Oh, how times have changed. WWE Survivor Series 2010 happened ten years ago, and looking back on the show, WWE was so very different a decade ago. Still, there are some clear parallels to the present. (Many fans have pointed out how The Miz held the Money in the Bank contract then, as he does now.) In some ways, hopping into the wayback machine lets fans compare and contrast the past with the modern product, for better or worse. It also allows the WWE Universe to reflect on some memorable storylines. In this case, reflecting on WWE Survivor Series 2010 is a perfect chance to revisit The Nexus, the odd creative surrounding Edge, Kane, Paul Bearer and more.
Keep It Simple
The opening hour of this show makes some of the problems with WWE’s current product even more evident. At this show, the midcard titles still (somewhat) mattered. In the first match, Daniel Bryan defended the WWE United States Championship against Ted DiBiase. A few minutes later, Kaval challenged Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. In both cases, the title feuds weren’t exactly featured programs on their respective shows, but it’s still nice to see the midcard titles actually being defended and getting actual storylines. The matches themselves got almost ten minutes each, which is a big step up from where we stand today. Most of the time, these championships aren’t even defended on pay-per-view. When they are, the matches aren’t significant. At WWE Hell in a Cell 2020, Bobby Lashley easily defeated Slapjack in less than four minutes to retain the WWE United States Championship. The mid card titles just aren’t treated with respect anymore.
Similarly, Mr. Money in the Bank is almost always booked like a jobber to the stars now. In 2020, The Miz has been on quite a cold streak since he took the briefcase from Otis. But in 2010, The Miz was set up to succeed when he held the Money in the Bank contract. Though he didn’t wrestle at WWE Survivor Series 2010, he still made his presence known. He attacked Bryan, the United States Champion, after he defeated DiBiase. Then, The Miz cut a classic heel promo in which he ripped apart LeBron James and Miami Heat in front of the thousands of fans in attendance at the American Airlines Arena. (This arena is the home of The Miami Heat.) Rather than throwing Miz into a fairly meaningless Survivor Series tag team match, WWE gave him the chance to make an impression by assaulting a champion and cutting a fiery promo. This formula is basic booking, but nowadays, it feels like WWE often misses the ball with some of these seemingly easy patterns.
Next Page: 2010 creative doesn’t age well
