Written By: Mark Armstrong
Running Time: 171 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: February 19 2012
“Never Before, Never Again.” That was the tagline for this show, which saw John Cena team up with The Rock for the first and only time. That it didn’t make storyline sense (why would Cena pick Rock, his WrestleMania XXVIII opponent who had cost him the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XXVIII, to be his partner?) was a non-issue; the prospect of such a dream team made this a must-see show, and a fun spectacle to relive on DVD.
It begins with Dolph Ziggler defending the Intercontinental Championship against John Morrison in what would be the challenger’s final PPV appearance for WWE. It’s okay, but the MSG crowd instead chant for Zack Ryder, who appears after the match to attack Dolph. Beth Phoenix vs. Eve Torres is a decent Lumberjill match, and is one of the better women’s bouts from this era.
The ten-man Survivors match has a bit of a random cast, and sees Sin Cara leave early with a legitimate injury to a chorus of boos, but the action is still engaging, and fans are hot for the finish. Big Show attempting a middle rope elbow drop on Mark Henry is the highlight of an otherwise dull World Heavyweight Championship match, and the disqualification finish doesn’t help matters either.
Conversely, Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk is probably ADR’s best WWE effort, and Punk regaining the WWE Championship is a memorable MSG moment. This begins Punk’s famous 434-day reign with the title, though it doesn’t close out this PPV. That’s forgivable, considering the Rock/Cena combo for the top-liner, but Punk continuing to miss headlining supershows despite holding the company’s top prize would become a source of irritation throughout 2012.
The main event lives up to expectations, even if they simply comprised of the novelty of seeing two huge stars defeat Awesome Truth. Rock, in his first match since WrestleMania XX, has the fans in the palm of his hands, and the pro-Rock, anti-Cena audience definitely approve of him drilling John with a Rock Bottom to end the show.
With the Rock-Cena alliance, the historic Punk title win and other notable moments, all in the redesigned World’s Most Famous Arena, Survivor Series 2011 is a memorable card and one that justifies a second home viewing.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10 – Good
