We’re creeping our way into WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2024, where it will be only the third time that War Games is subtitled to Survivor Series. While WarGames is a very intense and captivating match, is it right to replace the classic five-on-five elimination matches with it?
This year will be the 38th annual Survivor Series PLE, and every year until the last three years, it has been known for its classic five-on-five elimination matches. These matches are highly looked forward to because of the stories they create and their history.
We have associated Survivor Series with these elimination matches for over thirty years. It’s not that WarGames isn’t entertaining, but I think it would be a perfect premium live event for NXT to keep or stand on its own instead of being the subtitle of Survivor Series. They should both stand-alone, as both events are more than strong enough to.
The Art of Unpredictability
While both Survivor Series and WarGames are unpredictable, Survivor Series brings more creative unpredictability, while WarGames features more violent unpredictability. Both are very entertaining, but creative unpredictability is a better fit when approaching WrestleMania season, as it opens opportunities for many future stories.
The elimination match keeps fans on the edge of their seats more. Yes, anything can be used in a WarGames match, but the Survivor Series elimination match is still more unpredictable.
For many years, people who are unlikely to team up have been forced to do so for these elimination matches. During these matches, people turn on each other, and there could be outside interference.
Also, while WWE has some predictable matches and storylines, it’s much harder to predict the elimination match, between how many people on the winning team will survive and who will be on the winning team.
Survivor Series 2015
Survivor Series 2015 is the perfect example of an unpredictable and unforgettable elimination match. This was the year of Team Cena (John Cena, Big Show, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, and Ryback) vs Team Authority (Mark Henry, Seth Rollins, Luke Harper, Rusev, and Kane).
The buildup to the match was perfect. Circumstances were high as Team Cena stood up against The Authority.
The jobs of Team Cena members were put on the line, and even though Team Cena ended up winning the match, everyone but Cena and Big Show lost their jobs. This caused the story to go further after the Survivor Series, with Cena fighting to get the jobs back of Ziggler, Ryback, and Rowan.
It wasn’t just the story leading up to and after the elimination match that made it unforgettable, but the match itself.
In the middle of the match, Big Show turned on Cena and delivered the KO punch that eliminated him from the match, leaving Ziggler against Rollins, Harper, and Kane.
No one expected to see Big Show turn on Cena like no one expected Ziggler to still win the match for Team Cena. Despite being left against three formidable opponents, Ziggler still managed to pull through. It was indeed an unforgettable moment because of how surprising it was.
All the factors leading up to, during, and after this match were perfect and created a perfect story. This is just one example of an ideal way an elimination match can engage the crowd and create future stories, which is why the classic WWE Survivor Series elimination match should return.
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