It's time once again for the Survivor Series.



There are four traditional majors on the WWE calendar, and this one is, beyond all reasonable dispute, the most obsolete of the four that's still hanging around. WrestleMania is the biggest show of the year. SummerSlam, nearly half the year later, is the #2 show and the only one aside from Mania that feels like it gets any sort of build of more than a month today. The Royal Rumble features the most popular gimmick match of the year. Survivor Series...just exists. It was the first non-Mania PPV to exist, it has longevity, and it's a major seemingly on that basis alone.

The foundation of the show at one time, the team elimination matches, was a big deal back then, during a time when we didn't see superstar vs. superstar nearly as often, and we would actually see unique combinations and matchups that we may have never seen before. This was also in a time when pushes were engineered over the long term, and a person getting the spotlight in a Survivor Series match may portent big things for their future. In today's wrestling, you can seemingly get the maximum Survivor Series push and have it be completely dropped without a thought within a month (hi Dolph Ziggler).

Moreover, for a good while, they completely dropped the team elimination matches, and in doing so kind of admitted at the time that the concept had outlived its usefulness. Though I hated losing that aspect, they weren't wrong. In bringing these matches back, they haven't restored their usefulness; they've just realized that they're a good way to fill up a show that they feel obligated to continue trotting out as the black sheep of the big four.

So, like a child's first birthday party, there is no real point to this, but we're here, so what the hell. The card:

I am ready for matches 1-3. I suppose 6 could turn out to be pretty great as well.

What happened to Natalya and Ruby Riott?

Beers are ready to try and get me through this, I see myself nodding off a couple of hours in.

Am on the fence of whether or not I should renew for this. Thoughts?
The singles matches have me intrigued at least

Probably worth it esp if you'd go back and watch last night's NXT show.

**** it, for $10 it's worth it. I'll be entertained one way or the other, whether actually or by how bad it is

Looks like ~1 hour of the 4 will be entrances for the 5v5 matches.

edit - That neckbreaker/moonsault move is so good.

Good write-up, LKJ.

I'm in, although I am skipping the pre-show as usual.

Is the PPV 3 hour or 4 hour? I'm assuming the cruiserweight match is on the preshow so that leaves 6 matches for the main card.

4 hours.

Also the lack of small "P" on the Wiki article indicates that the CW match will probably be on the main show.

Would have been nice if they put the Revival on the map, having them go through ND and Usos, but I guess that would be asking far too much.

Bobby

Serious question: is that Renee?

Alexa next to Nia? Remember when these matches didn't make things so stupid?

Got the network and than will cancel till Royal Rumble, But will be like mms and probably fall asleep before the end. By the way it's only scheduled till 10:05 p.m.

oh god what's up is my earplugs.

Is R-Truth still doing his "I thought I was in this match" gimmick and thinks he's on the Smackdown womens team?

Savage teamed with Steamboat at Survivor Series not too long after their blood feud. Like what Savage did then, Alexa did at least acknowledge the recent bad blood between she and Nia at this past Raw in a promo.

Asuka is why I never want to see Kairi called up

As far as I can see, the WWE Network schedule's next scheduled program starts at 11.

Alexa looks like a 2018 Alexandra York.

hahaha oh my the booos

The camerawork in that Womens survivor series match recap legit made me dizzy. Zooming in and out at lightning speed, wtf

Nia stealing Romans gimmick

Wow those boos for injuring Becky. Pretty incredible. Never heard audible boos for an accidental injury before.

Oh no there was a rumor that the PPV was planning to end at 10:05 p.m. and what each match was scheduled to go but who knows.