WWE Survivor Series 2016: 10 Reasons To Be Concerned

3. Manufactured Emotion

The Shield Cody Rhodes
WWE.com

WWE often raises its game on Sundays.

Battleground, for example, was better than it had any right to be. The build was underwhelming. Though Roman Reigns' Wellness Policy suspension certainly didn't help, that WWE still contrived to lower expectations for the Shield Triple Threat Match still boggles the mind. The event itself, however, smashed expectations, enhanced largely by an undercard that transcended the apathy with which it was promoted.

It's difficult to predict match and overall event quality, but one thing is certain: the commentary on Sunday is going to be unbearable. The history between Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns will be referenced ad nauseam. Michael Cole will scream histrionically when Ambrose and Reigns get tagged in - even though they wrestled one another in July of this year.

WWE will also conveniently forget that the brand split only occurred a few months back. The men's singles traditional elimination match will build towards a Kevin Owens/AJ Styles stare down. It will be treated, with forced reverence, as though such a meeting is somehow "historic" - even though they were on opposite ends of a RAW ring throughout March and April.

Survivor Series has arrived much too soon for this inter-brand rivalry to resonate.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!