WWE Survivor Series 2017: Early Predictions For Team Owens Vs. Team Shane Participants
Vipers, surprises, and sole survivors...
While Raw has been pitting megastars John Cena and Roman Reigns against each other, and giving us Braun Strowman and a reunited Shield every week, SmackDown Live has had the air sucked out of it by a lack of interesting storylines at the top of the card.
One saving grace could be the developing rivalry between Team Blue commissioner Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens. It has not reached noteworthy levels as of yet, but the stage has been set and WWE reportedly has big plans for this feud going forward.
According to Inquisitr, WWE intends to keep KO and Shane O’ squabbling until Survivor Series and have them captain opposing sides in a traditional 10-man elimination match.
The report adds that Team Owens vs. Team Shane could be the only five-on-five encounter at this year’s edition in Houston, Texas. There were three such matches in 2016, with a Raw vs. SmackDown theme in which Owens and Shane were in opposing corners again.
It may only be SmackDown superstars in elimination action this year, so who else on the roster will Shane and Owens call upon to finally settle their differences at the Toyota Centre?
7. Team Shane - Randy Orton
Unless there is brand warfare à la Survivor Series 2001, 2005 or 2016, the general rule is that one team will be full of faces and the other team will be made up of heels.
Randy Orton is the biggest face who does not appear to have a singles feud lined up for the last of 2017’s big four pay-per-views. After losing his number one contender’s match to Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown, the 'Viper' will be out of the WWE Championship picture at this point. Nakamura is likely to be Jinder Mahal’s opponent for the gold, whether he is challenging or defending. AJ Styles and new call up Bobby Roode may be busy with Baron Corbin and Dolph Zigger respectively. Orton would be a big coup for Team Shane.
Shane and Orton have a dark past dating back to 2009, when ‘The Viper’ callously punted his way through the McMahon family. But WWE have no problem glossing over such history.
Of the two team captains, it is Owens who is known for his cerebral thinking. Recruiting the 13-time world champion would show Shane to have a tactical mind also, as Orton is the best performer in the five-on-five format, having been a survivor on four separate occasions.