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Follow @TheDocLOP Follow @LoPPlan Professional wrestling is storytelling, plain and simple. Themes such as competition, betrayal, jealousy, respect, underdog, and so on and so forth are found in tales woven by pro wrestlers as commonly as they are in literature or conventional television and film; society simply misunderstands that fact because of certain ridiculous stereotypes, such as the one centered on its scripted nature. Furthermore, just as there is in Hollywood or the literary game, professional wrestling has various different genres that can help us classify the types of stories told on the 20'X20' canvas. Using the vernacular of “the business,” we traditionally refer to many of these genres as “gimmicks.” In the coming weeks and months, I will team with Samuel 'Plan to thoroughly dissect the essence of each of pro wrestling's match-types. With his book, 101 WWE Matches To See Before You Die, championing that we embrace the performance art that pro wrestling truly is, 'Plan brings a fascinating perspective in support of his stance that the time has come for the fans and the public at large to receive pro wrestling in a more mature fashion. 101 has already begun the process of classifying pro wrestling genres; with my second book, The Greatest Matches, Rivalries, And Stories Of The WrestleMania Era (estimated release in late 2017), as keen on developing the most definitive ranking ever created for wrestling history's second great question as The WrestleMania Era: The Book Of Sports Entertainment was on answering the first (who's the greatest wrestler of all-time), we felt compelled to combine my analytical eye with his interpretative approach to establish a more refined understanding of pro wrestling gimmicks. Each genre and sub-genre will be discussed as we break down what each one is all about and offer up the quintessential match that best embodies its fundamental identity. Cage --> Hell in a Cell Epic With the November Classic coming up this Sunday, it is time to dissect the titular match of WWE’s longest-running “theme” pay-per-view: It is my belief that Survivor Series Matches are all about consequence. As a sub-genre of tag wrestling, it is uniquely placed to develop edge-of-your seat drama by making the consequence of characters’ decisions immediately apparent, thanks to the shifting numbers advantages and what they could mean – both for the match itself and the eventual outcome of the story of which the match is a part. These are tugs of war, designed to be fought over high stakes in high pressure situations. Several examples from the Elimination Tag Match library immediately come to mind that fit that description. The original main-event in 1987, Team Hogan vs. Team Andre, was a natural extension of the WrestleMania III match that drew the largest WWE PPV buyrate (10.2) of all-time and segued into the rematch that drew the largest TV rating (15.1) in modern pro wrestling lore. In 2001, the gimmick was used to conclude the WWE vs. WCW Invasion, ending the controversial angle with an epic encounter between ten future Hall of Famers. Two years later, Shawn Michaels valiantly battled back from a near-impossible disadvantage in an attempt to save Stone Cold’s career from ending. In 2004, control of Monday Night Raw was at stake as Triple H’s team battled with Randy Orton’s in a clever, underrated version. There was one Survivor Series Elimination Match, however, that combined the best traits of all the other best editions: Team Cena vs. The Authority in 2014. In my book, I don’t mind revealing I picked an alternative match as the definitive expression of genre tropes; but that selection was made before today’s selection had even happened. Would I change my mind in retrospect? It’s difficult to say. I wouldn’t call the clash between The Authority’s army and Cena’s posse my favourite Survivor Series Match, nor perhaps the most original. But we’re in the business of collecting definitive compositions here and, as a collection of the best genre tropes, 2014’s effort doesn’t put a foot wrong. Team Authority vs. Team Cena ticks many boxes. Like the very first Survivor Series main event, it provides the extension of a story that started at an earlier Big Four pay-per-view – in this case, as far back as Summerslam 2013. It takes advantage of the shifting numbers game to revisit an emotive three to one disadvantage reminiscent, if somewhat tamer than, the famed Shawn Michaels effort in 2003. It provides a platform for a star making turn, albeit one a little more creatively subtle than your Diesel or Roman Reigns affairs, as my man Seth Rollins dominates proceedings by having a hand in almost all eliminations. And if you’re a believer in a Big Four main event needing a big moment, look no further than Sting’s one man invasion; a Vigilante visiting upon the near-victor the ultimate vengeful justice. In some ways, what we have here is a Survivor Series Match that, at points, crosses over into Epic territory. It is a brilliant combination really. It was basically the final chapter of the Authority story that first culminated at WrestleMania 30 with Daniel Bryan and that was extended via different key players by The Architect turning on The Shield to join them. As with Team Hogan vs. Team Andre, Team Cena vs. The Authority was a great sequel, of sorts, to the WrestleMania story, especially when you consider that Dolph Ziggler – another talent held down by the establishment – was the sole survivor. It also had the epic length and epic climax of WWE vs. WCW (complete with the plot twist of a member of one team changing allegiance, in this case Big Show); it had the epic comeback of Team Austin vs. Team Bischoff and the mix of talent and clever strategy of Team Orton vs. Team Triple H as well. That it featured a fantastic, star-enhancing performance by Rollins, tremendous selling of that which was on the line by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon (both through their actions and expressions), and deeply-rooted psychology and storytelling that connected a wide variety of angles dating back to as much as a year prior only served to accentuate its status not just an all-time great Survivor Series Match, but an all-time great match period. Sting making his long-awaited WWE debut was the icing on an excellent cake and added a noteworthy intangible that arguably vaults the match ahead of all its peers; it is a beast of a match historically that should quite easily pass time’s test. Perhaps most importantly, Team Cena vs. The Authority was the most recent iteration of how the gimmick best executed in modern times. For Team Cena, what would have seemed a very realistic loss would have resulted in the storyline-firing of all its members except the Golden Boy himself... For The Authority, there was no greater pressure than battling for survival; than putting on the line the regime they had worked so mercilessly to establish with an iron fist in the preceding 18 months. This was a final desperate act for liberation; D-Day for the oppressed, and The Authority threw everything they had at the insurrectionists, utilising political dealings, underhanded tactical turns and cold hearted motivation to create a thrilling, magnetic narrative across more than forty excruciating minutes. If consequence is the key theme to a great Survivor Series Match, 2014’s main event combines that theme with a tour through the sub-genre’s historical development over the years. It might not be the most original Survivor Series Match, just like it doesn’t really define the sub-genre on a functional level in my eyes, but in collecting together a series of references back to the best aspects of the sub-genre and deploying that collection to create a tectonic shift in an ongoing narrative spanning a shared universe brimming with intriguing characters, what you find is a Survivor Series Match proud of its identity, championing the cause of the ugly step-sister of Big Four pay-per-views and trumpeting the very best the sub-genre has to offer. It relishes the theme of consequence on a multitude of levels and, most impressively of all, embraces a climax that carried that theme all the way through to the following WrestleMania. QUESTION OF THE DAY: What do you feel is the best representative of the Survivor Series Elimination Match and why? What is your favorite Survivor Series match of all-time?
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