WWE Survivor Series
24.11.2013
Interconinetal Champion Big E Langston def. Curtis Axel
BOSTON – Dubbed a “WWE Champion in the making” by former title holders like JBL, Big E Langston proved his
Intercontinental Championship win against former champion Curtis Axel was no fluke, successfully defending the title
against the third-generation Superstar at Survivor Series.
Certainly paving a path to becoming one of WWE’s most dominant Superstars, Langston defeated Axel on Raw after his
Intercontinental Championship opportunity at WWE Hell in a Cell was cancelled due to Axel’s injury. Though the jury is
still out for the long-term regarding Axel’s decision to ditch his manager Paul Heyman, at least in the short-term it
looks as though the son of Mr. Perfect might have benefited from Heyman’s guidance.
Langston showed no fear entering the ring at Survivor Series, immediately putting his power and speed on display.
The power-lifting Superstar has been compared to WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons and other competitors known for utilizing
their strength inside the squared circle, but Axel saw firsthand that Langston’s athleticism and agility may be more of
an asset than his power.
Axel was no slouch though, taking advantage of Langston reeling on the outside of the ring. Executing a number of
high-impact strikes to build momentum, Axel’s strategy quickly became one of keeping Langston at bay. Big E regained
control by overpowering his challenger, but Axel channeled his father and executed an impressive Perfect Plex.
In recent weeks, Langston has showcased his abilities and at Survivor Series, he added resilience to his growing list
of attributes. Axel attempted his match finishing neck-breaker, but Langston countered and secured a victory following
his patented Big Ending.
Natalya,The Bellas,The Funkadactyls,JoJo & Eva Marie def. Divas Champion AJ Lee,Tamina Snuka,Kaitlyn,Rosa Mendes,Summer
Rae,Aksana & Alicia Fox
BOSTON – At Survivor Series Sunday night, the jealous Divas Champion AJ Lee, her enforcer Tamina Snuka and a posse of
five other rebelling Divas were served an eye-opening reality check that would make Roddy Piper and all of the Real
Housewives proud. It was a close call, but the technical prowess of Natalya made the difference in the cast of
“Total Divas” prevailing over a team of resentful competitors not showcased on E!’s hit reality series.
Alicia Fox was quickly pinned by the impressive Naomi following a dazzling split-legged springboard moonsault from the
top rope. Following the eliminations of Cameron and Rosa Mendes, Nikki Bella and Summer Rae entered into an impromptu
dance contest, but Summer was a bit too confident in her tango. With Fandango’s waltz partner posing in the ring,
Nikki nailed her with a stiff kick to the skull, sending Summer from the ring back to the ballroom.
Former Divas Champion Kaitlyn showed her muscle as The Hybrid Diva eliminated both “newbie” Eva Marie and the funky Naomi
with back-to-back executions of a maneuver that sent them from her shoulders to a knee in the gut. Brie Bella achieved
immediate retribution, pinning Kaitlyn following a top-rope missile dropkick.
Aksana and Brie were both sent packing next and the dangerous Tamina Snuka stepped between the ropes. The daughter of
Jimmy Snuka wiped the canvas with Nikki, and the exhausted Bella Twin slowly crawled to her corner to find only JoJo
available and holding out her hand. Nikki reluctantly tagged in the youngest member of her team, giving JoJo her first
official taste of WWE action. The rookie folded like a tent under the colossal Tamina. A momentary burst of energy
afforded JoJo the opportunity to attempt a crossbody off the top rope, but Tamina caught the E! star in mid-air.
A Samoan Drop later and JoJo was toast. Tamina tagged in AJ, allowing the detestable Divas Champion to score the pin.
Natalya entered the contest to tangle with Tamina in a clash of second-generation Divas, but Jim “The Anvil” likely
winced at the sight of her daughter’s head crushing against the turnbuckle courtesy of the mighty Tamina. Yet,
the powerful Diva was a bit too confident and, upon missing a Superfly Splash, tapped out to The Sharpshooter.
An attempt by AJ to quickly gain the upper hand as the only remaining member of her team was unsuccessful.
With Bret Hart looking on, Nattie locked AJ in another Sharpshooter, forcing the outspoken Divas Champion to submit.
With Natalya and Nikki Bella as the bout’s survivors, the cast of “Total Divas” was momentarily drama-free in Beantown,
but their camaraderie likely won’t translate when the E! cameras start rolling again.
Mark Henry def. Ryback
BOSTON — In a colossal collision between two of WWE’s largest Superstars, Mark Henry returned to WWE with a vengeance
and overcame Ryback in a smashmouth-style bout.
The contest featured power moves by both massive Superstars, who looked to annihilate each other. Although Ryback held
his own at the start, the result was a repeat of their confrontation at WrestleMania XXIX last April — he simply could
not match the power of The World’s Strongest Man.
In a brutal maneuver, Henry launched himself into the air and battered Ryback with a vicious cross body out of the corner.
Next, Henry ended Ryback’s hopes of a win with a massive World’s Strongest Slam that was heard all the way up in
the rafters of the TD Garden.
The impromptu match came about when Ryback interrupted the Survivor Series Kickoff Panel, featuring WWE Hall of Famers
Mick Foley, Booker T and Bret “Hitman” Hart. After Ryback boldly declared he intimidated the three Hall of Famers,
he issued an open challenge to anyone in the WWE locker room.
Answering the call, The World’s Strongest Man — returning from a right hamstring injury that shelved him for the past
several months — accepted the challenge and took the fight to Ryback.
The Shield & The Real Americans def. WWE Tag Team Cmapions Cody Rhodes & Goldust,The Usos & Rey Mysterio (Traditional
Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match)
BOSTON – Not even the return of Rey Mysterio and the bright lights of a WWE pay-per-view could derail the oncoming train
that was Roman Reigns, as The Shield’s main muscle outlasted the competition in a 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series
Elimination Tag Team Match to become the sole survivor.
Joining The Ultimate Underdog in his Survivor Series return were two pairs of battling brothers — WWE Tag Team Champions
Cody Rhodes & Goldust and the high-flying Usos. Opposite them was the intimidating Shield, consisting of Reigns,
tag team partner Seth Rollins & U.S. Champion Dean Ambrose and the surging Real Americans, Jack Swagger & Antonio Cesaro.
The stipulations of the match indicate that the teams compete in a five-on-five tag contest with the added twist that
Superstars are eliminated individually — via pinfall, submission, disqualification or count-out — until one squad has
no members remaining.
Kicking off the bout — and the 27th Annual Survivor Series event proper — Cody Rhodes and Dean Ambrose set a fast-paced
tone for what would be an explosive and memorable contest. But when Ambrose got into a heated argument with the referee,
the titleholder literally talked his way out of the match, as Rhodes rolled him up for the bout’s first elimination.
After order momentarily broke down, the match reset and a lightning-fast Rey Mysterio lit up Boston’s TD Garden.
Mysterio hit Swagger with a 619 and spun him into an aerial assault by The Usos, who in turn eliminated The Real American
from the bout and set their team up with the 5-on-3 advantage.
However, teammate Antonio Cesaro would swing the momentum back in his team’s direction, literally, trapping both Uso
brothers in successive, impressive Cesaro Swings. Yet a quick tag in would allow the younger Rhodes brother to trap a
slightly dizzy Cesaro, rolling him up for the three-count, and putting Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins in a bad way.
The tag team partners worked in tandem to isolate their opponents, though, and a Reigns spear to Jimmy Uso was followed
by a cover, eliminating one brother from the bout.
Rollins and Cody then locked horns, and though Rhodes was able to hit the Cross Rhodes on his opponent, Rollins had
already tagged in Reigns, who nailed Cody with a spear before covering him for the three-count. Jey Uso and Reigns went
at it on the outside, with The Shield member being hurled into the ringside barrier.
When Rollins pinned Jey back inside the ring after yet another spear, the odds were quickly evened up, with the remaining
Shield members facing off against Goldust & Rey. Despite taking a nasty spill, The Master of the 619 dug deep and found
a way to roll up Rollins for the pinfall.
And so it came down to Roman Reigns, facing both Mysterio & Goldust, exactly one year after The Shield made their
infamous WWE debut. Unlike how it had been for the majority of that year, however, Reigns did not have the numbers
advantage, staring down at two WWE legends on his own.
A thundering spear from the black-clad brickhouse, delivered to Goldust, turned the match around on a dime and set up an
epic one-on-one battle 30 minutes into the bout. Unbeknown to the WWE Universe, however, was just how close to the end
it was. When Rey set up his foe for a potentially match-ending 619, Reigns bounced up from the ropes and floored
Mysterio with a ring-shaking spear.
And so it was that Roman Reigns stood alone in the end, eliminating four members of the opposition with four spears,
and emerging as the sole survivor in a bout brimming with top talent.
CM Punk & Daniel Bryan def.Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
BOSTON — Thanksgiving may be days away, but after not only surviving, but prevailing in, a dangerous brawl against
The Wyatt Family at WWE’s fall classic, The Best and The Beard have plenty to be thankful for.
Despite competing at an immense size disadvantage and having to contend with the ringside presence of Bray Wyatt,
the potent combination of CM Punk & Daniel Bryan dealt a huge loss to Luke Harper & Erick Rowan at the 27th annual
Survivor Series.
At just under 17 minutes, Punk hit the GTS on Harper to score the winning pinfall. Though the victory was undoubtedly
gratifying to The Second City Saint and WWE’s “Yes!” man, it was anything but easy.
For weeks, the wicked trio’s sneak attacks have decimated the popular Superstars, with The Eater of Worlds blaming their
actions on “the devil” and urging Punk and Bryan to “run.” The Wyatt Family laid out Punk & Bryan as recently as two
days ago on SmackDown, but on the Survivor Series Kickoff, The Best in the World made clear that he and Bryan were not
afraid of their opposition but, rather, eager to scrap.
And what a scrap it was. To the sounds of the sold-out T.D. Garden chanting “Yes!” and “This is awesome!” the contrasting
styles — Harper and Rowan’s ferocious fisticuffs, and Punk and Bryan’s technique — played out in an evenly fought contest.
Sitting in his trademark rocking chair, Wyatt watched on as his lurching monsters mauled their smaller opponents in
the early goings, despite Punk and Bryan’s best efforts to strike and move.
The Best and The Beard did land a series of double-team maneuvers, including a double dropkick and an homage to The Hart
Foundation’s Hart Attack, but a savvy distraction by Rowan gave Harper time to regain composure and drop Punk with a
massive boot to the face.
From there, the Wyatt Family members’ backwoods brawling style took over in impressive form.
The unkempt Harper sank in his alligator roll and planted Punk with a Michinoku Driver. Even though the WWE Universe in
Boston rallied The Best to make a tag, Bryan’s subsequent flurry — though effective — was all too brief. A top-rope
hurricanrana attempt was blocked by Harper and reversed into a devastating sit-out powerbomb, and Rowan launched Punk
over the ropes to the floor.
With Wyatt yelling, “This is all your fault, Daniel,” Rowan repeatedly slammed The Beard and cut off the ring, booting
Punk off the apron and, in the process, preventing him from making a tag.
Things looked especially bleak for The Best and The Beard after Harper dropped Bryan with a half-nelson suplex.
Moments later, however, Harper ran into a head kick by Punk, and Bryan — galvanized by a chorus of “Yes!” — tagged in
The Second City Saint.
Re-energized, Punk leapt into a springboard clothesline, connected with his knee in the corner and even dove onto Rowan
and Wyatt on the floor. In the bout’s final moments, Rowan helped Harper escape a GTS, but thanks to a well-timed Running
Knee Strike by Bryan on the red-bearded brawler, The Best was able to muscle Harper up for a match-winning GTS.
Now that Punk and Bryan have defeated his henchmen, the WWE Universe is left to wonder about the next move from the
cryptic Eater of Worlds.
World Heavyweight Champion John Cena def. Alberto Del Rio
BOSTON – Brushing off a lingering injury, World Heavyweight Champion John Cena heroically overcame the treacherous Alberto
Del Rio in an extremely hard-fought World Title Match at Survivor Series.
On route to WWE’s fall classic, the WWE Universe was unsure whether Cena’s surgically repaired triceps would hold up
against his notoriously vicious No. 1 contender and his devastating Cross Armbreaker – especially since Del Rio has
spent the better part of the weeks leading up Survivor Series attacking The Champ.
However, the intestinal fortitude that helped make Cena a 14-time World Champion would ultimately put those doubts to
rest – starting with the valiant titleholder refusing to wear his protective brace as he came to the ring to face the
dangerous 4-time World Champion.
While it was true that Cena had an incredible record of seven wins and only one loss at Survivor Series heading into the
contest, the skillful Del Rio would waste little time executing an aggressive offense designed to take this Champ out
early. This would include hurling the titleholder’s hurt appendage into the unforgiving steel steps, attacking him from
the top rope and generally targeting his opponent’s weakness at every pass.
Things went from bad to worse when the action spilled outside the ring, as Del Rio mercilessly lunched The Champ in the
ringside barricade and mocked him to boot.
Every time that Cena would start to build momentum – whether it be knocking back his No. 1 contender with a
earth-shattering dropkick as his attacker came off the top rope, or hitting the Five Knuckle Shuffle – Del Rio would find
a counter and take Cena back down to the mat.
Still, no matter what he did, the Mexican Superstar could not put away the ultra-resilient Cenation Leader– as the World
Heavyweight Champion kicked out of pin attempt after pin attempt – leaving every ounce of his Hustle, Loyalty and
Respect on the field of battle!
Once again looking to put away the iron titleholder, Del Rio finally went for the Cross Armbreaker, only to find himself
in the STF! But the Essence of Excellence was not going to give up either and reached the ropes to break the hold,
showing equal resilience.
In the height of the action, when Del Rio finally cinched in the Cross Armbreaker on the arm in question, Cena again
roared back, miraculously lifting Del Rio up with incredible strength and hurling him back to the canvas.
And when Del Rio attempted a third Cross Armbreaker, it proved to be one attempt too many. For Cena would counter with
an Attitude Adjustment out of nowhere and bring the WWE Universe it its feet with another gutsy successful title defense!
WWE Champion Randy Orton def. Big Show
BOSTON — WWE Champion Randy Orton retained his title against Big Show at Survivor Series in a manner that has become
standard for the manipulative Authority. But The Viper wasn’t the only champion standing in the ring at the end of the
night.
Making a massive statement without speaking a word, World Heavyweight Champion John Cena interrupted Orton’s victory
celebration and faced off with his greatest rival in the center of the ring. No blows were exchanged, but WWE’s two top
dogs held their titles high, teasing a potential showdown that has been a long time coming.
It was an unpredictable ending to a match that was defined by unexpected moments. Earlier in the evening, WWE COO Triple H
had announced that there would be no physical interference in any of the night’s bouts. That was troubling news for a
WWE Champion who has relied heavily on the influence of The Authority to keep him in the title picture. A week after he
had uttered the words, “I probably can’t beat Big Show by myself,” Orton was all alone against a true giant.
If The Viper lacked confidence, he made no attempt to hide it as he rolled out of the ring as soon as the bell rang.
Hoping to avoid Big Show’s lethal fists, Orton stayed on the move early in the contest, but it’s hard to avoid the grasp
of a man with a wingspan like an airbus.
Ultimately snatching the champion up with his catcher’s mitt hands, Big Show began to tee off on Orton with punches that
could rearrange internal organs. All of The Viper’s third-generation instincts seemed to disappear as the idea of losing
his WWE Title — and his status as the “face of WWE” — became a disturbing reality.
Orton did show glimmers of his dangerous self at times. After yanking Big Show off the top rope and driving him face first
into the canvas, The Viper came within a millisecond of pinning his massive challenger. And Orton’s resilience was on
full display when he powered out of a pinfall attempt after being chokeslammed by the titan.
Still, the night belonged to Big Show. At the same event where he won his first WWE Title in 1999 (and his second in 2002),
The World’s Largest Athlete seemed on his way to doing it again when the action spilled to the outside. Although the
referee went down after an accidental collision, Show fended off Orton’s attempted chair attack and flung him into the
third row of Boston’s TD Garden. If that wasn’t enough punishment for The Viper, Big Show went ahead and knocked him out
on the arena floor. In that moment, the big man’s victory was all but a formality.
And then Triple H’s music hit. As The World’s Largest Athlete tossed Orton back in the ring and readied to pin him,
WWE’s COO, Stephanie McMahon and Kane gathered at the top of the entranceway. Finding a loophole in their own edict,
The Authority did not physically interfere in the bout, but they distracted the challenger just long enough for Orton
to shake off the cobwebs and connect with an RKO. To finally put Big Show away, The Viper punted him in the head and
pinned the giant.
Despite rumors of tension between the WWE Champion and The Authority, the group seemed to be on the same page as the
“face of WWE” celebrated with his title. That was until John Cena broke up the party. Riding high after his successful
World Heavyweight Title defense against Alberto Del Rio, the Cenation leader brought his hometown crowd to its feet as
he deliberately set his sights on the WWE Champion.
What happens next with Orton and Cena is anybody’s guess, but things between WWE’s two World Champions are about to get
very interesting.
