Rasslin' Ramblings: WrestleMania XXVIII, Take Two

It’s been a few months now since I first tried my hand at booking next year’s WrestleMania and already, as they tend to do in wrestling, things have changed pretty drastically. Here are just a few factors that have altered the card I proposed just back in August:

-Triple H and C.M. Punk already had their one-on-one match and it seems unlikely that feud will be revisited at the moment

-John Morrison has left WWE

-Mark Henry came out of nowhere to become the monster heel we never knew we needed

-Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara both look to be out with injuries that will extend past WrestleMania

That said, while the dream lineup I imagined four months ago may no longer be probable or in some cases possible, I do not mind going back to the drawing board and giving it one more college try…

JOHN CENA vs THE ROCK
Again, this is the set main event of WrestleMania XXVIII and that’s not going to change between now and March. Last time out, I talked about how this match does not need the WWE title involved, and I maintain that. I also said that I didn’t think John Cena needed to turn heel, and that’s where things have gotten a bit interesting. WWE is not shying away from addressing the issue of many fans booing Cena, swapping out their “most controversial superstar in history” rap at least a bit by having everybody from Miz to Roddy Piper put it right out there. I do think from a creative perspective, a Cena heel turn has a lot of potential to enrich the character. The guy who did everything right but still gets no respect and is bitter about it has possibilities, and the idea of Cena is the unstoppable juggernaut bad guy ala Brock Lesnar is intriguing. On the other hand, I get why from a business standpoint a Cena heel turn is not the best thing; beyond the merchandise issue, he is an incredible ambassador and it would suck for him no longer to be available for Make-a-Wish, etc. Normally I hate when corporate trumps creative, but maybe I’m just growing up—or getting boring—because I get it here. I do like that it’s all on the table, not being ignored, and I’m interested to see where it goes.

WWE Champion C.M. PUNK vs RANDY ORTON
First off, early reports have Randy Orton winning the Royal Rumble. Second, if WWE is serious about C.M. Punk—and at this point there’s no reason they shouldn’t be—it would be nice for him to hold onto the title through WrestleMania and give it some much needed stability. Third, there’s a dearth of big time heels to challenge Punk on the grand stage, as Alberto Del Rio seems to have crashed and burned out the main event and Miz doesn’t have that big time feel in this scenario. So how about Orton wins the Rumble then chooses to face Punk because “he’s the future” and/or because he’s beaten him before. Both guys have enough juice with the fans that I don’t think WWE risks turning either heel, but each are also edgy enough that they can go beyond the played out mutual respect angle. Punk can do what everybody loved seeing him do over the summer, blurring the lines between fiction and reality, getting on Orton about being “born into the business” and about his undisciplined early days; Orton can fire back by being his bad old self. We know they have good in-ring chemistry, so it’s a fairly guaranteed solid match between two legit stars worthy of the WrestleMania spotlight.

World Champion MARK HENRY vs DANIEL BRYAN vs WADE BARRETT
They’ve done a great job booking Mark Henry as a dominant heel the likes of which WWE hasn’t seen in quite some time, and again, I think it’s imperative he doesn’t get dethroned until WrestleMania (and it would be nice if he could get a decisive win over Big Show at some point). He can busy himself with a returning Kane beginning later this month into 2012 to set the stage for a showdown with Money in the Bank winner Daniel Bryan in March, a match that has foreshadowed nicely with the underdog taking his lumps thus far but getting shots in too. I would spice things up by having Wade Barrett—who is also on a monster roll right now and shouldn’t be an afterthought—win at Elimination Chamber, maybe getting the final fall on Bryan, and earning a spot in the World title match at Mania. This opens up the booking options to Bryan getting the emotional win (my pick), Barrett stealing the title, or even Henry retaining; you could have Bryan pick up a submission on Barrett and thus still needing to prove himself against Henry, providing another month or two of solid feuding.

TRIPLE H w/ SHAWN MICHAELS vs KEVIN NASH w/ SEAN WALTMAN
I would have preferred to see Triple H putting Punk over here, but barring that, they may as well go the distance with this Nash feud and pull out all the stops. If nothing else, it’s a good excuse to bring Shawn Michaels in and to have Sean Waltman back as well (in a perfect world you could involve Scott Hall as well, but likely he’s not up for it and his continuing health is more important). The promos between all parties involved leading up would be dynamite and then you hedge your bets for the match itself by making it a street fight, letting everybody go to town and HHH get the win after an HBK superkick for the big pop.

CHRIS JERICHO vs THE MIZ
This one comes courtesy of Jason Knize, who suggested it after my last post. The scuttlebutt is that while he’s been playing coy on Twitter and whatnot, Jericho could be on his way back to WWE, and he’s said in the past that if he does return, he wants to reinvent himself as much as he did going from Y2J to his serious heel persona in 2008. In interviews, Jericho has taken Miz (and others) to task on occasion for ripping him off as far as wearing suits, talking slow, etc. An angry return for vengeance on those who have taken his revolutionary actions and made them bland and assembly line could work nicely for Jericho, and Miz would certainly be a game opponent to kick off that new direction.

R-TRUTH & ZACK RYDER w/ HUGH JACKMAN vs DOLPH ZIGGLER & JACK SWAGGER w/ VICKIE GUERRERO
It’s not WrestleMania without token celebrity involvement, and personally I thought Hugh Jackman was fantastic during his Raw appearance and it would be awesome if WWE could get him back for an extended program. If he’d be up for it, Jackman actually working a match would be great, but barring that, seconding the wacky duo of Zack Ryder and a once again babyface R-Truth would be gold. I somewhat regret “wasting” Ziggler in another stunt tag match given how money he’s been lately, but you can also count on him to deliver the goods and he and Ryder would be excellent for promotional appearances in the mainstream.

Beyond those, I’d keep Undertaker vs Sheamus from my original card, and then things get a bit murky. It would have been nice to have Mysterio or Sin Cara available for a title vs mask match with Cody Rhodes, but maybe you slot Kane in there. With nothing better for either, perhaps Big Show and Christian wrestle one another? As for Alberto Del Rio, if Rey makes a miracle recovery they could face off, or otherwise maybe team him with Brodus Clay to go after the Tag titles, held by Air Boom or whoever.

What do you guys think?

The Hobgoblin: Knockoff Made Good

When something works in comics, it has the propensity to spread like wildfire. This can be particularly true in the case of villains and even more so when it comes to Spider-Man’s villains. We’re talking a flock of Vultures, a pack of Kravens, Goblins of every make, a Scorpion and Doctor Octopus of each gender, not to mention symbiotes galore. In some cases, the copies make their own mark and turn out to be worthy successors to the mantel; in others, they end up cannon fodder so the original can make their way back into the limelight.

I’ve recently been reading the Amazing Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin trade and am struck by how Hobby is one “knockoff” who didn’t just pick up where his predecessor left off, he established his own distinct spot in Spidey lore.

A lot of “second generation” bad guys feel lazy because they seem to pick up their gimmicks for lack of their own ideas. Blackie Drago literally stole Adrian Toomes’ Vulture wings rather than come up with a different gimmick. The Kraven boys followed in daddy’s footsteps pretty slavishly out of tribute or tradition. However, while Hobgoblin swiped the Green Goblin’s gear and basic style, he went out of his way to make sure everybody knew they were not the same.

One of the things I’m really digging in these early Hobgoblin stories—written mostly by his co-creator, the great Roger Stern—is how he analyzes where Norman Osborn went wrong and takes measures to avoid the same pitfalls. It gives the character credibility that he not only recognizes insanity but also how it can be limiting, as opposed to just another nut seduced by promise of power. He’s cagey and deliberate whether it means avoiding a pointless fight with Spider-Man before he’s ready or cleaning up every last loose end. The Hobgoblin doesn’t want to live up to any legacy, he wants to surpass it; he wants to be better.

Something else I credit Stern and folks like Tom DeFalco with is how they gave Hobby a definitive arc in those first appearances. There are under a dozen comics collected in the trade I’m reading, but they really do account for the definitive Hobgoblin epic. For a year or two, the character was very much at the center of Spider-Man’s world, particularly in Amazing Spider-Man, involving himself with the ongoing soap opera and retaining a significant role in the background of issues even where he wasn’t the star. He comes into Spidey’s life, makes a huge impact, then fades out having left an impression.

I’m not clear on the exact circumstances surrounding the length of the original Hobgoblin stories; the fact that DeFalco took over midway through and Stern returned over a decade later to conclude it his way tells me there were probably non-story factors at work, but that’s irrelevant to me. The fact is the way Hobby steals the show and then exits before wearing out his welcome works perfectly. While there would be subsequent Hobgoblins featured in the Spider-Man books and elsewhere, that sense that the guy Stern knew to be behind the mask only made a handful appearances and then vanished for so many years adds tremendous mystique. Even now, when the original has come back and even died, the character carries a weight because your mind doesn’t go to whatever he was doing in the 90’s, it flashes right back to that first strong run.

Of course the mystery of the Hobgoblin’s true identity was central to his early success as well, with Stern doing his riff on the original Green Goblin in another way but with the nuances comics had gained and bringing his considerable strength at crafting the story to bear. Even reading this material in retrospect and knowing the answer to the questions being posed, I’m impressed by the suspects Stern lines up, the clues he leaves and the way it really does feel like it could be any number of folks. This also helps weave Hobgoblin into the tapestry of not just Spidey’s world, but Peter Parker’s, with the sense that a close colleague, old foe or even trusted friend could be the one unwittingly—or wittingly?—responsible for his woes. The paranoia is palpable and makes for a stronger story.

Kudos as well to John Romita Jr. as well as his dad on Hobby’s design. I always thought the color scheme of a pale face with orange and grey tunic both set the character apart and trumped the green and purple look favored by Norman Osborn and many other practitioners of evil. The first time I saw Hobgoblin was on the 90’s Spider-Man animated series—fantastically voiced by the great Mark Hamill—and I thought he made Venom look tame in terms of creep factor.

Recently Dan Slott seemingly brought the career of original Hobgoblin Roderick Kingsley to a bloody close—“seemingly” because it’s comics, not because I know something you don’t, because I don’t—having former heroic Green Goblin Phil Urich slice his noggin off and swipe his gear. It’s a nice full circle routine since Kingsley stole his shtick from another Goblin too, but more than that it’s been neat to see Phil step up and fill those Hobby boots as the wild card of the Spider-Man world, even maintaining that air of mystery since while we know who he is, nobody around him does.

So-called “knockoff” villains indeed don’t always have the highest success rate, but I’d say the current Hobgoblin stands a more solid chance than most not only because I personally enjoy him, but because he’s walking down a path whose trailblazer created by bucking the idea bad guys can’t borrow a costume or name and not also be their own baddie.

Five Comics Worth Reading - November 2011

ANGEL & FAITH
There’s a longer post to be written about this, I’m sure, but while I recognize that pound-for-pound Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a stronger TV series than Angel was, I always had a soft spot for the latter, often over the former, probably in large part because I watched both when I was in college, so supernatural aspects aside the “brooding young man with an old soul striking out in the world” motif resonated more with me at the time than “young girl and her friends finding themselves post-high school” for whatever reason (don’t get me wrong, I loved both). Now, once again, while I dig the Buffy Season Nine comic, I think I’m enjoying Angel & Faith that much more, not just because one has a prominent male protagonist though, it’s just well-done and exploring fresh ground. Aside from his Angelus periods, Angel has always been the stoic mentor, from his earliest appearance on Buffy guiding her into the world she’s embracing to leading his team on his own show, only really losing that control when he goes full evil. Conversely, Faith has always been the protégé in need of redemption, whether from Buffy, Giles or Angel himself. Here, Christos Gage is establishing a new dynamic where a reluctantly responsible Faith must look out not only for a band of neophyte slayers, but a penitent Angel, who is not just heaping his usual self guilt on for recent actions, but getting reckless without turning bad in his desperation to make things right. The plot is tight, but it’s getting to see both leads so out of their comfort zones and the characterization gold Gage is skillfully mining that makes this book tick. Rebekah Isaacs is also doing a slick job on art, walking that line between depicting characters with real life counterparts and finding ways to still own them yourselves.

BATMAN
This is probably the most dense comic I pick up, and I mean that as a total compliment. Some books I breeze through, but not Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman, which I need to really pore over to appreciate every detail and development. The fact is, Batman has been around going on seven or eight decades now, and I don’t have much interest in most stories directly tackling his mindset or stuff of that nature because they’ve all been done to some extent. What does get me going is what Snyder is doing, and that’s focusing on the mythology of Gotham City or the Wayne legacy, making Batman the explorer rather than the discovery and in the process adding layers to the character as he builds the world around him. Snyder’s enthusiasm for the minutiae of detective work, forensics, or even architecture make the stories pop as it really is an almost interactive adventure you can follow rather than just having to be a passive observer of guys in spandex kicking and punching (though there is that too). He’s doing a nice job integrating the various generations of supporting cast as well as adding his own creations, again making Gotham feel like a living and evolving organism. I was a big mark for Capullo’s X-Force as a kid, so it’s cool to see him back with quite a few years experience and refinement under his belt knocking out dark, beautiful work that also has some nice bounce to it.

THE FLASH
I may have to rethink my top five Flash artists, because honestly, few people have ever captured the pure energy of the concept in my mind like Francis Manapul has. Other guys may have conveyed speed better or drawn better figures and fight scenes, but I can’t think of anybody whose work at its essence feels like it is the burst of light, movement and pure joy I think of better than Manapul and Steve Buccalleto’s. The innovation and verve they bring to the visual aspect of The Flash undeniable, but as anybody who has read this blog for a little while knows, the real challenge is getting me to even tolerate Barry Allen; well, I’m still not the guy’s biggest supporter and can argue why he shouldn’t be wearing the red and yellow with the best of them, but I’m slowly coming around to some degree. I believe few characters have benefitted from the DC re-launch quite like Barry, as the removal of his Crisis sacrifice status as well as the Silver Age albatross of moral boredom goes a ways toward giving him a shot at being a likable protagonist. Right now, Manapul and Buccaletto’s art is so strong and their story hooks have enough pop that I’m going to try to like Barry Allen—I can give few higher compliments.

MAGNETO: NOT A HERO
There are few characters in comics more interesting and complex than Magneto. His actions make him an ostensible villain, but it’s hard to argue with his justification. At his best, he invokes conflict in readers where you’re torn between rooting against his evil plots but for his gaining vengeance for past atrocities. At his best he is also more charismatic than brutal as far as “bad guys” go; you perhaps want him to reform—and are disappointed when he ultimately can’t—but there’s also that part of you that enjoys his wicked streak. Skottie Young—best known for his exquisite art but rocking his writing muscles here—captures all of this, every last bit, in this series. He gives you Magneto the philosopher, arguing his case for why any means really are necessary, but also throws enough cold inhumanity behind those words that you question your support almost immediately. He plays with the idea of the character’s reformation, both how possible it is and even if it’s necessarily right or needed. He explores all sides of Magneto, from the ruthless and violent crusader who tears through human lives to the eyebrow-raising rogue who mocks Iron Man’s rubber suit of armor. It’s a fascinating character study from start to finish just in issue one, but there’s also great action, an intriguing mystery and skillful use of continuity and the concept of the shared universe; again, for a guy who has made most of his name drawing beautiful pictures, Skottie Young has incredible skill and finesse as a writer. He also doesn’t need to fret over the visuals for this book, as Clay Mann turns in his finest work to date; as my friend and co-worker Ryan noted, the level of detail he puts just into one of Magneto’s boots blows you away to the point where when you get the full figure it’s just something else.

SIX GUNS
Whereas once upon a time young Ben Morse could not stand for any other genres to get mixed in with his super hero comics the same way he freaked out if a mushroom found its way into his soup, I’ve matured and reversed my position on both, allowing me to enjoy my wife’s delicious fried mushrooms as well as a great books like Six Guns. This series isn’t just a Western done in modern times or within a world with guys who can fly, it’s a mash-up of a noir story, a crime procedural, a mystery and straight action with the sensibilities of cowboy lore driving it. It reminds me a little bit of 100 Bullets in some regards—high praise—but with its own distinctive flavor to be sure. Andy Diggle is a master of taking tropes like sci fi or Western and knowing not only where to take a sharp turn in a new direction but also where to not fix what ain’t broke; Six Guns delivers fun stuff you’d expect from a story about cowboys, bikers and other thugs trying to out-tough one another, but it’s also smart in where it diverges. There are only the most tangential ties to the Marvel Universe in the form of the female Tarantula being a player and somebody who would seem to be a modern Two-Gun Kid showing up at the end of issue #2, but it’s enough to give a cool edge for a fan. Davide Gianfelice is in the zone on art and this certainly seems like the stuff he was born to draw. He’s seamless when it comes to bad looking dudes, hot ladies, nice bikes and dirty action—everything a book like this needs.

Happy Thanksgiving from the CKT!

I'm currently up in Massachusetts stocking up for Turkey Day and who knows what those other scamps have planned, but from all of us here to all of our American readers, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. And for all our British readers, remember that we won. The rest of you, just have a nice day.

Art Attack: February 2012's Coolest Covers

-Jonah Hex should fight giant bats and whatnot 24/7. Anybody remember when he was in that post-apocalyptic future? Me neither, but they should try it again.

-For my money, that's Adam Hughes' most inventive and inspired cover of his Batgirl run thus far. The snow filter adds a lot and seems like it motivates him to raise his game overall.

-I love when Georges Jeanty goes high concept on Buffy. I also love that logo.

-Captain America and Carnage U.S.A. are a pair of covers that stand out for being disturbing for completely different reasons. With Cap, Alan Davis takes a familiar, reassuring icon and subverts him, taking away the physical prowess we count on Captain America to display, though he's still clearly got his strength of will displayed in a more subtle way. Clayton Crain, on the other hand, just knows how to make Carnage straight up creepy with muted colors and horrifically twisted features.

-Fear Itself: The Fearless #7 is the current wallpaper background on my work computer.

-I'm only one issue in as far as reading the new Flash series, but the writing aside (and it's pretty solid), Francis Manapul conveys the ideal of what I imagine the character to be through his visual images better than anybody in recent memory. And when I say "the character," I'm not talking about Barry Allen or Wally West or any other single person, I mean the concept of The Flash, the kinetic energy of which he seems to have distilled down perfectly.

-What the heck is going on in Nathan Fox's Haunt cover? I dig it.

-I keep saying how the design for the new Venom seems to bring out the best in every artist who draws him, and it holds true even for a legend like Art Adams working on Secret Avengers. Can't wait to see that cover in full cover.

-You don't see sound effects on covers enough--well-played, Kaare Andrews! And that's a strikingly pretty Ultimate Scarlet Witch as well.

-Venom, Red Hulk, X-23 and the new Ghost Rider are a pretty quirky group, but Stefano Caselli makes them look like they belong together.

-Lee Bermejo all day long, man. He draws the hell out of just about anything, but dang, that's one bad ass Winter Soldier. Hot Black Widow too. And hey, Gabrielle Dell'Otto draws a nice Winter Soldier too. Kudos to Steve Epting on a great design.

-Lot of guys doing great work this month, from Adams to Andrews to Simon Bisley, but Bermejo gets the slight nod as my artist of the month.

ALL-STAR WESTERN #6 by Ladronn

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #679 by Mike Del Mundo

BATGIRL #6 by Adam Hughes

BATMAN AND ROBIN #6 by Patrick Gleason

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON NINE #6 by Georges Jeanty

CAPTAIN AMERICA #8 by Alan Davis

CARNAGE U.S.A. #3 by Clayton Crain

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #1 by Becky Cloonan

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #6 by Ryan Sook

DEATHSTROKE #6 by Simon Bisley

FEAR ITSELF: THE FEARLESS #7 by Art Adams

THE FLASH #6 by Francis Manapul

GLORY #23 by Ross Campbell

THE GOON #38 by Eric Powell

HAUNT #23 by Nathan Fox

HELLBLAZER #288 by Simon Bisley

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #6 by Mikel Janin

NEW MUTANTS #37 by Kris Anka

PENGUIN: PAIN AND PREJUDICE #5 by Szymon Kudranski

SECRET AVENGERS #23 by Art Adams

THE SHADE #5 by Tony Harris

SIX GUNS #5 by Butch Guice

SPACEMAN #4 by Dave Johnson

SUPERNATURAL #5 by Dustin Nguyen

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #7 by Kaare Andrews

ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #7 by Kaare Andrews

VENOM #13 by Stefano Caselli

WINTER SOLDIER #1 by Lee Bermejo

WINTER SOLDIERS #1 variant by Gabrielle Dell'Otto

WINTER SOLDIER #2 by Lee Bermejo

Rasslin' Ramblings: Favorite Survivor Series Teams

The first wrestling pay-per-view I ever watched was Survivor Series 1990. It was Thanksgiving night and my dad, who alternately supported my love of wrestling having been a fan himself (he still tells me about seeing Pepper Gomez at the Boston Garden) and thought I watched it too much (or maybe my mom thought that, can’t remember) got it as a special treat. He, my sister and I brought some leftovers out to our den and settled in to enjoy three hours of WWF action including the one and only Ultimate Match of Survival where Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior overcame the odds to end the night on an up note.

In the 25 years since Survivor Series got its start, I’ve seen just about every one either live or via the magic of VHS or WWE Classics (I’ve still never seen 1988 and missed 2004 and 2005). I remember watching the Gravest Challenge at 1991 with my elementary school chums, seeing Bret Hart get screwed in 1997 with buddies from the wrestling team, booing Chyna beating Chris Jericho in 1999 with my high school pals, and catching 2006 and onwards on a couple months delay apiece from the privacy of my New Jersey apartment.

While Survivor Series has undergone many a format change since 1987 and the team elimination matches have become a special attraction as opposed to the norm, they’re still the first thing I think of when it comes to the event, so to commemorate tonight’s edition, here are my favorite squads from through the years.

1987: Team Macho Man (Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Jake Roberts, Jim Duggan & Brutus Beefcake)
This is the kind of upper mid card dream team I don’t think you could even assemble today. Every guy on this team was a future World champion at best and a guy who could have been a solid Intercontinental champ at worst. It was a round robin of hot tags between five guys the fans legitimately loved each of whom had a distinct and memorable character. They had pretty crappy opposition in the form of Honky Tonk Man and the likes of Danny Davis and Ron Bass, but they were fun to watch.

1989: The Rude Brood (Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect & The Fabulous Rougeaus)
First of all, you’re not going to find a better string of entrance themes than Rougeaus-Perfect-Rude—just melody to my 80’s music-loving ears. Second, it’s a great collection of skilled technical wrestlers who also happen to mesh well as a group of egomaniacs who run the table as far as variations on narcissism. Third, they had the perfect opponents in the unruly Roddy’s Rowdies (Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka & The Bushwhackers), and since I love rooting for jerks, I had it made.

1990: The Warriors (The Ultimate Warrior, The Texas Tornado & The Legion of Doom)
Going by pure childhood nostalgia, my favorite Survivor Series team ever, I do believe. As mentioned, this was the first PPV I ever watched, and these were the guys I wanted to see. Kerry Von Erich was my favorite wrestler when I was a kid. The Legion of Doom were the crazy WWF newcomers who I was quite intrigued by. I wasn’t the biggest Ultimate Warriors booster, but he was the WWF champion, and that earned a certain cred in my book. I was cheering my little head off as these guys steamrolled Mr. Perfect and Demolition, though I was bummed the Tornado was the first dude knocked out.

1997: Team Shamrock (Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson & The Legion of Doom)
Taking a look at this crew, I had trouble imagining anybody had the stuff to take them down. Shamrock was just hitting his stride as a bad ass, LOD was back as close to top form as they could get and Ahmed, while on the last legs of his brief run in the big time, still came off as a powerhouse who could take anybody’s head off. Not a lot of finesse, but with those grimaces, did they need it?

2003: Team Stone Cold (Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Rob Van Dam & The Dudley Boyz)
This is kind of an all-time greatest hits Survivor Series team, almost. You’ve got Shawn Michaels, my favorite wrestler ever and one of the WWF’s greatest performers. Booker T was the standard bearer of WCW in their final years. Rob Van Dam was the embodiment of ECW and arguably the biggest star they ever produced. The Dudleys also had the ECW legacy, but more than that, you’re not going to name a more decorated tag team. To top it off, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the biggest star of the 90’s, was in their corner. Can you believe they lost to Eric Bischoff’s team? So much for playing the odds…

2006: Team DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, C.M. Punk & The Hardy Boyz)
The finest Survivor Series team of recent vintage and likely one of the coolest of all-time when it comes to popularity. With DX leading the charge they were guaranteed major fan support already, but adding the recently reunited Hardys was gasoline on an already raging fire. However, most will agree the coolest aspect of this grouping was hearing newcomer Punk get the loudest reaction and seeing him get at least a momentary rub from his veteran partners. They dismantled the competition—a pretty game squad themselves with Edge, Randy Orton, the future John Morrison, the underrated Gregory Helms and, well, Mike Knox—handily, had a good time doing it with a wealth of fun spots and earned a standing ovation from the crowd after surviving all intact.