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|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring Edge | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown! ECW | ||
| Date | November 18, 2007 | ||
| City | Miami, Florida | ||
| Venue | American Airlines Arena | ||
| Attendance | 12,000 | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| Survivor Series chronology | |||
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Survivor Series (2007) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which took place on November 18, 2007 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. It was the 21st annual Survivor Series and starred wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brands.
The show's seven matches showcased prominent WWE wrestlers, who acted out the franchise's stories in and out of the ring. The main event featured SmackDown wrestlers in a Hell in a Cell match, in which the ring was surrounded by a roofed steel structure. In this match, World Heavyweight Champion Batista defeated The Undertaker to retain his title. In Raw's main match, Randy Orton defeated Shawn Michaels in a singles match, while in ECW's prime match, ECW Champion CM Punk defeated John Morrison and The Miz in a Triple Threat match to retain the title. Two matches were on the undercard. The first was a singles match, in which The Great Khali defeated Hornswoggle. The other featured Team Triple H (Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio and Kane) defeating Team Umaga (Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Montel Vontavious Porter, Finlay and Big Daddy V) in an inter-brand 5-on-4 Survivor Series elimination tag team match.
Survivor Series helped WWE increase its pay-per-view revenue by $1.2 million, through ticket sales and pay-per-view buys. It received mixed critical reviews by various independent sources, including Canadian Online Explorer and PW Torch. After its release on DVD, the event peaked at number five on Billboard's Video Sales chart, before it fell off the chart after ten weeks.
Background
See also: Professional wrestlingSurvivor Series was the culmination of various scripted plots and storylines. For three months before the event, several professional wrestling matches and scripted plots were played out on WWE programming (Raw, Friday Night SmackDown!, and ECW on Sci Fi) to create feuds between various wrestlers, casting them as villains and heroes. Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW were also the names of WWE's televised brands – a storyline division in which WWE assigned its employees to a specific program, thus each brand promoted distinct matches.
The main narrative for Survivor Series from the SmackDown brand continues the events that unfolded at WrestleMania 23, WWE's April pay-per-view, in which The Undertaker defeated Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship. Over the course of several months, the two wrestlers fought in various matches over the title, which eventually involved Edge. The Undertaker was billed as having been injured in one of these matches in May, in which Edge had won the title. During The Undertaker's absence, Edge was legitimately injured, and The Great Khali won the championship in a Battle Royal, in which wrestlers were eliminated until one remained as the winner. At Unforgiven, WWE's September pay-per-view event, The Undertaker returned to WWE, while Batista won the World Heavyweight Title from The Great Khali. Afterwards, the original feud between the two wrestlers was restarted and culminated into a standard wrestling match, known in professional wrestling as a singles match, at WWE's October pay-per-view event Cyber Sunday; Batista won this match and retained his title. On the November 2, 2007 episode of Friday Night SmackDown!, a rematch was advertised in a Hell in a Cell match, in which both wrestlers would fight in a ring surrounded by a roofed steel structure at Survivor Series.
The prime rivalry scripted from the Raw brand continued a storyline that extended from Cyber Sunday, between WWE Champion Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels over Orton's title. At Cyber Sunday, Michaels was chosen by the WWE fans, via online voting, to face Orton for the title, though, Orton retained his title via disqualification. A rematch was promoted for Survivor Series on the October 29, 2007 edition of Raw, in which Michaels would face Orton for his title. Afterwards, Michaels and Orton fought in different match types over the weeks leading to Survivor Series. On the episode of Raw before Survivor Series, Michaels and Orton met "Face to Face" in a scripted confrontation, in which Orton attacked Michaels.
The prime storyline on the ECW brand featured ECW Champion CM Punk, John Morrison, and The Miz. Morrison and Punk's rivalry revolved over the outcome of their match at Vengeance: Night of Champions, WWE's June pay-per-view event, in which Morrison defeated Punk to win the ECW Title. Punk sought revenge, but Morrison defeated Punk in two championship matches; however, Punk won the title from Morrison on the September 4, 2007 episode of ECW on Sci fi. At Cyber Sunday, The Miz was voted online by fans to challenge Punk for the ECW Title, though, Punk defeated Miz to retain his title. A Triple Threat match was announced for Survivor Series on the November 13, 2007 episode of ECW on Sci-Fi, in which Punk would defend his title against Morrison and Miz, and the first wrestler to gain a pinfall or submission would win the match and the title.
In a narrative extending to the September 10, 2007 episode of Raw, in which Hornswoggle, a dwarf, was announced as Vince McMahon's illegitimate son. In this storyline, McMahon did not like the fact that Hornswoggle was his son, and as a result, he promoted matches in which Hornswoggle faced much larger opponents. As part of this storyline, McMahon announced that The Great Khali, who was billed as standing at 7 feet 4 inches (2.24 m), would face Hornswoggle at Survivor Series. In a promotional in-ring segment on the episode of Friday Night SmackDown! before the pay-per-view event, Khali and Hornswoggle weighed in for their match, in which Khali weighed double the weight of Hornswoggle; this was a segment created by McMahon to humiliate his son. As a Survivor Series tradition, every event features an inter-brand 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination tag team match. Announced via WWE.com, WWE's official website, Team Triple H (Triple H, The Hardys (Matt and Jeff), Rey Mysterio, and Kane would face Team Umaga (Umaga, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), Finlay, Big Daddy V, and Mr. Kennedy).
Event
Preliminary matches
The pay-per-view began with the ECW Championship Triple Threat match, in which CM Punk defended his title against John Morrison and The Miz. Throughout the match, Miz and Morrison double-teamed Punk, however, Miz turned his back on Morrison by attacking him. After Miz tossed Morrison over the top ring ropes onto ringside, Punk lifted Miz onto his shoulders and dropped his face on his knee. He then pinned Miz to retain his ECW Title. The next scheduled match was an inter-brand 10-Diva tag team match, in which the team of Kelly Kelly, Torrie Wilson, Mickie James, Maria, and Michelle McCool faced Victoria, Beth Phoenix, Melina, Layla, and Jillian Hall. Phoenix's team had the advantage over James' team, until James was tagged into the match. She attacked Melina with her forearm and kissed her before kicking her in the head. James then pinned her to earn the victory for her team. Next was a tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship, in which the champions, Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch defended against Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes. At one point, Holly hit Cade with his forearm, and sent Cade and himself onto ringside. In the ring, Murdoch flipped over Rhodes' back and pulled him down to the mat to perform the "Ace of Spades". Successfully pinning Rhodes, Murdoch retained the World Tag Team Championship for his team.
The fourth match was the 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Tag team match between Team Triple H and Team Umaga. Before the event, it was announced that Matt Hardy would be unable to compete in the match due to a scripted injury. Kane was the first wrestler eliminated off of Team Triple H, after Big Daddy V dropped his elbow across his chest. Umaga then pinned and eliminated Team Triple H's Rey Mysterio, after he struck his throat with his thumb to execute the "Samoan Spike". Only Jeff and Triple H remained for their team, while MVP was Team Umaga's first elimination; Jeff Hardy pinned and eliminated him after pulling his head over his shoulders down to the mat to perform a "Twist of Fate". Team Umaga's second elimination occurred after Big Daddy V accidentally dropped his elbow on Mr. Kennedy, which led to a pinfall by Triple H. Big Daddy V was Team Umaga's third elimination, which occurred after Hardy and Triple H drove his head to the mat to perform a Double DDT. Finlay and Umaga were then eliminated via pinfall, after Triple H drove Finlay's head to the mat through a "Pedigree", and after Jeff flipped on top of Umaga to perform a "Swanton Bomb". As a result, Team Triple H won. The Great Khali versus Hornswoggle was the next scheduled match. At one point, Hornswoggle tried to hit Khali with a shillelagh, but Khali slapped Hornswoggle down to the mat. The match ended via disqualification, after Finlay, Hornswoggle original caretaker, entered the ring and hit Khali in the head with his own shillelagh.
Main event matches
The sixth match was Raw's main match, in which Randy Orton faced Shawn Michaels for Orton's WWE Championship. In this stipulated match, Michaels was banned from using his signature move, "Sweet Chin Music", while Orton was unable to get disqualified, and if either man broke those stipulations he would have lost the WWE Championship match. Before the event, it was announced that Michaels was banned from using the superkick, his signature maneuver. As a result, Michaels attempted various submission moves, such as the Sharpshooter, Crossface, and ankle lock. Eventually, Michaels, attempted to perform his superkick, but to prevent himself from losing the match, he stopped, which then allowed Orton to jump and pull Michaels' head down over his shoulders to the mat for an RKO. Successfully pinning Michaels, Orton retained his WWE Title.
The main event from SmackDown was the event's final match, in which World Heavyweight Champion Batista defended his title against The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. At one point, Batista placed The Undertaker on his shoulders and threw him through a table to perform a "Batista Bomb". The Undertaker, however, retaliated by dropping Batista on his head, onto the ring's steel steps, through a Tombstone Piledriver. As The Undertaker pinned Batista, and as the referee counted the pin, Edge, dressed as a cameraman, pulled the referee out of the ring, and hit The Undertaker with the camera he was holding and then positioned Undertaker's head on top of the steel steps. Edge then slammed a folding chair across the back of The Undertaker's head. While the referee re-entered the ring, Edge dragged Batista onto The Undertaker, and as a result, Batista pinned The Undertaker and retained his World Heavyweight Title.
Aftermath
| Other on-screen talent | |
|---|---|
| Role: | Name: |
| Commentator | Jerry Lawler (Raw Color) |
| Jim Ross (Raw Play-by-Play) | |
| John "Bradshaw" Layfield (SmackDown Color) | |
| Michael Cole (SmackDown Play-by-Play) | |
| Tazz (ECW Color) | |
| Joey Styles (ECW Play-by-Play) | |
| Referee | Scott Armstrong |
| Mike Chioda | |
| John Cone | |
| Marty Elias | |
| Mickie Henson | |
| Jim Korderas | |
| Chad Patton | |
| Charles Robinson | |
| Ring announcer | Lilian Garcia (Raw) |
| Tony Chimel (SmackDown) | |
| Justin Roberts (ECW) | |
After Survivor Series, Randy Orton was scripted into a feud with Chris Jericho, who made his return to WWE after a two year hiatus. The following night on Raw, the evolving feud culminated into a match being promoted for Armageddon, WWE's December pay-per-view. At Armageddon, Orton retained his WWE Title. After Batista retained his World Heavyweight Championship, Edge was scripted into a rivalry with him over his title. Eventually, The Undertaker was also placed in feud, which led to the advertising of a Triple Threat match at Armageddon for the title. At Armageddon, Edge won the World Heavyweight Championship. Due to the events that occurred at Survivor Series, a match was announced between Finlay and The Great Khali for Armageddon. Finlay prevailed at Armageddon via pinning The Great Khali. After remaining as the sole survivors in their Elimination tag team match, Triple H and Jeff Hardy were promoted into a match for Armageddon, in which the winner would win the opportunity to challenge for the WWE Championship. At Armageddon, Hardy defeated Triple H. Because Beth Phoenix and Mickie James were the leaders of their teams at Survivor Series, a feud evolved from this, which culminated into a match at Armageddon over Phoenix's WWE Women's Championship. Phoenix retained her title at Armageddon.
Reception
The American Airlines Arena usually has a capacity of 19,600, which was reduced for Survivor Series due to production purposes. From an approximate attendance of 12,000 and 341,000 pay-per-view buys, Survivor Series helped WWE earn $19.9 million in pay-per-view revenue versus $18.7 million the previous year; this was confirmed by WWE in its 2007 fourth quarter financial report. Although Survivor Series helped WWE's revenue, it earned 42,000 less buys than the previous year's Survivor Series. In addition, the pay-per-view received mixed reviews. Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk of Canadian Online Explorer's SLAM! Sports - Wrestling rated the entire event 7.5 out of 10 points. In addition, they rated Raw and SmackDown's main event an 8 out of 10 points. J.D. Dunn of 411Mania stated that the event was "The best WWE PPV since Backlash." Wade Keller of PW Torch, a professional wrestling newsletter operated since 1987, reported that the main event was "disappointing" and that "WWE set expectations too high for the Cell." He rated the Raw main event 3 out of 5 points, while rating the SmackDown main event 2.25 out of 5 points. Survivor Series was released on DVD on December 26, 2007 by WWE Home Video, and it was distributed by Genius Products. The DVD debuted on Billboard's Video Sales chart on January 19, 2007 at number five. It spent nine more weeks on the chart, before it fell off the chart at number 20.
Results
Survivor Series elimination matches
| Elimination # | Wrestler | Team | Eliminated by | Elimination move | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kane | Team Triple H | Big Daddy V | Elbow drop | 5:25 |
| 2 | Rey Mysterio | Team Triple H | Umaga | Samoan Spike | 9:14 |
| 3 | MVP | Team Umaga | Jeff Hardy | Twist of Fate | 12:49 |
| 4 | Mr. Kennedy | Team Umaga | Triple H | Elbow drop by Big Daddy V | 14:20 |
| 5 | Big Daddy V | Team Umaga | Triple H | Double DDT with Jeff Hardy | 15:24 |
| 6 | Finlay | Team Umaga | Triple H | Pedigree | 21:14 |
| 7 | Umaga | Team Umaga | Jeff Hardy | Swanton Bomb | 22:16 |
| Survivors: | Triple H and Jeff Hardy (Team Triple H) | ||||
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