In less than two months, WWE’s fall classic will be making its annual appearance. Survivor Series will be the focal point after Raw’s Hell in a Cell PPV event at the end of October. Along with Survivor Series comes the topic of the Traditional Survivor Series matches.
The traditional Survivor Series matchups were designed as an elimination match between two teams comprising of five men each. Usually, the backstories of the men involved in those matches would intertwine up to that point.
In recent years, WWE more or so just booked the elimination matches with little to no meaning behind them. It defeats the purpose and is no more than a half-hearted attempt to keep the tradition alive. Whatever happened to the buildup of Survivor Series?
Honestly, Survivor Series has all but canceled itself out. Survivor Series has a rich history, offering something completely different as we come closer to WrestleMania season. While the Royal Rumble starts the Road to WrestleMania, Survivor Series is a prelude of sorts to the show of shows.
Survivor Series has been home to controversies over the years, namely the Montreal Screwjob. It was also the event where the first Elimination Chamber match was held. The memorable “Deadly Games” tournament took place at Survivor Series in 1998. Over time, stars have been born at the Fall Classic, and memorable debuts were witnessed. Superstars such as The Rock, The Shield, and The Undertaker come to mind when we think about Survivor Series debuts.
Survivor Series is part of the Big Four that WWE has centered their other PPVs around. Old traditions have made a comeback in recent months with the brand extension and changes in the new era. Survivor Series deserves to be a part of that comeback.
Back up the traditional sell by mixing the storylines together and the fans would be more invested into it. It can’t hurt after all; there is nothing worse than seeing a Survivor Series match that’s been thrown together at the last minute. It’s happened for years and it should cease to happen in this new era.
Perhaps with the new era, we may see the Traditional Survivor Series matches change along with other revisions that have been made thus far. There is potential as Sami Zayn is intertwined with Chris Jericho currently, who has aligned himself with Kevin Owens. Zayn and Owens have had some classic matches recently, and it would a nice closing chapter to their storied rivalry for the time being.
The same could be said for Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, who both have unfinished business with Triple H. Maybe all of that could blend together and spawn a classic team. It wouldn’t be the first time that a Traditional Survivor Series match would be the main event.
That’s not to say all the matches have to be the Traditional Survivor Series matches. There has always been a mix of singles and/or tag team matches that have filled the card too. Feuds have culminated at the Fall Classic and some were even born, hence why I stated earlier that Survivor Series is a prelude to WrestleMania season.
The earlier a feud starts going into WrestleMania, the more substance it has. There is much more time between the two events for the parties to work with a lot of material.
Those WrestleMania feuds sometimes stem from the Traditional matches. A more recent feud would be when Sting debuted at Survivor Series 2014, kicking off his feud with Triple H. Roman Reigns’ push towards WWE Championship gold started with a slow burn at Survivor Series 2013 when he was the sole survivor in his matchup, taking out four of the five opponents in the match. He would tie the record for the most eliminations in the Traditional match.
It will be interesting to see how Survivor Series plays out this year with the brand extension into full effect. Certainly, WWE would have some teases in store for fans as Superstars from both brands will be mingling around amongst one another.
With Raw and Smackdown being separate brands again, a “bragging rights” initiative may be restored for a one-off Traditional Survivor Series match. It will also offer something fresh for the fans and gives them something to look forward in a stacked card.
WWE could take advantage of making Survivor Series successful once again with tantalizing booking options at their disposal. It is also a matter of how storylines work out post-Survivor Series as well as how well the stars themselves fare. With all the possibilities that could come to fruition, it all comes down to the stories making sense in the end. That is all the fans really want.
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