Team Barrett vs. Team Orton:
What I Liked:
There was so good back and forth action in the match, but that did not come until after Cara botched his spot. I really enjoyed the pacing and timing between Sheamus and Cody Rhodes. Both guys have so different identities, but both got an opportunity to utilize their strengths. I liked how Kofi was eliminated early in the match after he hit a few nice moves, as I feel he was the most out of place guy in the match, aside from Hunico. He has feuded before with Swagger and Ziggler, but as one half of the Tag Champions, he really has not done much in the past few weeks. I loved the finish the most, having a clean win from Barrett and Rhodes, two guys they are investing so much time and effort into. Rhodes gets RKO’ed, but Barrett is right there to hit Wasteland. This loss does not make Orton look weak, but it makes Barrett and Rhodes as the “survivors” look like future champions with their performance in the match.
What I Disliked:
The match in general was good, not great. I felt like something was missing in the match. The pace slowed down so much when Cara botched his spot, really losing the crowd’s interest in the match. It also gave the crowd an opportunity to think about the lack of importance in the match. I am still a fan of Traditional Survivor Series matches, but this one had Hunico, Cara, and Kofi in it. They should have had Ryder instead of Kofi, Brodus debut, and add another face like DiBiase. These guys would have made the match better, more complete, and easily given us a better understanding of who and why they are pushing these stars. Furthermore, Hunico should have been the first one out, and eliminated well before Ziggler.
Grade: C+
