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Survivor Series ranks amongst as one of the 'Big Four' PPV's of the year. While every Big Four PPV has a certain 'catch' to it, Survivor Series is known for its Traditional Elimination Tag-Team matches since 1987.
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As we all know, Survivor Series this year will take place LIVE from Los Angeles, California on November 18, 2018.
That brings me to the whole point of this article: Fantasy Booking. This article concerns my Fantasy Booking regarding the 10-Man Traditional Tag-Team Elimination match for this year's Survivor Series PPV.
Keep in mind that all of this is in good fun, & that is why it is called 'Fantasy Booking' in the first place. With that being said, let's begin...
Part 1: Storyline leading up to WWE Super Showdown 2018
(NOTE: SD Live is excluded from this booking entry. SD Live is already much better in quality (comparatively) & the show itself could focus on storylines other than the 10-Man traditional tag match for the Survivor Series PPV. Plus, RAW is 3 hours long, and I'm going to use that as an advantage).
Summerslam 2018
John Cena returns directly at the Summerslam 2018 PPV without any prior announcement or recent feud.
He executes a charismatic promo and finally asks for an open challenge. Pete Dunne answers it (NXT UK/UK Division/WWE UK Title gets mainstream exposure). They have a great match which Cena eventually wins.
Randy Orton & Finn Balor have a match at Summerslam as a part of a dual-branded exhibition match leading up to the 'biggest event of the summer'. To be clear, Orton is 100% heel in this match with Balor, with no unnecessary restrictions. The Viper is unhinged. But Balor wins the match by using his brains.
Orton is traded to RAW the next night as a part of RAW & SD Live's one superstar exchange program after Summerslam.
On an episode of 205 Live before Hell In A Cell PPV (Sept. 16) on Sunday, Buddy Murphy reveals that even if he has been dominating the 205 Live roster for months now, it is time for him to 'bridge the gap' and start dominating something other than just 205 Live.
Social media starts speculating. Is Murphy leaving WWE for good? Or does he have something else on his mind entirely? Also, Hell In A Cell takes place this Sunday. Does that mean something?
Hell In A Cell 2018
The main-event of the PPV is John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins for the No.1 Contendership for the Universal title. You heard me right, Brock Lesnar Lesnar retains at Summerslam. Please don't smash your smartphones yet, because it is somewhat relevant to the plot.
Buddy Murphy & Pete Dunne interfere during the match, specifically attacking John Cena for some unknown reason. Rollins wins the No.1 Contendership eventually. However, to be clear, the Universal Championship scenario is none of our concern from now on.
Next night on RAW, Murphy explains that he is going to shoot straight for the top & John Cena is one of those guys who is an obstacle that needs to be eliminated for that to happen. Dunne had lost to Cena on Summerslam, so Dunne knows and agrees with what Murphy just said. Equal representation for 205 Live & NXT UK with proper motivations Y'all.
- WWE 2k19 releases on October 5, 2018.
A media conference for 2k19 is held two days before the game releases. Goldberg is present at the panel.
What happens next will be planned throughout, a reporter will ask Goldberg about a potential WWE Return. As usual, when a question like this is asked, the legend always refrains from giving a straight answer and beats around the bush- that is what Goldberg does too, except at the end, where he drops Roman Reigns' name as a potential opponent if he were to ever return. (Goldberg has stated 'never say never' for a future WWE Return in real-life, not just this fantasy booking).
Social Media catches up on this. WWE Super Show-Down PPV takes place in Melbourne, Australia on October 6, 2018, a day after WWE 2k19 releases. Could that be somehow integral to this plot?
WWE Super Showdown 2018:
The Undertaker and Triple H are both scheduled to fight at the WWE Super Showdown PPV in Australia- just like in real life.
The Undertaker wins the match, as expected. But if you think this is going to be a fan-service PPV like the Greatest Royal Rumble, you're wrong- this is my booking, and every PPV counts no matter what country it takes place in.
That is why 'Taker's mystic post-match celebration is interrupted by a cryptic video on the Jumbotron.
Social media coverage erupts in flames, for each and every dirt-sheet starts guessing which wrestler was behind this message. Remember, the theme of this message is eerie, mysterious & cryptic.
On the same PPV, Cena tags with Orton to face Buddy Murphy and Pete Dunne. Orton wouldn't freely tag with Cena on his own will, this is just a simple exhibition match revolving around the Cena- Murphy/Dunne rivalry with Orton randomly placed as Cena's partner (at least that's what the fans will think).
Cena/Orton win the match. But essentially, both Dunne and Murphy were proven right because of this ending. Cena is indeed an obstacle for them.
This is further going to be proven right after the PPV when the internet fans will complain about how 'typical John Cena buries new talent'. If you know what I mean.
Part 1 was just about creating a context for what is to follow. Part 2 will consist of the Storyline between 6 weeks of RAW following the WWE Super Show-Down PPV up to Survivor Series 2018.
Part 2: RAW, RAW & RAW...
Week 1- RAW:
WWE Super Show-Down took place two days ago. So this is the FALLOUT episode following that PPV.
Kurt Angle makes an impromptu Finn Balor vs. Buddy Murphy exhibition match. They have a fantastic back & forth in-ring contest.
However, Orton attacks Balor during the climax of this bout (Balor wins by DQ). Orton is a possessive heel who is still not over his loss against Balor since Summerslam, and he will use any means necessary to gain the upper-hand.
Plus, Orton is 100% unfiltered now, (remember that gruesome Jeff Hardy ear spot?) so the beatdown should be news-worthy, to say the least.
On the same show, Cena is supposed to face Pete Dunne after their fallout in Australia. But Dunne won't lose this time.
Murphy comes out of the backstage area and causes a distraction to John Cena that helps Dunne pick up the victory.
Dunne and Murphy can start having each others' back at house shows too. Don't get me wrong. They are not a tag team. These two are with each other only up to the point when their common goal is achieved. That is, to #TerminateJohnCena.
WEEK 2- RAW:
Triple H makes a surprise appearance on RAW. He comes out with Kurt Angle for a major announcement.
HHH is aware that Survivor Series is around the corner, and therefore he is looking for up-and-coming wrestlers (possibly from NXT, or maybe even 205 Live?) to be a part of his own 5-man team for the traditional Survivor Series matchup.
However, he does not reveal anything about the opposing team, and the fans start making assumptions.
Later on the show, Balor meets HHH backstage and offers to join Hunter's 5-Man Team. Balor is indeed a guy who has been around for a while, but has Balor's peak ended a long time ago? Triple H does not say anything else except the fact that he'll think about it.
Balor just simply nods and smiles as HHH walks by him. But we can all make out the real expression behind that smile.
Balor knows he's not the hottest new guy around anymore. Time has passed and so have many opportunities. He is nowhere near the top anymore...
Balor-Orton/Cena-Dunne & Murphy continue their respective storylines.
SOCIAL MEDIA (between WEEK 2 & WEEK 3):
Remember the 2k19 conference? There are rumours swirling around Goldberg's return, but there's no mention of it on RAW, so the return rumours have gradually diminished since then. However, I will use Social Media to my booking's advantage.
Goldberg and Reigns have a subtle Twitter exchange following the 2k19 press. The exchange is not intense or ground-breaking, it is short & normal. Perhaps leaning towards a more humorous side. But it still adds more fuel to his return rumours.
Preferably on a Saturday, Balor posts a video message on his social media accounts revealing that a random correspondent of Triple H responded to him about joining Triple H's team.
The response was very 'corporate' in a manner that the correspondent was just beating around the bush instead of just saying 'NO'. In the video message, Balor further goes on to mock Triple H & the fact that Hunter did not even have the balls to reply himself.
WEEK 3- RAW
It is now when the commentators plug all the social media reactions to Goldberg's statement during the 2k19 press, & the subtle twitter exchange that followed between him & Reigns later.
Mid-way through the show, we see Triple H walking towards the Gorilla position, surrounded by a dozen correspondents updating him regarding the five-man team invitation. HHH makes his CEO entrance, wearing an expensive suit & grabs a mic in the ring.
Triple H throws a couple of NXT names around to work the crowd, only to be interrupted by Finn Balor. They exchange a few words regarding Balor's non-inclusion in the traditional survivor series match-up.
Triple H keeps his temper in control until Balor's inquisitive nature crosses the line, which makes HHH go- "Do you want the truth Finn? Well here's the truth then. I have watched you grow as a performer, dominate NXT & work your way through the main-roster. The 'Great' Finn Balor was supposed to reach to the top of this industry, and for a while, you did- You went on to become the very first Universal Champion...but then you got injured, and what happened next?"
Finn Balor has a very serious expression on his face whilst Triple H asks him this brutal question. It is the truth. Balor's career went nowhere after that. As Balor is left speechless, Triple H answers his own question in order to reveal the truth- "...Here's what happened next. Finn Balor became STALE. I don't want to tell this in front of everybody, but the TRUTH is- NXT is just a small pond of 'good' superstars working their way up to here. But being 'good enough' does not earn you a top spot in this big ocean Finn..." The audience gasps, because Triple H literally undermined his own creation (WWE NXT) in front of the main roster.
But in some sort of 'meta-way', it is the truth. Many NXT Superstars fall flat when they arrive on the main roster. Finn Balor started well initially, but then he got injured (and you know what happened next).
The anger within Balor is rising. We see old shades of the 'GREAT' Finn Balor coming to life. But all of this is interrupted when Randy Orton comes out & assures Hunter that he'll take care of this situation. Both of these superstars brawl & Triple H reaches for a corner. Balor accidentally attacks Triple H with a shotgun dropkick when Orton moves away from his path. After Balor realizes what he's done, it is too late, as Orton shoves him from behind and delivers an RKO. Randy Orton is the MVP of the night, and he now has the upper hand in this feud with Finn Balor (for now).
SOCIAL MEDIA (Between WEEK 3 & WEEK 4):
WWE announces on all of their Social Media platforms that for Survivor Series, the traditional tag-team elimination match will consist of two 5-Man teams- with Triple H & Finn Balor being the respective captains. After being floundered & pushed around for so long, Finn Balor is the captain of his own team at Survivor Series.
That, and Randy Orton is the first member of Triple H's team.
The Undertaker will also appear on RAW next week, perhaps to finally respond to the cryptic message from Super Show-Down in Australia.
WEEK 4- RAW:
Balor looks for partners backstage. Maybe make the captain run into Curt Hawkins or Heath Slater for some comedic relief.
But finally, he will encounter Pete Dunne and Blake Murphy.
Even if their ideologies don't match- Balor still recruits them perhaps because he sees a little part of himself in both of them (New guys on the main roster looking to make it to the top). That, and he promises to help Dunne and Murphy in return too. Because let's be realistic, Pete Dunne & Buddy Murphy are too clever to pass that opportunity up.
Later on, in the show, when John Cena realises that Dunne and Murphy have joined Balor's team, he decides to join Triple H's team only in order to get his hands on both of them. Are you seeing the odd pairings here? These teammates have opposing ideologies, but they're joining just because it benefits their own personal gain.
Finally, at the end of the show, Undertaker comes out and talks about his past, his opponents and the future. Just when he gets into the cryptic message part, the lights turn red, another cryptic message appears on the screen.
People assume its Kane, but the lights fade away, and we see none other than Aleister Black standing behind The Undertaker.
Undertaker turns around, but he is too late, as Black delivers a brutal Black Mass right to his face. The Undertaker is dazed and confused and is not getting up any time soon. But Aleister Black does not keep striking him- NO.
The single black mass was enough to do the damage, & this type of booking makes the finisher look very effective too. Black just stares at 'Taker's fallen soul pathetically and goes backstage. The show ends here.
SOCIAL MEDIA (Between WEEK 4 & WEEK 5):
More Goldberg-Reigns Twitter exchange. But unlike last time, the intensity is increasing a bit- Not pushing it to the max, but just enough to keep the people talking.
Other than that, all the latest proceedings on RAW itself should be enough to stir numerous conversations as well as dozens of fan-theories. Because the traditional Survivor Series match-up scene keeps getting bizarre every week, and you have the Taker-Aleister stuff on top of that.
Week 5 RAW
HHH, Cena and Orton have a plan. To begin with, it would be just entertaining enough to see all three of these superstars making fans guess what their strategy is whilst cutting a promo together.
You see, HHH wants the Deadman to join his team. He says that despite their recent past (their match at Super Show-Down) they could settle aside their differences and aim for one common goal. Now, let's get a hold of ourselves, these four superstars together in one team sounds like a fanboy's dream fantasy. So to bring you back to reality, 'Taker does not show up.
Even Orton & Cena try their best to bring him out, urging fans to cheer 'Undertaker' (which they will, its simple bait). The Deadman had appeared last week, but just like Cena's frantic attempts to bring him out during the road to this year's Wrestlemania- The Undertaker is not here.
However, Balor's team comes out instead. Balor, Dunne & Murphy face-to-face against Cena, Orton & HHH. I don't think that I need to write a script about how they're going to diss each other, its John Cena in a wrestling promo dammit!
But what I will point out, is something that is necessary to get the elephant out of the room- Triple H & Pete Dunne. We all know Hunter's confidence all over this young lad in the past. So we're gonna take care of that now. Hunter asks Pete if this is what he wanted.
HHH promises him with glory & riches while Pete Dunne has a constant villainous stare on him throughout Hunter's monologue. The audience start chanting 'NO!' indicating that they do not want Dunne to sell-out. So with all his confidence, the Bruiserweight states that he is NOT Triple H's 'GOLDEN BOY' anymore.
The audience erupts at this revelation, as all six of them start brawling with each other. The young lads- Balor, Dunne & Murphy get the upper hand eventually. Young triumphs old.
- Meanwhile, there is a Gauntlet match on the same night whose winner will become the fourth member of Balor's team. You put all the mid-card names in there- Drew Mcintyre, Bobby Roode, Kevin Owens etc. But there is only one person I'll book to triumph in this match, and that is- Chad Gable.
Why? Well, I can't tell you that yet. Despite how odd this situation seems to get by every new addition, I assure you that there is a reason (& motivation) for everything...
SOCIAL MEDIA (Between WEEK 5 & WEEK 6):
The Goldberg/Reigns situation starts getting heated up. Even if they are just sarcastically hinting at stuff, the fans realize that this has been going on for too long now. And here is the catch- WWE's Twitter account posts about all the members of HHH's team so far, with the fourth and fifth member being displayed with a question mark figure.
Goldberg replies to this tweet, saying he doesn't know about Roman, but he sure as hell is willing to join Hunter's team if needed. WWE later confirms that Goldberg is the 4th Member of Triple H's Survivor Series Team. As expected, the internet fans lose it. But don't think of this as fantasy booking. This is not far-fetched. Goldberg didn't randomly enter himself into a tag-team match, no. He entered Hunter's team in order to lure Roman Reigns into facing against him by joining the opposite team. This gives Reigns' character some motivation too. But it won't be that easy.
WEEK 6- GO-HOME EDITION OF RAW (for SURVIVOR SERIES 2018):
- HHH calls 'Taker to join them for one last time, but 'Taker does not respond. Why? Because The Undertaker has no stakes in the game to join Hunter's team. So why would he? Of course, Taker doesn't say that but that was just me explaining the logic behind it. 'Taker only responds with silence without showing up.
- Even if HHH's team has to find themselves a partner at the last minute, let's just say that Balor is going to be getting that fifth partner for sure. Because Kurt Angle makes a matchup. R
oman Reigns vs. Aleister Black- the winner will become the fifth member for Finn Balor's team. Reigns already has a reason to join- Goldberg.
However, I pull the audience's strings here. Reigns loses CLEAN. Both of them put a great match-up, with Aleister finishing it off with a single BLACK MASS. Roman Reigns does not have a single match for Survivor Series 2018. Times have fallen hard, BIG DOG.
- Of course, Black is NOT the one who celebrates like The B-Team after a victory. He just sits there with his legs crossed and the spotlight shining on him. In my world, he is not one of those wrestlers who portray unnecessary violence for his own sake.
He could have attacked The Deadman brutally two weeks ago, but the only thing he did was finish it off a BLACK MASS- because it was all that needed to be done.
Similarly, he does not pounce on the Big Dog right after their match, because it is completely unnecessary.
He did what was needed, and now he sits right in the middle of the ring like a prophet conveying his message without speaking. This makes him a unique character with proper motivations & ideologies.
That is when the GONG! sound indicates the arrival of the Deadman. The lights go off, & Undertaker is standing right above Aleister Black. Black is still sitting with his legs folded (that'll make a great picture for dirt-sheet headlines). Taker grabs his throat, lifts him up and delivers a chokeslam.
The climax of Part 2 is about to come full circle. Black is now technically the fifth member of Balor's team.
So, Finn Balor, Pete Dunne, Buddy Murphy and Chad Gable come to their teammate's rescue. Taker drops them down one-by-one with right-handed uppercuts, but he cannot fend them off forever.
So John Cena, Randy Orton & Triple H come out to aid The Deadman. As you can see, I did not mention Goldberg (the fourth member of HHH's team). This is because even if he is a team member- Goldberg is not officially announced to be here.
Eventually, Balor's team gains the upper-hand. And to purposefully milk the audience's reaction, Goldberg's theme hits at the last exact second.
Everybody loses their nuts and Goldberg comes in and spears each and every member of Team Balor one-by-one. He only appears in one show before Survivor Series- because that is all we need.
Every team member of both teams is down (even Undertaker) and Goldberg remains as the last-man-standing...(The show ends with Goldberg chants emanating from the arena).
After the show ends, it is officially announced that The Undertaker has joined Triple H's team as the fifth & final member of the Mens' Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team match (Because he has a motivation to do so now).
Also, Goldberg has a pretty good chance of being the lone survivor after what went during the Go-Home show's final closing moments...Next, up- It's Survivor Series!
PART 3: It's Survivor Series!
Team Hunter (The Legends Clan? I suck with names): Triple H (c), John Cena, Randy Orton, Goldberg, The Undertaker.
Team Balor: Finn Balor (c), Buddy Murphy, Pete Dunne, Chad Gable, Aleister Black.
It appears as a Legends vs. New Breed matchup at first glance, but it's more. This is more than a Tag Team match. Every competitor on here has joined their respective teams for a specific reason (well, maybe except for Chad Gable).
The legends are great, but will they be out-of-sync as a Tag Team? The Young Breed is far more athletically superior & therefore, they could easily keep this match under their control.
Balor is the right leader here- But will experience prove to be the better factor eventually? Who knows? But what I do know, is that every casual fan in the history of this business might want to take a peek at what the legends team has to offer.
But this also means that I will have to be careful with the booking. Higher the stakes, higher the chances to fail.
Let's go--
It would make more sense for the legends team to enter the second. But I have a preliminary twist in mind. After writing about this so much, I have become attached to Finn Balor's motivations so much so, that it pains me to do this- After the legends have made their respective entrances, it is time for Team Balor to enter next.
But here it comes, instead of hearing some theme music, an unexpected camera shot to the backstage area shows members of Team Balor (except Aleister Black) huddled around a certain wrestler.
That certain wrestler is Finn Balor, and he seems to be in a lot of pain. It becomes apparent that somebody attacked Finn Balor when nobody was around.
But who? Our first educated guess would be someone from the Legends Team. It can't be John Cena, of course. Triple H? Randy Orton? The Undertaker can't stoop to such level, he's only in this match to get his hands on Aleister Black. Goldberg being the ultimate villain would seem a bit off.
The camera pans to Triple H and Randy Orton whispering a few comments amongst each other. They should have been smirking at this, but instead, the way they are whispering right now prompts the commentators to point out that even Orton and HHH are dumb-founded by this sudden twist of events.
John Cena and Goldberg are watching closely, whilst warming up at the same time. The Undertaker acts like The Undertaker.
He is standing a little away from everyone, perhaps least bothered & patiently waiting for Aleister Black to come out. This picture is definitely going to make it to the dirt sheets, I assure you.
Speaking of Aleister Black, the commentators are on full-detective mode now, they're probing at the fact that Black is missing from this picture (not with his team members). Did he do it? If so, why? Or maybe Triple H and Orton are just acting all along to fool everybody.
In my opinion, this sudden pause will let the slow realisation sink in, and when the fans come to terms with the fact that Balor cannot lead his team, they'll instantly switch to theorize about this conspiracy in their minds. The reactions from commentators & the Legends team help too.
Anyways, there is no point in sticking around for Team-Not-So-Balor right now. Because to remind you, everybody is in this match is only it for their own personal stake. They don't really care about each other at all. So they move on from Finn Balor.
All of them are nearing the Gorilla Position, and this is where the second realization takes place. A certain WWE Superstar is talking with some backstage operators, and realizes that Team-not-So-Balor anymore are passing him by. Ladies & Gentlemen, this 'certain WWE Superstar' is none other than The Big Dog- Roman Reigns. He asks them about Finn Balor.
When Reigns fully realizes the situation, he also works his mind around the fact that- Dunne, Murphy, Gable (& Aleister Black, who is still not here so far)- no matter how promising their future might be, they need a leader right now. And who better than a four-time WrestleMania Main-Eventer to lead them? (Plus *cough* he *cough* doesn't have a *cough* match *cough* anyways *cough*...)
Actions speak louder than words, and without uttering a single word, all four of them slightly nod as a sign of mutual affirmation. Roman Reigns immediately leads the way with Dunne, Murphy & Gable following him from behind. They're about ta' pound some legends BAYBAY!
But the reader asks- What about Aleister Black? Well, turns out, his entrance theme hits right when we see the image of Roman Reigns & co. striding towards the Gorilla Position.
But instead of waiting for his teammates to come out, Aleister Black quickly aims for The Deadman. Team Reigns have no choice but to make a dash towards the ring by ditching the theme music (saving TV Time in an interesting way) in order to even the odds.
Its chaos everywhere. The match hasn't even started yet. The lone poor referee is trying to calm everybody down. But its Pro-Wrestling, and the beatdown must continue!
But the PPV must continue, so the referee rings the bell nonetheless, trusting these bloodthirsty rivals to sort everything amongst themselves.
But apparently, ringing the bell in the middle of this massacre proved to be a disadvantage for the Legends team. Why? Well, just when a linear path seemed to clear between Triple H & Roman Reigns- The Big Dog takes hold of the opportunity and spears The King of Kings right in the middle of the ring.
The match has technically started, so Reigns goes for the pin. 1, 2...3! The Game is rewarded a unique opportunity of being jobbed out in mere minutes (rest of the team were too busy busting their rivals anyway. Like I said, they really don't care for each other that much). But things are more complicated than you think... (keep that in mind before making conclusions, dear reader).
Time for an ad-break, just so you can find both of the teams finally situated in their respective corners when we come back!
So, Triple H has been eliminated unceremoniously by Roman Reigns. We are back with Roman Reigns & Randy Orton wrestling it out in the ring. Have them slow the pace down a bit (for what's to come).
Randy Orton should gain the upper hand via his cold & calculating antics in the ring. He makes sure that Reigns doesn't reach back to his corner. The Legends team keep tagging each other continuously and keep The Big Dog where he needs to be.
Nothing fancy. This helps build momentum, & the crowd starts to cheer for Reigns to desperately tag someone else. As usual, Reigns will manage to hot tag somebody else at the end, yielding a huge pop.
He tags Buddy Murphy, who takes down Orton in a series of comebacks. The pace quickens immediately, showing the casual viewers watching at home that these 'new guys' actually have a lot of potential in them. Coming back to their athletic advantage, this is where the legends fail to keep up.
Now, members of The Young Breed keep tagging each other to ensure that Orton stays in their corner. But basically, it all ends with Murphy & Orton being the legal participants once again.
I'm not going to elaborate on each & every move these superstars are going to carry out in this match. So just let's skip to the part where things get chaotic again. You see, Pete Dunne is itching to get into the ring. He did proclaim that he is not Triple H's 'Golden Boy'anymore.
So Dunne gets into the ring without tagging Murphy out, & attacks The Undertaker with a running elbow, which topples The Deadman from the apron. This sequence perfectly sums up Dunne's attitude, which makes him a future superstar to watch out.
So as I said, things get chaotic, John Cena gets into the ring to chase after Dunne but is unexpectedly met by Murphy's brutal lariat. I even went on to make it so convenient, that it is only by Dunne's distraction & Murphy's lariat through which Cena falls into this trap.
It could have been anyone else, but this specific sequence exists in order to favor the Murphy/Dunne/Cena plot.
Therefore, this prompts Goldberg to get in too, & one thing that Murphy & Dunne don't want is to get into the path of Goldberg's wrath, so they get out of the ring immediately. Chad Gable follows suit, which leaves a clear path between Aleister Black and Randy Orton (two specimens with almost the same body type, but no backstory).
All of this tension culminates where everybody is huddled on ringside, and Chad Gable decides to climb the top-rope, & dive onto this horde of wrestlers. Everybody is down. But remember, wrestlers can be eliminated via COUNT-OUT!
Murphy & Orton are the legal participants here. The referee counts to 10. Buddy Murphy & Randy Orton have been eliminated via a double count-out!
three wrestlers remain on the Legends Team, and four wrestlers are left in Team Reigns. After a while, The Undertaker stumbles into the ring somehow. He is dazed & confused.
However, Aleister Black slides in as if nothing has even touched him so-far. Undertaker gets into a fighting stance, but we can make out that this will be hard for him. Both of them stare at each other, milking the crowd's reaction to the max.
Both of them go for strikes, punches etc. This seems like an all-out MMA fight. Taker is forced to a corner, subject to Aleister's powerful kicks. He escapes & reverses by driving Black to a corner. Again, there are millions of ways the next events could follow. I am going to leave that to the reader's imagination, & skip right to where it matters. Done?
After a while, Black unexpectedly goes for a Black Mass, but Taker' dodges it this time! Taker grabs ahold of his opponent's neck. Chokeslam! 1,2...Oh! Aleister kicks out at 2! But like I said, Aleister is smart, he rolls over quickly & tags whoever's hand he reaches first. Turns out, its Pete Dunne.
Dunne just stands there, and John Cena prompts the Undertaker to tag him in. Cena wants to be the one knocking Dunne's teeth out. 'Taker waits for it, milking the crowd's reaction, & finally tags John Cena.
Cena goes for his usual three-move comeback, & Pete Dunne moves away during The Five Knuckle Shuffle. Dunne delivers a pump kick, & then quickly- A double foot stomp to Cena's chest. The crowd loves it.
I would not be surprised if John Cena would be framed as 'the guy who buries new talent' throughout their entire feud. So this is Dunne's moment (and the moment of all internet wrestling fans across the globe).
Let them put on an amazing 20-25 minute wrestling clinic. This is Wrestling at its best. Here is where things turn around again.
Remember how I warned not to make any quick assumptions as of yet? This is that moment dear reader. Pete Dunne somehow manages to deliver his amazing finisher- 'Bitter End' to John Cena.
The audience is going nuts because they know that there's a legitimate chance of Cena being eliminated now. But as the referee is about to end the three-count, someone pulls the referee from behind, & drags the poor guy out of the ring. Who?
HHH has had it for Pete Dunne. Hunter pulls the referee out & knocks him unconscious. Nobody can disqualify anybody now. Because with no referee, there are no rules. John Cena obviously doesn't approve of it. And he can't do anything about it right now, as Pete Dunne has already knocked Cena down for a while.
The Undertaker tags himself in, & so does Aleister Black.
But The Big Dog has had it. He goes after HHH outside. However, at the same time, Undertaker is going after Aleister Black, & it just so happens that Reigns & 'Taker are taking the same path- Both of them are going to crash into each other.
Fortunately for The Undertaker, he raises his leg to put The Big Dog down with a Big Boot just at the right moment. Aleister realizes what 'Taker wants, & both of them go at it with each other. Heck, Undertaker doesn't care who Triple H screws, he doesn't care about this Tag Team match at all. He only wants Aleister Black with no more obstacles in between.
So both of them are now embroiled in a beatdown with each other, so much so, that 'Taker and Black have even exited the arena just fighting against one another. The audience is so glued to watching these two forces colliding together that they forget to notice that a new referee has entered into the ring already.
As expected, the ref counts to 10, and both Undertaker and Aleister Black have been eliminated as a result of a second double count-out in this match.
Let's just note that even if they have been eliminated technically- Aleister and Undertaker are actually the biggest winners so far. Because they actually succeeded in getting what they wanted- To beat the hell out of each other.
There's a new referee in the ring. So no more shenanigans can be allowed to occur anymore. Goldberg wants to get in & go after Roman. But he'll have to wait.
Because John Cena, who is somewhat conscious is asking for Pete Dunne to step up & settle this for once. Both Dunne and Cena are very tired, and a fresh teammate should be wrestling right now.
It doesn't make sense- But this whole pairing has made no sense so far. It is like you put all the best wrestlers together, but when you add it all up- There is ZERO tag team chemistry amongst all the members. How did this happen?
I implied this before, & I'll say it now- The 10-Man Traditional Tag Team Elimination match in this booking is an amalgamation of separate feuds with every superstar looking for their own personal gain, & that is what makes it so great.
This is more than a tag-team match.
Anyways, just before Cena & Dunne can go back at it again, Triple H- who was standing ringside after his interference sequence all along- comes in between these two. Hunter tries to take control of this situation.
Remember, all the team members have different ideologies despite being on the same team. John Cena certainly won't stand for winning a wrestling match this way, and the audience agrees with Super Cena in this case.
HHH and Cena have a war of words between the two of them, whilst a clever Dunne does not interfere, and waits for The Legends Team to demolish itself as a result of their egos. HHH tries to explain his own way of logic, but in the end, Cena responds by performing an Attitude Adjustment to Hunter & throwing him out of the ring.
The crowd pops, and Cena leaves the ring, doing a 'You Can't See Me' taunt to a fallen HHH and leaving backstage. Sure, Pete Dunne still hasn't been eliminated.
But Cena has realized that this is way bigger than his feud and even bigger than a simple traditional tag team match. This is about HHH trying to bury the opposite team just because they don't comply with Hunter's 'Authoritarian' rules. So John Cena executes his part and always does the right thing in the end.
Basically, John Cena eliminates himself at his own free-will. It sounds stupid on paper, but it makes sense when you hear out the reason & motivation behind it.
Cena has always been falsely (and sometimes not so falsely) labeled as the guy 'who buries young talent'. But John realizes that The Young Breed should pick up the victory here. Their own team-captain (HHH) is a sold-out authority figure trying to bend the rules according to his will.
So essentially, if Hunter's team wins, the lone survivors would have done nothing but helped The Game achieve his own agenda (and Good Guy John wants no part of that).
At this point, five participants have been eliminated via count-out, and only The Game has been eliminated via pinfall. Has that ever happened before?
Triple H rolls out of the ring, and Pete Dunne flashes that villainous grin on his face. But he should have been paying attention towards his front.
Even before the audience can sink it all in, Goldberg wipes that smirk off Dunne's face by spearing the Bruiserweight at lightning speed. 1,2...3! Pete Dunne has been eliminated.
seven participants have been eliminated so far. Roman Reigns, Chad Gable & Goldberg remain. The most obvious thing happens next, Goldberg is a fresh (and the only) competitor left from his team- And the fans are chanting 'YES!' for Roman Reigns to step in.
This is where a twitter feud comes to life.
People had no idea that Reigns was going to be the one replacing Finn Balor, let alone the fact that Balor was going to be knocked unconscious backstage in the first place (We still don't know who injured Finn by the way).
Again, let them wrestle, I am not the one to describe each & every detail (Even if I have explained a lot so far). Let us go to the climax of this match.
Both of them are at ringside. Maybe even include a spot where both of them go for the spear at the same time, and as a result- they butt each others' shoulders/heads from opposite directions.
Anyways, typical Reigns becomes cocky. He clears all the announcers' tables (three of them to be exact) lined adjacently specifically for this PPV.
He lays Goldberg on either table (except the middle one). Reigns himself climbs onto the farthest table. Goldberg gets up, slowly.
We all know what's coming next- Reigns is going to spear Goldberg right through the announcers' table. But this is where he also makes a mistake. Roman Reigns gets too confident and performs his usual taunt that precedes the spear (OOOOAAH- for readers unable to comprehend what I'm saying).
It is at this moment Goldberg quickly charges towards Reigns' torso and spears him right through the announcers' table!
Remember, this is my booking & the referee does NOT magically stop counting while this sequence goes on. He has managed to count till eight when Goldberg delivers his finisher. But somehow, Bill Goldberg gets back into the ring at the last second, and Roman Reigns has been eliminated!
The 'last competitor' from Team Reigns is astonished to see their captain lying in defeat. Of course, the last competitor is none other than CHAD FRICKIN' GABLE!
Told you there was a reason behind everything. Gable realises that Goldberg is recuperating in the ring. The audience realises that Gable might have a shot at winning this thing!
Gable wastes no time and starts putting Goldberg down for once and for all. There is no point in me narrating this story anymore. You already know that Chad Gable is winning this thing.
Let Goldberg still get some offence in, but only to keep the audience on their feet. Make it look like Gable won't win this easily. Let people boo Goldberg if they want because as a booker, that'll only mean that they're gonna be cheering harder when Gable finally wins this for his team.
So it does happen, Gable wins it for his team after a hard-fought contest with a WWE Legend. Everybody is left happy (most of them, to be fair. Even I know that you cannot satisfy everybody).
The ending is somehow similar to Dolph Ziggler being the lone survivor in 2014 after being stacked up against so many odds. But in that case, WWE never capitalised on Ziggler following his victory. But I say this is Gable's moment. This victory is a factor that actually helps the audience root for him in the future.
Now hold on, I have previously stated for the reader not to make any quick assumptions. Because nothing is like what it actually seems. The reader thinks that Chad Gable is the real pay-off out of Survivor Series 2018.
Truth is, he's not. The next slide is where the real-payoff actually happens...
Aftermath
Surprise, Surprise. Turns out that the next night on RAW- The officials have secured CCTV footage of who really beat Finn Balor down last night.
The real pay-off here is- Roman Reigns.
Reigns was the one who beat Finn Balor down! As hard it may seem to digest, it all makes perfect sense. Roman Reigns has earned so many opportunities, but he never managed to win The Universal Title for once.
Despite all of his hard-work, he is often criticised and hated for many reasons. In real-life, being in Roman Reigns' situation for so long changes a man. You cannot be the same person after being taunted and booed night after night despite doing it 'the right way'.
And adding fuel to fire- Let us not forget that Roman Reigns was literally match-less at Survivor Series 2018 in my booking. So he got frustrated, played dirty for once, and got caught.
The fans want a Roman Reigns heel-turn, as Vince McMahon and co. have tried so many ways to get him over as a baby-face (without fully succeeding). But the heel-turn has to actually make sense, and in this case- it does. The mentality fits here.
Roman Reigns never managed to defeat Brock Lesnar as a baby-face, but perhaps if Vince McMahon is so eager in making Reigns' win the Universal Title, then maybe this is the right way to do it?
Heck, some fans were even hoping to see Reigns lead a dominant stable full of Samoans. There is enough scope and story to execute that now, with Samoa Joe & The Usos' leading the stable's message on RAW's counterpart- SmackDown Live.
Or if the readers' memory is strong, he or she will recall Seth Rollins being the No.1 contender for The Universal Title very early on in this booking. Either way, we have a definite path for getting the title off of Brock Lesnar.
Here's a bonus from the writer- As a booker you have to think about the future too, so except for Roman Reigns let's see where each & every participant from the 10-Man Traditional Tag-Team match stands after the Survivor Series 2018 PPV:
Finn Balor: Alright, he wasn't 'technically' in the match, but Balor was still part of the buildup leading up to Survivor Series. It would not be fair for him to just let him fade away once again. Now that people know it was Reigns who attacked Balor- it would make sense for them to start a feud immediately following the PPV. Perhaps he could even get his demon persona back. See, even Balor gets his spotlight in the end.
Chad Gable: I said it before in the previous slide. There will be a huge upsurge in momentum for this superstar. Make use of it. Chad Gable had a purpose too, despite there being no indication whatsoever before that match started. Nevertheless, even Gable benefits in the end.
John Cena: Super Cena isn't that bad after all. I think his feud with Pete Dunne & Buddy Murphy should end at Survivor Series 2018. After all, Cena sees the truth in the end, and does his rival a one-up by dropping Triple H with an Attitude Adjustment. John Cena's mentality is his ultimate conclusion.
Goldberg: He had his moment. There is no point for him to stick around anymore, maybe except congratulate Chad Gable the night after the PPV. This story was not about Goldberg, but he is one of the factors that I felt was necessary to execute this ultimate-plan.
Pete Dunne: Dunne proved that he is more than Triple H's Golden Boy. Unlike John Cena, his story is just starting. And the viewers will be curious to find what happens with him next. That, and NXT UK might attract some eyeballs with Pete Dunne being on the forefront of the show. Maybe a future feud with Triple H for WrestleMania 35?
Buddy Murphy: He doesn't need Pete Dunne anymore, and vice-versa. Like I said, these two are not a tag-team. They just had a common goal in mind. Similar to Pete Dunne, Blake Murphy has ample opportunities in the future, with possibly even bringing some mainstream attention to 205 Live.
Randy Orton: He is still the cold & calculating heel before & after this story line got over. Is he done with Finn Balor? Who knows what Orton might up to be next. One thing for sure is that each & every RAW superstar should always look over their shoulder from now on, that RKO can really hit you outta' nowhere. And as I believe- Heel Orton is the best Orton.
Triple H: Like Goldberg, Triple H is a set-piece that I used to set the wheels in motion. You could put him in a future feud with Pete Dunne by the way. Or maybe you could put HHH in a feud with any participant from last night- He did manage to p*ss a lot of people...
The Undertaker & Aleister Black: I hope nobody forgot that Aleister Black & The Undertaker exited the arena beating the sh*t out of each other last night. Maybe do one of those things where a cameraman followed these two wrestlers out the whole night- only to record exclusive footage that will be revealed on RAW. It really reminds me of The Attitude Era. Did Black throw The Undertaker off a bridge? Did the Deadman literally bury Aleister someplace else? Did lightning strike both of them in the middle of the road!? (Just kidding...or am I) The possibilities are endless...
What did you think? Thanks for reading this article, and stay tuned for more...
