There are two events that gauge how popular an up-and-coming superstar is, and whether hes ready for the big stage. The first is the Royal Rumble, and the other is the Survivor Series. The guys who are just on the cusp of greatness are allowed to showcase their stuff in the elimination matches. The first guy to do this was Diesel in 1994. He destroyed everybody on the Bad Guys team and was eliminating people left and right. And the only reason his team lost was because Shawn Michaels kicked him in the face and the entire team was counted out. Four days later, he was the WWF Champion. It can be argued that Randy Ortons main event rise in 2003 culminated at the Survivor Series, where he was the last remaining member of Team Bischoff, going against Shawn Michaels, who was the last remaining member of Team Austin. Orton ended up being the sole survivor. Next month, he was the Intercontinental Champion. At Wrestlemania, he pinned Mick Foley. By Summerslam, he was the youngest World Heavyweight Champion ever. Last year, Roman Reigns eliminated everybody on the opposing side, en route to breaking the Royal Rumble record for most eliminations earlier this year. Its obvious that Reigns is the next big thing, and it all started at last years Survivor Series. Time will tell who, if anybody, will break out this year.
