Survivor Series 2008: Cena Returns, Edge Steals the Title, and a Big Four Event Misfires

The opener captures the traditional Survivor Series format reasonably well, though the early eliminations arrive too quickly to give every pairing much meaning. Michaels and Mysterio provide the crowd energy, while Morrison and Miz handle most of the cleaner heel control. MVP finally gets a needed elimination before being removed almost immediately, and Kane disappears early enough that the match never fully uses its biggest power matchup. The closing stretch improves once JBL, Morrison, Michaels, and Mysterio become the focus. JBL is protected through a count-out, then Morrison tries to imitate Sweet Chin Music and gets caught by the real version. Michaels, Mysterio, and Khali survive. It is entertaining enough and well organized, but the match never reaches the intensity expected from the night's opening traditional elimination showcase.

The women's elimination match tries to fit ten wrestlers and nine eliminations into fewer than ten minutes, so almost every development feels rushed. Several women disappear after only a brief exchange, and the match never establishes a sustained team strategy or meaningful momentum shift. Maryse receives the best individual run by eliminating multiple opponents and reaching the final two, while Beth Phoenix is protected as the eventual sole survivor. Those decisions at least create a coherent finish. Phoenix catches Maryse and wins with the Glam Slam, reinforcing her position as Women's Champion. The problem is everything required to get there. With eliminations arriving in rapid succession, the audience has little time to react before the next one begins. It functions as roster showcase material rather than a serious Survivor Series match.

Undertaker and Big Show continue a feud that has already used knockout and Last Man Standing finishes, so the casket stipulation gives the rivalry another recognizable Undertaker setting without adding much freshness. The match is deliberately heavy, with Show using size, strikes, and a chokeslam while Undertaker tries to create openings through movement and familiar signature offense. Their fight onto the entrance area gives the middle section more scale, and the table leg drop provides the largest visual spot. The finish is simple: Undertaker forces Show backward into a casket positioned on the stage and closes the lid. It is a clear revenge result, but the match never develops enough urgency to justify another pay-per-view chapter. The stipulation carries more interest than the wrestling itself.

The second men's elimination match is the best use of the Survivor Series format on the card because its eliminations feed directly into existing character directions. Punk removes Regal almost immediately, Benjamin gets a needed pin on R-Truth, and Orton begins quietly controlling the pace as the field narrows. Cody Rhodes eliminating Punk gives him an important moment, while Batista's late run through Henry and Benjamin makes the expected heroic comeback feel possible. The finish then smartly undercuts that assumption. Orton blind-tags himself in, waits for Batista to hit Rhodes with the Batista Bomb, and immediately lands the RKO to eliminate him. Orton and Rhodes survive together, strengthening their emerging alliance. The match is not spectacular, but the structure and outcome give it more lasting value than anything earlier on the card.

The WWE Championship match is remembered almost entirely for what happens after the audience has already rejected it. Triple H and Kozlov begin alone because Jeff Hardy has been removed from the advertised match through the hotel storyline, and their slow power-based exchanges immediately lose the crowd. Boredom chants become the dominant soundtrack while Kozlov works basic holds and Triple H struggles to create momentum. Vickie Guerrero finally announces a third participant, and Edge's surprise return instantly transforms the atmosphere. Hardy then runs in, swings a chair, accidentally hits Triple H, and gets Speared. Edge covers Triple H to win the title. The ending is memorable, but it cannot rescue the match preceding it. As wrestling, it is the show's clear low point; as an angle, it is merely effective.

Cena's return gives the main event an emotional advantage before the bell, especially in Boston, but the match itself is more solid than special. Jericho correctly targets the recently repaired neck and uses the Walls and Liontamer to make Cena's comeback feel physically difficult. Cena looks slightly cautious after months away, yet the crowd stays engaged because the title change feels plausible from the opening moments. The best stretch comes late, when Cena survives the Codebreaker, Jericho escapes an Attitude Adjustment, and both men trade increasingly urgent counters. Cena finally turns a small-package attempt into another Attitude Adjustment and wins the World Heavyweight Championship cleanly. The result is predictable but appropriate. It is a competent return match with strong atmosphere, not the kind of classic expected from a Big Four main event.