a slight SmackDown spoiler mentioned, but not a match result or anything.

Team Randy Orton vs. Team Cody Rhodes

Team Randy Orton (Randy Orton, Ezekiel Jackson, Ted DiBiase, Sin Cara and Kane) vs. Team Cody Rhodes (Cody Rhodes, Jinder Mahal, The Great Khali, Tyson Kidd and Heath Slater)

The Story: This story is basically a continuation of the current story with Randy Orton. Leading to Survivor Series, Orton is portrayed as a complete psycopath. He has moments of rage where he goes crazy, like he did at Money in the Bank during his match with Christian. At SummerSlam, Christian defeats Orton in a No Holds Barred Match, due to some sort of cheap tactic. Post-match, Orton lashes out at him again.

On the following edition of SmackDown, Randy Orton has a match set up against Cody Rhodes but Orton has a "psycho moment" and takes out his frustration on Rhodes before the match can begin. Two weeks later, Rhodes returns and he and Ted DiBiase get their retribution by beating down Orton. This leads to Zack Ryder setting up a match between the two at Night of Champions. Rhodes wins with help from DiBiase, ultimately leading to DiBiase getting taken out by a furious Orton post-match.

Orton continues chasing after Rhodes in the following weeks. This leads to these two having their own match at Hell in a Cell. Except this isn't just any match—this is a No. 1 contendership match for a world title match at the next PPV. I feel that just having a singles/triple-threat match two weeks before each PPV to crown the No. 1 contender is becoming too formulaic. There need to be more creative ways and becoming the No. 1 contender needs to seem like a bigger deal.

Before the match, Rhodes is shown with DiBiase backstage who has bruises on his face and his arm in a sling. Rhodes tells him to overlook his injuries and "do the right thing." Rhodes and Orton go on to have a grueling 20-minute match, bringing in several weapons into the mix. Finally, DiBiase runs out and tries to enter the cell. He can't but it distracts Orton enough to allow Rhodes to nail him with steel steps. Rhodes gets the win and advances to Vengeance to take on Christian and Sheamus in a triple-threat match (more on that later).

In the weeks leading up to Vengeance, Orton begs for a world title match but is denied one because Rhodes did, after all, earn it. However, since the PPV is called "Vengeance," Orton is allowed to get some vengeance in a match against the man who cost him this opportunity: DiBiase. Orton vs. DiBiase is the opener at Vengeance. DiBiase manages to get some offense in but it is mostly a one-sided match with Orton getting the easy win. Post-match, Orton is about to punt DiBiase but DiBiase just barely escapes. Rhodes is nowhere to help him.

Backstage, after the match, DiBiase is shown limping and is about to leave the arena. However, Rhodes tells him how big winning the world title would be and asks him for his help, one final time. DiBiase is reluctant and begs to have the night off but eventually agrees. When it comes time to the Rhodes vs. Sheamus vs. Christian match, DiBiase ends up running in and attacking Sheamus. This causes Sheamus to get angry and hit DiBiase with a brogue kick. Rhodes catches Sheamus from behind with Cross Rhodes. Christian tosses Rhodes out and pins Sheamus to get the win and retain his title. So basically, DiBiase did everything he could but Rhodes ended up losing.

Post-match, after Christian celebrates and exits with his title, Rhodes yells at DiBiase for costing him the match. At that point, DiBiase has had enough and he beats Rhodes down, then leaves on his own.

Leading up to Survivor Series, Rhodes and DiBiase continue their rivalry. Ryder sets up a match: Team Randy Orton vs. Team Cody Rhodes. Since both men have been the most impressive in recent months, they get to pick their teams. The sole survivors of the winning team become No. 1 contenders and get to challenge for the world title at the next PPV, TLC. Rhodes picks Jinder Mahal, The Great Khali, Tyson Kidd, and Heath Slater for his team. Orton picks Ezekiel Jackson, Sin Cara, Kane, and although reluctantly, Ted DiBiase. The match is on.

The Match: This match is given 30 minutes. Let these men sell the legitimacy of the stipulation by being extra aggressive. The match should start with DiBiase and Rhodes. They go back and forth but DiBiase quickly gets the upper hand and starts beating the crap out of Rhodes. Rhodes quickly runs off and tags in The Great Khali. DiBiase tries to fight Khali but Khali quickly eliminates him. Kane comes in and beats down Khali, knocking him off his feet. However, Khali gets up and overpowers him, eliminating him as well.

It is now three-on-five. Rhodes and the clan looks happy as Orton yells at his teammates. Jackson comes in next and locks up with Khali. Eventually, he takes him down with the clothesline/power slam combo and eliminates Khali. Team Cody Rhodes doesn't look too happy now. Slater tries to attack Jackson from behind but Jackson quickly eliminates Slater. Three-on-three.

Kidd comes in to battle Jackson. Jackson shoves him around and then tags in Sin Cara. Cara and Kidd go back and forth with Cara eventually eliminating Kidd with his finisher off the top rope. Rhodes quickly runs in from behind and eliminates Cara with Cross Rhodes. Two-on-two.

These two teams now work back-and-forth. Eventually, Jackson gets double teamed by Mahal and Rhodes leading to Rhodes eliminating him. It is now Mahal and Rhodes vs. Orton as Orton looks infuriated. They start double teaming him and work over him but Orton eventually starts to pump up and go psycho on Mahal, eliminating him after hitting his signature arsenal of moves. Cody Rhodes runs in but Orton catches him with an RKO out of nowhere. One, two, three and Orton is the new No. 1 contender.

The Aftermath: Rhodes and DiBiase continue their rivalry and go on to have a chair match at TLC. Orton goes on to challenge for the world title at TLC in a tables match. Who will his opponent be? We'll find out shortly.

Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan (Submission Match)

The Story: The story doesn't have to be complicated here. In fact, we'll keep it real simple: Wade Barrett wants a shot at the Money in the Bank briefcase. After his feud with Sheamus finishes up, Barrett challenges Daniel Bryan to a match at Vengeance with the briefcase on the line. Bryan does not want to put the briefcase on the line right away but agrees that if Barrett can beat him, then he'll put the briefcase on the line in a match at Survivor Series.

At this point, Bryan is a much more credible wrestler than he is now. He'd have tweaked his character and become portrayed as more of a submission specialist, somebody who can bust out at a submission move at any time, any place. It's not a character overhaul but it's a slight character tweak, similar to how John Morrison went from being a bland high-flyer to the Prince of Parkour. Bryan will begin beating others with not just the LaBell Lock but with just about any submission move. His character will be portrayed as almost deadly; once he locks in a submission move, the match is over. That gives his matches a sense of unpredictability.

That's how his match with Barrett would be at Vengeance. They'd go back and forth with Barrett trying to avoid getting trapped in a submission hold. Eventually, he would go for Wasteland but Bryan would reverse it into some sort of a submission causing Barrett to tap immediately.

On the following edition of SmackDown, Barrett begs for another shot at the briefcase. He says that he was caught by surprise and knows that he can beat Bryan. Bryan agrees to another match with the same stipulation: If Barrett wins, he can get a shot at the briefcase at the following PPV. However, this time it can only be in a submission match, take it or leave it.

Barrett reluctantly agrees. The match is on.

The Match: These guys are given 15 minutes here and it's a back-and-forth kind of match. Bryan locks in several submission holds during the match but Barrett manages to get to the ropes each time. Eventually, Bryan tries to go for the LaBell Lock but Barrett manages to push him off and hit his big boot. Barrett says that he's had enough, goes outside the ring and gets the briefcase. The referee tries to take it away from him but Barrett nails Bryan in the head with it. Bryan is groggy and slowly gets up so Barrett nails him in the head one more time, knocking him out cold. The referee can't disqualify him because a submission match can only end by submission. With Bryan knocked out, Barrett locks in a sleeper hold. The referee raises Bryan's hand three times and then has no choice but to ring the bell.

The Aftermath: At TLC, these two have one final match. It is a ladder match with the briefcase on the line. Bryan goes over after getting Barrett trapped in a submission hold on top of the ladder. This feud is basically just to give Bryan a big win going into WrestleMania and help build him up for the world title match.

Team R-Truth vs. Team John Morrison

Team R-Truth (R-Truth, The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler) vs. Team John Morrison (John Morrison, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Alex Riley and Evan Bourne)

The Story: R-Truth and John Morrison continue their rivalry going into SummerSlam. Truth takes advantage of Morrison's injured shoulder and goes over.

At Night of Champions, we have a six-pack challenge for the United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston vs. John Morrison vs. R-Truth vs. Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger. Why not? Every title must be on the line and guys like Truth and Morrison must be on the card. Having them in this match adds a bit of prestige to the title and gives a bit of a rub to Ziggler when he retains.

On the following episode of RAW, Morrison defeats Truth in a No. 1 contender's match for the U.S. title. At Hell in a Cell, Morrison faces off against Ziggler with the U.S. title on the line but Truth costs Morrison the match. At Vengeance, Morrison gets his "vengeance" against Truth in a match and Truth steals the win once again.

Team Truth vs. Team Morrison is set up for Survivor Series. As with the SmackDown side, both men pick their teams. Truth goes with Miz, Del Rio, Swagger and Ziggler while Morrison goes with Mysterio, Kingston, Riley and Bourne. If you notice, all 10 of those men work at a fairly quick pace and Morrison's entire team consists of mostly high-flyers. This should make for an exciting bout.

The Match: The order of the eliminations doesn't really matter here as long as it comes down to Truth and Del Rio against Morrison. Del Rio and Morrison wrestle for five to eight minutes straight with Morrison eventually finishing him off with Starship Pain. A groggy Morrison gets up, turns around and walks right into Truth's STO. Truth gets the win for his team and upsets Morrison once again.

The Aftermath: Truth and Morrison have a ladder match at TLC. Since they were the last two remaining participants in their match, the match has a No. 1 contendership stipulation for the WWE title. At this point, both guys should look even going into the match—Truth because he got three straight victories against Morrison, and Morrison because he specializes in these types of matches. At TLC, Morrison finally defeats Truth and challenges for the WWE championship at Royal Rumble. We'll find out who his opponent is very soon.

Christian (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Mark Henry

The Story: We have three stories going on at once here. The first is Christian defeating Randy Orton at SummerSlam. At Night of Champions, he faces off against a returning-to-the-ring Booker T. The story is that Booker has to witness Christian's cheating antics every week and it makes him sick. Now he's going to teach Christian a lesson and win the world title in the process. Right now, I don't know if Booker can make a full-time return to the ring but he's still valuable as a part-time performer too. Doing this gives Christian a fresh feud and credible challenger and it also gets Booker off commentary for a month. Win-win.

Meanwhile, we've got a babyface Sheamus who gets defeated by Wade Barrett at SummerSlam. Cut to Night of Champions and Sheamus defeats Barrett in a re-match. At this point, Sheamus should be ready for a world title match.

Finally, we've got Mark Henry who goes undefeated from now until Survivor Series, to keep him hot and turn him into a real monster heel. Have Henry go for a month or two just defeating various SmackDown competitors and cutting promos on how nobody can rest with him around or something along those lines. At Vengeance, have him face off against a returning Kane. Have Kane dominate but ultimately put Henry over.

Back to Sheamus and Christian. Since Sheamus defeated Barrett and Cody Rhodes defeated Orton at Night of Champions, Zack Ryder puts Sheamus and Rhodes against each other in a No. 1 contender's match. Sheamus defeats Rhodes as Ted DiBiase is still injured from Orton's attack at this point. It is Sheamus vs. Christian in a Hell in a Cell match. Christian goes over. At Vengeance, it's Christian vs. Sheamus vs. Rhodes. As we already went over in the first slide, Christian goes over after failed interference from DiBiase.

On the following SmackDown, a battle royal is set up to crown the new No. 1 contender. Henry and Sheamus dominate, and eventually it comes down to them. Have it end with something crazy like Sheamus leaping at Henry causing both men to go over the top rope. Either way, both men become No. 1contenders. Going into the PPV, Christian whines about how he has to compete in a triple threat again while Sheamus and Henry dominate their competition getting ready for the match.

The Match: The booking is simple. Have Sheamus dominate most of it to retain some of his momentum. In the end, though, have Henry easily go through both men and pin one of them to win the world title.

The Aftermath: Some people may wonder why I booked Henry to go over in dominant fashion at this stage in his career. Do I think that he can be a permanent main event heel going forward? No. He's been in WWE for 15 years. He said himself that he plans on retiring sometime next year. However, you want to give him all the moment you can so eventually that momentum can transfer over to Bryan and get him over. Allow me to explain.

At TLC, Henry defeats Orton in a tables match. At Royal Rumble, he faces off against Kane for the world title one more time and defeats him as well. At Elimination Chamber, Henry wins the Chamber match to retain his title.

This brings us to WrestleMania. At this point, Henry will have gone undefeated for seven months. He'll have been the world champion for four months. That's a long time in the present-day WWE. He'll be practically unbeatable. However, Bryan will pull a Rey Mysterio by going into WrestleMania as the underdog and finally being the one to defeat Henry. How much momentum would that give Bryan?

Now, some people say that they'd rather see Christian vs. Bryan and I understand where they're coming from, considering that that would be a much more technically sound match. However, not all matches are about that. Bryan defeating Christian is very believable but if Henry is booked like I suggested, then Bryan defeating Henry almost seems impossible. Bryan vs. Henry may not necessarily be a five-star classic but it's better in the long term because it will make Bryan look like a much stronger champion.

John Cena vs. Skip Sheffield and Vladimir Kozlov (No DQ Handicap Match)

Now, I know what you're thinking right about now: "Eric, you are insane." I'd probably think the same.

Just looking at it, John Cena vs. Vladimir Kozlov and Skip Sheffield at a big four PPV does sound a bit irrational. However, there is a way to make this an anticipated bout and one of the main events. How? Let's take a look at the story.

The Story: At SummerSlam, Cena and CM Punk have another match to determine the true WWE champion that goes over 30 minutes. Punk manages to win once again.

On the following RAW, Triple H sets up a six-man gauntlet match to determine the No. 1 contender. The competitors are R-Truth, John Morrison, Rey Mysterio, The Miz, Alberto Del Rio and Cena. Morrison defeats Mysterio, Morrison defeats Miz, Truth defeats Morrison, Cena defeats Truth and finally Cena defeats Del Rio. Infuriated Del Rio beats Cena down with the briefcase, knocking him unconscious, before leaving. At that point, Triple H's music hits and out comes The Game. Triple H says that this is now a seven-man gauntlet match because he found one more worthy contender: himself. Triple H enters the ring, pedigrees Cena and becomes the new No. 1 contender.

Cena cannot believe what has happened, but to keep him busy, Triple H books Cena in a match against Del Rio at Night of Champions. Triple H now turns into a mega heel and starts a feud with Punk. Triple H is the evil boss while Punk is the anti-hero who "exposes" Triple H for who he really is, talking about how he slept his way to the top.

During this feud, Kozlov and Santino Marella face off against David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty on RAW. Marella and Kozlov win. After the match, Kozlov and Santino shake hands but Kozlov doesn't let go of Santino's hand. Santino doesn't get what is going on but Kozlov beats him down and turns heel once again. Afterwards, Triple H comes out and hands him a paycheck, claiming that he paid Kozlov 10 times his salary to work as his personal bodyguard.

On the next edition of RAW, Punk cuts a promo on Triple H and Kozlov when they come out and beat him down. At that point, Sheffield makes his return and clears the ring of both Triple H and Kozlov. Sheffield and Punk vs. Kozlov &and Triple H is set up as the main event. Sheffield tells Punk that he helped him because he appreciates everything Punk did for The Nexus and doesn't mind having his back. During the match, Punk is about to score the win for his team when out of nowhere, Sheffield nails him with his lariat. Sheffield and Kozlov then beat Punk down. Nobody understands what is going on until Triple H pulls a check out of his pocket and hands it to Sheffield. From that point on, Kozlov and Sheffield are Triple H's bodyguards, always following Triple H around and carrying batons wherever they go.

At Night of Champions, Triple H and Punk wrestle for 20 minutes but after Punk sees Kozlov and Sheffield walking down the ramp, he is distracted, allowing Triple H to catch him with a pedigree and get the win. Post-match, Kozlov and Sheffield enter the ring with their batons and beat Punk down. Triple H leaves with the WWE Championship and medical officials check on Punk to end the show. This writes Punk out of storylines and gives him the break he's been wanting to take.

The following night on RAW, Triple H explains that Punk got what he deserved after questioning his authority. If anybody else follows in his footsteps, they will suffer the same consequences. Cena then comes out and asks what the hell happened to this company. Triple H says that Punk got what was coming to him. Cena points out how a month ago, Triple H stole his title match. He says that if he will be unfairly denied his title match, then you might as well forget about his match with The Rock because he quits. Triple H reluctantly agrees to the match but it will be on his turf...in a Hell in a Cell match. At Hell in a Cell, Triple H defeats Cena after Kozlov and Sheffield break into the cell and beat Cena down.

The following night on RAW, Cena claims that that was not a proper title match. He wants a real match with Kozlov and Sheffield banned from ringside. Once again, Triple H has no choice but to agree. Once Vengeance comes, Triple H takes advantage of a referee bump and pulls out the sledgehammer. He uses the hammer to take down Cena and win.

The next night on RAW, to start off the show, Triple H tells Cena that he got what he wanted fair and square. Cena says that he deserves another re-match. However, Triple H tells him that he doesn't because he's already had two shots. Instead, if he wants a title match, this time he has to earn it. He has to earn it in a No DQ Handicap match against Sheffield and Kozlov.

Later on backstage, Triple H tells Sheffield and Kozlov that he's tired of Cena chasing him for the title. He tells them to keep him out until WrestleMania.

The Match: This match obviously won't be a technical classic so it doesn't have to go over 10 minutes. However, the story from the start is that Kozlov and Sheffield want to inflict as much damage as they can before winning. With that said, Cena comes out with a chair to even the odds. He knocks them both down for about a minute or so before the numbers start catching up. Kozlov and Sheffield beat him down with their batons and take turns hitting their signature moves on him for a few minutes. They start setting him up for their finishers when...CAN YOU SMELL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKING?

The Rock's music hits and out comes The Rock, who is currently scheduled for this show. Rock takes down both Kozlov and Sheffield and hits Rock Bottom on Sheffield. Cena gets up and hits the AA on Kozlov. Simultaneously, Sheffield gets a People's Elbow while Kozlov gets a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena gets the cover and the win.

Post-match, Cena and Rock nod at each other and Cena leaves as Rock celebrates with the live crowd.

As you can see, this match isn't about putting on a clinic. It's about giving Cena something to do before his feud with The Rock and giving The Rock something to do during his appearance at Survivor Series.

The Aftermath: We'll get to that in just a bit.

Triple H (c) vs. CM Punk

The Story: And now we get to the main event. As you saw in the previous slide, I already covered most of this story. However, let's go to the night after Vengeance, after Triple H announces that John Cena must face Skip Sheffield and Vladimir Kozlov.

The main event segment is Triple H cutting a promo on how he defeated Cena not once but twice and how there is nobody on the current roster who has what it takes to beat him. With that said, he will be taking the night off at Survivor Series. After a couple more minutes of this talk, CM Punk's music hits and Punk officially returns. Punk talks about how he he still has a re-match clause and that he will use it at Survivor Series.

In the following weeks, Punk continues "exposing" Triple H and continues one-upping the boss. He brings up Triple H's past and promises to end it all at Survivor Series.

The Match: This match is similar to their Night of Champions match. Punk is on his way to victory when Kozlov runs out to the ring. The referee tries to get him away when Sheffield comes in through the other side and hits the lariat on Punk. Triple H gets the win and Punk continues chasing the title.

The Aftermath: At TLC, we get Triple H vs. Punk vs. Cena in a Triple Threat TLC match. Triple H goes over once again, continuing his reign of terror. At Royal Rumble, Triple H cleanly goes over John Morrison.

During the Rumble match, CM Punk has to enter at No. 1. Punk goes through the entire match avoiding elimination. No. 38 is Sheffield. Kozlov is already in the match. Together, the two eliminate every wrestler in the match, including No. 39, but they fail to eliminate Punk. However, they are about to.

Five...four...three...two...one...Suddenly, Punk's old theme hits. No. 40 is a returning Mason Ryan who runs out to help his former leader. Ryan quickly eliminates Kozlov. Sheffield and Ryan lock up near the ropes, which allows Punk to eliminate both of them, thus winning the Rumble match.

At WrestleMania, he finally gets his shot at Triple H and they get a lot of time this time around. Unlike most of the WrestleMania matches, this isn't the start of a rivalry. This is a culmination. Punk and Triple H fight tooth and nail this time. Kozlov and Sheffield tease a run-in but this time, you can have Cabana and Gallows, who Punk has mentioned that WWE screwed over, come out and even the odds as the announcers put over who they are. With them out of the way, Punk and Triple H continue until Punk finally hits the GTS and gets the win.

Post-match, have Punk celebrate with his friends. You can even have the new world champion, Daniel Bryan, come out to join the celebration. Let Punk have his WrestleMania moment.

Final Thoughts

And that shall conclude my Survivor Series booking. What do you guys think? Do you like how everything is set up? What would you change? Let me know in the comment section below.

Now, before I go today, I'd like to do a quick plug. Over the past several months, I have been talking about a project that I've been working on. I am glad to announce that the project is finally completed and the project I've been talking about is a site that I've put together called QuickWrestlingNews.com. The site will be primarily a rumor site and also sort of a wrestling directory. Make sure to check it out for all of the latest wrestling news and much more.

I will be right back here tomorrow with a column for the CvC competition, but until then, I'm out!

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