WWE Survivor Series 2011: The Rock, John Cena and Monday's Top WWE News
Survivor Series, the most anticipated WWE pay-per-view in months, took place on Sunday night and it was so...disappointing. Perhaps that is our fault for putting too many expectations on the show, but we deserved a lot more than we got.
The Rock's return was noteworthy if not quite the epic, five-star match that you would hope for someone of his caliber to get after seven years away.
John Cena haters had to love last night because it was the first time in a long time where he felt like an afterthought, which could be seen as good or bad, depending on your perspective.
TOP NEWS
Fresh Backstage WWE Rumors 👊
Modern-Day Dream Matches 💭
Most Likely Backlash Heel/Face Turns 🎭
We will rundown all the WWE news from last night's show and get you ready for Raw tonight with our Daily Radar feature.
THE ROCK DEFEATED SOME DUDES, THEN BEAT UP HIS PARTNER
Returning to the wrestling ring after seven years away, The Rock looked to be in better condition and seemed like he was much faster than he was when he walked away in 2004. He scored a pinfall over The Miz with the People's Elbow then yelled at John Cena before laying him out with a Rock Bottom.
Question on Everybody's Mind: Did Rock's return live up to the hype?
Our Take: Sadly, no. The match felt more like a house show match, with a lot of stalling and rest holds, and the ending fell flat because we were led to believe that something more would happen. As a fan of The Rock, it was great to see him. As a fan of wrestling, the match was nothing at all.
Hype Meter: 5 out of 5 Boots to Asses
Even if the match was a disappointment and the finish was lame, The Rock wrestled and that is something to celebrate. He didn't have to come back to WWE to begin with, much less work a match. Now we are going to get two matches in five months.
Deeper Dive
The Rock Outshines Miz, R-Truth and Cena (WWE.com)
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JOHN CENA IS A DORK
To a majority of WWE fans, Cena is the Almighty. He can do no wrong and will always be the best in the company. But to see him smiling, yet again, when the crowd was booing the hell out of him was so sad and pathetic. Even Rock asked him why he was smiling, that's how stupid he looked.
Question on Everybody's Mind: Where does Cena go now?
Our Take: Honestly, who knows. Vince McMahon doesn't even know and he has a show in less than 12 hours. It can't be more fun with Miz and Truth because Cena has beat them up for the last month, so why would we pay to see it on another pay-per-view?
Hype Meter: 2 out of 5 Chain Gang Revolutions
Cena's character is in desperate need of a makeover and if ever there was a time to make that happen, it was last night. Instead, he went out and chuckled at the crowd and let Rock just berate him before laying him out. What a way to make the top star look, you know, like an actual star.
Deeper Dive
Highs and Lows of Rock's Return to WWE (PW Torch)
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CM PUNK FINALLY WINS A MATCH AND GETS A SHINY GOLD BELT IN THE PROCESS
It is safe to say that the Alberto Del Rio-WWE championship experiment was a bust of epic proportions, but at least CM Punk will be entertaining on the microphone carrying the strap. He got Del Rio to submit to the Anaconda Vice in a good match that had a great finishing sequence of nearfalls.
Question on Everybody's Mind: Will CM Punk's second reign be better than the first?
Our Take: It would be hard for this one to be worse, but WWE always manages to find the banana peel with its good workers and potentially good angles. At least this means we will get more interaction between Punk and Johnny Ace, the best performer on television today.
Hype Meter: 5 out of 5 Howard Finkel Introductions
Even though Punk did nothing to justify getting the title shot, the fact that he is champion is a positive because he at least makes things interesting. Del Rio had the potential to be a good champion, but he was always made to look like an idiot.
Deeper Dive
The Entertainment Era Begins (WWE.com)
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SIN CARA BOTCHES MOVE AND CAREER
Being a high-flying professional wrestler can't be easy, but when those breathtaking moves are how you make a living, you should expect to be actually able to execute them. Sin Cara could not do that last night and as a result he is out for six-to-nine months with a ruptured patellar tendon.
Question on Everybody's Mind: Is this the end of the Sin Cara experiment?
Our Take: It should be. After hyping him up for so long earlier this year, he has been nothing but a colossal disappointment. He can't work an American style, which is not his fault since WWE brought him in way too early, and has been more of a headache than he is worth.
Hype Meter: 1 out of 5 Botched Dives Over The Top Rope
As easy as it is to pick on Sin Cara, you don't like to see anyone get hurt. He won't walk away because he is making a ton of money, but his career is being destroyed in WWE. He needs to work on repairing his image and reputation before he returns.
Not-So-Obvious Tweet That We Should Have Expected At Some Point
Deeper Dive
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KEVIN NASH AND TRIPLE H SET FOR EPIC CONFRONTATION THAT WILL PUT YOU TO SLEEP
Speaking of boring things that put us to sleep: Kevin Nash is going to be on Raw, and he is supposed to have a confrontation with Triple H. You remember that feud, right? Nash laid out Triple H with a sledgehammer in such an over-the-top way that you couldn't help but laugh as you were watching it.
Question on Everybody's Mind: Did we wake up in 1996?
Our Take: No, it is very much 2011 and we are getting a feud between the 52-year-old ratings bonanza that is Kevin Nash and the 42-year-old COO of WWE Triple H. Absolutely no way that this feud can't be epic.
Hype Meter: 2 out of 5 Remotes Changing The Channel
The return of Nash was a mistake when it first happened in August and it looks even worse now. He is terrible and can't do anything in the ring. Triple H is a shell of his former self in the ring. Yet we have to stomach four weeks of build and a 10-15 minute pay-per-view match between them.
Deeper Dive
Check back for more on World Wrestling Entertainment as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s WWE Page to get your fill of all things wrestling. For more on WWE/TNA, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics.
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