Survivor Series (2011)
Encyclopedia
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by WWE that took place on November 20, 2011 at Madison Square Garden
in New York City
. It was the 25th annual Survivor Series
event and the first one to take place in Madison Square Garden since the 2002 event
. Six matches took place.
The main event involved WrestleMania XXVIII
opponents John Cena
and The Rock teaming up against The Miz and R-Truth, otherwise known as the Awesome Truth. After losing to Alberto Del Rio the previous month at Vengeance
due to interference by The Miz and R-Truth, Cena decided to face both of them head on with Zack Ryder
. However, before the match, Ryder was ambushed by the two and Cena was beaten down by them in the middle of the match. Interim General Manager John Laurinaitis
booked Cena with a match against Miz and Truth at Survivor Series with a partner of his choosing, with Cena deciding to choose his WrestleMania XXVIII opponent The Rock as his partner. Billed as the most charismatic team in the world, The Rock accepted his offer the following week.
Another main event from Raw involved WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio against CM Punk
for the WWE Championship
. Three months prior at SummerSlam
, Del Rio cashed in his Money in the Bank
contract against CM Punk to become WWE Champion. While Punk did get his rematch at Hell in a Cell
, Cena was the champion going into the match and it was a Triple Threat match, thus he expressed his desire to have his official one-on-one rematch for the championship, which Del Rio firmly objected to. After locking him into an Anaconda Vise after a match, Del Rio agreed to give CM Punk his title shot at Survivor Series.
The main event from SmackDown involved the World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry
against The Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship
. The previous month at Vengeance, Henry attempted to suplex The Big Show from the second turnbuckle, only for the ring to collapse, leaving both men unable to continue. Continuing their feud, another match was booked involving both men at Survivor Series with a reinforced ring so that it would not buckle and collapse.
As a tradition to the Survivor Series pay-per-view, there was a 10-man tag-team elimination match, this year involving Team Orton, consisting of Randy Orton
, Sheamus, Sin Cara
, Mason Ryan, and Kofi Kingston
, against Team Barrett, consisting of Wade Barrett
, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Hunico
. Originally, Christian was a member of Team Barrett, but an injury precluded him from participating in the event, thus being replaced by Ziggler.
Wrestling purists may well be down on this show. They might eschew it in favour of the unadulterated workrate at an ROH show, for example. But if WWE's brand of sports entertainment is your bag, then this was the event for you. And we're not talking the dumbed down, heavily criticised, homogenous product typically identified with the current era. The crowd in the famous Madison Square Garden arena were hotter than a bonfire in the Mojave Desert and helped lift everyone involved in the show. Kicking off with the best match of the evening by far, it will come as no surprise to learn it contained Dolph Ziggler, who is as good as anyone, anywhere, right now. Ziggler beat John Morrison — cleanly — in a smooth-as-silk opening bout. Throughout, though, the rabid MSG audience chanted "We want Ryder". And Zack Ryder duly obliged after the match, rushing the ring to embarrass Ziggler and placate the crowd eager to see the Long Islander.
Beth Phoenix v Eve for the Divas title was nowhere near the quality of their effort last month, but a gorgeous Glam Slam from the top rope by Beth to retain was a fantastic finale. Then it was cabaret time. One of the best entertainers to ever clutch a microphone took the iconic Garden in the palm of his 'bring it' hand. A history lesson, a clutch of catchphrases and even a sing-a-long rendition of Frank Sinatra's ode to the Big Apple saw the man who debuted in the same arena 15 years previous, as Rocky Maivia, blow the roof off of the refurbished arena. Aside from CM Punk's pipebomb-laden tirade in June, it was the promo of the year. In the only traditional Survivor Series match of the evening, Englishman Wade Barrett's team prevailed over Randy Orton's quintet.
Barrett and Cody Rhodes were left standing, pinning Orton last of all. The match never really got going, possibly due to an early injury to Sin Cara, which didn't look scripted, forcing a rethink to the order of play.
Mark Henry v Big Show, for the world title, was a bit of a snoozer until Show ascended the top rope. But this time it wasn't a ring breaking that popped the crowd, instead it was the jaw-dropping sight of Show hitting a top-rope elbow drop. The noise from a previously, temporarily, serene audience was immense. Henry, though, would end the match by kicking Show in a sensitive area to draw a DQ and retain the belt. However, a post-match attack by Show left the big champ feeling sorry for himself. Next, in a match for the WWE title, CM Punk regained the gold he held so fleetingly earlier this year. The addition of his own personal ring announcer — Hall of Famer Howard Finkel — was a touch of genius and made the moment feel even more unique.
The match, again, wasn't all that great. Punk and his opponent, Alberto Del Rio, didn't sparkle with chemistry, but the raucous reception Del Rio tapping to the Anaconda Vice got indicated that no one in Manhattan particularly cared.
And then there was The Rock. Nothing moved on between he and Cena, but the sight of The Great One living up to his moniker was truly special. Not a beat had been missed and Rock danced through his array of notable moves before covering The Miz for the three. After a posturing battle, the Hollywood star then dropped his partner with a Rock Bottom to the delight of the distinctly anti-Cena brigade. If this is the atmosphere Rock and Cena can bring, WrestleMania cannot come quick enough. Thanks mostly to the big time feel brought on by The Rock's return and the greatest venue in the world, we give WWE Survivor Series a rating of eight out of 10.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV) event produced by WWE that took place on November 20, 2011 at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It was the 25th annual Survivor Series
Survivor Series
The Survivor Series is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event held in November by WWE. It is one of the "Big Four" events, along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and SummerSlam, as It is one of the original four pay-per-views produced by WWE....
event and the first one to take place in Madison Square Garden since the 2002 event
Survivor Series (2002)
Survivor Series was the sixteenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on November 17, 2002 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and featured talent from both the Raw and SmackDown! brands...
. Six matches took place.
Background
Survivor Series featured professional wrestling matches involving different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylines that developed on WWE's television programs. Wrestlers portrayed villains or heroes as they followed a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.The main event involved WrestleMania XXVIII
WrestleMania XXVIII
WrestleMania XXVIII is the forthcoming twenty-eighth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE. It is scheduled to take place on April 1, 2012 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
opponents John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and The Rock teaming up against The Miz and R-Truth, otherwise known as the Awesome Truth. After losing to Alberto Del Rio the previous month at Vengeance
Vengeance (2011)
Vengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on October 23, 2011 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. It is the 12th event under the Vengeance/Night of Champions chronology and the first event under the Vengeance name since the 2007 edition...
due to interference by The Miz and R-Truth, Cena decided to face both of them head on with Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder
Matthew Joseph Cardona, Jr. better known by his ring name Zack Ryder, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE and works on the Raw brand as a wrestler and the SmackDown brand as an assistant to SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.Cardona wrestled mostly with his tag...
. However, before the match, Ryder was ambushed by the two and Cena was beaten down by them in the middle of the match. Interim General Manager John Laurinaitis
John Laurinaitis
John Joseph Laurinaitis is the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations for WWE and appears on WWE's Raw Brand as interim General Manager. He was previously a professional wrestler under the ring name Johnny Ace, and wrestled for such promotions as the National Wrestling Alliance and All...
booked Cena with a match against Miz and Truth at Survivor Series with a partner of his choosing, with Cena deciding to choose his WrestleMania XXVIII opponent The Rock as his partner. Billed as the most charismatic team in the world, The Rock accepted his offer the following week.
Another main event from Raw involved WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio against CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
for the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. Three months prior at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2011)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on August 14, 2011. For the third consecutive year, SummerSlam was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and it was the 24th annual SummerSlam event...
, Del Rio cashed in his Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
contract against CM Punk to become WWE Champion. While Punk did get his rematch at Hell in a Cell
Hell in a Cell (2011)
Hell in a Cell was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on October 2, 2011 at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the third annual Hell in a Cell event. Like the 2009 and 2010 events, this event also featured the Hell in a Cell match...
, Cena was the champion going into the match and it was a Triple Threat match, thus he expressed his desire to have his official one-on-one rematch for the championship, which Del Rio firmly objected to. After locking him into an Anaconda Vise after a match, Del Rio agreed to give CM Punk his title shot at Survivor Series.
The main event from SmackDown involved the World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
against The Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
. The previous month at Vengeance, Henry attempted to suplex The Big Show from the second turnbuckle, only for the ring to collapse, leaving both men unable to continue. Continuing their feud, another match was booked involving both men at Survivor Series with a reinforced ring so that it would not buckle and collapse.
As a tradition to the Survivor Series pay-per-view, there was a 10-man tag-team elimination match, this year involving Team Orton, consisting of Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
, Sheamus, Sin Cara
Místico
Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde is a Mexican luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE, working on its SmackDown brand under the name Sin Cara...
, Mason Ryan, and Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
, against Team Barrett, consisting of Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett is a retired American soccer player. He is currently an assistant coach at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo-College:...
, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Hunico
Incognito (wrestler)
Jorge Arias is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand while also wrestling in Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Hunico...
. Originally, Christian was a member of Team Barrett, but an injury precluded him from participating in the event, thus being replaced by Ziggler.
Reception
The Suns Rob McNichol, reviewed the event as follows:Wrestling purists may well be down on this show. They might eschew it in favour of the unadulterated workrate at an ROH show, for example. But if WWE's brand of sports entertainment is your bag, then this was the event for you. And we're not talking the dumbed down, heavily criticised, homogenous product typically identified with the current era. The crowd in the famous Madison Square Garden arena were hotter than a bonfire in the Mojave Desert and helped lift everyone involved in the show. Kicking off with the best match of the evening by far, it will come as no surprise to learn it contained Dolph Ziggler, who is as good as anyone, anywhere, right now. Ziggler beat John Morrison — cleanly — in a smooth-as-silk opening bout. Throughout, though, the rabid MSG audience chanted "We want Ryder". And Zack Ryder duly obliged after the match, rushing the ring to embarrass Ziggler and placate the crowd eager to see the Long Islander.
Beth Phoenix v Eve for the Divas title was nowhere near the quality of their effort last month, but a gorgeous Glam Slam from the top rope by Beth to retain was a fantastic finale. Then it was cabaret time. One of the best entertainers to ever clutch a microphone took the iconic Garden in the palm of his 'bring it' hand. A history lesson, a clutch of catchphrases and even a sing-a-long rendition of Frank Sinatra's ode to the Big Apple saw the man who debuted in the same arena 15 years previous, as Rocky Maivia, blow the roof off of the refurbished arena. Aside from CM Punk's pipebomb-laden tirade in June, it was the promo of the year. In the only traditional Survivor Series match of the evening, Englishman Wade Barrett's team prevailed over Randy Orton's quintet.
Barrett and Cody Rhodes were left standing, pinning Orton last of all. The match never really got going, possibly due to an early injury to Sin Cara, which didn't look scripted, forcing a rethink to the order of play.
Mark Henry v Big Show, for the world title, was a bit of a snoozer until Show ascended the top rope. But this time it wasn't a ring breaking that popped the crowd, instead it was the jaw-dropping sight of Show hitting a top-rope elbow drop. The noise from a previously, temporarily, serene audience was immense. Henry, though, would end the match by kicking Show in a sensitive area to draw a DQ and retain the belt. However, a post-match attack by Show left the big champ feeling sorry for himself. Next, in a match for the WWE title, CM Punk regained the gold he held so fleetingly earlier this year. The addition of his own personal ring announcer — Hall of Famer Howard Finkel — was a touch of genius and made the moment feel even more unique.
The match, again, wasn't all that great. Punk and his opponent, Alberto Del Rio, didn't sparkle with chemistry, but the raucous reception Del Rio tapping to the Anaconda Vice got indicated that no one in Manhattan particularly cared.
And then there was The Rock. Nothing moved on between he and Cena, but the sight of The Great One living up to his moniker was truly special. Not a beat had been missed and Rock danced through his array of notable moves before covering The Miz for the three. After a posturing battle, the Hollywood star then dropped his partner with a Rock Bottom to the delight of the distinctly anti-Cena brigade. If this is the atmosphere Rock and Cena can bring, WrestleMania cannot come quick enough. Thanks mostly to the big time feel brought on by The Rock's return and the greatest venue in the world, we give WWE Survivor Series a rating of eight out of 10.
Results
| # | Matches | Stipulations | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark | Santino Marella defeated Jinder Mahal | Singles match | N/A |
| 1 | Dolph Ziggler (c) (with Vickie Guerrero Vickie Guerrero Vickie Lynn Guerrero is an American professional wrestling personality, manager, shifting authority figure and occasional wrestler. She is the widow of professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand... ) defeated John Morrison |
Singles match for the WWE United States Championship WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand.... |
10:44 |
| 2 | Beth Phoenix Beth Phoenix Elizabeth Kocianski is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix, where she is the reigning WWE Divas Champion.... (c) defeated Eve Torres Eve Torres Eve Marie Torres is an American dancer, model, and professional wrestler. She is working for WWE on Raw brand. She is a two time WWE Divas Champion.Torres began her career as a model and dancer... |
Lumberjill match for the WWE Divas Championship WWE Divas Championship The WWE Diva's Championship is a unified professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is competed for by WWE Divas. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's Women's Championship... |
4:35 |
| 3 | Team Barrett (Wade Barrett Wade Barrett Wade Barrett is a retired American soccer player. He is currently an assistant coach at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo-College:... , Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Hunico Incognito (wrestler) Jorge Arias is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand while also wrestling in Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Hunico... & Dolph Ziggler) defeated Team Orton (Randy Orton Randy Orton Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand... , Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Kofi Kingston Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom... & Sin Cara Místico Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde is a Mexican luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE, working on its SmackDown brand under the name Sin Cara... ) |
Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team match | 22:10 |
| 4 | Big Show defeated Mark Henry Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic... (c) by disqualification |
Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand... |
13:04 |
| 5 | CM Punk CM Punk Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion.... defeated Alberto Del Rio (c) (with Ricardo Rodriguez Ricardo Rodriguez (wrestler) Jesús Rodríguez is a Mexican-American professional wrestler and ring announcer, currently signed to WWE, performing on its RAW brand under the ring name Ricardo Rodriguez as Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer and occasional wrestler.-Early career:Rodriguez formerly wrestled for promotions... ) |
No Count Out match for the WWE Championship WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963... |
17:17 |
| 6 | John Cena John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand.... and The Rock defeated Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth Ron Killings Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik... ) |
No DisqualificationTag team match Professional wrestling tag team match types Much like singles matches, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace... |
21:35 |
Eliminations
| Elimination | Wrestler | Team | Eliminated by | Elimination move | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dolph Ziggler | Barrett | Randy Orton | RKO | 1:33 |
| 2 | Sin Cara | Orton | N/A | Had to forfeit due to injury | 3:44 |
| 3 | Mason Ryan | Orton | Cody Rhodes | Cross Rhodes | 8:52 |
| 4 | Kofi Kingston | Orton | Wade Barrett | Wasteland | 14:06 |
| 5 | Sheamus | Orton | N/A | DQ | 18:30 |
| 6 | Jack Swagger | Barrett | Orton | Brogue Kick by Sheamus | 19:33 |
| 7 | Hunico | Barrett | Orton | RKO | 21:38 |
| 8 | Randy Orton | Orton | Barrett | Wasteland | 22:10 |
| Survivor(s): | Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes (Team Barrett) | ||||