WWE Survivor Series 2011: Can the Rock and John Cena Salvage Sunday's Show?

The road to Survivor Series leads to its destination this Sunday, but WWE has done little to make the 2011 installment of the classic pay-per-view a must-see event, begging the question: is it too late?

To answer that, we first must examine what the WWE did wrong.

To my knowledge, last night's edition of Raw was the first time the company hyped the fact that this year marks the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series. I recall seeing adverts for John Cena's DVD movie release in the past few weeks, as well as the deserved hype for the Rock's return to Raw, but only last night was there an emphasis on the milestone year.

When Survivor Series debuted on Thanksgiving Day 1987, it was a notch in the company's belt that their business growth warranted and could sustain a second annual PPV—WrestleMania being the only other such event.

It also helped solidify WWE's presence as industry leader. Since 1983, Thanksgiving had been the day that rival promotion NWA aired their annual PPV card, Starrcade.

On the heels of the historic WrestleMania III, Vince McMahon told pay-per-view providers that if they wanted to continue carrying that profitable franchise, then they must also carry Survivor Series—forcing Starrcade to abandon tradition and find another air date.

In 1988, both the Royal Rumble and SummerSlam premiered, joining Mania and the Series in becoming WWE's "Big Four" annual events, representing a sentimental era for fans, and paving the way for the monthly pay-per-views that WWE now relies upon for revenue.

For an event that has emotional resonance with fans, and also marked an upturn in the company's fortunes, WWE could have done a lot more to make the silver anniversary of Survivor Series feel special. Last night's Raw was a good start, but it should have taken place before the week of the event.

 Rather than sell the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series, WWE, through their media outlets and the Rock's social networking, have spent the past few weeks hyping the Great One's return to the ring for the first time in seven years.

As well they should have.

In retrospect, it would have made more sense to hype Survivor Series at 25 as the reason the Rock is returning to the ring prior to his WrestleMania encounter with John Cena, as opposed to the strange justification he gave via satellite on the previous Raw.

In an early tweet, the Rock hinted that he was returning to where it began for him, and that kind of personal investment in the event—MSG being the venue—would have gone a long way to raising the prestige of the PPV.

Instead, audiences were enticed with a feud against a team that Cena has proven time and again he can beat by himself, and the supposed hook of if Cena and Rock will be able to work together.

Not only should the Rock have flatly denied Cena's request to be his tag partner, but—in a Mr. Perfect world—the question should never have been asked.

As they did with the marquee match of Hulk Hogan against Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam 2005, WWE should have had Cena vs. Rock at Survivor Series, and scheduled either a rematch or this tag match at WrestleMania.

Having the tag match at WrestleMania would have had a nice, full circle effect.

The Rock and Cena came to blows the year prior, would have fought each other and earned the other's respect during their singles match at Survivor Series, and then could have teamed up against mutual foes in a better developed storyline leading into WM 28.

Mania sells itself, and the Series could have benefited from the luster of such a high-profile match.

On the other hand, if WWE wanted to save the promised showdown for spring and still wanted to touch on that story, it would have done wonders for someone like the Miz, who has history with Rocky, to fight him in a singles match, perhaps with Cena and Truth as corner men.

However, since it appeared WWE focused their hype solely on the Rock returning to action for the first time in seven years, it could have been a star-making moment for an athlete such as Dolph Ziggler or Cody Rhodes to work with the iconic veteran on that stage, the conceit being that Survivor Series was worthy of the Rock's return, and he wanted to shake off the ring rust in singles competition prior to Mania.

If Rock and Cena were facing the Miz and Truth who attacked cameramen, were arrested and fired, perhaps the Survivor Series main event would be compelling in and of itself. The beats of the story were there, in that Cena felt the need to ask for help, and only his enemy was feared enough to be a worthy partner.

However, Awesome Truth quickly lost their teeth thanks to boneheaded booking decisions.

Their return to the WWE came in the manner of an underwhelming announcement and a tag match on the same night, as opposed to being so vile, so ruthless, so destructive, that the WWE had no choice but to reinstate them for the singular purpose of a sanctioning a gunfight between them and the law—Cena/Rock.

Cena agreed to team with Zack Ryder against Awesome Truth, which made Miz/Truth seem like members of Raw, instead of outsiders who had to be taken down with the help of another outsider.

More worrisome was the fact that Cena was able to dispatch both Superstars with his signature spots, and even the Rock got in on the act this past Monday.

With Rock vs. Cena already set for Mania, there is little investment for the audience in worrying about whether or not they will get along, no matter how many times they try to convince viewers otherwise. Cena and Rock don't have to get along, they're already squaring off later.

WWE has main eventers in Miz and Truth, but they dropped the opportunity to raise the stocks of two guys who were beginning to rise to the occasion. Instead, the biggest heat on Raw is consistently generated by non-wrestlers Vicki Guerrero and Michael Cole (two acts the WWE would have money in if they patterned them in the Bobby Heenan mould, but they do not).

Mark Henry has been doing a lot of things right in this World Heavyweight title reign, and the response from Internet fans has been enthusiastic to both his work and booking.

In an advertisement on Raw, the question was asked what will happen next—the last time Henry met Big Show, they caused the ring to implode.

Unfortunately, WWE has painted themselves into a corner. Unless some other catastrophe happens, and they're all but advertising one, audiences will feel disappointed, because how do you follow up on the ring imploding? 

A big finish of that magnitude should have ended the feud.

Even if Big Show wins the title on Sunday, there is now an expectation of spectacle.

Beth Phoenix is a Superstar who has suffered from strange bookings on the course to the Divas Championship—she'll be defending against Eve, though hopefully this reign will set the course for the division.

She has displayed, through her interviews on Greatest Superstars of the 90s and the match on Ladder Match 2, that she is a student of the game.

Phoenix has what it takes to give the fans something to care about if she's involved in a worthwhile story—traits and opportunities Trish and Lita possessed.

The first Survivor Series featured a women's match pitting Sherri Martel's team against a team featuring the Jumping Bomb Angels. Martel's heelish charisma kept the crowd going for the first half of the contest, but by the end, it was the athleticism of the Angels that won over the crowd, as well as announcers Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura.

When performers are treated as wrestlers, not genders, races, etc., audiences will respond.

Junkyard Dog and Ernie Ladd taught us that, and I sincerely hope WWE will realize it applies to their talented female stars as well. Eve is a good physical match for Phoenix, so hopefully the two will be given a chance to tell a good story.

Like Phoenix, Alberto Del Rio has suffered from questionable bookings on his path to the WWE Championship.

Last week on Raw, CM Punk rightly asserted that all audiences know about Del Rio is his destiny to be champion. Unfortunately, ADR accrued losses in championship matches, changed brands and still claimed it was his destiny.

I can understand the decision not to have Edge lose his last match at WrestleMania, and for Edge's best friend Christian to attain his career goal of winning the World Heavyweight Championship, but WWE should have had ADR change tact from the destiny spiel.

Del Rio is a gifted, aggressive in-ring performer, and I am confident he and Punk will deliver a great match based on the story of each trying to out-wrestle and outwit the other into their finishing armbar submissions.

According to WWE Magazine, many Superstars feel that ADR carries himself with a kind of regalness backstage. If more of that real-life mystique was infused into the aristocratic character, perhaps his title reign wouldn't feel so undeservingly lackluster.

Finally, if the recent 10-man tag on Raw was any indication, I'm sure the traditional Survivor Series match between Team Orton and Team Barrett will be entertaining, but, once again, WWE has done nothing to make the Series, or the matches it is named for, feel special.

From what I can recall, time wasn't taken on TV to develop why these team members were selected by their captains or what each member brings to the fight. I'm sorry Christian won't be participating, though I'm glad Ziggler is filling in. That said, it would have been more compelling for Wade Barrett to have approached Vicki or Ziggler personally and ask him to be on the team, rather than just have it announced on Raw.

It would have been more compelling to have the COO announce Christian's injury and then leave Barrett to devise a gauntlet that would end in team membership. There's no ownership to these teams, no real personality as the driving force behind them, unlike Team Madness versus Team Honkytonk at Survivor Series 87, for instance.

Most people who are going to order Survivor Series probably had their minds made up by the end of Raw, but this viewer is not among that number. While I have great respect and affinity for the wrestlers I have mentioned in this article, WWE has not convinced me that Survivor Series 2011 is destination viewing:

• The traditional Series match feels as cobbled together by the same powers that be that announced the 10-man tag match I recently saw on free TV.
• Though I'm not thrilled with the Del Rio character, I know he and Punk will put on a clinic for the real reason we all watch this art form. This is my anchor baby match, meaning that I'm willing to buy the PPV to see it, as long as a number of other matches on the card pique my interest.
• I want to care about Beth Phoenix and the Divas Championship, but WWE makes an effort to undermine this division whenever they start getting any steam. Unless WWE starts treating the division and its performers with respect, audiences will continue to harbor low expectations, and both the Superstars and the audience deserve better.
• I remember the last time Big Show imploded a ring. What I don't remember is the match in the feud that followed it. I fear the same will happen here, that they'll follow a spectacle with a traditional match, which we already saw with these two at Money in the Bank.
• After seven years, the Rock makes his return to the squared circle, against opponents both he and his partner have laid out on television. The WWE wasted the opportunity to use the wattage of Rock and Cena to shine a light on two guys that would have delivered, and have wasted the moment of Rock's return, not on a meaningful singles match or a tag match against a viable threat, but on a throwaway match to promote a future match we were all going to pay to see anyway.

Unless there are tectonic changes to Survivor Series at tonight's SmackDown taping, I'm just going to save my money for the WrestleMania they'll be promoting on Sunday.