Survival Instinct Ends The Thanksgiving Night Tradition

So, I'm back. Yes, I've been gone a long time from Bleacher Report, despite the fact I've had ideas for several articles since I posted my last one about the creative possibilities of the matches at Bragging Rights. But this event I woke up to could not be ignored.

For a show about Survival, and as one of the big 4 original WWE PPV's, it's a little shocking and hard to understand how this year's buyrates fell so hard, that Vince McMahon himself, the one who proudly intro'd the matches back when every one was 4 on 4 or 5 on 5, was forced to say goodbye to this pay-per-view that has been around over two decades. But, as a fan, I'm going to try to make sense of it, and hope you all can at least entertain my ideas.

A recent poll on a wrestling news site I frequent daily asked users to list the Survivor Series PPV's in order of worst to first. almost half of those polled seemed to hate the last two outings, and their favourites were 2001, when the WCW banner finally fell for good in the main event and 2002, with the emergence of the Elimination Chamber and HBK's return to a regular schedule.

Now, I for one, have always looked forward to any of the big 4, and the team concept really interested me as a young fan. But, as other fans have talked about, it devolved into just another PPV due to the singles matches and the lack of team matches…they even called them, “Traditional Survivor Series matches.” If anything says old news, it’s using the word, “Traditional.” I know times are changing, but the loss of this PPV hurts because of its longevity and what it meant when it began. Let’s do a little history lesson here.

Survivor Series 1987. The Richfield Coliseum. The story was all about two men: Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan. After seeing how much their WM III match affected the 90,000 plus in attendance at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, along with everyone who watched it on PPV, Vince wanted to keep the rivalry going hard. So, he used the Heenan Family card and someone (not sure if it was Vince) suggested a foray away from the singles aspect. Everyone has friends, so why not do a kind of gang rumble?? Five on five (as it later became 4 on 4) elimination matches were booked for the card, and in a surprising main event, Andre’s team turned the match into a 3-1, with Bam Bam Bigelow the sole survivor on Hogan’s team, not the mighty Hulkster. If I recall correctly, I believe the first one was also the one where Honky Tonk Man also fell behind 3-1, and after fighting for a few minutes, Honky split. Bigelow didn’t run, but he couldn’t take out all three behemoths still surviving on Andre’s team.

The best part?? The fans wanted more. Like the Royal Rumble practice run, Survivor Series was a success, and was added to the brand new PPV slate WWE had begun. Summerslam started the following year. The Rumble began the same year. So, aside from WrestleMania, which first hit the airwaves in 1985, the Series was the 2^nd oldest PPV.

Despite all the problems behind the scenes in WWE today, it now strikes me as a GM having to fix something quickly within a team-wow, that’s an interesting concept-and like they say, you can’t fire a whole team…so you change the coach. If the team means the WWE superstars, then the coach would be, or should be the event. The show is what should be encouraging and motivating all the athletes, which is what the coach does.

Of course, even Vince and WWE know that it’s a lot easier to get people in for the Stanley Cup (e.g. WrestleMania) or the old Divisional playoffs (e.g. Royal Rumble) than it is for a regular season game. That’s why shows like the one highlighted by that same Elimination Chamber from the Series in 2002 have replaced generic shows like No Way Out. TLC is for the rabid fans who want to see carnage and blood and injury…which you may not have gotten at the PPV Armageddon…it was “traditional” with a few gimmick matches thrown in.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to write any angry letters to Vince to “shape up and bring back the Series or I’ll cease being a fan.” I just bought the Survivor Series Anthology a few months ago, and let me tell you, if this is the end, I have plenty of great memories I can enjoy from the days when everything was more lax and less about immediate impact, which is what the wrestling world is all about today. If there is one thing I do blame for the death of Survivor Series it’s the fact that there are too many PPV’s in one 12 month calendar year. Sure, every month you can get big time revenue if you push the show properly, but too much of anything isn’t a good thing. Fans get bored. Or fans make the decision to only purchase the cards they’re committed to.

For me, that was the big four, and I admit to buying One Night Stand each of the years ECW ran it after they returned. Now, that brand has gotten so decrepit in the ratings that it’s getting the old heave ho before March begins. I dislike change, but at least I can now save another 20 bucks and watch the other Big 3…until Summerslam loses its value to WWE. I doubt they’d mess with either the Rumble or Wrestlemania…but I was wrong before.

Survivor Series didn’t survive past 23. It ended in a car crash, with the lowest buyrate in years, despite one of the better shows in years for that particular PPV, if I do say so myself. But with longevity comes a legacy. Besides the aforementioned moments, Survivor Series went from continuing Andre-Hogan to moments like the collapse of the Heenan Family, the debut of the Undertaker and his ascent the next year, the 3 on 1’s and 4 on 1’s, the Match of Survival, the first-and last-WWE title matches between HBK and Bret Hart, along with their returns, Rocky Maivia’s debut and subsequent survival, The Undertaker finally getting the best of Mankind, an appearance by Chuck Norris, Wild Card matches, The first WWE table spot, the swerve in 1998 where The Rock won the WWE Title, Cena’s FU on the Big Show who at the time was over 500 pounds, RAW vs. SD!, Edge’s return in HIAC screwing the Phenom, Randy Orton surviving at three consecutive events…and, as I am a heterosexual male, I can’t forget the Long Kiss Goodnight between Mickie and Melina.

This year's wasn't as bad as the buyrates suggest, with Sheamus and McIntyre continuing their winning streaks and the shocking start to the WWE Title match between John Cena and DX. True, the split only lasted through that one match, but man, to start the match that way...it was a shock and it drew you in. It was definitely Main Event calibre, which is hard to do with John Cena in the match. Unfortunately, the card alone couldn't save the 2nd oldest WWE PPV.

There is a rule in evolution that says: You don't have to fail to go extinct, just succeed a little less often. That's what has happened to the Survivor Series, after several sub par years. It's sad, but I have to admit I am interested to see what is put in its place this November.

Whatever way it goes, I will always remember the team competition, which sadly, will now never be a part of a SD! video game, along with the shocking and heartwarming moments like HBK winning that first EC match over his tormentor, Triple H. But when I think of Survivor Series, what I will remember the most will be those pre-90s events where a young Vince McMahon would open the show with a run down of each team, along with the statement: "Welcome to the Thanksgiving Night Tradition. Welcome to the Survivvvvvvorrrr Serrrrries!!!!"