The Forgettable Fringe
Unfortunately, the Survivor Series main event was once again the only thing that maintained my interest throughout the three hours. These segments have been built incredibly well for the past two weeks, and WWE has managed to build a PPV main event I’m looking forward to.
Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt should be the second match selling the show, but the writers just haven’t convinced me yet. These are the two best promos on the WWE roster, and that part of the program is on track. But for something that ruined the main event of Hell in a Cell, and has been billed so personally, there has been a very obvious lack of violence, or any physicality for that matter. When they’re only given less than ten minutes to work on a three hour show, the supposed “Number 2” match feels like a giant afterthought. I think everyone involved here needs to go back and watch old Mankind feuds and rebuild this entire thing, because they’re wasting their best two stars to come along in years.
Final Thoughts
This week’s show continued the successful build of one match at Survivor Series, but unlike the UK episode last week, I found myself tuning out more often than not. It kept me interested for the big moments, and featured a few memorable segments – Harper winning the Intercontinental title, one of John Cena’s best promos in 2014 – but the wrestling was mostly sub par, and outside of the Survivor Series main event build, nothing felt important.
Pros
- Survivor Series 5-on-5 build was strong from beginning to end.
- Ryback vs. Cesaro was surprisingly entertaining.
- Successfully built a main event segment I didn’t want to miss.
- Title changes on RAW add to “anything can happen” feel.
Cons
- Erick Rowan “reveal” felt underwhelming
- Majority of matches were forgettable
- The “contract signing” wasn’t a contract signing.
- Wyatt/Ambrose continues to disappoint.
Score: 13/20
