Survival Sport

There is one WWE event that I get excited about more than all others. It’s the event where The Undertaker made his debut. It’s the event where The Rock made his first big splash as a blue-chip rookie. It’s the event where Bret Hart, Owen Hart and the rest of the Hart family stood together, triumphant after winning a four-on-four tag-team match against Shawn Michaels and his cohorts. It’s the event where Lex Luger and his All-Americans beat Yokozuna and his Foreign Fanatics. It’s the event where Shawn Michaels regained the World Heavyweight Championship, after years of absence due to back surgery, in the first ever Elimination Chamber match. This event is Survivor Series.

Survivor Series is the WWE pay-per-view to watch because of its trademark four-on-four, elimination tag-team match that has seen the most colorful and exciting teams go against each other. Apart from the previously mentioned All-Americans (Luger, Undertaker, Steiner Brothers) against Foreign Fanatics (Yokozuna, Ludwig Borga, The Mounties), Survivor Series has featured great rivalries such as Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior & Tito Santana against “The Model” Rick Martel, Power & Glory, Hercules, The Warlord & “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and the more recent Team RAW (Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Kane, Carlito & Chris Masters) versus Team Smackdown (Randy Orton, JBL, Batista, Rey Mysterio & Bobby Lashley). These traditional Survivor Series matches are always instant classics.

This year’s Survivor Series promises to live up to its storied tradition of memorable matches. Survivor Series 2008 is when John Cena makes his triumphant return to the ring after injuring his neck as he challenges World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho in the night’s main event. Also on the card is the world’s largest athlete, the Big Show, going against The Undertaker in the always-entertaining Casket Match. The WWE title is also on the line as Triple H defends his title against undefeated Russian Vladimir Kozlov and possibly the enigma Jeff Hardy. The traditional Survivor Series matches for this year are Team Orton (Randy Orton, Mark Henry, William Regal, Shelton Benjamin and Cody Rhodes) versus Team Batista (Batista, Matt Hardy, CM Punk, Kogi Kingston and R-Truth) and Team HBK (Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali and Cryme Tyme) against Team JBL (John Bradshaw Layfield, The Miz, John Morrison, MVP and Kane).

I got to talk to WWE Diva Eve, winner of the 2007 WWE Diva Search, over the phone as she prepares for Survivor Series. Here are some of things Eve shared:

PHILIPPINE STAR: What has changed in your life since you became a WWE Diva?

DIVA EVE: Being a WWE Diva is a fulltime job. I’m traveling five days a week. And when I’m not traveling, I have to do appearances. It’s a tough job, for sure.

How does it feel to be famous now?

You know, every job has its privileges and its downsides but I think (being a WWE Diva) has no downsides right now… It’s really fun… I’m lucky to be a part of it.

Did you watch wrestling while you were growing up?

I didn’t really watch TV while I was growing up. I was a gymnast for nine years — pretty much all my life. I’ve always been a fan of any kind of sports-entertainment, including wrestling and different martial arts.

Were you/are you a fan of any WWE Superstar or Diva?

I was completely blown away by the entertainment value of The Rock and how he was able to captivate the audience as a wrestler and an entertainer. I think, obviously, by looking at how successful he is now, that he’s an amazing entertainer.

Did you at any point during your childhood think you’d be doing what you’re doing now?

You know, if you would have told me two years ago that I would be doing what I’m doing now, I wouldn’t have believed you. Even when I was in the Diva Search, I wasn’t really sure if I was going to make it. You never know what’s going to come your way… I’m very happy to be a WWE Diva.

* * *

For questions, comments or corrections, please e-mail me at carlfrancisramirez@gmail.com .