WWE Survivor Series 2011 Review

Match 1: United States Championship - Dolph Ziggler © vs. John Morrison
Morrison comes out first to a very less than stellar reaction. As a matter of fact, he got more heat than Dolph Ziggler! Lots of good action early on from both men including Morrison who just can’t seem to buy a break from the crowd. Ziggler still manages to prevail and defeats Morrison in front of a very hot crowd. Afterwards, Ziggler gets on the mic only to get interrupted by Zack Ryder who beats down Ziggler! Strong opening contest with Ziggler looking great in his role and Ryder looking even better.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: **3/4

Match 2: Divas Championship - Lumberjill - Beth Phoenix © vs. Eve Torres
Beth Phoenix is defending her Championship against Eve Torres. You get the same and basic action you get every week on Raw but with a really cool ending with Phoenix slamming Torres off the top rope with her finisher to retain the belt. What can I say? Same stuff in and out. Nothing special.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Rating: ½*

Match 3: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Barrett (Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Hunico, & Dolph Ziggler) vs. Team Orton (Randy Orton, Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Kofi Kingston, & Sin Cara)
Sadly, I feel like these type of matches are really starting to lose its lust but I am glad to still see it running. However, as much as the announcers want to push this match, the task seems too difficult for anyone to accomplish. The action for the match was fine but the match placement on the card and the guys featured in the match just didn’t have enough to elevate this match. Wade Barrett’s team picks up thr win at the end when the numbers game becomes too much for captain Randy Orton as the new breed of talent get a big boost.
Winner: Team Barrett
Rating: ***

Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - Mark Henry © vs. The Big Show
Battling criticizing chants from the New York crowd, these two managed to pull off a pretty damn good match.  From the start, the action was very slow as expected and the crowd just wasn’t biting. Also, the ring has supposedly been reinforced so the ring does not dismantle as it did at Vengeance. With this, The Big Show was able to land a huge elbow drop from the top rope as the crowd jumped out of their seats. That was definitely a cool moment but moments later, Henry lands a low blow upon Show for a disqualification. Afterwards, Show gets the last laugh and takes out Henry for payback.
Winner: The Big Show
Rating: **¼

Match 5: WWE Championship - Alberto Del Rio © vs. CM Punk
Words don’t describe how over CM Punk is and a win here in Madison Square Garden for the WWE Championship could easily define his career. Punk is selling a little injury and it is becoming a focal point for Del Rio’s attack but the onslaught is not strong enough to keep the resilient CM Punk down as he continues to fight back, even with Ricardo Rodriguez at ringside. Punk manages to cork in the Anaconda Vice and get the submission victory. Wasn’t the classic Survivor Series match I was hoping these two would pull out but still a great contest and a great way to transition the title into Punk’s hands. At the moment, he is the man and the man who should have that belt around his waist. Big things on the horizon.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***½

Match 6: The Rock & John Cena vs. The Miz & R-Truth
This match is billed as one that has never happened before and one that will never happen again. The Rock teams up with John Cena to take on the devastating team of The Miz & R-Truth. This is Rock’s huge return to the ring in which his last match happened in the very same building over seven years ago. Crowd is red hot for The Rock but were very quiet throughout the better part of the match and understandably so. The match consisted mainly of taunting and focusing on Rock and Cena which I guess shouldn’t surprise me. If you can manage to look through this, the match itself was pretty entertaining to watch and The Rock looked like a million bucks! Not only is that man in shape but he has not lost a beat inside the ring! I guess if you have it, you never lose it. The tension between Rock & Cena throughout the match was nicely played out and meshed well with the slow pacing of the match. Rock & Cena pick up the win after Rock hit a People’s Elbow on The Miz to a decent pop. After the match, Rocky invites Cena back into the ring only to hit him with a Rock Bottom to cap off the night. Again, the match wasn’t much and definitely was a huge advertisement for WrestleMania. Not what I was expecting at all from The Rock’s return to the ring but still a feel good moment to see him return to call in Madison Square Garden.
Winners: The Rock & John Cena
Rating: ***

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
High expectations for this show weren’t quite met at its potential but there’s no denying that this was a special show. The crowning of CM Punk and the main event tag match will definitely be the reasons we revisit this show down the line.
Rating: 7/10