Team Ziggler Defeated Team Foley
With so much talent in one match, you figured that some would get boggled down. The match started with Kane eliminating Damien Sandow. Out of all the men, why the hell would you eliminate Sandow first? This enraged me in many ways because this is a prime spot for the younger guys to gain experience on multiple main event talents, like Kane and Randy Orton. Instead, they easily eliminate Sandow, and then Ziggler comes in and eliminates Kane after a Zig Zag. Even though Miz is a face, he and Orton get into in outside, and that fits both of their personalities to a T. Thankfully, Otunga did not last long and Bryan made him tap out. The action goes back and forth, with Barrett and Orton, and Ziggler and Bryan. All of the remaining men are getting plenty of opportunities, and I felt Kofi held his own in a crowded pool of main event wrestlers. Another surprise was seeing Barrett getting eliminated clean by Miz. What does this do for Barrett beside bury him down even more? Does he really benefit at all from being in this match? The final men were Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler. To my surprise, both men really were going to end this night on an interesting note. You have Orton, who has been red hot, and Ziggler, who has yet to get that groundbreaking win. This is not a monumental win, but Ziggler FINALLY picked up a clean victory. He reversed Orton's DDT, and hit an incredible Superkick for the victory. I love the fact that after all of the action and all of the great moves from everyone else that Dolph Ziggler finally got his spotlight. Too many times does the WWE stick with the crowd favorite, but they did not here tonight. Great booking overall in this match.
Grade: B+
CM Punk Defeated John Cena and Ryback to Retain the WWE Championship
As we head to the final match of the night, I was clueless as to how they would book this match. From the very beginning, Punk was the target of Ryback and Cena. As Punk was thrown to the outside, Cena came at Ryback hard, only to get thrown all over the ring. Punk was able to get back into the action with a snap suplex, as well as a few kicks. Cena enters and here is where all three guys get to be in the exchange. Punk locked in a submission move onto Cena, only for Ryback to break it up. As Cena tries to beat down Ryback, he immediately gets back up and the two faces square off. I loved the fact that even John Cena could not keep Ryback down. As Ryback got Punk ready for Shell Shocked, Cena locks in the STF. As the match progressed, Ryback clotheslined both men to the outside, continuing to demonstrate his dominance. I really enjoyed when Punk and Cena worked together to suplex Ryback through a table. This would give enough time for Punk and Cena to try and battle 1-on-1 for the time being. As the conclusion came, it looked like Ryback was going to win the WWE Championship after hitting Shell Shocked onto Cena. Instead, out come Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. Cole says they are NXT standouts, and they attack Ryback. They all powerbomb Ryback through the Spanish Announce Table, and Punk rolls in and pins Cena. This was a complete shock, but I love it. First off, do not compare this to NXT's debut. These are three of the best young talents the WWE has been waiting to utilize. NXT had 8 guys, and you can tell which ones would make it. All three of these guys are legit and have been waiting for their opportunity. Instead of throwing them in meaningless feuds with mid card talent, Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns will ultimately get a HUGE push to the top, working with CM Punk. Whether it is a stable, which I am begging for, or just a reason to attack Ryback, all three of these men debuted perfectly. Maybe they will not be led by Punk, but maybe Brad Maddox is behind this. Do we really need Punk to lead a stable? Give it to Maddox or Heyman. I am in total favor of this and thought that Ryback can continue to get over, with the fans wanting him to be champion, but always find a reason to come up short. Bring the young guys on and see if they sink or swim. The end of the calender year is the PERFECT time for them to see what they can bring to the main roster. It may not have been the most logical, but it was surprising and had my jaw dropped.
Grade: A-
Survivor Series Grade: B-
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