411’s Instant Access 11.20.11: WWE Survivor Series 2011

• Scott Slimmer, author of Don’t Think Twice.
• Tony Acero, author of 411’s WWE Raw Report and The Low End Theory.

For even more coverage, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at @ScottSlimmer.

Okay kids, enough with the explanations. Let’s get to the wrestling.

United States Championship Match
Dolph Ziggler (Champion) w/ Vickie Guerrero vs. John Morrison
Match Result: Dolph Ziggler defeats John Morrison with the Zig Zag.
Match Length: 10:42
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Ziggler and Morrison put on a very good, fast-paced match, and under normal circumstances I would say that it was a great choice for the opener. However, this entire match fell under the shadow of Zack Ryder, and so it’s impossible to analyze this match without discussing Ryder. The crowd was molten for Ryder, and giving the MSG crowd a Ryder title win would have ignited the crowd from the very start of the show. You can argue that the crowd might have burned themselves out after a Ryder title win, but I have to believe that they would have found the fire again for Punk and Rock later in the evening. The truth is that most of us were just waiting to for Ziggler / Morrison to end so that we could see what would happen with Zack Ryder, and unfortunately that detracted from the quality of the match. With that being said, Morrison really does feel like a place holder in the United States Championship title scene. WWE will put the belt on Ryder at some point, and Ryder’s attack on Ziggler after this match may hint that the belt will be changing hands sooner rather than later. Ziggler may feud with Morrison or even Mason Ryan in the immediate future, but he won’t drop the belt to either man. When Ziggler does get dethroned, it will be at the hands of Zack Ryder.
Acero: Awesome choice for the opener, as it got the already hot crowd into the action in a big way. Morrison and Ziggler gave a hell of a match to start us off. Ziggler pulled out some new moves and Morrison kept active. There was a small hiccup near the middle of the match, but they picked up speed and action rather quickly. I have to point out the cheers that were made during the match. We Want Ryder/WooWooWoo was shouted throughout the beginning of the match and it just goes to show what Ryder has done to create himself. Ziggler’s after-match promo felt a little forced, but it made sense once Ryder came out much to the pleasure of the crowd. And of course, Ryder got the hometown love as we got what looks like a possible title shot for Mr. Woo Woo Woo.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***½
Acero: ***½
Average Match Rating: ***½

Lumberjill Match for the Divas Championship
Beth Phoenix (Champion) vs. Eve Torres
Match Result: Beth Phoenix defeats Eve Torres with a TOP ROPE GLAM SLAM.
Match Length: 4:33
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: What is there left to say about the Divas Division? I give a ton of credit to Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, and the rest of the Divas for continuing to bust their asses in spite of the fact that the Divas Division is the red-headed step child of the WWE. This certainly wasn’t a great match, but there’s only so much you can ask of any two professional wrestlers when they’re given less than five minutes for a PPV match. That being said, the TOP ROPE GLAM SLAM was absolutely phenomenal. Much love to Beth and Eve for finding a way to make even a Divas match memorable. However, the real problem with this match was that WWE focuses so much attention on Kelly Kelly that Eve never really seemed like a credible challenger. Kelly’s push makes another title reign seem inevitable, but those plans would be derailed in Eve became the champion. With Eve losing to Beth on two consecutive PPVs, my guess is that it’s time for Beth to find a new challenger. And as I said, with so much attention being placed on Kelly right now, you have to assume that she is at the front of the line.
Acero: The first minute and a half or so was awkward as hell. The moves were slow and looked uneducated. The middle of the match picked up and looked pretty solid. The finish was pretty cool to see, even if it looked artificial with the setup. A Glam Slam off the top rope has got to hurt, no matter how ya slice it, folks! Eve deserves some damned recognition for that, I think. All in all, another good but not great showing from the girls that are solely trying to prove that they can wrestle. To that, I say…keep trying.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: *½
Acero: *½
Average Match Rating: *½

Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match
Team Orton (Randy Orton, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Mason Ryan, & Sin Cara) vs. Team Barrett (Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, & Hunico)
Match Result: Team Barrett defeats Team Orton. (Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes surviving)
Match Length: 21:56
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I love traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team matches, and I know that I’m not alone. This match was a fun way to see ten Superstars in the kind of match that you really only can see once a year. I definitely enjoyed the match, but I have to wonder how much better it would have been if Sin Cara had not been injured so early in the match. I’m not the biggest fan of Sin Cara’s spots in and of themselves, but I have to believe that his early departure significantly altered the entire course of the match. However, with that in mind, I also give credit to the rest of the participants in the match for picking up the pieces so quickly and making whatever adjustments needed to be made. I like the fact that Team Barrett won with Barrett and Rhodes surviving. Rhodes is definitely a star to watch, and my bet is that he’ll be a world champion at some point in 2012. Barrett has been facing his fair share of criticism lately, but I still think he’s a valuable upper mid-card talent. He has a great look, he’s solid on the mic, and he can at least carry his own weight in the ring. I’m glad to see that WWE hasn’t given up on Wade Barrett.
Acero: There was a lot of disjointedness (is that even a word?) here which kind of hurt the match in my eyes. Sin Cara seems to have been injured and although I can’t confirm at this time whether or not the injury was legit, it really messed up the flow of the match. Typically, I am a defender of Randy Orton and deny any Cena comparisons, but even I will admit that I didn’t feel comfortable when I saw that Orton was going solo against three guys. Luckily, the right team won as Barrett and Cody continue to impress. All in all, I expected more out of this match and I don’t think it delivered as well as it could have.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***½
Acero: **½
Average Match Rating: ***

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Mark Henry (Champion) vs. The Big Show
Match Result: Big Show defeats Mark Henry via disqualification.
Match Length: 16:00ish (stopwatch issues)
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: We in the IWC are critics. We analyze and scrutinize and criticize. It’s what we do. But sometimes you just have to say screw it and simply allow yourself the chance to enjoy the spectacle of two enormous human beings beating the crap out of each other. This match was not a five star classic. There was no way that it could have been. But if you allowed yourself the freedom to just be a fan, than I have to believe that you would have enjoyed what you saw. And to be fair, this match was FAR better than many of the big man / big man matches that we’ve seen in the past. Do you remember Mark Henry vs. The Undertaker? Or how about Big Show vs. Kane? Seriously, Henry and Show both worked as hard as they could tonight, and all I can say is that I enjoyed their performance. Going forward, the biggest news is certainly the angle with Show injuring Henry’s leg. If Henry keeps the belt, then you would assume there will be one final blow-off match to end the feud. However, if this angle is designed to allow Henry to drop the belt without having to eat a pin, then the World Heavyweight Championship title scene suddenly becomes wide open. Big Show obviously has a case for still being a challenger, but Wade Barrett’s victory over Team Orton would seem to put him in the title hunt as well. And then there’s Randy Orton, who you have to believe will be challenging for the title again at some point in the not-to-distant future.
Acero: Talk about a vacuum. This not only sucked the energy out of everyone in my house, the crowd was so bored they were chanting just to chant. Cole trying to sell Big Show’s moves as if they were some sort of spectacle to behold was annoying. I mean, a wrist lock and an arm drag aren’t exactly impressive, even if it’s Show that’s doing it. I loved that they “reinforced” the ring, it added a lot, but that’s really all that they did right because the match was yawn-inducing.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***¼
Acero: *
Average Match Rating: **¼

WWE Championship Match
Alberto Del Rio (Champion) vs. CM Punk
Match Result: CM Punk defeats Alberto Del Rio with the Anaconda Vice.
Match Length: 17:15
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Before the show, I began to wonder how great it would be to see CM Punk celebrating with the WWE Championship in Madison Square Garden. I’m glad I got the chance to find out. Punk and Del Rio put on the best WRESTLING match of the evening, and Punk’s victory is definitely a cathartic conclusion to the journey he has been on since SummerSlam. The only problem with the WWE Championship scene going forward is that Punk, Del Rio, and Cena are the only truly credible main eventers on Raw, and we’ve seen every permutation of that title match on several occasions. Del Rio will undoubtedly get a rematch, but what’s next? Another Punk / Cena feud? How could that ever live up to their feud leading in to Money in the Bank? Don’t get me wrong – I love the fact that Punk won the title. I marked like hell. But I’m just not sure where exactly he goes from here.
Acero: What fun! I liked the growth of the match as it progressed all the way to a beautiful ending! Yes, people, CM Punk is the WWE Champion once again! Both men were working the arms and it made sense for both of them as it fit for both of their submission attempts. I’m glad that Del Rio didn’t tap out right away, it made him look all the better. Near 20 minutes of bad assery, this match was. There was back and forth action, crowd interaction, telegraphed moves and a nice sequence of pinning trades. Of course, if I had to complain about anything, it most likely would be the unnecessary ass shots of Punk, thanks to Del Rio.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****
Acero: ***½
Average Match Rating: ***¾

Boots to Asses Tag Team Grudge Match
John Cena & The Rock vs. The Miz & R-Truth
Match Result: The Rock defeats the Miz with the People’s Elbow.
Match Length: 21:32
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: And then we came to the main event of the evening. The return of the Great One. This was a moment that I truly never thought we’d see, and as a moment it did not disappoint. The Rock certainly held up his end of the bargain in the ring, and Cena played his ultra-tweener role to perfection. However, a ton of credit should also go to Miz and Truth for playing their roles brilliantly as well. The story of this match was about the Rock and John Cena. Miz and Truth were ultimately just crash test dummies in there, but they did exactly what they needed to do. They were infuriating and menacing and conniving but also always careful not to steal the spotlight from Rock and Cena. We talk a lot about whether or not workers are “wrestlers”, but tonight Miz and Truth proved that they are true professionals. They did an unglamorous job, but they did it at the highest level possible. They made Rock and Cena shine, and for that I commend them. My only disappointment came in the rather uneventful aftermath of the match. Sure, Rock hit Cena with the Rock Bottom, but I think we were all ready for a pull-apart brawl. The tension between Rock and Cena has been simmering for almost a year now. We’ll have to wait a few more months to see them in a match, but tonight would have been a perfect time to see them finally unload on each other.
Acero: The promo earlier in the night was stellar. A nice trip down memory lane with The Rock and his passion was back. I wondered if he was as excited as I was to see him back in the ring. I mean, he’s got to have butterflies, right? Sing along with The Rock was fun and the crowd ate it all up. Strong promo, let’s see if it translates to in ring performance. After all the excitement and goosebumpery subsided, I was able to enjoy the match for what it was. We all know that The Rock was never the BEST in the ring, but his capabilities have always been there. Tonight, he showed everyone who was worrying about ring rust that they were wrong, including myself. Extremely crisp and just a good showing all together. We had the classic Rock moves from the Spinebuster to the crappy Sharpshooter and of course the People’s Elbow and Rock Bottom. He also broke out a perfectplex that looked damned good! Yes, ladies and gents….Rock’s still got it.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****
Acero: ***
Average Match Rating: ***½

Final Thoughts

Match of the Night:
Slimmer: Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk (****)
I gave **** to both Del Rio / Punk and Rock / Cena / Miz / Truth, so in some ways this was a difficult decision. However, the truth is that these two matches earned **** in completely different ways. Rock / Cena / Miz / Truth told a timeless story and perfectly captured that elusive “big match” atmosphere. On the other hand, Del Rio and Punk put on the best WRESTLING match of the night. I appreciate both sports entertainment and professional wrestling, but when I’ve got to choose, I’ll always choose wrestling.
Acero: Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk (***½)
I think Punk and Del Rio barely won this one over Dolph and John. Both matches were strong and had different levels of intensity and great wrestling, but Punk’s win and the convincing submission puts it over the top.

Trash of the Night:
Slimmer: NONE
The Divas match was my lowest rated match of the evening, but the finish alone keeps that match from being anywhere near trash. And unlike the esteemed Mr. Acero, I enjoyed the hell out of Henry / Show. Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
Acero: Mark Henry vs. The Big Show (*)
I haven’t been this bored since an in class reading of Jane Eyre. At least the novel had closure…

Final Analysis:
Slimmer: This was a show of moments, and there’s nothing wrong with that. This industry is ultimately all about moments. Sometimes those moments come from world-class in-ring action, and sometimes those moments come from creating an atmosphere that we as fans will never forget. This show certainly didn’t feature any all-time classic moments, but the entire evening came together to generate at truly entertaining atmosphere. The traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match was a was a great piece of nostalgia, and watching The Best in the World win the most prestigious championship in the world in the World’s Most Famous Arena definitely felt special. And then, of course, there was the second coming of The Great One. Say what you will about the Rock and his dedication to this industry or the fans, but the bottom line is that he can electrify a crowd like no other in history. So I guess the bottom line is that unlike so many PPVs these days, this show was truly memorable. And in today’s world, watching a legitimately memorable PPV truly is a special moment.
Acero: Without the crowd, this show may have very well fell flat in some areas. As noted, Show and Henry was bad, in my opinion and took a lot out of me as a viewer. The opening match was exciting and the main event was glorious from a fan’s perspective. The Elimination Match was well below my expectations, I was actually really excited about it only to be disappointed at the end, and not just because of the Sin Cara mishap or the DQ elimination of Sheamus. The Divas Match was, obviously, my lowest rated match, but my expectations weren’t as high which is why Henry and Show was voted as Trash of the Night. We’ve seen more from there than what they showed here…this was just…boring. I don’t think I’d recommend purchasing the PPV like I did, but I will say to try and catch that main event if you haven’t or weren’t able to see it.

Verdict:
Slimmer: ***¾
Acero: ***½
Average Verdict: ***¾