Here are the early predictions for every confirmed match on the WWE Survivor Series 2017 match card.
WWE Survivor Series 2017 is right around the corner. Both Raw and SmackDown Live have been doing everything in their power to ensure the final victory is theirs. Additionally, creative team on both brands have been making last-minute adjustments to the matches to make sure everything transitions well on to the ring. This week saw two title changes that has altered the complexion of the PPV.
The first shocker came when The Bar defeated Rollins and Ambrose to win the Raw tag team titles. This came as a result of the New Day showing up among the crowd uninvited. But that’s a whole different story. The title change has now resulted in The Bar taking on The Usos in what will be an excellent tag match.
The second title change of the week however, made the entire PPV better. Instead of the proposed Jinder Mahal Vs Brock Lesnar match, we will now be treated to a Styles-Lesnar clash at the PPV. Whoever came up with that decision at the last moment deserves a gold medal. Because this match is pure gold. My only worry now is whether Lesnar would agree to work well with Styles or if he would play it lazy as he did with Dean Ambrose. Regardless, I will take Lesnar Vs Styles on any day of the week over a match featuring Jinder Mahal.
Apart from the brand battles, the Cruiserweight title will also be on the line at the PPV. Also, from the looks of it, creative might be thinking of building towards a clash between New Day and The Shield. Of course, that would depend on whether Roman Reigns is cleared for competition ahead of Survivor Series. That match is still up in the air at the moment. For this post though, I will dissect and analyse every match that has been announced and will try to come up with predictions. Keep in mind that these are predictions and not the usually fun Bold predictions. I will be posting them soon.
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Enzo Amore (c) vs. Kalisto
Enzo has had a pretty rough time during the UK tour. On Monday night he was defeated by the debuting United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunn. On Tuesday, on 205 Live, he was greeted with chants of ‘Boring’ multiple times. Enzo’s stock as a champion is falling fast. However, regardless of that, he has brought life back to the Cruiserweight division.
Additionally, Kalisto is not red-hot at the moment either. He has picked up some impressive victories over the week. But the masked luchador has not yet been able to build some momentum for himself. Whereas Enzo on the other hand can bounce back to relevance at the snap of a finger. Between the two competitors, Enzo possibly has better odds of retaining his title. However, do not mistake that as a testament to his skills or as Enzo deserving this in some way.
Truth be told, Enzo might be even worse a champion than Jinder Mahal. But the Cruiserweight division has been so underutilized that there is no one else who could come anywhere near Enzo. Outside of Neville, who seems to have no intention to come back, there isn’t anyone with enough momentum or credibility to take his title away. As such, Kalisto might merely be a placeholder contender until creative figures out some long-term plans for the division.
Prediction: Enzo Amore retains the title.
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The Miz (Inter Continental Champion) vs. Baron Corbin (United States Champion)
In all fairness, this match deserves more credit and attention that it does at the moment. These two superstars have been putting much effort on their own, into building towards this clash. The back and forth banter between these two on Twitter has been great. Miz’s promos have been really good as they usually are. On the flip side, it is surprising to see Corbin holding his end of the straw rather well.
Miz deserves better booking than what he is subjected to on a weekly basis. He has the talent and the charisma to be the lead heel on whichever brand he is representing. Rather than getting obliterated by Braun Strowman, he should be portrayed as the cunning heel who gets out safe in the end. Remember when he trapped Ambrose and Rollins outside the arena? That’s the kind of the Miz that needs to be portrayed more often.
Corbin on the other hand has been recovering nicely after failing to capitalize on his Money in the Bank contract. However, his place on the card is not yet confirmed. The Lone Wolf would be defending his title against Sin Cara next week. The winner of the match would face the Miz. Seeing as how many title changes we have had, I expect Corbin to retain and head to Survivor Series.
When it comes to the match, Miz definitely has the advantage. He would be accompanied by the Miztourage. Axel and Dallas are usually manhandled by Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns. Whether Corbin manages to do the same remains the same. Even so, he is largely inexperienced as a character. So many of Corbin’s matches play out eventually such that he himself costs him a win. As such, against a veteran heel like the Miz, Corbin would have a hard time keeping his eyes on the goal.
Prediction: The Miz defeats Baron Corbin thanks to the Miztourage
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Alexa Bliss (Raw Women’s Champion) vs. Natalya (SmackDown Women’s Champion)
Much like the Miz and Baron Corbin, Natalya and Alexa Bliss have been trying to build up their upcoming encounter. The two haven’t crossed paths many times before. As such, for a fresh pairing, this match up really should be interesting. The winner gets to be the top Women’s champion in the WWE. Bliss and Natalya should put on a fine performance.
Natalya’s title reign has been long overdue and it is great to see her at the top of the division. She might not deliver the greatest promos. But her matches are far better than most others on the roster. Creative sure took their time to appreciate her in-ring skills. There is no real threat of Natalya losing her title before Survivor Series. But Carmella is lurking in the background and she could always be an x-factor in this match.
Alexa Bliss on the other hand has had an amazing year. Her call-up from NXT was immediately followed with her winning the SmackDown Women’s title. After being drafted to Raw, she would waste very little time to capture the gold there too. Bliss is great on the mic, though some of her promos are bad. But they are bad due to the material she has been asked to work with and not due to her fault. She is pretty decent in the ring too and thrives as the clever heel who finds enough resources at the last-minute to sneak a win. This match will be really close but I have to give the win to Bliss considering how much creative has backed her.
Prediction: Alexa Bliss defeats Natalya
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The Bar (Raw Tag Champions) vs. The Usos (SmackDown Tag Champions)
After managing to come on top with an upset win over The Shield, The Bar has now signed their ticket to this year’s Survivor Series. Sheamus and Cesaro will now be facing the SmackDown Live tag team champions The Usos. In a way this match seems rather poetic. Last year, the tag team elimination match saw these two teams slug it out in the end.
In the end, it was Sheamus and Cesaro, who were babyfaces at the time, that won the match for team Raw. Will the duo be able to make it two for two this year? Or will The Usos look for a measure of revenge against the very opponents that stole their glory a year ago? Whatever the case may be, expect a classic tag team match that could potentially exceed expectations.
The four men involved in the match have had their fair share of excellent matches this year. While The Bar stole the show on multiple PPVs against Rollins and Ambrose, The Usos did the same against the New Day. This match truly is between two of the best tag teams out there. The hard-hitting style of The Bar would mesh well with the Usos. All in all, this match could very well be the best match of the night and might once again steal the show. However, in the end, The Usos just might be able to get their noses ahead. It wouldn’t be fair to have them lose to the same team in the same PPV twice in a row.
Prediction: The Usos defeat Cesaro and Sheamus
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Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown (Women’s five-on-five elimination match)
The Red Team comprises of the captain Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, the Empress of Tomorrow Asuka and Sasha Banks. There is one more spot to be filled in which might be announced by next week. It seems at the moment that creative is trying put together a narrative surrounding Bayley and the fifth spot. All things considered, the name Asuka alone gives the edge to the Red Team. However, one must wait and see whether creative comes up with some kind of shenanigans to eliminate Asuka without her taking a pin.
Team SmackDown Live comprises of the captain Becky Lynch, Charlotte, Naomi, Tamina and Carmella. The team will be accompanied by Lana as well. There are much more versatile wrestlers on Team Blue. Moreover, the prospective idea of Charlotte going head to head with Asuka is the ultimate tease. We would also witness collisions in the magnitude of Nia Jax against Tamina. This match has a lot more potential and narrative drive than the one from last year.
As such, it is really hard to predict the outcome of a match like this. Both teams have an abundance of talent and multiple narratives that play into the mix. Will Fox be able to keep her calm and lead her team? Will Nia work as a team player until the end? We might learn who Asuka’s first major main roster feud might be.
Things aren’t easy for the Blue Team either. Tamina, Lana and Carmella can all be x-factors going into the match. Not to mention James Ellsworth, who got more than he asked for this week. Will the Chinless Wonder play a role in the outcome? Perhaps a measure of revenge against the women of SmackDown Live?
Prediction: Team SmackDown beats team Raw after Nia Jax and Alicia Fox has a fallout.
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Brock Lesnar (Universal Champion) vs. AJ Styles (WWE Champion)
Thanks to AJ Styles pulling off a major upset right before Survivor Series, we get to see an exciting match for the very first time in history. Instead if the scheduled Brock Lesnar vs Jinder Mahal fiasco, the Phenomenal One has saved the day once again. I have to term his title win as an upset because until the very last moment it seemed creative was adamant to keep the title with Mahal. Until the three count I almost convinced myself to believe that Mahal would kick out and Styles would eventually be sacrificed.
However, as fate, Vince McMahon and WWE creative would have it, Styles would reclaim what was rightfully his. In addition, he has solidified the SmackDown main event scene as well as this match of Champions. Unless Lesnar screws things up by not committing himself fully into this match as he did against Ambrose, this match would simply be phenomenal.
When it comes to predicting this match though, there are many variables to consider. We still don’t know if any special guest referee would show up. John Cena’s name has been thrown in the mix for quite a while now. Cena has abundant history with both of these men. Throw in an irate Jinder Mahal, who has now lost the opportunity to win the respect of the WWE Universe and you have all the necessary agents of chaos. I want Styles to win, but history and creative backs Lesnar. Moreover, after last year’s embarrassing defeat against Goldberg, Lesnar might not lose at Survivor Series 2017 as well.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar defeats AJ Styles with Paul Heyman’s aid
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Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown (Men’s five-on-five elimination match)
This is again a match much harder to call than one would think. Stephanie McMahon mentioned that Kurt Angle would lose his job if Team Raw doesn’t win. Whether that applies to all the matches on the card or this match alone is yet to be explained on TV. However, it seems likely that this match would be the one to seal the deal. After all, last year, Team Blue were touted as the winners despite losing the women’s and tag team elimination matches.
Team Blue has all the advantage in the world heading into this match. One of the main key factors to watch out for is Randy Orton. The Viper has a history of being on the winning side more often than not. He also has been a lone survivor more than once. Will fate go against Orton this time?
The Red Team has a huge asset in the form of Braun Strowman. Throw in the combustible elements by the name Samoa Joe and Finn Balor and you have all the uncertainty in the world surrounding this team. Strowman has had a history of fighting with his team mates more than once. Joe and Balor are in it to rip each other apart. Then comes the father-son duo of Kurt Angle and Jason Jordan.
Seeing as how Angle’s job hangs in the balance, Jordan might factor in heavily into the equation. He might have been placed in the end to replace Roman Reigns. But that doesn’t mean the narrative would back him. Fighting for this father’s job would either motivate him or might result in a shocking heel turn. Whatever the case may be, this match has a lot of twists and turns along the way. Whether creative makes the most of all the potential storylines and narratives this match could rely on needs to be seen. However, when all the dust has settled down, I expect Raw to win this match.
Next: WWE Survivor Series: 3 Reasons Raw Should Win The Main Event
Angle might retain his job and all this could somehow lead to a WrestleMania match for him. How the likes of Jason Jordan and Braun Strowman would play into it remains a mystery at the moment.
Prediction: Team Raw defeats Team SmackDown with Braun Strowman as the sole survivor