10 Absolute Best Matches WWE Could Present In 2017
3. Team RAW Vs. Team SmackDown II
Last year's inter-brand traditional Survivor Series elimination match was initially dismissed as filler, inconsequential sub-Bragging Rights fare - but it turned out to be a fantastic and epic match as rich in continuity as it was in content, suspense, and world building.
WWE would be wise to repeat the formula in 2017.
In this scenario, the SmackDown side would consist of John Cena, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn, creating scope for a WWE Heavyweight Title match between Randy Orton and Baron Corbin promoted away from the risky, harsh glare of the B-level pay-per-view headline slot. The career-long tension between Owens and Zayn would be naturally played upon, and a combination of two of their three teammates seem destined for the New Orleans main event. Scope for foreshadowing is endless.
The RAW team, meanwhile, would see Finn Bálor and Braun Strowman side with the former Shield triumvirate of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose. In an ideal world, the latter would finally turn heel on his former running buddies and costing RAW the win. Even if the full storyline potential isn't explored, the match would still be a chaotic and unpredictable blinder.
Survivor Series is an ageing beast curiously low on tradition and nostalgia. The stakes-free multi-man tags of old put paid to that - but renewing the focus and creating a new/old tradition would do far more for the show's prestige than adding a superfluous hour to the running time.