0 of 5
- Cruiserweight champion Enzo Amore vs. Kalisto
- Intercontinental champion The Miz vs. United States champion Baron Corbin (Non-Title)
- Raw tag team champions Sheamus and Cesaro vs. SmackDown tag team champions The Usos (Non-Title)
- Raw women's champion Alexa Bliss vs. SmackDown women's champion Natalya (Non-Title)
- Team Raw (Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Asuka, Sasha Banks and TBD) vs. Team SmackDown (Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Carmella, Naomi and Tamina) (Traditional Survivor Series Elimination)
- Team Raw (Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor and Jason Jordan) vs. Team SmackDown (Shane McMahon, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode and John Cena) (Traditional Survivor Series Elimination)
- WWE universal champion Brock Lesnar vs. WWE champion AJ Styles
Sunday night in Houston will have a big fight feel as Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live go head-to-head in a battle for supremacy at WWE Survivor Series. The champions of each brand will face off as well as each brand putting their best forward in two team vs. team battles that could change the futures of everyone involved.
This is the Survivor Series 2017 card as of Monday morning:
This card though has a chance to change significantly in the next few days. Bayley, Mickie James and Dana Brooke will face off in a triple threat on Raw to determine the final member of Team Raw. Meanwhile, on SmackDown, Baron Corbin will defend his US Championship against Sin Cara while Natalya defends her title against Charlotte Flair.
In just a couple of days, this card could look much different, but it is even more likely that WWE as a whole will look different by the end of Survivor Series on Sunday. It is a night that could be massively important to WWE with major potential results.
This means that Survivor Series is rife with prospective moments which sets up for many predictions that are both likely and unlikely but would certainly make a statement. These are five bold predictions for the card that are absolutely possible and would change the course of WWE going forward.
1 of 5
Rumors have been swirling for a while that Hideo Itami could soon be hitting the main roster as a member of the cruiserweight division. It is also possible he is on his way out of WWE with his contract soon to expire. These next few months could be crucial to deciding Itami's future, and it is time for WWE to take a chance with him.
With the division still a bit short-staffed especially at the top with Neville's situation, Itami would instantly add a credible presence to the division. A debut at Survivor Series would help reinforce his position in the division as a major threat whether he was debuting as a heel or face.
Given Itami has found his footing more as a heel in NXT though, the best bet would be for him to debut in the same role. Enzo Amore is most likely to defeat Kalisto here, more or less ending their rivalry, which sets up for Itami to step up and attack Kalisto.
This makes sense for the whole division, creating a big secondary cruiserweight feud that can keep 205 Live relevant each week while Enzo likely faces a new challenge with Mustafa Ali finally getting his shot at the champion.
2 of 5
The Miz has been a heel for most of his career. While he has charisma rivaling many of the top stars in the business, he's rarely been able to channel it into a face role. He is so easy to hate, one of those guys born to play the heel. However, recent stories with Miz point to a potential change in status.
As he has approached his match with Baron Corbin at Survivor Series, Miz has entirely played the face when addressing the United States champion. In their match, he will certainly be the babyface in peril next to the imposing strength and power of Corbin. This does not mean he would stay in the face role going forward.
Unless that is exactly where WWE is planning to go with the champion. In the last few months, Miz has increasingly shown signs of being an honest performer just looking for respect. Despite clearly not seeing The Miztourage as true help, he has shown signs that he cares about them and wants to help them. He's also got a baby on the way who he'll want to look up to him.
With the potential change in Kurt Angle's role after this event with Stephanie McMahon taking power back, Miz would need to be the face to continue to stay in conflict with the lead authority figure. Fans should quickly take to Miz as they still take to his catchphrases even as they boo him.
Miz was not successful in his first run as a face, but he will get a real chance to succeed on Raw if he turns now. He is good enough to make it work, and WWE could use the new face especially with another heel potentially about to emerge.
3 of 5
No WWE wrestler has felt more miscast since Jason Jordan was revealed as Kurt Angle's son four months ago. The former member of American Alpha was thrust into a spotlight he was hardly ready for and quickly turned on by fans. No matter how talented he is as a performer, fans will always turn on someone who they see as overpushed.
Some rise to the challenge and change perceptions. Others need to be given a different direction to capitalize on their talent. Jordan will not survive as Angle's quick-to-anger son who throws vegetables at heels and gets any opportunity he asks for. He could much easier find his way as a heel especially if he turns on such an important night for his father.
Jordan was named the fifth member of Team Raw despite some impressive names that could have taken his place, making him the wildcard on Raw's all-star team. Fans will struggle to buy him matching up to SmackDown's best, which includes Randy Orton and John Cena. Instead, it would make much more sense for him to be the one that costs his father the match.
The Olympic Gold Medalist's job is on the line in this match and throughout the night. A win is crucial. If Jordan walks out on his father (like his father walked out on him years ago), it would be the perfect catalyst for a big heel run fans will easily accept. This would be especially bad if Angle's night was already at an all-time low.
4 of 5
Stephanie McMahon demanded that Raw prove its worth at Survivor Series. It would certainly be a major statement if the brand was completely dominated by SmackDown. Shane McMahon has sold this as the brand's chance to prove officially it is not the B-show, and that will take more than just a victory after the brand was nearly swept last year by Raw.
SmackDown needs a firm statement, dominating Raw in every match right up until the end of the show the same way they were dominated last year. This would mean a win by Corbin, The Usos, Natalya (or Charlotte) and both Team SmackDowns, no matter how close the fights are right to the end.
While brand warfare generally leads to fairly even results with one final winner at the end, a near sweep by SmackDown would be worth bragging about for months to come. It could have ramifications reaching all the way to next year's Survivor Series. This would certainly lead to Stephanie firing Angle and bringing in a new general manager.
Why would WWE put all their chips in with SmackDown? For one, it is led by Shane McMahon, who is a major star for WWE yet has been losing quite a bit, needing a major victory. Also, it would further solidify that WWE wants both brands to succeed rather than having a hierarchy. This does leave one match in which Raw needs to win based on plans for the top champion.
5 of 5
When AJ Styles won the WWE Championship on SmackDown Live this week, it threw everything into chaos. Most notably, it left Jinder Mahal without a spot on this card. This is despite him being the one to call out Brock Lesnar in the first place. If he is not facing The Beast Incarnate, what was the point of the story to get to this point?
While fans would likely be most excited to see Styles go one-on-one with Lesnar, Mahal being added would certainly make sense and would help keep the Modern Day Maharaja in the focus. That said, this match coming up is all about one man: Paul Heyman's client Lesnar.
The Beast has dominated everyone in his path. He also has done so quickly. Mahal in the match should help extend the main event, but ultimately The Beast will conquer all. If he can take out both of SmackDown's best, it only further solidifies his dominance.
Lesnar is on a collision course with Roman Reigns, and a win will crucially add to the mystique of Lesnar. He would not just defeat SmackDown's top champion but also the top contender and former champion. No one would question that Lesnar is the most dominant champion in the game today.
Posting Komentar