WWE Survivor Series Review
November 22, 2015
By: Adam Martin of Wrestleview.com
Amid the threat of a potential ISIS related terrorist attack made public by the hacker group Anonymous on Saturday creating increased security inside Philips Arena in Atlanta, WWE was on the path to concluding a tournament to crown a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion after the sudden loss of Seth Rollins from the roster.
What transpired was what most wrestling fans predicted: Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose ending up in the finals of the tournament to crown a new champion. The hope? A change of pace. A break from the norm. Shake things up, WWE. We were begging you.
Instead, the struggle continues in Stamford. The struggle is real.
ROMAN REIGNS WINS THE TOURNAMENT, SHEAMUS CASHES IN
Before we explore whatever that was WWE presented us with in the main event, I do think it is fair to give Roman Reigns some credit tonight. His opener with Alberto Del Rio went really well and Del Rio has really stepped up in the ring since his return to WWE. My biggest gripe with Reigns is that he can perform really, really well in the ring and then just completely derail any sense of momentum the second he cuts a promo. He’s had more than enough time at this point to get comfortable on a mic in front of the red light.
Even the presentation of Kevin Owens right now is leaving a lot to be desired. I don’t know if it was the flashy offense in the early John Cena matches that distracted me, but the shine is definitely starting to wear thin. I’m hearing a lot of the same from Owens and it isn’t exactly making for thrilling television at the moment.
The same could be applied for Dean Ambrose. Before you write an angry comment below, hear me out. I think Ambrose is still a pretty competent guy to watch in the ring and (most of the time) comes off well in promos. Yet, I still don’t know why this character wants the title or why I should even care. He’s just, a dude.
It’s pretty clear WWE was already struggling pre-Seth Rollins injury. The weekly creative/writing has left a lot to be desired for months now. Losing Rollins created a genuine sense of opportunity for this team. Instead, an Irish briefcase holder who joked on the microphone and took a pinfall loss to Ryback earlier in the night was somehow the play WWE called to close the second to last Pay Per View of the year. Believe me – I want to sit here and tell you why this could be good or where they could be going. Sorry, I can’t. This show left me with an overwhelming confirmation of what I already knew before I sat down for three hours to take it all in: WWE has no direction right now and it isn’t getting better.
THE UNDERTAKER CELEBRATES 25 YEARS WITH WWE
This scenario pretty much wrote itself tonight. During The Undertaker’s very impressive entrance, it struck me what a great dance partner The Wyatt’s make for acts like Undertaker and Kane. It’s pretty simple pro wrestling presentation and it works. It would appear we are gearing up for our final Undertaker match at WrestleMania next year at Jerry Land and it can’t come soon enough. We’ve seen a lot from the Deadman this year as an extra bonus. It’s been a fun ride, but I think we’re all ready to close the book for good.
QUICK THOUGHTS
* The New Day is still the most entertaining act in WWE today. No one comes close.
* Who thought it was a good idea to give Charlotte and Paige 14 minutes?
* I’d like to see more from Tyler Breeze with other talents.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
77% of people polled on our @wrestleview Twitter (as of 11:45 p.m. ET) gave the show a thumbs down and I’m hard pressed to disagree with that sentiment.
The direction of WWE has been in trouble for quite some time and it’s now getting to the point where I’m shocked no one within the machine is noticing. It’s not going to be an easy task to start making this company interesting again.