WWE Survivor Series 2016: 10 Reasons To Be Concerned
1. ...And 1 Reason To Be Optimistic
Apologies for the bait and switch - but, as wrestling fans, you're likely used to them by now.
Even the most dreary iterations of what used to be the November Classic have been buoyed by its grand tradition of the debut. In 2012, the elimination matches weren't just meaningless - they were positively jobberific. The likes of David Otunga and Darren Young acted as sacks of bricks, plunging the matches to even drearier depths.
The World Heavyweight Title match, pitting Sheamus against The Big Show, dragged out and brought to an inconclusive end their inexplicably good Pay Per View series. The WWE Title match fared little better; a Triple Threat match between CM Punk, John Cena and Ryback, it was marred by the lack of conviction WWE had in the latter. He was the designated jobber, destined to be protected by some form of trademark Cena match chicanery.
That form, however, was breathtaking. The Shield triumvirate of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns made their WWE bow by decimating Ryback and gifting the victory to a grateful CM Punk. They set tongues wagging following an event which otherwise would have faded into obscurity.
Let's hope that, if WWE does exhume the tradition, the latest debutant is more Undertaker than Gobbledy Gooker.