Road to Survivor Series 2007 - 5

Part 4 is here.

This wraps up our preview of Survivor Series - the big, big, Pay-Per-View coming in November from Miami.

Here's the card so far:

NWA Title: Fit Finlay (w/Dean) v. Johnny Nitro (w/Melina)
ECW Title: CM Punk (w/Maria) v. Jeff Hardy
WWF Title: Rey Mysterio v. Undertaker
Unified Tags: S&S: Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch v. The Clique: HBK and HHH-M
The Juggernaut Eddie Little v. ?
The Juggernaut Eddie Little v. ?

Two matches left. The IC and the opening tag.

The IC challenger is MVP.

At Summer Slam, we saw the blow up of Heat - Porter and Burke had spent the past year as protegees of Booker (backstory being that MVP wrote to Book when he was in jail and Book was in the NWA, Book sent tapes, said to look him up when he got out - Porter got out, he and Burke, his childhood running buddy, moved to Houston to get trained by Book - they came to WWF, Book taught them the ropes) while Heat started to grow as a tag, Book regained the fire of his youth and won the WWF Title at XXIII.

But everything falls apart - the build to Summer Slam teased at that falling apart, and after Book dropped to Rey - Porter turned on both Book and Burke.

And now - we have the birth of MVP: Montel Vontavious Porter.

Porter's got a catchphrase: "I run this."

Like "People say, Montel - how could you have done Booker like that? Booker spoke up for you at your parole hearing - Booker got you into the WWF - without Booker, you'd be in jail or in a shallow grave - how could you have done him like that?

'Cause I'm Montel. Vontavious. Porter. And I run this.

And people say, Montel - you and Burke have been together since you were shorties. Okay, you had to push Booker aside - okay - you had to be your own man - okay, you had to make a strike to make your name the same way Book and Stevie Ray did back in the day - but why you gotta do Burke like that?

'Cause I'm Montel. Vontavious. Porter. And I run this.

I'm all gangsta. I'm straight G gangsta. I don't do friends. I don't do tag teams. I don't do little buddy to the World Champ.

I do me. I do me.

I'm Montel. Vontavious. Porter. The MVP. And I run this."

Like that.

Porter does that gimmick - spends most of the stretch after Summer Slam getting over as a single - the LWO has some debts to pay, and Porter's gonna be going over all of them here.

Porter's collision with Randy Orton, the Worldwide Champ, happens at, shockingly, SNME. Orton does some running around with Murdoch and Cade after Summer Slam - the three champs from the NWA carrying their gold all around the 3 shows. They big time everyone they meet - they come to GDI and big time everyone - they big time Dusty Rhodes on Fight Night (more about that momentarily) and they big time everyone in the WWF.

That's where Porter/Orton first starts. Porter's cutting a promo and Orton cuts him off - "you run this? you don't run jack - I'm Randy. Orton. I'm the Worldwide Champ. I run this." That leads to a 6 man that opens SNME (big show, recall, that's where Michaels made his return to reunite with Hunter - that's where Team NWA beats Team WWF in the main, Nitro pinning Rey after the Juggernaut attack - and the conclusion of the show, the big reveal that Jeff Hardy is the Blood Dragon). Porter teams with Chavo and Crazy to face Orton/Murdoch/Cade. The working premise being the LWO is looking for a rematch against S&S, to whom they lost their tag belts at SSlam - and although Porter and the LWO have been in violent opposition for months and months - they are put together, uneasily so, by Steamboat for this match.

Porter pins Orton - and we've got the IC match set up.

The LWO is announced as the opposition to S&S - but the next night, the Clique punks them out and claims the shot for themselves, which was set up on SNME.

And Jericho's clock keeps ticking on the TitanTron. Ticking down to Survivor Series.

The opening tag match will be Leviathan, by himself, against The Miz and Alabama Bob.

Bob and Miz are doing the gimmick you think they'd do - oil and water, Bob's the grumpy vet, trying to learn the kids right from wrong - and Miz is the guy from the Real World. I'd like as many MTV reality personalities as possible in this stretch for this angle - Miz hangs out with Spencer and Heidi, for example - whomever they can get. Holly hates this more that he can express - he doesn't know who any of the people are - he's never seen MTV since they stopped playing .38 Special. He wants to get ready for the match.

Now - Leviathan takes us back to where we started this series of previews.

Recall - Fit needed a partner to face Rey and the Undertaker for SNME. Nitro got tabbed.

But before that - 3 guys lobbied Dusty to get the spot and were turned down.

Shelton Benjamin, Randy Orton, Leviathan.

Benjamin lobbied and was turned down - Dusty saying actually, baby, it goes something like this - we've traded you over to Monday nights.

WWF sends John Cena/Ken Kennedy/Jamie Noble to NWA for Shelton Benjamin

(Noble, recall, gets traded from GDI to WWF for Ulysses Morley after the big London hanging angle - this trade then happens)

We've alluded to this. Cena/Kennedy both lost to the Juggernaut at Summer Slam and were sent packing. Benjamin's really stung by this move - it breaks up Strong Style - he has to leave Haas and Arn. There's a vignette where Benjamin goes to Arn, says he doesn't want to go - asks Arn if there's a way he can talk to Dusty, get them out of this - keep Strong Style together.

Arn tells Benjamin he won't do that - 'cause the trade was his idea.

Arn tells Benjamin that it's time he moves on. After he beat Kurt Angle at WM, Arn hoped he and Haas could revolutionize the tag division - but the truth is it never happened - Benjamin's gotten too comfortable just working with Charlie, hanging out at the bottom of the cards - not making the big shows, not being in the big matches. And the only way to jumpstart his career is to get him out of here.

So - he's gone. Benjamin and Arn say goodbye - Benjamin and Charlie say goodbye - and Benjamin heads back to Monday nights.

Randy Orton comes to Dusty - and he's turned down. Now, Dusty says he's not picking Orton because he wants Orton in that opening tag match - but to Orton, he should be in the main event - not the opener. Orton argues - Dusty tries to massage it but is unsuccessful - Orton cryptically exits with "you're making a mistake, Dusty - you're gonna regret this."

And Leviathan also gets turned down. Dusty says the big man should focus on his tag career - he and Flair were tag champs, he should try to get back to that level - get yourself a tag partner. So, Leviathan's quest to find a partner becomes his storyline - he says he'll have one by Survivor Series, so we get a mystery partner angle.

And that's your show.

NWA Title: Fit v. Nitro
-Nitro's rematch for the title.
GDI title: Punk v. Jeff
-Jeff's masked gambit pays off, he returns after the post Mania beating and faces Punk
WWF Title: Rey v. Undertaker
-Over a decade since his last shot, the WWF legend faces the Triple Crown winner.
Worldwide Titles: Orton v. Porter
-Heel on heel
Unified Tags: Cade/Murdoch v. HBK/HHHM
-Also heel on heel - the Clique reunites.

Also - the Clique promises to finish off their assault on all things Hart - saying they'll go after Natty Neidhart at Survivor Series -- and, the Jericho clock is set to go off at Survivor Series.

The Juggernaut v ?
The Juggernaut v. ?
Leviathan/? v. Holly/Miz

And the 3 mystery matches - Little beat 2 guys at Summer Slam, and now has to face 2 mystery guys at Survivor Series. Leviathan has been looking for a partner and says he'll find one and bring him to Survivor Series.

It's Survivor Series 2007.. From Miami. In November. Call your cable company!

Road to Survivor Series 2007 - 4

Part 3 is here.

Survivor Series 2007 from Miami is coming in November - in parts 1-3, we set up five matches:

NWA Title: Fit Finlay (w/Dean) v. Johnny Nitro (w/Melina)

ECW Title: CM Punk (w/Maria) v. Jeff Hardy

WWF Title: Rey Mysterio v. Undertaker

The Juggernaut Eddie Little v. ?

The Juggernaut Eddie Little v. ?

That leaves 3 matches left to set up.

While it's in my head, something that I've insufficiently emphasized (meaning, I maybe referenced something like it once but I basically just thought of it for an upcoming angle, but it requires that I set it up a quarter century ago for it to be what I want it to be, but that's the beauty of a blog, I'll just mention it here and at some point I'll go back and work it in, granted it might be years before that happens, but such is life) are the Hart Foundation hockey jerseys.

What I have mentioned is that I wanted a commonality of colors to be passed down from Hart to Hart (RJ Wagner?) but a better idea than that are the hockey jerseys.

Each member of the Hart Foundation gets a hockey jersey, with his own number and nickname. Somewhere, those jerseys hang. Let's say anytime we do a show in Canada, they'll hang from the rafters. The granting of a jersey could be part of the storylines. You may recall part of the Jericho/Benoit dynamic, when the former was a face and the latter a heel, was that Jericho was trying to get Benoit to accept his role in the WWF. Benoit came in leading the Alliance, then joined the Horsemen - but as he neared the face turn, Jericho leaned on him that he was not only a Hart - but he needed to be the leader of the Foundation - that it was his rightful spot - the leader of the Hart Foundation - from Dynamite to Bret to Benoit - he was the backbone of the WWF, and it was time that Benoit took that role.

What would have been a good emotional payoff would have been when Benoit finally wore his own Hart Foundation hockey jersey. That would have been good.

So - we got jerseys - here's who has them:

OO - Stu

1 - Dynamite

2 - Hit Man

3 - Bulldog

4 - Anvil

5 - Owen

6 - Pillman

7 - Y2J

8 - Lance Storm

9 - Benoit

Theoretically, both Keibler and Trish could have them too, as I put them both with Jericho (you're welcome, Chris) but they don't.

Just thought I'd mention that now.

Because - as we set up the final 3 matches - it's time to talk about the Clique.

For about a month, starting the night after Summer Slam and running until the season premiere of RAW - there are video packages trumpeting the return of HHH-M.

They're a little over the top, pushing him as a star far beyond that which he would seemingly merit. Perhaps you could imagine such a thing. The announce raises a bit of an eyebrow eventually, questioning if perhaps Hunter's marrying into the McMahon family might have something to do with the over the top nature of the packages. This is probably less imaginable.

Hunter, recall, has been gone since last year's Survivor Series. He was IC Champ and he and Flair ran the company as the 51% Solution along with their bodyguard, Lashley. Hunter, echoing his previous treatment of London/Kendrick years before decided to big time Lashley, pushing him too far - the Excecutioner snapped - taking Hunter out as HHH lost his strap to Helms. Lashley then walked out, Flair lost his strap to Punk - the Solution was dissolved, GDI was born, Punk threw the belts down and chaos has reigned ever since.

But here, on the season premiere of RAW - HHH-M returns.

Hunter smugly (just assume everything he does is smug until I suggest otherwise, or hell freezes over) says that it might have escaped the attention of some people since his return was insufficiently promoted (and heads will roll) but after almost a year on the sidelines - the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time has returned to his throne.

Hunter says Survivor Series is meaningful to him. Not because a year ago - this happened (clip of Punk beating Flair and then throwing down the belts - that's a clip played a lot in this stretch) but because two years ago - this happened (plays the clip of his beating Michaels which forced the ending of the Clique lineage - recall the full scenario - Edge attacked his former Clique stablemate Michaels, which propelled their feud, a feud that saw Edge beat Shawn at XXII and Shawn go over Edge at Summer Slam '06 in a ladder match - essentially, the real world Jericho/Michaels feud is the one we did here with Michaels/Edge -- also in that match was the return of Kendrick, as a heel, superkicking London to keep him from aiding Michaels, an action that started the ball rolling on what would become GDI - and, we also saw the creation of the 51% Solution, with Flair and Arn joining HHH to take over the company).

HHH says that was an historic night - because it was the night he did what no one else could ever do - it was the night he buried the Clique.

And now - Hunter says - "now I want to resurrect it."

Hunter turns to camera to directly address Michaels.

He says - Shawn - I know you tried - you tried to save the WWF - you tried to pass along your..wisdom to the boys in the back - you tried to show these fans what it means to appreciate a legend in this business - the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels - but they turned away from you

(clips of the fans booing Michaels at WM XXIII)

Shawn - since you came back here after your injury, you've tried to live up to this ideal you set for yourself - live up to the best version of Shawn Michaels you could possibly be. You've been the hero Shawn Michaels, the champion Shawn Michaels. You looked out for people, took care of the young guys, shook hands and signed autographs and where did it get you, Shawn?

Where did it get you?

Come home, Shawn. Not home to the WWF. Home to this (Hunter makes the sign of the Clique). Let's see the old Shawn Michaels one more time. The one who put Marty Jannetty through a plate glass window. The one who put Owen Hart through a table in Wembley Stadium in 1992. The one who spit in Randy Savage's face and took his Intercontinental Title. Let's have some fun and raise some hell and do what we want to do when we want to do it -- hey Shawn - take a look at this

(Hunter rolls one last clip - it's of a very young looking wrestler washing his hands in a public restroom.)

HHH-M: Hey, kid - you're TJ Wilson, right?

Wilson: Yes sir, Mr. Helmsley-McMahon.

HHH-M: Remind me again, where did you grow up?

Wilson: In Calgary, sir. In the H-Hart house.

HHH-M: Know what would be funny - I've always wanted to see one of you Hart kids make the sign of the Clique - would you do that for me? Just put your fingers up like this.

Wilson shakes his head.

HHH-M: I know you inbred Canucks aren't that bright, but it's easy, just put your fingers like this.

Wilson shakes his head.

HHH-M: Now, TJ - I'm starting to get the feeling that it would be fair to say one day, when you're big and strong and all growns up, you'd like to be in the Hart Foundation. Wear one of those hockey jerseys - maybe come after a guy like me?

Wilson: Uh - I - I guess so, yeah.

HHH-M: You're never gonna get that chance.

Hunter then beats the hell out of Wilson - doing the bathroom spots - using the urinal and sinks and mirrors - finally knocking Wilson clean out - then taking his hand and forcing it into the Clique handsign, mocking Wilson's voice with a Canadian accent "You're too sweet, eh. Take off, Wayne Gretzky, backbacon, free health care. I love the Clique!"

HHH-M then dunks Wilson in the toilet and laughs.

And laughs in the ring.

Shawn - he says - come on home and play with me.

The next week, there's a match between Hunter and Teddy Hart.

Hart, recall, and Harry Smith were Matt Hardy's ring boys during the year long build for his XXIII Cell match against Edge. Matt, recall, was a ring boy for the Clique when he and Jeff began their careers in the WWF as kids. I'm stretching Teddy's WWF tenure a bit for this match.

Hunter punks Teddy out, there's a crotch chop - the same "make the sign of the Clique" stuff he did to Wilson he does here. Hunter hits a couple of pedigrees - puts Teddy's hand in the clique handsign. That wraps Teddy up. Harr Smith then hits the ring for the face save - he backs Hunter off - then clotheslines him out of the ring for hopefully a good babyface reaction.

The announce says that at Saturday Night's Main Event (which we've been referring to in multiple angles) it will be HHH-M taking on Harry Smith -- and we will, for the first time since WM, have a visit from Shawn Michaels.

So, on that same SNME where (1) Nitro pins Mysterio, with some help by the Juggernaut, to earn a rematch against Fit and make that match the main event at Survivor Series and (2) the Blood Dragon unmasks to reveal not Ricky Steamboat but instead Jeff Hardy as CM Punk's opponent at Survivor Series - we get this -

HHH-M has the same match with Harry as did he with Teddy - maximum humiliation - all the Clique stuff - except after the Pedigree - he picks Harry to his feet and says "I won't do it for you - you make the sign on your own - you put up the fingers or I'll beat you like we used to beat your old man."

Harry, bloody, refuses - HHH beats him - but Harry, bloody - refuses.

Hit Shawn's music.

Michaels, gone since Mania, gets whatever reaction he gets.

He runs in - pushes Hunter away from Harry. Michaels jaws at Hunter - Michaels and Hunter, former tag champs, have been on opposite sides for years - Michaels jaws at HHH-M

Then he turns and superkicks Harry cold - Michaels grabs Harry's hand - puts it in the sign of the Clique.

The next night on RAW - Hunter and Shawn cut promo - Shawn blisters the fans - says from now on, he's going to be the old HBK - he's going to do what he wants, when he wants. And what he wants at Survivor Series are two things - one - he wants to become tag team champion for the fourth time - and he wants to give her (picture of Natty Neidhart is shown on the titantron) a very special Clique salute.

Hunter and Shawn laugh and their music hits - but it's abruptly cut off by that countdown.

You know the countdown. Hours, Minutes, seconds.

And as the Countdown begins on the screen - the seconds whirring away - the number 7 flashes over and over again.

7 being of course the hockey jersey number for Chris Jericho.

And the Countdown will expire, as the announce tells us, doing the math - at Survivor Series.

Shawn and Hunter will meet S&S for the tag belts at Survivor Series.

6 matches down. 2 to go. It continues.

Road to Survivor Series 2007 - 3

Part 2 is here.

Road to Survivor Series 2007 - 3

Set up in Parts 1 and 2:
NWA Championship: Fit Finlay v. Johnny Nitro
WWF Championship: Rey Mysterio v. Undertaker

And in that order; a point of contention on the road to survivor series was card placement as emblematic of title status - neither the WWF belt nor the NWA belt has had a main event slot in the year since the company got busted up at Survivor Series '06 - the main event of SNME (although not the end of the show, that comes in this section) was Fit and Nitro gaining the main event spot for their title match by going over Rey/Undertaker (after Juggernaut interference). Nitro pinned Rey, a startling result, Nitro's maintained the character of not wanting to be hit, not wanting contact, not wanting to have his features marked up in any way - the opposite of the ethos of Fight Night spread by Fit and Dean.

But Nitro slithered his way not only into keeping his job after walking out on the title match at SSlam, but now has a rematch, in the main event of Survivor Series '07.

Rey/Undertaker is all babyface - although after Rey gets pinned there's tension between he and the Dead Man, it has been assumed by all, including Steamboat, that Rey is clearly the man to return the WWF to glory, as its slide has occurred while Rey has been out, but fluky though it may be, Rey's losing to Nitro has opened the door for others - including the Taker, to openly speculate if they might be better choices.

Not engaging in that speculation is Steamboat (here's where, for those of you who read parts 1 and 2 already and know all of the aforementioned, there's new stuff) he has two things to add here; one - after Little's interference at SNME, costing WWF the match, Steamboat, as did he at Summer Slam - books him in 2 matches at Survivor Series. The Juggernaut slags off his Slam opponents, Kennedy and Cena, as vanilla midgets - Steamboat says he'll do Little a favor, he'll stick him in the ring, at Survivor Series, with two mystery opponents - both of whom - both of whom are bigger...a lot bigger...than the Juggernaut.

So, that's 4 matches named - two title matches - and Eddie Little, The Juggernaut - in two separate matches against mystery opponents.

The other thing Steamboat's involved in dovetails into the discussion of the third World Title match, the ECW title and GDI.

At Survivor Series, CM Punk will defend his title against The Blood Dragon

?

Part of the promo from part 1, when the WWF match was set up, included Steamboat resetting the idea that it's his mission to reunite the 3 title belts and return the WWF to glory. That theme continues - and continues even though there's an obstacle, as was set up by Rey in that promo - Punk isn't obligated to defend the title against WWF wrestlers anymore, which allowed him to keep over GDI's Paul London at Summer Slam.

How will WWF ever get the belts reunited when Punk will obviously never fight a WWF wrestler again?

This is a good question.

The other element of that Steamboat promo from RAW (it's in part 1) was a clip from the first ever Survivor Series - 20 years ago - when Steamboat kept the WWF title over Dynamite. Clips of Steamboat will appear more often in this stretch, his working style should be familiar to the newer viewers.

Keep both of those things in mind as we return to just after Summer Slam.

Punk and Maria only appear once in the first month.

They are in celebration after the win over London - Punk says they're going on vacation so he can put the wood to Maria. Mmmm. Maria. He says he wants to clear the way for the new blood to pump its way through GDI - new blood like like The Yakuza (who started before Summer Slam, it's Jimmy Yang with a black suit and spiked hair and mirrored sunglasses and a prosthetic missing pinky finger) like The Little Warrior (that's Shannon Moore, who we'll never acknowledge as Shannon Moore, dressed like Great Sasuke) like Matt Sydal (total white meat babyface, effectively taking London's place on the GDI roster) like Colt Cabana (Colt's Punk's walkaround guy; like a comedic Arn Anderson to Punk's Flair).

Punk says he'll return on the season premiere of GDI, on Sci Fi, in a month, to cleanse the old GDI blood - it'll be Punk/London, the final chapter - and not only will he run Paul London out of GDI - it'll be time for the rest of the old guard to declare their allegiance to the movement.

During the month that Punk's gone, another guy debuts - a guy dressed like Jushin Liger, so in a full costume - a guy using Ricky Steamboat's moveset. His name - The Blood Dragon.

The connection between he and Steamboat won't be pushed by the announce; Steamboat will be on RAW, making cryptic comments about needing to reunite the belts - needing to get the WWF on top - "taking matters into his own hands"

The clips of Steamboat will be shown to remind people of his signature spots.

And there will be The Blood Dragon, beating everyone on GDI.

I'd like the fans to put it together on their own, maybe start chanting.

As this stretch rolls along, I see occasions where Steamboat would be selling an injury on Monday that the Blood Dragon suffered on the previous Tuesday. And as we get closer and closer to SNME, then it's in full scale "Good god - Ricky Steamboat is the Blood Dragon" mode.

But that's not here yet.

Before that happens, Punk returns to go over London again in that promised match - and then has the cleansing - which, if you read Summer Slam, I referenced was coming -- London is cut open, hung upside down, while his blood drips down atop Punk - Punk bathing in the blood of London. It should be extra-violent.

And that's an act that will be too much for Jamie Noble - recall, he and Brian Kendrick have tagged up for the past year, they were instrumental in the ECW duo of Sandman/Dreamer (Dreamer is the color announce, as a babyface, for GDI) but their partnership ended as they feuded over who would get the IC shot against Orton at SSlam.

A choice has to be made, Punk's made clear - the old blood will have to be cleaned out - that old blood is Noble and Kendrick - and they stand in the aisle, looking on in horror while Punk drowns in London's blood - both conflicted - conflicted - it clearly shocks the conscience -- will they take a stand - so much history between London and Kendrick - so much history (they also tagged in ROH) between Noble and Kendrick - it's Noble who blinks - he runs to the ring to free London.

Kendrick follows - but follows to attack Noble from behind.

And so the cleansing of GDI isn't just Paul London (who I'm gonna send home until further notice) but it's also Jamie Noble.

Noble is going to be traded.

Noble is traded to WWF for Ulysses Morley.

WWF then trades Noble, Ken Kennedy and John Cena (recall, prior to Summer Slam, Steamboat told them that their matches against Juggernaut were their last chance) to the NWA for Shelton Benjamin and "future considerations."

Now - what all of that will result in we'll talk about on the Road to Royal Rumble 2008.

But one assumes it results in something.

Back to this show - after Punk's passed London, he notices the Blood Dragon, notices the crowd reaction - puts 2 and 2 together - there are satellite promos between Steamboat and Punk - Steamboat always denies he's the Bood Dragon, we do the "those two guys, Blood Dragon and Steamboat are never in the same place at the same time" stuff. Steamboat has a twinkle in his eye as he gets under Punk's skin - Punk has manipulated everyone for two years now - and now, Steamboat, apparently is coming out of retirement himself, in a mask, to invade GDI.

You could see how this would go.

It builds to SNME which will be a contract signing.

Punk finally decides it's a good thing - it's a great thing - he gets to beat up Ricky Steamboat (they had a program in ROH too, it was good) at Survivor Series. 20 years after Steamboat beat Dynamite at the first ever Survivor Series - he gets his ass kicked by CM Punk.

Punk says he'll give the Blood Dragon a title shot at Survivor Series.

But the qualifier is - he can't wrestle with the mask.

At SNME there's gonna be a contract signing - and at the contract signing - Blood Dragon will unmask.

And that's how SNME, at MSG, will close - so, you've got the big tag match between WWF and NWA - and then the contract signing.

The GDI before that will feature Blood Dragon again - again going over - and for the first time, as the show ends and he celebrates - Steamboat's last WWF music (you know - that they played as intro music for the Chicago Bulls during the Jordan era) plays.

And that's the music that plays when the Blood Dragon enters for the contract signing.

Punk signs. Blood Dragon signs.

Punk then yells at him to unmask - unmask Steamboat - "I want to see your face Steamboat! I want to see your face old man!"

And that's when Ricky Steamboat appears at the top of the aisle.

"You want to see my face, Punk? Here it is. Take a look - because at Survivor Series - it won't be my old face you'll be looking at across the ring -

-It'll be his..."

And at Madison Square Garden, with a couple of months of buildup, on Saturday Night's Main Event before Survivor Series 2007 - the Blood Dragon will unmask...

Jeff Hardy.

Jeff's been gone since Mania, when he was wiped out by Punk and GDI in the Cell after trying to save his brother after GDI attacked Matt and Edge after the main event of XXIII.

Jeff attacks the shocked Punk - Duped! (punked, if you will) - and we've got our third title match for Survivor Series.

ECW Title: CM Punk v. Jeff Hardy

That's 3 title matches, plus the 2 Juggernaut matches. 5 matches set up for Survivor Series 2007 as the build continues.

Road to Survivor Series 2007 - 2

Part 1 is here.


Road to Survivor Series 2007 – 2

In part one, the WWF Title: Rey v. Undertaker, was set up.

On the Friday after Summer Slam, Dusty Rhodes begins Fight Night from the ring. He’s hot at Nitro; recall, the NWA Title match at Summer Slam ended in a countout when Nitro quit rather than face the continued onslaught from Fit.


The NWA champs (Orton, Cade and Murdoch) were at ringside for that match, along with Dusty – as they were in full NWA celebration after the previous two matches, so that Nitro quit during a title match was incredibly humiliating for Dusty, his demeanor here clearly evidences that he took it personally.


The tone set in the NWA is one where they are tougher than is the WWF, with Fit and Malenko as emblematic of that. The Fit/Nitro program is based on that difference, Nitro always talking about his hair and his abs while Fit is committed to passing down the gospel of the NWA to the younger wrestlers. Everyone, including Bradshaw, is in full anti-Nitro mode as Dusty cuts a promo on him that effectively ends with “you’re fired.”


That causes Fit and Dean to enter.


Fit says it’s actually his fault and he wants Dusty to reconsider.


Dean looks at Fit quizzically, one notes.


Fit says he has tried to teach the young wrestlers the NWA way – and at Summer Slam, he tried to beat some of that teaching into Nitro. Clips are shown of Fit pulling Nitro up from pinfalls, like, one recalls, Dean used to do. Fit says it’s his fault – and he’ll never do that again. Sharp eyed viewers note a pursing of Malenko’s lips, as if to indicate some degree of disapproval.


Fit proposes to Dusty the following – if Nitro can last ten minutes in a match with him – he keeps his job.
Nitro comes on the screen – he’s at home, bandaged up, blackened eye, surrounded by medical equipment as if he were on his deathbed. Melina is in a nurse’s outfit. Nitro says clearly he is not at the arena and does not know when he’ll be medically cleared to wrestle – but, after his facial injuries heal and his plastic surgeons have restored him to his genetically superior good looks, he’ll be able to come back to Fight Night, last his ten minutes, and keep his job.


Dusty is hot as the feed drops – he wants to fire Nitro right now – but Fit, all the while with Dean remaining silent, Fit says he’s the NWA Champ – and the right thing for the title belt is to beat Nitro clean and in the middle.


Dusty agrees – then, he says there’s one more piece of business – Monday on RAW, Rey Mysterio said this – then he plays Rey saying he was the last real NWA Champ.


Dusty gets hot now at Rey – he says that while Rey was gone for a year rehabbing an injury, the NWA was reborn, reborn under Fit Finlay who isn’t just the real NWA Champion – he’s the real World Champion – and as for the idea that the WWF Championship should be the main event at Survivor Series – a match for the new NWA Title has never been the main event at a PPV – and it’s about damn time that changed.
Each Friday, we get some video from Nitro that shows him still not medically ready to wrestle. The anti-Nitro rhetoric grows stronger

Finally, sometime in September, say with the season premiere of Fight Night, Nitro returns for the ten minute match. It’s not much for workrate – as Nitro runs – runs around the ring – escapes the ring until Malenko finally catches him and throws him back in – but the story of the match is Nitro running away.

Fit catches him, pounds on him – gets nearfalls – but Nitro just survives the ten minutes and keeps his job.

During that month between Summer Slam and that match, the war of words between WWF and NWA continues – who is the real world champion – and what will be the main event at Survivor Series? There’s a Saturday Night Main Event in this stretch, it’s at MSG, so we’ll build to that – Steamboat winds up issuing a challenge, accepted by Dusty – at that SNME, there will be a tag match to determine the main event at Survivor Series.

Rey/Undertaker will team up – and they’ll take on Fit and a partner.

That partner’s unannounced during the build – different wrestlers want the slot, most specifically, the Worldwide Champ Randy Orton, Leviathan, and Strong Style Shelton Benjamin. None of the men is happy when they are turned down – Orton takes it badly.

After Nitro lasts the 10 minutes - barely– Fit takes the mic and says he’s found a partner – he wants Nitro to be his partner on SNME – and if they win – if they beat Rey and the Undertaker – then Nitro will get a second shot for the NWA Title…at the main event of Survivor Series.

They do the match, it’s the main of SNME at MSG, it’s a screwy finish – The Juggernaut (recall the set up for the WWF Title in the previous post) runs in after a ref bump and wipes out Rey – Nitro, who has largely avoided contact the entire match, protecting his face and his hair, tagging Fit whenever possible, takes advantage with an aerial spot and a pinfall.

The Juggernaut hits his catchphrase – Nitro and Melina celebrate – we have our NWA Title match – Fit Finlay defending against Johnny Nitro again – in the main event of Survivor Series 2007.

Two matches set up – next, the GDI Title match – who will CM Punk defend against? It continues.

Road to Survivor Series 2007 - 1

Summer Slam is here.


Road to Survivor Series 2007 – I


The working plan is to do somewhat of a History of Counterfactual Survivor Series, in the way that I did a Summer Slam history a couple of years ago. That will serve to catch some people up on how we got here, and give everyone something to read (other than The Blog of Revelation, of course) between now and November.

Within those posts, I’ll be referring to the upcoming card – the balance of the building of which I’ll do later. Today, I want to start setting up the 3 World Title matches.

The night after Summer Slam, Ricky Steamboat comes to the ring on RAW.

Steamboat says that in November, it will be one year – one year since Survivor Series ’06 – one year since this happened.

And they’ll play the tape of Punk throwing down the WWF Championship belt.

It was the darkest day, Steamboat says, in the history of this ring. I was brought back to this company late that night, he reminds us, and brought back for one reason – to restore the prestige of the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight championship. I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight, I knew that the NWA was going to branch off and start it’s own show – I knew that GDI was going to move further away from us – but honestly – that we are approaching Survivor Series a full year after that…that…son of a bitch Punk tore this company apart, and that it’s still torn apart..well, maybe I haven’t done as good a job as you all deserve.

But if there’s a man who knows about how to win – how to win a huge battle at Survivor Series – it’s Ricky Steamboat.

Clip from the first Survivor Series in 1987 – Steamboat successfully defending his WWF Championship over Dynamite.

Hopefully, the people pop.

And if there’s another man – another man who knows how to win a huge battle at Survivor Series is the New WWF Heavyweight Champion of the World – Rey Mysterio Jr!

Clip from Survivor Series 2005, Rey Mysterio successfully defending the WWF Championship over Juventud Guerrera.

And then Rey enters – at Summer Slam, recall, Rey defeated Booker T for the WWF title, just before Booker was turned on by his protégée Montel Porter, sending him out of the WWF.

Steamboat, recall, was Rey’s first big supporter in the WWF – back when the top of the card had been dominated for years by Angle/Benoit/Eddy – when Ricky Steamboat made his return to the company, he said that he thought the real Ace of the promotion was Rey Mysterio, so there’s good history between the two men.


Steamboat shakes his hand – says Rey is the “real world champion” and asks if Rey Mysterio will join him in his mission to unite the 3 belts – unite the 3 companies – and once again return the WWF Championship belt to its rightful place at the top of the wrestling universe.


Rey says there’s no doubt in his mind that one day the titles will be united under the WWF once again. But there’s no way CM Punk will face him; Punk’s not contractually required to ever wrestle a WWF match ever again – he is keeping that title on Tuesdays.


And while he respects Fit Finlay – Rey says the truth is – the last real NWA Champion – well, that was Rey Mysterio Jr. (Rey was NWA Champ when it was bought by WWF).


Rey says there’s a more immediate problem.


He’s been out a year – watching all of this on TV, and what he noticed is that ever since CM Punk threw down the WWF title – there has been 3 PPVs. And at all of those PPVs – some match that wasn’t for the WWF title was the main event.


You want to return the prestige to the WWF belt – then at Survivor Series, the main event has got to be Rey Mysterio defending the WWF Championship!

Rey continues.

And it shouldn’t be against someone from GDI or NWA. It should be against someone who bleeds WWF. It should be against someone whose name is synonymous with the WWF – a man who debuted at Survivor Series 17 years ago – a man who at Wrestlemania this year defeated a Triple crown Winner for his 6th Legends Win – The Undertaker.

Undertaker comes to the ring, gets whatever pop he gets.

Undertaker says he’s been with the WWF since Survivor Series ’90 (clip of Taker beating Snuka) and during those 17 years – he’s had 1 shot at the WWF Title. One.

And he respects Rey – but at Survivor Series – in Miami – 17 years after my debut – he’s taking the WWF Title to the Dark Side.

At the top of the ramp – The Juggernaut Eddie Little (Umaga)

The Juggernaut says Rey’s a paper champion – and it’s like Steamboat to pick an old man who sat at home watching Summer Slam to be number one contender – when at Summer Slam The Juggernaut was going through not just one, but two men.

Steamboat tells him to get out of here – he hasn’t earned a spot out here with Rey Mysterio and the Undertaker – if he doesn’t watch it, he’ll wind up wrestling twice again at Survivor Series – and Steamboat will see to it that Little doesn’t get a cakewalk that night.

Little says maybe he’ll take on both Mysterio and the Undertaker at Survivor Series – or anyone else Steamboat wants to put in front of him – because “I’m the Juggernaut, Bitch!”

That’s the WWF Title match – Rey defending against Undertaker.

Coming next - the NWA Title match. The road continues.