Survivor Series 2005

November 27th from Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 15,000
Buyrate: 400,000

Normally I type reviews into a book then do a shorter more cohesive review on Blogger however this one is being done straight onto a laptop, although I was a fan at the time I didn't watch this at the time, also Family Guy is on TV but its Season 1 and I don't care much for the older ones as I prefer the 'newer' Stewie. I don't really care for 2005 WWE nor Survivor Series itself that much so not really expecting much, though that could help the PPV as it has low expectations to overcome. I've had this for awhile on DVD but disc is scratched to hell and i've never been able to watch it but saw it yesterday for £2 so re-brought it. Survivor Series 2004 was a 50-50 show as RAWs positives were negated by the SMACKDOWN side of thing and 2006 was possibly the dullest PPV ever so how will 2005 hold up?

Opening video focuses on the three main matches mostly and the return of Undertaker who'd be gone one whole month!!

Best Of 7 - Match 1 - Booker-T (w/ Sharmell) Vs. Chris Benoit 
 Winner of the best of seven wins US Title. Pop for Benoit. Title held up after a double pin. Nothing of note to start. Booker beats on Booker in the corner then knocks him to ringside. Benoit has Booker down on the mat so he goes ringside. Side Kick by Book-A as he is taking control until Benoit blocks a suplex and hits his own, he gets some offence but Booker blocks a corner charge and has Benoit down with an armbar. Tazz is going on about Thanksgiving Food rather than calling the match. 'Lets Go Benoit' chant as he's in an abdominal stretch which he hip tosses out of Heel kick gets a 2 count. Just realised that I don't remember these Benoit tights. Nearly got a double pin finish again. Benoit avoids a suplex and hits a german but Booker avoids any more and hits a heel kick for another 2 count. Booker gets  2 after he counters a Sharpshooter. Benoit hits his three germans as crowd cheer, Benoit gets up first but Sharmell stops him hitting the diving headbutt allowing Booker to go up top but Benoit knocks him down but misses the subsequent Diving Headbutt, Booker rolls up a dazed Benoit as Sharmell helps Booker for the 3 count. Booker leads 1-0. If I remember right Match 7 featured Randy Orton as one of the participants, I'm guessing Booker, was injured. ** Disappointing, maybe they didn't want to have a blow away match so as not to upstage the six that would precede it, could've still done a decent match though, disappointing start. 

Vince McMahon wishes Eric Bischoff good luck after he says he did the same to Teddy, Eric says RAW will sweep SMACKDOWN! tonight and says he'll screw Cena tonight then Cena makes a gay
and says the N-Word to John Cena but as WWE recently said in relation to the Hogan incident, this was was okay as it was in character, idiots.

Womens Title - Melina (w/ MnM) Vs. Trish Stratus (c) (w/ Mickie James)
 Joey Styles and Tazz are calling this to add to the interpromotional feel to the match. Trish dives onto Melina and MnM at ringside. Handstand into a headscissors as Trish is on top until Melina gets a shot in in the corner allowing her some offence. Melina goes to the eyes after Trish chokes her, Mickie and Melina fight ringside then MnM attempt to Snapshot Trish but the ref stops them and sends them to the back, why not a DQ for Mickie James? Melina is still on top and has a surfboard style move applied. Stratusfaction is avoided. Trish does her handstand hurricanrana thing to Melina out of the corner then gets 2 off a spinebuster, Stratusfaction is again avoided but Trish goes all Rick Steiner hitting a bulldog, kind of, off the top for the 3 count. ** - Eh. RAW goes 1 up.

Last Man Standing - Triple-H Vs. Ric Flair
 Their match at Taboo Tuesday was easily the best of that show, earning Ric the name Mr. Taboo Tuesday as his Orton match in 2004 stole that show too. Good lord HHH has permitted Flair to come out last. Naitch is IC Champion but that's not on the line here. HHH attacks in the aisle, that explains the entrance. HHH undoes Flairs robe for him, every bad guy has a heart. HHH has a chair but naitch strikes first with a kendo stick as now they're in the crowd until Ric is backdropped back to ringside. HHH suplexes Flair into the ring then hits some elbows. Ringside Flair is bounced off the ringpost and busted open then HHH digs a screwdriver into the cut, Naitch is wearing a crimson mask, Onita would approve of HHHs actions. If I was drunk I'd be unsure of whether I was watching HHH or Greg Valentine. HHH has been on top for a bit now as Flair has only been to fire off a few chops, HHH is whipped into the steps making the last sentence irrelevant, but he can't capitalise due to exhaustion/blood loss. HHH tells Ric to stay down so Ric applies the testicular claw so HHH hits him with the mic. Pedigree on a table is countered as Ric backdrops HHH through a SAT table, there's three tables to choose from and they still destroy the work place of Hugo and crew, HHH beats the count. Back in ring HHH hits his facebuster.  Flair goes low to avoid Pedigree then hits HHH with a chair then bites him. Corner chops, punches and low blow by Flair as he's fighting back now with a nether regions based assault which to be fair is a good strategy in LMS match, I'd be down for 10,000. Naitch gets some shots in on HHHs leg which against HHH is a good strategy, Figure Four is applied and HHH taps but match obviously continues. HHH clotheslines Ric when he goes for a chop block then hits him with the ring steps but a second attempt is countered with a drop toe hold but HHH is up at 8. Pedigree has Naitch down for 8 then another Pedigree has Ric down for another 8 count,  Naitch flips the double bird and is Pedigreed for the third time but that doesn't get the job done so HHH hits him in the back with a Sledgehammer and Naitch is finally down for the count. *** - I dont always get into LMS matches as the counts can break up the flow of a match and I didn't like this as much as I hoped I would, wrestling needs to live in a realistic world within 
itself, suspension of disbelief, but Ric surviving three Pedigrees kind of seemed ridiculous to me, or at least book a young mid-carder who is on the ascension to survive three Pedigrees. I'm unsure what to give it but at this time *** seems fair based on expectations, maybe on another viewing I'll update it but for now ***.

Bret Harts DVD is plugged, have it, like it, not reviewed it. Move along.

Team SMACKDOWN! are talking backstage, Orton bigs down Batista who is injured and brings up his own recent Survivor Series history. JBL brown nosing Orton then dogging him in made me life.

Edge and Lita are here, Edge announces that soon we will see the debut of The Cutting Edge they note that Dmitri Young of the Detroit Tigers is in attendance, he says Tigers have no chance of winning the World Series and asks if it's a lack of talent or steroids, that must be an inside joke right? He insults the Pistons and i'm mad now. This is just a chance for Edge to get cheap heat on the city of Detroit a city I've never been but would love to as I support Pistons and am a casual Red Wings and Tigers fan (Now i'm a more than casual Red Wings fan and essentially a casual Pistons fan as my love of NBA has diminished and my love of NHL has grown so much it's my #1 sport, I still love my Tigers but man they're bad with little to no optimism where as the Wings aren't great but there's hope especially now Stevie Y is GM). Dmitri says Edge has no balls and bigs up Detroits Sports teams and points to all the Red Wings banners. Don't normally care for cheap heat segments like that but as Detroit were bigged up I loved it.

WWE Championship - S/Ref - Daivari - John Cena (c) Vs. Kurt Angle
 Daivari is associated with Angle. Cena's been Champion since WrestleMania 21. I was a fan of Cena early in his career, more in 2003/4 than here, as I was also in a White Guy acts Black phase, I would regularly blast out G-Unit for now it's more Art Garfunkel as I like Cena have outgrown that. Angle works the leg from the off. Loud duelling Lets Go Cena/Angle chant. Daivari stops Cena going ringside after Angle. Amazing how sloppy Cena is here, Daivari refuses to count Angles shoulders down then gets ready to ring the bell when Angle applies the Ankle Lock then when Cena reaches the rope Daivari kicks his hand away. Cena hits Daivari and goes to call for a DQ but Angle tells him not to. Cena knocks Angle into Daivari KOing the ref, belly-to-belly on the outside by Angle, a new ref is here. Crossnbody gets Cena a 2 count. Seems to be a Cena Sucks chant as Angle is on top of Cena, he has him in a variation of an STF. Cena does one of his no fatigue comebacks and DDTs Kurt, Cena hits 5 Knuckle shuffle after a slam then pumps up his Reeboks, thankfully he doesn't do that anymore, Angle takes out the ref and low blows Cena, Angle Slam gets 2 as a new ref is here. The challenger hits a superplex for another 2, a follow up moonsault misses but Cena cant hit the FU as Angle grabs the ref he then KOs him and brings Daivari back in, Charles Robinson comes down as Cena DDTs Daivari, Cena hits the FU and Charles Robinson, a SMACKDOWN! ref counts the 3 count. ** - The seemingly endless ref shenanigans derailed this match for me as anytime they would build momentum they'd do a ref bump, disappointing for an Angle match also Cena was sloppy and annoying with the inconsistent selling at times.

Eric Bischoff Vs. Teddy Long
 I met Bischoff in April. GM Vs. GM. Cole and Coach on commentary where Cole owns Coach. Teddy is jukin and jivin while avoiding Erics kicks but then Eric chokes Teddy when refs are distracted. Bischoff has Teddy down
with a sleeper but he hits Erc with his shoe to break it. Bischoff Spike to Teddy as Boogeymans music plays so Eric sends the ref up the aisle but Boogey's behind him and hits a Pumphandle Slam allowing Teddy to get 3.

Batista/Rey/Orton/JBL/Lashley Vs. HBK/Carlito/Masters/Show/Kane
 On the way to the ring they guys walk through wrestlers from their respective shows. This is the build that should've been used for Bragging Rights. Batista is WHC and Kane/Show are Tag Champions. I really like the way they built up to this match and showed that when thpught was put into it an brand rivalry could be done well. Eddie chant during Reys entrance. Carlito may have the shortest ever ring theme as it loops by the time he's on the apron. Tazz is going off on one especially during Masters entrance, has Tazz snapped? Orton slaps HBK who slaps him back. Even start with HBK/Orton, Masters in but Orton goes for his eyes. Lashley no sells a shoulder block then powerslams Lashley. Masterlock is avoided then Masters tags in Carlito he is soon Powerslammed which gets Lashley 2.  HBK is now in but Lashley dominates him to, Kane Chokeslams Lashley as he goes to hit a Dominator on HBK for 3 (4-5). Masters bench press gorilla slams Rey, he tags in Kane but Rey gets the better of him at least until he runs into a big boot. The announcers bickering is distracting from the match now. Kane is wearing Rey down with a bearhug, Rey bites free and tags in Batista. Kane hits Batistas taped ribs then knocks SMACKDOWN! off the apron, Spinebeuster gets 3 on Kane after Rey hits 619. (4-4) Show Chokeslams Batista but it only gets 2.  A double Chokeslam does get the 3 count though as the World Champion is gone early (3-4). Show takes out Orton and Rey but can't avoid Clothesline From Hell, 619 and then RKO and another Clothesline From Hell a seated senton from Rey does get 3 (3-3), I liked that they had to do all that to get him out. JBL hits a fallaway slam on the outside to HBK. The three Champions are now gone. JBL blind tags in and Clothesline From Hell eliminates Carlito, I liked the way they did that (3-2). HBK is still down from the fallaway slam so it's 3-on-1 for now. 619 to Masters then a springboard legdrop gets 3, the legdrop didn't hit smooth on Masters (3-1). This is like 2003s Survivor Series w/ HBK being down 3 to 1 and having Orton against him. Shawn does epic oversell on 610 then goes Epic again by Sweet Chin Musicing a springboarding Rey (2-1), Clothesline From Hell is avoided and Sweet Chin Music eliminates JBL (1-1). 2003 ended with Batista taking out HBK for Orton will that happen again? The commentator bickering has seemingly stopped did Vince interject on commentary? Shawn avoids RKO and Randy avoids Sweet Chin Music. We Want Taker chant, forearm, kip up by HBK, he fires off some moves and heads up top and hits the elbow. JBL is still ringside and distracts HBK and Orton gets 3 from RKO (1-0) as Orton keeps up his sole survivor run, the SMACKDOWN! crew come out to celebrate with Orton but he panics when Druids bring out a casket which is hit by lightening and Deadman comes out of the flaming casket which is fitting as at No Mercy the Ortons beat Taker in a Casket Match and set it a flame. Undertaker pounds the SMACKDOWN! guys in the ring and Tombstones Regal, I read that Matt Hardy slipped away before he got his beating by Deadman and thus was stiffed by JBL at Armageddon a month later as Taker felt dissed, hmm dissed maybe my white guy thinking he's black phase isn't over. ***1/2 - I do love multi-man tag matches and this was a pretty good one, I must again praise the build as my made RAW Vs. SMACKDOWN! seem compelling as they got the our show Vs. yours theme across well in the build up, did the match build anyone up? No which was a missed opportunity, say have Masters or Carlito get a big elimination or something but it was enjoyable in it's own right.

 12.5 / 25 - Bang on .500 but that's only thanks to the main and the LMS, the other three matches were pretty boring and not worth your time. The LMS was okay is slightly disappointing, I'm sure I really enjoyed their match at Taboo Tuesday which is why I had hopes for this one, I did enjoy the main but it doesn't really save the show from mediocrity as the show left no lasting impression on the WWE following this PPV.
Thumbs in the middle due to LMS/Main Event.