Back in April, the big talk in the wrestling world was “Wrestlemania XXX” and how this game-changing event has lasted 3 decades. What you may not know is that the the second longest running PPV in the company (and the industry) is the Survivor Series, and this Sunday night will be the 28th time this event takes place.
The original Survivor Series took place on Thanksgiving Day back in 1987 (when I was 11 years old) – and I am watching it right now on the WWE Network. In fact, the first four years of the PPV were on Thanksgiving Day while the next four took place on Thanksgiving Eve. Today it takes place on the Sunday night before Thanksgiving.
Great, now I’m craving cranberry sauce.
Anyway, where was I? Oh right, so I reached out to a few of the Fans (namely my brother Shaun and my cousins Joe and Brandon) to get their predictions on this upcoming professional wrestling extravaganza. Here is what they, and I, had to say.
Fandango vs. TBA
Where the hell has this dancing fool been? Seriously? I think I heard he’s been doing some house shows, but he’s been off TV for quite some time. And they dig him up to bring him back for one of the “Big Four” PPVs? Sure it’s on the free pre-show, but hell isn’t the whole thing free for some folks anyway? And they have him billed as fighting….TBA?
- Shaun: TBA…Bad News Barrett
- Joe: TBA is Adam Rose. Fandango is the bunny. Fandango wins.
- Brandon: Fandango is still a thing? I think TBA is Bad News Barrett and Mr. Barrett will win.
- Mike (Me): I would love it if it’s Barrett, but I’m afraid it might be that damn bunny storyline. My pick is whoever the hell TBA is, he wins.
Fans’ Consensus
We all think Fandango is going to lose. We just all care more about by whom (it’s “whom” right?)
Alicia Fox, Emma, Naomi and Natalya vs. Paige, Cameron, Layla and Summer Rae
What timing. As I write this I am watching the first Survivor Series – and the “Woman’s Elimination Match” just started. “Women” is what we used to call Divas. The Fabulous Moolah and Sherri alone makes this match from 28 years much more interesting than this divas match.
If this match doesn’t open the actual show I’ll be shocked. Or is it annoyed?
- Shaun: We all lose…but Paige
- Joe: Natalya survives.
- Brandon: Paige and her team…But who cares?
- Mike (Me): Maybe reading this has influenced me – but I’ll go with Paige
Fans’ Consensus
Alicia Fox is a face? When did that happen? Probably during my bathroom breaks at RAW. The Fans just don’t care about this match. Do you?
Gold and Stardust vs. The Usos vs. Los Matadores vs. The Miz and Damien Mizdow
This could be a fun one, and it’s for the tag belts. I’ve become a little bored of the Usos over the past few months, and Los Matadores have never done much for me (except make me reminisce about the 80s). The Rhodes brothers always put on a great match, but we all know that Damien “Mizdow” will steal the show.
- Shaun: Mizdow
- Joe: Miz and Mizdow
- Brandon: Mizdow will win.
- Mike (Me): Gotta go with Miz and his amazing stunt double.
Fans’ Consensus
I think Joe and I are the only ones who realize this is just a fatal-four-way tag match and not a Survivor Series match. But, we all are basically in agreement.
AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella
Next to the tag belts, the Divas Championship is the only other title on the line. I am so very tired of the Bellas and any of their storylines. I don’t care. I don’t care. I don’t care. Their voices and their faces are really starting to get on my nerves. Well, not really starting – it’s been this way for months and months and months. And yet I’m afraid we could have a Bella holding a belt.
A Bella.
- Shaun: AJ with help from Brie…while I nap
- Joe: AJ
- Brandon: Nikki Bella will win
- Mike (Me): I do not want to be right on this one – but I’m afraid that they want to give Nikki the belt. Because they hate us.
Fans’ Consensus
Much like some war that was fought in this country at some time in the past, brothers are on opposite sides. While me and Brandon (I’ll call us “Team Handsome”) think that hell on Earth will be upon us as Nikki Bella is crowned Divas Champion. Shaun and Joe (we’ll just call them “Team Older Brother”) think that AJ will retain. I hope they’re right.
Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt
I’m choosing to ignore the Fandango match, or just say “well that’s part of the preshow,” so that I can say that this is the only (non-Divas) singles match of the night. Where almost every other match has match has some sort of gimmick behind it – this one just has two guys who can kill it on the mic and in the ring.
To be honest, I haven’t really been feeling this rivalry all that much, maybe because it is so new – but I have a feeling this could be match of the night. These guys are a huge part of the “now” and possibly the next 10 years of this company – and they could go a long way of showing that tonight.
- Shaun: I guess Ambrose
- Joe: Wyatt
- Brandon: I am going to say Bray Wyatt because I think this feud will continue
- Mike (Me): Wyatt this time. And hopefully there will be a TLC match in their future
Fans’ Consensus
Everybody but Shaun thinks Wyatt is going to win, and that’s only because my brother has an Ambrose poster on the wall in his office. That is a lie.
Team Cena vs. Team Authority
In television, a lot of shows have a main storyline “The A Story” and a secondary storyline “The B Story” and sometimes maybe even tertiary storyline “The C Story.” For WWE, this has been the main “A” storyline – actually it’s more like the A, B, and C story. This is the one they spent the most time building. All the other matches and feuds take a back seat to this one. If Team Cena wins, the “Authority” loses power – and, as announced on Smackdown, if Team Authority wins – everybody on Team Cena – except Cena – will lose their job.
Interesting – well at least they added more motivation for Team Cena to win – and both teams have consequences if they lose.
- Shaun: Team Cena (the he sent me this )My prediction is the Authority have Harper take out Rowan early in the PPV…except someone else appears wearing that sheep mask!! Daniel Bryan – or Randy Orton. Bryan would have the bigger pop while WWE Network is free.
- Joe: Team Cena
- Brandon: Team Cena will win.
- Mike (Me): Team Authority – OR – Team Cena will come close to winning and something will happen that will cause them to lose or for the match to be a DQ draw – and the story continues
Fans’ Consensus
Everybody thinks Team Cena will win…Except me. I think there’s a better chance that neither team wins than there is of Team Cena winning.
So there you have it. The first ever “The Fans Pick The PPV.” I hope there are a lot of eyes on it tomorrow night. I hope that a lot of people tune in and check out the network for free and end up signing up – because the more people subscribed, the better I think the product can be.
If you are NOT signed up yet, it’s free for the rest of the month. Go on over to http://network.wwe.com and just do it. If you don’t like it, cancel it (there’s no longer that 6 month contract deal).
Last year at this time, my brother and I actually went to the Survivor Series at the TD Garden. The show was underwhelming, but it was still fun to see a live WWE event. And it was still fun to see one of the “Big Four” PPVs, a first for me (big brother Shaun, and Joe and Brandon, did go to Wrestlemania 29). But no matter how “okay” that show was – no matter how good tonight’s show could be. There will never.
And I mean EEEEVER – be a Survivor Series team as epic as this one.
Follow Mike on twitter at @WrestleWatcher as he live tweets during every PPV and Raw. Follow him at @mikey_c or everything else.
Follow Shaun on twitter at @spc73.
Follow Joe on twitter at @NHPunk.
Follow Brandon on twitter at @WrestleBrand.
