Survivor Series 2014

The build is here.

Survivor Series 2014, the 28^th Survivor Series, is coming to you from St. Louis.

(Dark – Kalisto d. Kidd

              Devitt d. Kenta)

Note that Devitt continues to not be referenced on any WWF platform and his dark match is not shown on the network.

Quick highlight package of the first 27 Survivor Series, the matches for which have been counting down on the Network in the build, one per day, as part of a full 30 minute documentary about each.

From 87 – the Harts losing the tag titles, ending the longest tag reign in WWF history

From 88 – the Heenan Family forming, Rude/Hennig/Arn/Tully

From 89 – Hennig taking the WWF Title from Savage

From 90 -  Undertaker debuting, destroying Jimmy Snuka

From 91 – Piper beating Bret to take the IC title

From 92 – HBK wrestling twice, beating Savage to take the IC but then dropping it to Owen

From 93 – Razor turned on Shawn and Diesel after they beat up Waltman

From 94 – Shawn wins the triple crown, beating Owen for the strap

From 95 – Bret keeps the title over his old partner Davey Boy

From 96 – Rock’s debut, he goes over the Taker.

From 97 – Bret fastening the title belt around Owen’s waist after the Montreal match

From 98 – Austin beats Regal to keep the IC.

From 99 – Dudleys win the title in a tables match to take the title from the Hardys

From 00 – the only Eddy v. Dean PPV match in WWF history

From 01 – DDP hits the diamond cutter to beat Austin

From 02 – Brock destroys HHH outside the ring

From 03-Matt Hardy attacks RVD with a fork

From 04-Angle/Benjamin take the tag titles from  Rey/RVD

From 05-The creation of the 51% Solution, Hunter beats Michaels in a weapons match, Flair and Steamboat exchange chops on the ramp.

From 06-Punk beats Flair for the title, then throws down the belt, the key moment in late period WWF.

From 07-Rey keeps the WWF Title over the Taker.

From 08-Orton beats Regal in a parking garage brawl.

From 09-Steamboat introduces the future of the WWF, Danielson and Low Ki

From 10-Danielson beats Low Ki in their only WWF match

From 11-Foley brings GDI, including the Kings of Wrestling, back to WWF to go after Underground

From 12-Danielson keeps the title over Rey

From last year – the creation of the Paul Heyman Guys, Brock and Swagger attack Danielson and Punk after their draw

Joey is calling his 37^th PPV.  Alongside is a surprise, Paul Heyman, calling his first PPV since Rumble ‘93

Heyman’s been gone during the build, he’ll re-establish Brock’s relevance throughout the night.

1.       Fandango Curtis/Heath Slater d. Damien Sandow/Justin Gabriel

-The stip, recall, is someone’s getting let go from Underground.  Heyman puts Regal over, discusses how well he handles developmental – says a guy like Kalisto, who we saw here in the pre-show match, is ready to come up, so someone’s got to make room for him.  There is a machine building at WWFU, and Heyman knows that he’s fighting the inevitable – that Regal is right, there will be a day when every match is Underground vs. Underground.

The story here is Sandow, again he seems listless and that leads to a finish where Gabriel gets pinned.

Fortunately for Sandow, Gabriel gets hurt – so as part of the build for the Rumble, we see a Hard Knocks like scene where Regal releases him. 

2.       Rusev (w/GHB and Lana) d. Colons

-A squash, GHB and Lana do their act outside, Rusev does his power man stuff, both Colons get pinned simultaneously – Heyman puts over GHB as a guy who knows how to mine for talent and has really found someone in Rusev.  Says he’s wary of Lana and wonders how long this partnership can stay strong.

3.       John Cena NC Jack Swagger

-          This is a shmozz, ref bump, Virgil enters, Cody enters, the match gets thrown out.  Cena and Swagger fight back up the ramp and the Rhodes brothers brawl can’t be contained – they won’t get in the ring – so on the fly the match is changed to a Falls Count Anywhere.

4.       Falls Count Anywhere: Virgil d. Cody Rhodes

-          Dustin was part of the Wyatt attack on Dusty and Piper, laying both old men out – that’s ratcheted up this feud, Cody moves from trying to help his older brother escape this cult to wanting to kick his ass.  They brawl all over the arena and it’s Dustin, still called Virgil officially although Joey forgets sometimes, who goes over.  Heyman puts Dustin over, says he’s known him for almost 30 years, and he’s on fire.  He puts over Bray, says he understands he’s unpopular among guys like Joey Styles, but Bray has turned on the fountain of youth for Virgil.

We get a pretape.  Regal and Steamboat announce a partnership.  What has been GDI’s weekly wrestling show will now be GDI v. Underground (or GVU).  GDI has had a weekly show for 8 years, sometimes on television, now on the Network – sometimes it’s been a live wrestling show at the Manhattan Center, branded The Dragon’s Lair – sometimes on the road, working with any indie or international promotion that they can work with.

But now – with Underground growing, the show becomes GVU and is primarily based at Full Sail, it probably starts off 50/50 but slowly becomes more like 75/25.  In addition, WWF main roster guys will sprinkle their way onto the shows, the gimmick is that the main event is always GDI vs. Underground, but other matches can be any configuration, given how many more bodies Underground has than GDI.

G-V-U.   

5.       Women’s Title: Natty Neidhart d. Paige d. AJ

-          Before the match, the Harts, in their hockey jerseys, come down to ringside to sit in the front row.  Bret, Anvil, then Jericho – not in the JerichoDeath persona but wearing his #7 jersey, then Storm, then Edge.  All in the pink and black Hart Foundation hockey jerseys that have existed the full three decade run of the WWF WM era. 

Heyman helps set the stakes – given who AJ’s husband is, there is no doubt that since her deal is up tomorrow, she will take this belt and go home.  Paige is representing Underground, and as much as Regal is preparing to dominate the men – Underground is training a squadron of the best women’s wrestlers in WWF history, and once they get the belt they might never lose it.  And for Natty, she has a chance to get a jersey, to become #11, and you have to know it would be the biggest moment in her life.

It’s Three Way Dance rules, Natty pins AJ first, AJ attacks Paige after (Paige was outside) in a way that aids Natty, as Natty will work the body part injured by Paige and eventually get that fall, winning the relaunched women’s belt.

The next night is the last night of AJs deal, she’ll lose to Paige, after which Charlotte, Sasha and Becky will attack, along with Paige beating AJ down and then holding up 4 fingers each.

Their stable name is Four Ground. 

There are four of them, it’s a play off foreground, as in women are no longer in the background – and it’s a play off Underground, as they’re all from developmental.  There’s the Horsemen overtone for Charlotte, there’s the idea of working on the ground for technical wrestling or MMA.  Four Ground. 

But that’s tomorrow – right now, the Harts all come to the ring to celebrate with Natty; Tyson Kidd enters – he and Natty have been storyline broken up for years and Kidd’s been a heel for a year, but Kidd hugs her – and then the Anvil hands Natty the #11 Hart Foundation hockey jersey as Bret fastens the title belt around her waist.  It’s a moment. 

6.       IC: Luke Harper d. Nick Nemeth

-          The 63^rd IC Champion in WWF history is Luke Harper.  He does it alone, no Wyatt interference; Joey loves Nick Nemeth, puts him over in the way JR would have put Shawn Michaels over, to Joey, this is the man – so it’s a stunner – when the powerman from the Wyatts wins clean.

But he does – and afterward Cena and Virgil hit the ring to celebrate with him.  Big night for the Wyatts and the title match is still to come. 

7.       Tags: TLC 2 of 3 belts: The Shield (Rollins/Ambrose/Langston) d. Usos (Reigns/Jimmy/Jey)

-Prior to the match, a highlight package with the 94 previous WWF tag tram champions, from Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler all the way to Wade Barrett and Ryback.  A win here by the Shield and they will have a longer title reign than all of them.

The last TLC tag match was the 2003 Rumble, so almost 12 years have gone by – the reason is five of the 6 men that night were stretchered out, so that’s what the expectation is – like the Cell gimmick, if its used, the promise is carnage.  Add in the 2 of 3 stip, that all 3 title belts are raised above the ring and the winner is the first to pull down 2 and you have a hurdle worthy of the goal the Shield is looking to achieve.

They get it of course, Reigns gets the first belt – but Ambrose and then Rollins get the second and third.  Jey winds up taking the worst bump, getting stretchered away and its unclear when he’ll return. 

Postmatch Bret and the Anvil return to the ring – they shake hands with the Shield – they’ve been largely cool heels/babyfaces when it made sense; but the length of the run, the desire that fans have to see history – and now this type of body killing match followed up by and endorsement by the surviving members of the team they passed up – the Shield is now pretty clearly a babyface team.  Heyman calls them the greatest tag team in wrestling history.

8.       WWF Title No DQ: Claudio Castagnoli d. Bray Wyatt

-Bray’s got everything going for him; Claudio’s makeshift crew is unlikely to show up to aid him, given the way the evening has gone for Cody and Nemeth.  Conversely Virgil and Harper have both won.  With the No DQ stip – is it all over for Claudio?  Is the Hey Movement dead?

Nope. 

We’re told during the match by Heyman that he’s gotten final word (he can be on his cell pre match for a Dangerous Alliance callback) that negotiations are complete and that Brock Lesnar will be taking on the winner of the match at the Rumble.

It’s mainly a brawl, a lot of ringside stuff – to contrast with the first match.  No interference as it turns out.  Cena and Virgil hit the ramp – but are wiped out by the dive of the video wall, in a callback spot, from a returning Pac and Generico.

Harper then walks by the four bodies, he’s coming down the ramp with his new IC belt – but he’s stopped by some unfamiliar music to a WWF arena, Unsettling Differences by Blue Smock Nancy.

And the emergence of the man for whom that music is playing.

Kevin Steen.

Harper drops the belt – charges at Steen – and they have a wild brawl on the ramp.

Claudio’s gonna get the fall.  And the rest of GDI, with their newest member, will hit the ring – all 4 men ending the show by hitting the turnbuckles.  Kevin Steen is in the WWF.  Kevin Steen is in GDI!

Back in December, the 10^th anniversary, if you can believe it, of the Counterfactual, with the build for Rumble 2015 – your main event, Claudio Castagnoli defending the title against Brock Lesnar.