10 Big Mistakes WWE Can't Afford To Make With Survivor Series 2016
5. Burying The 10-on-10 Match
The men’s and women’s elimination matches may do more to capture the imagination, but the tag team showdown is just as important. Both brands are well-represented, and while the blue side is lacking in star power, Survivor Series presents a great opportunity to elevate some of these lagging teams.
Raw’s group look stronger on-paper, but they’re still bringing The Shining Stars to the fight, and Gallows and Anderson are still struggling for credibility. They can’t afford to be buried for the upteenth time, and while the Puerto Ricans will likely be eliminated early, a strong showing here would be a decent step in The Club’s redemption. Give the match time to shine, and let Gallows and Anderson be the alpha dogs, even if they don’t win.
On the other side, American Alpha haven’t been pushed consistently since being called-up from NXT. They’re losing steam and popularity, but they absolutely thrive in these big multi-team matches. They must be given their fair share of big moments, as should The Usos, who’ve cooled off after making a hot start to life as heels.
WWE shouldn’t treat this match as a throwaway. Their poor history with booking tag wrestling suggests that this is exactly what they’ll do, but there’s too much to benefit here. Neither Raw nor SmackDown’s tag scene has taken-off in the New Era, and if they bury the 10-on-10, WWE will be missing a golden opportunity to let both divisions shine. They’ll never have such a great opportunity to kickstart two groups of wrestlers at the same time.