Wrestling’s 4R’s PPV Edition 11.20.07: WWE Survivor Series 2007
Posted by Larry Csonka on 11.20.2007
After a big down period, WWE delivers yet another good PPV with the Survivor Series.
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Here is a quick explanation of the 4R's. I will take the 4 main shows (5 if I go RetRo) of the week: TNA Impact, WWE Raw, ECW on Sci-Fi and WWE Smackdown. If we have a PPV, that show will get a special PPV edition of the R's all to its own. I then group my feelings on the shows in various categories: The Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right is stuff that worked very well: a great promo, a great match and so on. PuRgatoRy is a section between the right and wrong. It shows equal traits from both sides that cannot be ignored and need discussed. It is not a bad place per say, as things can get remedied or go the wrong way the very next week. The wRong is what it sounds like: bad matches, bad or boring promos and so on. The Ridiculous is stuff that had no right on TV: Stupid angles, Diva searches and so on. And there is always a possibility of a 5th R, which is as bad as they come, unless you are TNA. They have a special R all of their own, the 6th R; the Russo-FN-Riffic~! This column is supposed to be analytical, and at the right time very critical of the shows, it was the whole reason it was created. This is not a "mark" column, nor a "smark" column, my goal is to analyze the show from many different fronts, reward the good and call out the bad. There are also occasions where I will bring out a 5th or even a 6th R to the column, so beware of those~! I will not apologize for my opinions, they are as they are, whether very positive or negative.
WWE SURVIVOR SERIES 2007~!:
The Matches:
ECW TITLE MATCH: CM Punk defeated The Miz and John Morrison @ 7:55 via pin **¾
Torrie, Mickie, Michelle McCool, Kelly and Maria defeated Jillian, Victoria, Layla, Beth Phoenix and Melina@ 4:50 via pin *
WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch defeated Cody Rhodes and Bob Holly @ 7:25 via pin *¾
TRADITIONAL SURVIVOR SERIES MATCH: HHH and Jeff Hardy Survived against Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Finlay and Big Daddy V @ 22:05 via pin ***
Khali defeated Hornswoggle @ 3:17 via DQ (NR)
WWE TITLE MATCH: Randy Orton defeated HBK @ 17:54 via pin ***½
WORLD TITLE MATCH: Batista defeated The Undertaker @ 21:25 via pin ***
The Right:
ECW TITLE MATCH - The ECW Title match kicked off the show, which sends conflicting emotions through my brain. First of all I hate that the ECW Title is continually treated so poorly. But I also know that this is a BIG FOUR PPV, and with no secondary titles on the line, and the guys involved it made sense to offer this up to being the show. Secondly, and a quick one, I hate when the champ comes out first, but again, they hoped to pop the crowd with the first face of the night. Small things that bother me, but not enough to take away from the match. With this all being said, this was a damn fine opening match. All three guys worked hard, set a fast pace and were able to keep the crowd the whole time. Miz and Morrison worked together for a while, until Miz turned the tables and took control of the match. Morrison would eventually return and we then got a cool spot as Punk got a SUPER RANA onto Morrison, who was then caught by Miz for a powerbomb. That was awesome. In the end Morrison and Miz had a miscommunication, and Punk got the GTS on Miz for the win. This was good as Punk got the win, and Miz and Morrison had miscommunication, which should be interesting with them as SD tag champions. A fine opener here, and a good way to begin the show.
TRADITIONAL SURVIVOR SERIES MATCH - Next up was the traditional Survivor Series match, Team HHH vs. Team Umaga. In the pre-match promo we learned that Matt Hardy would not be able to compete tonight, since MVP beat his ass, and Team HHH would be down a man. Jeff said that MVP would have the target on his back, and Rey said he liked that they were underdogs. Kane disagreed and as they were about to be all happy, Kane remembered that HHH accused him of murder and had sex with a dummy pretending to be him, to which HHH said he was sorry. Jeff then remembered that HHH put him in the hospital one time. "My Bad," said HHH. He then rallied the troops and they all agreed that they did horrible things to each other, but tonight they will come together to do horrible things to other people. A fun beginning there, I liked it. The faces saw immediate trouble as Kane was taken out by Big Daddy, and then after a good run Rey got eliminated by Umaga. We had a stare down and it was 5-2, and not looking good for our heroes. But they would come back. Big Daddy would try to help Mr. Kennedy, but HHH would move allowing Big Daddy to crush Kennedy and allow HHH to steal a pin. HHH and Hardy then got the double team on Big Daddy and HHH pinned him. After Finlay did what he does best, and that's kick ass HHH managed to get the pedigree and pin him. HHH and Jeff then battled Umaga, who ate the pedigree and swanton, Jeff got the final pin and the faces defied the odds and won the match! Some will complain about the typical formula, but it is tried, tested and fan approved. If it works, there's nothing wrong with using it, and the crowd loved it. Also, Jeff gets the big rub by surviving with HHH, getting the pin and them having equal interaction. HHH didn't kick his ass like he did London and Kendrick, ad this leads me to believe that we will eventually see that rumored Jeff Hardy push. Also as the secondary champion was made to look important, something that they don't always do. I dug this.
WWE TITLE MATCH - The WWE title match was our semi-main event match of the night, and we had some special stipulations that would play into things greatly. The Stipulations were that if Orton gets DQ'd he loses the title, but if HBK uses the superkick he gets DQ'd and can never challenge Orton for the WWE Title again. So we had some big time shit going on here, but WWE and wrestling as a whole has a history of fucking up stipulations, so I was hesitant here. They started off the match with GRAPPLING~! They worked very basic wrestling, into good wrestling and then into some good MMA style stuff, which I enjoyed the hell out of. The crowd didn't respond that well to some of it, but it was great stuff and set a pace to build from, and the story that HBK was going all the way into the bag of tricks in order to defeat Orton. He pulled out the sharpshooter, which we all knew was coming; he pulled out Angle's ankle lock and grapevine, which got a pop; and then, in a moment I thought we wouldn't see, he actually used the crossface. This shocked me because WWE has tried to hard to disassociate themselves from Benoit and erase him from history. I don't care myself, it's just a move to me, but with the way they have been I didn't expect that and it makes them look a bit contradictory. Oh well. The best part about this is that they played into the stipulation perfectly. Shawn had to try anything and everything that he could in order to win, and he was close. But when HBK almost forgot and tried the kick, he hesitated and THAT is when he got caught and lost. This is also great because Orton got a clean win that he desperately needed in this title run, and a win over good old HBK can do the trick. The after match was great as well. Orton picked up HBK, put him in a corner and demanded that HBK say he was the best. But HBK was out of it and didn't respond. Orton went to grab his title and then, WHAM, Sweet Chin Music~! Good match, a great win for Orton and it played perfectly on the stipulations. Rock on, this was good stuff.
WORLD TITLE MATCH - And he we were, the main event of the evening. Take vs. Batista: Hell in a Cell. To begin I have to say that I was a bit disappointed in the match. Taker and Batista had set the bar pretty high, and I truly believe that the cell took away a bit from what they had done in the past. The match seemed to slam right to 3rd gear, and stay there. I loved the brawling, stair spots, blood, finisher counters and the WrestleMania style kick outs. It worked really well I felt. I just think that they could have done even better, not that this was bad mind you; I just thought they would continue a trend of great matches. Again, this was not bad, just not quite what I expected. I also think that the crowd wanted them to climb the cage, and really, you cannot expect that in every HIAC, and I am glad they kept it in the cage, because that's what the damn this is designed to do. They built a good match, lots of drama and Taker nailed a tombstone on the steps and was about to regain the title when a cameraman, a cameraman that turned out to be EDGE, pulled the ref out of the ring~! He jacked Taker with the camera, got the conchairto with the steps and drug Batista's carcass over and put it on Taker's so that he could win. Edge then laid the beat down on Taker a bit more after the match, and everyone HATED Edge, the way it should be. It's hard to have a guy comeback and him not be treated as a face, but they did a good job of keeping him heel here. Some wonder why Edge would attack Taker and help Batista win. I think that is because he had beaten Batista three times if I remember correctly, and knows he can probably beat him. While he had to wait until Taker was through a cage match before he could beat him. So yeah, I am down with that. In the end it was a great return for Edge, and a great was to get away from Taker and Batista. They had clean matches to this point and Edge came back to mess that up, and the dead man will be pissed. This overall was good stuff, and again it was nice to see Smackdown main event a PPV. Once again, rock on.
Purgatory:
WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH - While many didn't know, there was indeed a tag team title match on the show. This was set up on Heat, which nobody watches, which means no one knew about this. They had a match, it was fine but they all seemed to be walking through it. I feel that the crowd really killed them mentally, which is a shame. Murdoch got the pin with the West Texas Destroyer and that was all it took to take Cody down. After the match Bobcore gave him a stern look, slapped his shoulder and walked away. Maybe they are breaking up, maybe not, I suppose we'll see on Raw. In the end it was fine, the champs won, which they needed after Monday's BERRIAL so that was good. But the dead crowd did them no favors and the fact is the match didn't even feel like a PPV match; it felt like a match I can see on free TV on Monday, Tuesday or Friday. To me that is unacceptable. This show costs $40 and people expect a good effort, they expect great matches and memories; the things they have programmed us to want. But they did not deliver that here and in the end, a match that could have been pretty good or great came off as "just a TV match," and that's a shame.
The wRong:
DIVAS TAG - We had the 10-divas tag match on the show. I didn't have much in terms of expectations for the match, and they didn't deliver nor disappoint. Melina got things off to a funny start as she blew her entrance and fell off the apron, and I laughed.
Not a good sign for the match I have to say. McCool and Victoria had some issues, although that may have been because of Michelle McCool's nip slip {NSFW}. The match was there, it was short but the good thing is that Mickie got the win, which should position her for a shot at the title at Armageddon. I am totally fine with that, because she and Beth SHOULD deliver if given time. In the end is wasn't horrible, but it was short and really not that good. I wish they would have gotten a bit of time, had Survivor Series rules and tossed Torrie, Maria, Kelly and Layla early and let the ladies that know how to work, work a match. There is talent there, but they just aren't getting the chance to show it off.
Khali vs. Hornswoggle - We had Khali vs. Hornswoggle happen. Before the match Vince gave a rousing pep talk to Hornswoggle, telling him about being a McMahon and why he made the match. And then Shane McMahon made a totally random and unannounced appearance to announce Vince, and then finally Hornswoggle was brought out. Khali followed and when he came out the crowd started chanting for SHAQ, who was there in attendance. I have to say, with WrestleMania in Orlando, and that would have been the match to make with a celebrity, especially since he lives near by. Unfortunately for WWE the basketball season will still be going on. Anyway, the "match" saw Hornswoggle beat down Runjin, spit mist in his face and then, Khali would chop down Hornswoggle. But FINLAY would make the save, beat down Khali with the SHACKALACKI and save the little guy. I am fine with bad ass face Finlay. But in the end I have to stick with my original opinion and that is the fact that this kind of thing shouldn't be on PPV, especially one of the big four PPV's. I want important matches, good matches, important angles and such, not this. Sorry kids, that's just the way I see it. Tip the veal, try your waitress.
The Ridiculous:
NADDA~!
Closing Thoughts:
I have to say that while I am not blown away in anyway, that this was a good show. The WWE Title, World Title, Survivor Series Match and return of Edge all highlighted a very enjoyable show, and all delivered in their own ways. Nothing insulted your intelligent or was horrifically bad. Overall I will go with a 7.4 out of 10, and a solid recommendation to check out. The crowd was shitty, but WWE has rebounded well with Cyber Sunday and now this show, and could close out the year strong with Armageddon next month. A good job of turning around otherwise horrible shows by WWE.
2007 PPV Rankings:
-ROH Driven 9.25
-WWE Backlash 8.5
-ROH Respect is Earned 8.25
-WWE WM XXIII 8.0
-WWE Royal Rumble 8.0
-TNA Bound for Glory 7.75
-TNA Slammiversary 7.5
-WWE Survivor Series 7.4
-TNA Victory Road 7.4
-TNA No Surrender 7.3
-TNA Sacrifice 7.25
-TNA Final Resolution 7.0
-TNA Lockdown 7.0
-WWE Cyber Sunday 6.75
-WWE One Night Stand III 6.5
-TNA Genesis 6.25
-WWE New Year's Revolution (RAW) 6.0
-WWE Great American Bash 6.0
-TNA Against All Odds 6.0
-TNA Destination X 5.5
-WWE Judgment Day 5.5
-WWE Vengeance 5.0
-WWE No Mercy 4.5
-WWE No Way Out (SD) 4.0
-WWE Unforgiven 4.0
-WWE Summerslam 4.0
-TNA Hard Justice 4.0
2007 TOP PPV Match Rankings:
-(ROH Driven) #1 CONTENDER'S MATCH: Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness ****¾
- (WWE Royal Rumble) LAST MAN STANDING WWE TITLE MATCH: Cena vs. Umaga ****¼
- (WWE Backlash) LAST MAN STANDING WORLD TITLE MATCH: Batista vs. The Undertaker ****¼
- (WWE Backlash) WWE TITLE MATCH: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge ****¼
- (TNA Sacrifice) TEXAS DEATH MATCH: Chris Harris vs. James Storm ****¼
-(ROH Respect is Earned) ROH TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Mark and Jay Briscoe vs. Matt Sydal and Claudio Castagnoli ****¼
-(ROH Driven) ROH TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico ****
- (WWE Cyber Sunday) WORLD TITLE MATCH: Batista vs. The Undertaker ****
- (WWE No Mercy) LAST MAN STANDING WWE TITLE MATCH: HHH vs. Randy Orton ****
- (WWE Royal Rumble) The Royal Rumble Match ****
- (WWE WM XXIII) WWE TITLE MATCH: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels ****
- (WWE ONS III) LADDER MATCH: The Hardy's vs. TWGTT ****
- (TNA Slammiversary) KING OF THE MOUNTAIN MATCH: Angle vs. Harris vs. Cage vs. Joe vs. AJ ****
- (TNA Destination X) NWA TITLE MATCH: Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe ****
- (TNA Bound for Glory) Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe ****
- (TNA Genesis) #1 CONTENDER'S LADDER MATCH Christian Cage vs. Kaz ****
- (TNA Lockdown) LETHAL LOCKDOWN MATCH (Team Cage vs. Team Angle) ****
- (WWE WM XXIII) MONEY IN THE BANK III ***¾
- (WWE Summerslam) WWE TITLE MATCH: John Cena vs. Randy Orton ***¾
- (TNA Final Resolution) 30-MINUTE IRON MAN MATCH: Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe ***¾
- (TNA Victory Road) MATCH OF CHAMPIONS: Joe and Angle vs. Team 3D ***¾
- (TNA Victory Road) Ultimate X ***¾
-(ROH Respect is Earned) Bryan Danielson and Takeshi Morishima vs. KENTA and Nigel McGuinness ***¾
-(ROH Driven) Roderick Strong, Davey Richards & Rocky Romero vs. Delirious, Erick Stevens & Matt Cross ***¾
2007 PPV MVP AWARDS: This is a little added deal here, as I feel that there are some other things that should be mentioned from the PPV's. Not every PPV will have one, it just depends on who I think steps up and deserves some extra recognition.
-Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker: A Rumble to Remember – WWE Royal Rumble
-JBL: Solo Commentating – WWE No Way Out
-AJ Styles and Rhino: Elevation X – TNA Destination X
-Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker: "They still got it!" – WWE WrestleMania XXIII
-AJ Styles: Almost Dies for his Craft – TNA Lockdown
-The Main Events: "We can step up." – WWE Backlash
-Harris and Storm: Redemption – TNA Sacrifice
-Matt, Jeff, Shelton and Charlie: "Taking a Risk." – WWE ONS III
-Jeff Jarrett: "Thank you Jill" – TNA Slammiversary
-Christopher Daniels: The Ultimate X reunites XXX – TNA Victory Road
-Ring of Honor Makes Major PPV Impact - ROH Respect is Earned
-Kurt Angle: The Angle Triathlon – TNA No Surrender
-Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness – ROH Driven
-HHH: Three Matches on Two Torn Quads – WWE No Mercy
-Sting: I'm 48 and Ripping Shit Up –FTW~! – TNA Bound for Glory
-Taker and Batista Do It Again – WWE Cyber Sunday
-Kaz: Welcome to the Big Leagues Kid – TNA Genesis
-Remember Me Deadman?: Edge Returns – WWE Survivor Series
