Strive To Survive.

This Sunday, the annual fall classic takes place. Survivor Series was founded on pitting teams of five against each other to see who is the strongest, to see who will survive the elimination match. To be honest, I was starting to get a little worried that the card wasn’t as structured as it normally is but the WWE didn’t let me down. Let’s take a look at the card and my predictions on who will win.

Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz (Kick-off Show)

Winner: The Miz

As much as this pains me, I honestly think that Miz is going to win. Obviously I feel that Kofi Should get the victory. Not only is he more talented in the ring, he has way more personality. When Miz bailed on Kofi during their tag team match on Monday, I didn’t really know what was happening. They need to do something with him to make him appealing to the audience in any way.

They tried him as a heel, it was alright but he was bland. They tried him as a face, he was still bland. He tried to imitate Ric Flair by doing his signature figure four leg lock, which he can’t even apply properly. With that stunt that he pulled on Raw, they have moved him back into the heel role. Even with that, I feel like he’s trying to be like Chris Jericho. I actually feel bad for the guy but he just can’t catch a break with me.

John Cena (champion) vs. Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship Match)

Winner: John Cena (retain)

I’m hoping that this will be the final time that we see Del Rio compete for the World Heavyweight title.

Unlike The Miz, I actually can tolerate Alberto Del Rio. I think he is a good athlete and he’s had some fantastic moments in the ring. The problem is that he doesn’t fit the heel profile for me at all. My favorite moments with Del Rio largely happened when he was in a feud with Zeb Colter and the Real Americans. That was pure gold and I wish they would have went with that a little longer, get Del Rio to build a team to take on Cesaro and Swagger. It’s not that I can’t buy into him as a heel, that isn’t it at all, I just don’t enjoy it. Del Rio is much more enjoyable when he’s having fun and not just putting people in the cross arm breaker.

Now it’s on to Cena. The man is literally superman, coming back from a career-threatening injury four months earlier than expected. His elbow is obviously still bothering him a great deal but I’m confident he’ll keep the title. I just wonder if bringing him back so soon was such a good idea, it’s fantastic for the ratings but I can’t help but wonder if it’s good for John Cena. I saw that elbow on Raw when he announced he was having surgery and there was no way that elbow wasn’t a serious injury. You have to give him credit for working so hard to get back into the ring for the fans but he is a person, he isn’t a superhero. He needs time to heal and to heal up properly. No fan can question his devotion to wrestling or the fans but we can question his judgement regarding his health.

Cody Rhodes/Goldust/The Usos/Rey Mysterio vs. The Shield/Real Americans (Classic 5 on 5 elimination match)

Winners: Cody Rhodes/Goldust/The Usos/Rey Mysterio

This is the type of match that Survivor Series was built on, the five on five elimination match. It’s what I look forward to every fall and it is so exciting to me. You never know how the numbers will be stacked and who the sole survivor will be.

A mystery partner was teased for the Rhodes/Uso team and that man turned out to be Rey Mysterio! That really added an extra level of excitement heading into the event and it was a really cool moment that nobody expected. I think that the Rhodes/Uso/Mysterio team has a better chance of surviving because I think they will function better as a team. Allow me to further my explanation just a tad…

The Shield function fantastically as a team, between the three of them that is. They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and they play off of that. We got a taste of that this Monday when they teamed up with Harper and Rowan from the Wyatt Family. For a majority of the match, The Shield only tagged themselves in. That shows that they don’t trust easily in others or their work. I thought that was a really cool touch because it set the stage for a future feud between the two factions. Another fantastic story can come from this match, The Uso brothers can FINALLY get their tag team title shot against the Rhodes brothers. One thing that has always bothered me was that Cody and Goldust got those belts before Jimmy and Jey. It’s not that I don’t think that they deserved to have the belts, it’s just that they didn’t earn their spot to compete for them like Jimmy and Jey did. Hopefully the fans get to see The Usos hoist those belts above their head sooner rather than later.

Cast of Total Divas vs. Aj/Tamina/Kaitlyn/Rosa/Summer Rae/Aksana/Alicia Fox

Winner: The case of Total Divas

This really is a no brainer seeing as the show just got picked up for a second season. I just can’t wait for Natalya to slap someone in the sharpshooter.

Randy Orton (champion) vs. Big Show (WWE CHampionship Match)

Winner: Randy Orton (retains)

FOr weeks we’ve had to listen to Randy bitch and moan about Show getting a title shot and I have to say I really think that Randy is going to retain his title. With that being said, I don’t actually think he can win, I just think he is going to.

Randy admitted himself that he can’t beat Show on his own because of what happened to him last week. How much confidence can the WWE universe have in a champion who doesn’t even think that he can beat his challenger? Sure, Triple H said there would be no interference and no Shield present but that doesn’t mean that nothing will happen. I’m very confident that the Authority will find some loophole, find some way for someone to intervene. I haven’t quite figured it out yet but I am expecting an epic screwjob to come our way on Sunday.

What would Survivor Series be without someone getting screwed over?

CM Punk/Daniel Bryan vs. Luke Harper/Erick Rowan (Wyatt Family)

Winner: CM Punk/Daniel Bryan

I really thought that these men would be a part of a traditional Survivor Series style match but, hey, this is just as good!

I always enjoy see superstars teamed up who would normally compete in singles competition. It really gives you insight into how they operate and it is always interesting to see the dynamic of an unexpected team. Luke and Erick definitely have a size and power advantage over their competitors, Punk and Daniel are both on the smaller side. I think that what this match is going to come down to is speed and agility, which Punk and Bryan both have.

Nothing against the bigger wrestlers but, more often than not, they can’t keep up with the smaller guys. All Punk and Daniel Bryan have to do is keep Luke and Erick grounded and not let them gain any momentum. The main challenge that the new team is going to face against these two members of the Wyatt Family are that Punk and Daniel are a new team and you can’t really read Harper or Rowan. I’m sure that their minds are just as blank as the expressions on their faces. I also think that using the word challenge is putting it mildly but they’ll overcome these mountains of men with little problem.

It’s a pretty stacked card for this Sunday, I can’t wait to see who sill strive to survive!

Knocking Down The King.

In the WWE universe, some things just become accepted, never-changing.

One of those things is the fact that John Cena will always be seen as the perfect champion, never faltering. Super Cena always comes to the rescue. He is a literal superhero, saving anyone who he thinks needs it. Vincent Kennedy McMahon even said himself on Raw this week that he wanted someone to beat Cena. He wants someone to take his title away, a new face for the WWE. I felt like there was some truth in that statement, whether he is expressing his own opinion or sharing what the majority thinks. The fact that he and Maddox are talking smack about Bryan is just going to make his victory that much sweeter. I don’t think that they are saying these not so nice things about Daniel to  beat him down, it’s just their version of tough love. With the recent demeanor of Bryan, he needed more than just a pat on the back and a ‘Good Job!’. He needed a good swift kick in the you know what.

He is being poised to knock down the top guy in the company and probably one of the most polarizing champions in the entire history of World Wrestling Entertainment. I personally hope that Daniel Bryan gets his moment in the sun and mops the floor with Cena.

What Vince said really struck a chord with me, we are hungry for a new champion and King Cena’s days are numbered.

Speaking of numbered days, Mark Henry and the Uso brothers certainly showed The Shield that their reign will soon be over. In a six man tag match on Raw, Henry threw all of the hounds of justice around like they were a cheap rag doll that a child cast aside. It was terrifying and Henry is not a guy that I would want to meet in a dark alley. I’m not the only one who was a little sad when Henry didn’t defeat Cena for the title at the last pay-per-view but this is also a good spot for him to be in. Sure, The Shield has had their fair share of opposition but nothing the likes of Henry/Usos. These three men are beasts. Working in a trio can be navigation through some tricky waters but I’m very confident that the combination of Jimmy, Jey, and Mark can get it done. It obviously isn’t a long-term group like The Shield but they can’t be discounted, they’ll provide some healthy competition for the next few months.

What I hope disappears much sooner than that is this new attitude that Ryback has. I’ve been watching wrestling a lot of years and know that heels sometimes have to walk a really fine line with what they do on camera and in the ring but Ryback is just a big bully. That doesn’t fly with me at all, moving on to more things I don’t quite understand… I think it’s great that Rob Van Dam is back and all but he doesn’t seem to have a direction right now. I don’t know what they are building him up for but I don’t think facing Fandango is it (Not that I don’t love the man with the rainbow pants!). We still don’t even know a time frame for his run, if it is permanent or short-term, so it is hard to determine what exactly will happen with him. I would also like to see this whole Aj/Big E/Ziggler thing some to an end. Now, I like the interaction that Big E and Ziggler (my only regret is that it didn’t happen sooner) and they had a great match on Raw. My problem with it is the Aj factor. Her screaming and acting nuts is getting old, she’s more annoying than ever.

The match of the night was Christian versus Alberto Del Rio, hands down. Del Rio was up to his usual shenanigans of being unusually brutal towards his opponent. I sincerely hope that Christian is picked by Alberto to be his opponent at Summerslam because he has been on such a winning streak the last few weeks. If anyone remembers, Christian has a history of being screwed over big time. Anyone else remember the last episode of ECW where he lost the title to Ezekiel Jackson? I sure do. (And I’d like to send a HUGE congrats to Christian who was announced as Del Rio’s opponent at the time this article was still being written!)

The main events were good but more on the mediocre size. Everyone knows that Bryan will beat Cena and they’ll have this epic showdown. That doesn’t necesarrily excite people. What is exciting to the fans is that Cena will no longer hold the top spot and be seen as the golden boy of the WWE. His career isn’t over by any means but it is time to let someone else shine. Before everyone freaks out, I know that Cena does things for younger talent and all that but he is everywhere. He doesn’t need to bow out of the spotlight completely but if he went away or was ‘injured’ for a while, the intrigue for his return would be big.

Cena does his best work when he is facing defeat, when the odds are against him, and when he’s getting the bejesus kicked out of him. He thrives on it.

But let’s face it, people will still boo the hell out of him.