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Have you ever watched a movie where, at the halfway point, you are utterly convinced that it was not worth your time, only to be amazed by the film’s climax and walk out thankful that you had made the effort? Well, that was Survivor Series 2014.
Emanating from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, WWE’s annual Thanksgiving spectacular was headlined by a spectacular main event which pitted Team Cena against Team Authority – with added stipulations thrown in to the mix.
If Cena’s team, led by team captain John Cena, lost, each member would be fired, with the exception of Cena.
However, if Team Authority, captained by Seth Rollins, were to be defeated, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, collectively known as ‘The Authority’, would lose all of their on-screen power. Although many fans contemplated possible endings to the match in the lead-up, few could have predicted what ended up taking place.
In the dying moments of what had been a classic traditional Survivor Series bout, Triple H, in a desperate attempt to ensure his team won the match, interfered.
After taking out the remaining member of Team Cena – Dolph Zigger – ‘The Game’ placed Rollins on top of his lifeless body as referee Scott Armstrong counted the pinfall.
Before his hand could hit the canvas for the count of three, the lights of the Scottstrade Center went out, enshrouding the arena in darkness, before a familiar face appeared on the Titantron – that of former WCW Champion and professional wrestling icon, Sting.
In one of the most surreal scenes in WWE history, the legendary ‘Stinger’, donning a black leather jacket and the classic black and white ‘Crow’ face paint, made his way to the ring to confront a dumbfounded Triple H.
While the crowd boisterously chanted ‘This is awesome’, the two future Hall of Famers barely moved a muscle as they stared each other down – it was as tense a moment as you’ll ever see in sports-entertainment. Moments later, Triple H found himself on his back in the middle of the ring, courtesy of a Scorpion Death Drop.
Astonishingly, it was the first time Sting had set foot in a WWE ring, despite having been a former NWA, WCW and TNA World Champion. At 56-years-old, many fans doubted they would ever see him in action again.
Although he had signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment earlier this year, many assumed it to be for promotional purposes only. So when Sting, real name Steve Borden, walked out in front of a frenzied St. Louis crowd, it certainly added credence to the popular saying that you can ‘never say never’, particularly in the whacky world of professional wrestling.
As great as Sting’s official WWE debut was, it must still be followed by strong, logical storytelling by the creative team. Why did Sting choose that specific night to debut? Why did he take out Triple H?
The company has a strong history of merely relying on big names to carry their feuds, but if they want this to be a memorable program, there is a lot of explaining left to do.
Aside from the debut of Sting, there were plenty of other stories which came to fruition in the main event at the Survivor Series. In a classic bout which lasted nearly an hour, both teams were on level pegging, until the Big Show, in a heel turn which was most probably motivated by his desire for job security, knocked out his own team captain John Cena, who was then pinned.
After walking out on his team, the Big Show was counted out, which left Ziggler in a precarious position as the lone member of his team, up against the three superstars who remained on Team Authority. In an exciting final 10 minutes, Ziggler managed to eliminate both Luke Harper and Kane, before coming toe to toe with Seth Rollins.
Although he had the match won twice after hitting Rollins with the Zig-Zag on both occasions, Ziggler was the victim of interference by Triple H, who both times pulled the referee out of the ring.
Following the interference of Sting, who took Triple H out of the equation and placed Ziggler on top of Rollins, the referee counted the pinfall, and put an end to The Authority’s reign of terror in the WWE.
Despite the satisfying finish, there are still several other questions that need answering. Among them, what consequences will the Big Show suffer after he tried to cost his team the match? Furthermore, will Cena choose to bring The Authority back into power?
Although it seems highly unlikely, the stipulation that Cena is in charge of their fate is one that shouldn’t be ignored. One thing is for certain – the next couple of months will be an interesting period in the WWE.
In the other marquee match of the evening, the grudge match between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt was soured by the announcement later in the evening of a scheduled match between the two at following month’s Tables, Ladders and Chairs Pay-Per-View.
During the closing moments of what had been a physical affair, Ambrose found himself in the same situation that John Cena had months earlier at WrestleMania – wielding a steel chair, unsure of whether to defeat Wyatt the proper, moralistic way, or unleash on the ‘Eater of Worlds’ with the weapon, thus causing himself to be disqualified.
Ultimately, Ambrose chose a different path to Cena, unleashing on Wyatt with a flurry of steel chair shots, thus causing the match to end in disqualification.
In continuing his destructive rampage, Ambrose threw several more steel chairs on top of Wyatt, and put him through a table via an elbow drop. As Ambrose pulled a gigantic ladder from underneath the ring, most knew that a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match was what lay ahead for both men.
However, few expected the WWE to announce the match on the same night as their first encounter, and it did take much of the shine off it. Regardless, their match at TLC is one that should not be missed, as both men are sure to take it up a notch in the more violent atmosphere of Tables, Ladders and Chairs.
In regards to their match at Survivor Series, it showed two things; Dean Ambrose indeed has a very bright future, and brings a unique blend of excitement, violence and old-school wrestling to the table, while Bray Wyatt is in danger of become predictable and, unfortunately, stale.
While the ‘Eater of Worlds’ brought a refreshing flavour to the WWE upon his debut in 2013, which his cold, chilling promos, and ruthless wrestling style, there has been little in the way of character development since that time. Almost every one of his feuds relies on that same dynamic between himself and his opponent; he wants to save them, they don’t want to ‘give in to evil’.
A new approach to his character is needed, or else he may be in danger of falling into the uncertainty of mid card purgatory.
Two championships were defended at Survivor Series, and on both occasions new champions were crowned. In a fun opener, the entertaining duo of The Miz and Damien Mizdow captured the WWE Tag Team Championships in a Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match against The Usos, Los Matadores and Goldust and Stardust. It was the first taste of WWE gold for Damien Mizdow (Damien Sandow), who seems to have found his niche as The Miz’s stunt double.
In the Divas Championship match between reigning champion AJ Lee, and Nikki Bella, Brie Bella turned out to be the deciding factor as her sister captured the title in less than 30 seconds. Almost as soon as the bell rung, Brie Bella distracted Lee in unique fashion, by kissing her ‘good luck’, enabling her sister to hit the ‘Rack Attack’ for the victory, and her first every Divas Championship. The sooner this Bella debacle is over, the better.
In the other Traditional Survivor Series match of the evening, the team of Naomi, Emma, Natalya and Alicia Fox defeated Paige, Cameron, Layla and Summer Rae in what was a scrappy, mediocre affair which lacked cohesion.
The divas seemingly went from one spot to another, without any forethought or plan. In the end, Naomi pinned Paige to complete a clean sweep for her team.
In what was arguably the highlight of the match, Tyson Kidd, who had escorted his wife Natalya to the ring, climbed on the turnbuckle and raised his hands in the air, as though he were the architect of the victory.
Fatal Four Way Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships
The Miz and Damien Mizdow def. The Usos, Goldust and Stardust and Los Matadores
Traditional Divas Survivor Series Elimination Match
Naomi, Natalya, Emma and Alicia Fox def. Layla, Paige, Cameron and Summer Rae
Bray Wyatt def. Dean Ambrose (via disqualification)
Adam Rose and The Bunny def. Heath Slater and Titus O’ Neill
Divas Championship Match
Nikki Bella (W/Brie Bella) def. AJ Lee
Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team Cena (John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Erik Rowan and Ryback) def. Team Authority (Seth Rollins, Mark Henry, Luke Harper, Kane and Rusev)
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