WWE Survivor Series 2017 is in the bags, with much to nitpick and complain. Here are five things creative could have done differently to make the event better.
WWE Survivor Series was a roller-coaster ride that reached its peak too soon and fell flat at the very end. The show opened with the Shield taking on the New Day in the night’s first match. Some might complain that it didn’t live up to its capabilities. Perhaps the stars were angry about starting so early in the night. However, the fact that this match started so early could have been a means to have them feature in the show later on.
But as we know, this never came to fruition. The Champion Vs Champion matches all fell flat. Everything was good but nothing was great. Until the Phenomenal One AJ Styles took to the ring that is. Styles brought out the best in the Beast and the result was an entertaining outing from Lesnar in ages. People have been praising Lesnar Vs Punk as one of his best matches since his return. However, I would personally place this match above it. It was that damn good.
The Women’s elimination match came with its own botches but nevertheless it was entertaining and Asuka being the sole survivor was the right call. However, the same could not be said about the Men’s elimination match. Braun Strowman survived. But that was just about it. WWE dropped the ball with its next generation of stars and as a result the veteran wrestlers of a bygone era stood tall throughout the main event.
That lead me to come up with this post where I suggest five ways they could have turned things around. The same results and booking methods are kept but with a few differences. What changes would this list bring? Let’s find out.
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5. Shane McMahon should have gotten eliminated first
Shane McMahon ended the night getting eliminated at the hands of Triple H. This came after enduring a Pedigree from the Game. A 49-year-old standing as the final member of Team SmackDown Live. Take a minute to let that sink in. Shane O’Mac was also the captain of the Blue Team.
Just like our very own Bryan Heaton said, I too felt the presence of Angle and McMahon in this match as captains a bit too much. They should have instead been team coaches, ensuring a spot for one of the younger stars like Rusev. That said, since Shane was indeed a part of Team Blue, he should have been eliminated at first. Creative followed this approach in the Women’s elimination match. The captain of Team Blue, Becky Lynch was eliminated at the beginning itself. This also seemed eerily similar to what happened to the New Day last year.
By having Shane last longer than the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode, both of whom were eliminated in the early goings of the match, it felt a bit too much. The moment Team Blue was reduced to Shane, Cena and Orton I lost interest in the match itself. Instead, creative could have had the team try to regroup after having lost their captain early on. Roode or Nakamura taking charge and leading the team to counter attack would have done something beneficial to them also.
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4. Carmella should have cashed in by the end of the night
This was something I’d been hoping for. I wanted her to cash in at SummerSlam, in her hometown. But that never happened. Survivor Series was another perfect venue for cashing in on a prone and vulnerable champion. It would have been even more shocking had she cashed in on Alexa Bliss and teased a move to Raw by the end of the night.
However, Carmella’s role was relegated to nothing but being one of Asuka’s victims. The Princess of Staten Island could have done much on Raw. That is what I feel at times. Especially it they would pair her with Big Cass once more.
As for last night, she should have ideally cashed in on Charlotte. Targeting Alexa Bliss would have seem more shocking. But we still haven’t established whether the Money in the Bank briefcase had the power to do that. Instead, creative could have had Carmella cash-in on Charlotte and have an irate Alexa Bliss give Carmella a hand. That would have put some more heat on Bliss and Carmella and would have ensured Charlotte got over as a babyface even more.
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3. The Shield should have attacked the Bar
Last I checked, the Shield still had issues with the Bar. Cesaro and Owens still owe them a rematch for the WWE Raw tag titles. Seeing as how the Hounds of Justice has had issues with them, the trio should have made their presence felt during the match. The Usos winning in the end was the absolute right call. However, the Shield could have done something to impact the outcome too. Creative could have even played up Roman Reigns’s ‘Bloodline’ stable.
It was clearly established on Raw that Shield was not in it for the little McMahon family games. They were not in it for brand pride or loyalty. The Shield wanted to beat the New Day to avenge their title loss. Now that they were done with the trio of Unicorns, they should have turned their attention back to the gold. Moreover, by losing to the Usos because of the Shield would have preserved some credibility for Cesaro and Sheamus.
Instead, despite being three of the most over and critical stars in the WWE, all three members of the Shield had an early trip to the shower. They had no role to play during any of the remaining matches of the night. It didn’t seem like something the old Shield would do. They loved to challenge the authority figures and break the rules.
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2. Jinder Mahal should have gotten a whooping from Brock Lesnar
Jinder Mahal was the one person who started this entire fiasco. The then WWE champion challenge Brock Lesnar for a match in a desperate attempt to win the respect of the fans. However, things didn’t go as Mahal had hoped. AJ Styles defeated the Modern Day Maharaja to snatch the title as well as his place on the match card. Moreover, Styles would go on to face Lesnar at Survivor Series.
Their match was one of the, if not the best match, since Lesnar’s return to the squared circle. In the end, the Beast was able to survive Styles’s assault and managed to end the night on a winning note. However, creative could have done something more for the fans though. Why not have Mahal then come out to mock Styles for losing?
After all, he is a heel. A heel always does the most despicable things in the most outlandish ways. Mahal could have made his way to the ring as Lesnar walked back, staring down the Universal champion in the process. He could have then proceeded to berate a fallen Styles as he tried to recover from Lesnar’s vicious suplexes. However, one stray line from Mahal – where he claims he would have tamed the Beast, would upset Lesnar.
The Beast Incarnate would then make his way back to the ring, and the fans would witness Suplex City all over again. When the match was announced between Lesnar and Mahal, everybody expected to see Brock manhandling the Singh Brothers. Creative should have let the fans witness it at the least.
The entire segment could have ended with Lesnar or Paul Heyman giving a nod of respect to Styles as he recovered from all the physical torment he went through. There would have been nothing like a show of respect from one Champion to another, to showcase Styles’s heart and determination.
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1. Triple H should have taken over the Blue Team
It seemed like Triple H wanted to align himself with Shane McMahon for a moment. Or so we thought. That is until the Cerebral Assassin took out the Prodigal Son with another Pedigree for the win. The entire segment was confusing to see the least. When Triple H turned on Angle, it seemed logical. He wanted to get Angle out of his job as GM. Logically, this would have been enough to create a feud for them lasting until WrestleMania.
But the Game would again turn on Shane McMahon. It seemed as if Triple H just didn’t want Kurt Angle to take all the glory for himself. A confused Braun Strowman watched from ringside. Instead of this mangled mess, what creative should have done was to have the Game take over SmackDown Live instead. He could have easily aligned with Shane as Strowman looked confused and betrayed. But then, Owens and Sami Zayn would return and stand alongside Hunter, to takeout Shane McMahon.
The writing on the wall couldn’t have been clearer. Triple H wanted control of SmackDown Live. He recruited Owens and Zayn to get the job done. But he finally had to do it on his own. As Strowman looked on without a clue, the Game could have torn away his red t-shirt, revealing an all blue SmackDown Live t-shirt, hinting the Game was now bleeding blue. He could then order Owens and Zayn to take out Strowman. But Braun, being the Monster he is could take them all out and the rest of the events could have played out the way they did before our eyes.
Next: WWE Survivor Series 2017: Highlights and Grades
The weeks going forward would have been enthralling as Daniel Bryan is forced to work according to Triple H’s orders. Moreover, with Kurt Angle trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, both Raw and SmackDown would have been a lot more thrilling in the weeks to come.