7 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Survivor Series 2017

Ups...

7. Marginalising Kevin & Sami

Sami Zayn Kevin Owens
WWE.com

WWE fans were quick to bemoan the decision to book Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on last night's Survivor Series Kickoff Show, but the move made sense.

The main card was already stuffed to the gills with seven big-time matches. Their clash with Breezango wasn't inter-brand, and would've been lost in the sea of Raw vs. SmackDown clashes, and the quality wasn't there either. The bout was fine, but nowhere close to PPV calibre, and therefore had no place on Survivor Series proper.

Aside from this, stuffing the duo on the pre-show also works from a storyline standpoint. Zayn and Owens despise Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan. In booking them this early on the card, the powers that be are exasperating that tension, furthering the gloriously obnoxious 'them and us' narrative the duo have been pushing since Sami's turn at Hell In A Cell. Honestly, what more could you want?

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Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.