WWE Survivor Series 2013: Most Underwhelming Storylines so Far

WWE's annual Thanksgiving time pay-per-view Survivor Series is coming up on November 24. The event is the company's second-most historic pay-per-view of all time, following just behind WrestleMania in terms of longevity—26 years and counting.  

Fans expect an event of this nature to be big, to be special; and this time around is no different.  Indeed, the anticipation is likely very high for this particular Survivor Series since WWE's past few pay-per-views have fell somewhat short of expectations.  

While there are currently only three matches officially booked, there are some storylines that could lead to more matches on the Survivor Series card.  But thus far, these storylines can be described as underwhelming at best.

While it's still relatively early to successfully predict the entirety of a match for Survivor Series, it is possible to speculate on just where it all may be leading.  Will some of these less-than-stellar angles see the light of day November 24?

Tyson Kidd vs. Fandango

This budding rivalry saw its beginnings on the WWE hit TV series Total Divas.  Kidd took exception to new wife and WWE Diva Natalya chumming it up with Fandango during a training match, which led to the two men hooking up on Raw.

The point to all of this seems to be that Kidd's character will be playing the jealousy card and taking out his frustrations on WWE's dancing Superstar.  While this does make sense in terms of a wrestling storyline and contributes to the drama being played out on Total Divas, I for one have to question just how effective it is on WWE programming right now.

Kidd just returned from an injury and has basically been off the fans' radar since he left.  If you had not kept up with the new Divas show, the fact is that you may likely have forgotten all about him.  And when he did return to Raw, there was hardly any notice that he was coming back.

Of course, Kidd had to be reintroduced eventually, and a great spot on the company's flagship program is by far the most desirable way to do it.  But the booking of Fandango is questionable, in my opinion, mostly because he really has not accomplished all that much in recent months.

Fandango has yet to win a championship in WWE, and while this does not mean he is not relevant, his somewhat poor booking does.  

The truth is that Fandango just might not be the strongest opponent to face a returning Tyson Kidd, especially if WWE has something planned for Kidd in the immediate future.  If Tyson had come in on a more established star, like Dolph Ziggler or perhaps even Curtis Axel, I personally feel there would possibly be more to this angle to get excited about.

But again, it's still early.  Maybe WWE can get these two going with a full head of steam and they could have an entertaining match on the Survivor Series pre-show—if that's what the plan is.  Until then, however, we will have to wait and see just how they handle the buildup in this feud.

Ryback's road to ruin

My choice of words for this particular storyline may seem a bit harsh and indeed a bit early to successfully predict, but they just seem to fit.

Evidently upset that Ryback could not protect him from CM Punk at Hell in a Cell, Paul Heyman dumped his newest protege in the middle of the ring.  Even though Ryback did not appear to answer the charges, it is assumed that he and Heyman have now parted ways.

On one hand, many fans may look at this rather surprising turn of events and say that this will be Ryback's time.  Finally, he will get a chance to shine on his own and perhaps even turn babyface again.  He could actually join Punk against Heyman, and if the crowd gets behind him, then he could finally get the support he needs to reach the next level.

And to be honest, all of that was a little painful to write.

The truth is that I have no idea why WWE would go this route right now.  Even though Ryback was no further along in terms of winning a championship or even improving his overall pay-per-view record, he was still at the side of WWE's most popular and influential manager of perhaps all time.  That spot is likely coveted by more than one Superstar, and Ryback had it.

But to drop him now, with the excuse that he could not protect Heyman, just seems silly to me.  The fact is that Curtis Axel did no better of keeping Paul Heyman safe than Ryback did, so why is Axel still in the mix?

The move just feels like a sudden change of plans, as if the company has another idea in mind.  If that is the case, then I for one am very interested to see what it will be.  That's because that at this moment, it just seems to be over for Ryback.  

How can a man who has been built up for so long, only to keep falling in front of fans and then be thrown out by Paul Heyman, be considered anything less than a failure?  How does this benefit his character in terms of where he could go next?

Where can he go at this point?  Who can help him take the next step, and will fans even care if he does? 

Kane as WWE's newest authority figure

When Triple H announced Kane as the new director of operations, I took the news with mixed emotions. From one perspective, I totally understood it and could get behind the idea.  The reason for that is the new and improved Kane is such a departure for the character that fans would immediately flock to it out of curiosity to see what would happen next.

After all, there is no such thing as bad publicity, and even though fans perhaps had a difficult time envisioning Kane in this role, at least they would be watching.  And the truth is that Kane has proven in the past just how good he can be at what he does.

He has played the silent but deadly brother of destruction.  He was the cold and sadistic killer bent on inflicting pain on others.  He was also just a guy who was being forced to deal with anger management issues while also attempting to coexist next to a neurotic, paranoid Superstar whom he was forced to hug on national TV. 

And in each one of these roles, Kane more than succeeded—he flourished.

So this new change of pace should have been embraced with open arms, and Kane should have been given the opportunity to stretch his creative muscles and see what he could do with it.  But that is not exactly what's happened.

Kane's arguments with Brad Maddox and Vickie Guerrero on Raw did not help his cause.  In fact, I believe he looked a little silly and more like a fish out of water rather than a very capable Superstar tackling a challenging new role.

As with the previous examples I've given, the truth is that this storyline is still in the very early stages. WWE could potentially turn it all around before Survivor Series, and by the time it gets here, we could all be praising Kane as a more effective authority figure than Triple H and Stephanie McMahon combined.

But so far, he seems out of place, and I for one did not expect that.  The temptation to end this before its time and just throw Kane back in the ring may be more attractive to WWE than seeing it through, but for me, this angle needs some more work if it does continue.

And perhaps WWE will do just that before Survivor Series on November 24.