8 Booking Steps For The Perfect WWE Survivor Series 2017 Card
If only we could consign Jinder vs. Brock to the scrapheap...
With TLC 2017 finally in the rear-view mirror, it's time to look forward to WWE's next big PPV: Survivor Series.
Taking place in Houston, Texas on 19 November, Survivor Series is the year's final 'big four' event, and the last time the Raw and SmackDown rosters will officially come together prior to the 2018 Royal Rumble. We already know a huge portion the card, too, with WWE booking four big champion vs. champion matches earlier in the week, headlined by Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal.
We're also getting at least two traditional 5-on-5 elimination bouts, with men's and women's incarnations already announced. This means the card currently sits at six matches. That sounds like a lot, but WWE love stretching big pay-per-views out to four hours and beyond these days, so there are still plenty of gaps to fill.
Survivor Series is still a big deal. It's vital that WWE stack the show with as many great moments as possible, and fortunately, the bookers have all the tools for such a task - it's just a case of using them the right way.
Let's take a look at how the company can maximise 2017's last major PPV.
8. A Cruiserweight 5-On-5 Elimination Match
There's a clear divide emerging on 205 Live.
On one side, there are guys like Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari, and Tony Nese: grumpy, methodical wrestlers who defy what the cruiserweight division is supposed to be, and exist primarily to spoil everyone else's fun. They're led, of course, by the clown prince himself, Enzo Amore, who successfully regained the Cruiserweight Championship at TLC.
Across from them are the likes of Kalisto, Cedric Alexander, and Rich Swann, who've had their wings clipped by WWE's in-ring restrictions, but could've been major standouts in a previous era. They, like the brand's heels, have been forced into a loose alliance in the wake of Amore's emergence on the scene, and it makes sense that they'd stay together ahead of WWE's only faction-focused pay-per-view.
A traditional 5-on-5 elimination match between these two factions seems inevitable, particularly after this week's Raw, but WWE can raise the stakes. The Cruiserweight Title should be on the line to anyone who's able to pin Enzo. It'd rule the heels out of contention, but would give the match some extra zest, raising the stakes in what could otherwise be a meaningless spotfest.