WWE Survivor Series results and reactions from last night (Nov. 24): Believe in the Spear

WWE went rolling right on through the TD Garden Arena in Boston, Massachusetts, last night (Sun., Nov. 24, 2013) with Survivor Series, featuring Randy Orton retaining his WWE championship with some help from The Authority but John Cena immediately setting up a future showdown between the two.

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Let's not waste any more time with pleasantries and get right to reactions to the show:

• Obligatory: Triple H started Survivor Series with a mic in hand because of course he did.
• I really like opening the show with the traditional five-on-five elimination tag team match. You could argue it's not smart to get the good stuff out of the way early, but I would say it's best to get the crowd hot and ready for the rest of the evening. Plus, they needed to make sure they could get everything in with plenty of time to spare for the featured matches later. The two teams didn't disappoint either.
• Roman Reigns is a star in the making. Like, if I was running a pro wrestling promotion, I would absolutely hitch my wagon to him and let him run wild. That guy is a money maker in waiting with a lot working for him right now. I love Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins has won me over in a big way, but Reigns is the breakout star here. It's good WWE has recognized the same and booked him properly for it. His spear has been protected rather well so far in his young career and not only that, it's become a big deal again. Really, though, how incredible was that tease of the 619 from Rey Mysterio only for him to turn around on the ropes and run right into the spear? God, this was great.
• I really, really dislike the new mix on Big E. Langston's theme song. It's going to actively work against him. Still, he's entertaining when they give him the chance, like they did last night with that promo after he made Curtis Axel the bug on his windshield. Keep pushing, WWE, it will pay off.
• That Divas match was terrible. I mean, it was really and truly awful. I don't have much of anything else to say about it.
• I like Ryback bagging on the legends panel because that's part of what makes it worth it to put those legends under contract. Use 'em to get heat on a heel who badly needs it.
• MARK HENRY! RYBACK GOT HIS WIG SPLIT!
• That John Cena's matches are formulaic isn't, in and of itself, a problem. The issue is that he needs a very particular opponent to maximize the potential of making said formula work. There's a reason his match against Mark Henry at Money in the Bank was outstanding and his bout with Alberto Del Rio last night was fairly ho hum. It's because no matter how hard they tried, Del Rio was never credible as a legitimate threat to the champion. The outcome was never really in doubt. That means there's no reason to get invested in the near falls and false finishes and what not. Absent that, this was a mediocre match that was forgotten almost as soon as it concluded.
• I will say the powerbomb counter to the Cross Armbreaker is always going to be fun.
• BIG JOHNNY! PEOPLE POWER! I really do miss that big idiot fumbling and bumbling and mumbling through his promos. Truly a special talent.
• Let's be real now: The "Gator Roll" is a cool name for a wrestling move but it's absolutely ridiculous in practice. "Trying to disorient his prey", says Michael Cole. Let's just stop this. Unless it leads to a submission of some sort, it just looks silly. And it would look equally as awesome if it was leading to a submission, which is why I suggest as much.
• The CM Punk & Daniel Bryan vs. Wyatt Family match was enjoyable for what it was. There really isn't much else to say outside of that because they didn't really leave it open for that. It does appear, though, that this is still the direction going forward but Bray will be getting into the ring for legitimate matches. And that's good, actually, because we'll finally see if he can really hang. No better dance partners than Punk and Bryan, right?
• I enjoyed Randy Orton walking around upset backstage all night hoping for help in his match with Big Show. Sure, it made him look chickenshit and all, but it was great, especially when he ran into The Authority talking to John Cena and got overally suspicious of the conversation.
• Big Show vs. Randy Orton was an awful match and considering they weren't even asked to do a lot, that's really saying something. The Authority making a point of saying there would be no physical interference just so they could use audio to act as a distraction was just dumb. I hated this as a main event to a formerly big PPV.
• That being said, the tease after the match was enough to take the bad taste out of my mouth. John Cena vs. Randy Orton has been done to death, yes, but not in recent years and not with the potential stakes of a program here. If they go with the stock champion vs. champion gimmick, that will be terribly disappointing. But if they decide a title unification match is the best way to close WrestleMania 30 and this is the first hint of it, that would be phenomenal. I've long been a proponent of unification. If need be, SmackDown can feature the Intercontinental championship as its major belt.

This wasn't a very good show overall and the workrate in most of the matches left a lot to be desired. Once again, The Shield save the day.

Grade: C

That's it from me, Cagesiders. Now it's your turn to sound off in the comments section below. How did you feel about last night's show?