WWE Survivor Series 2017
November 19, 2017
Toyota Center
Houston, Texas

Watch: WWE Network

Meet our previewers:

• Andrew Sinclair: Re-energised by Tim Storm’s title defence over Nick Aldis, Andrew is back for his sixth straight WWE Network show preview. Why does he does this? Who knows, but for an idea of why, follow him on Twitter at @AMSinclair97.
• Joe Lanza: Joe has seen every WWE match to hit tape this year. This is not a brag point. Follow him on Twitter @VoicesWrestling and @JoeMLanza.
• August Baker: The problem with Brand Warfare is no fan has loyalty to either brand, so the stakes are non-existent. The problems with August is legion, so follow @augustbaker12

WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Enzo Amore (c) vs. Kalisto

Andrew Sinclair: To have a lifeless match with Tyler Bate, one of the world’s brightest young prospects, you are a special type of bad. Enzo is that type of bad. We’ve seen this match three times already and it’s sucked every time. This will be no different. Enzo retains, and no one will care. Just call up Hideo Itami, bring in Rockstar Spud and maybe I’ll start watching 205 Live again. Prediction: Enzo Amore

Joe Lanza: As someone who has long accepted that the cruiserweight division will never resemble the greatness that was at the CWC, I’ve defended Enzo being made the focal point of 205 Live, aka Little Guy RAW. I’ve always felt there was a place, some place, for Enzo in the company. So why not attempt to revive the struggling 205 Live with a guy who is clearly charismatic and popular, able to get over as a face or a heel, while also giving him the platform to really stretch his legs as a pseudo top guy? Since the Enzo push, 205 Live has creeped into the bottom half of the Top 10 Network shows most weeks, an improvement over barely cracking the Top 20 previously. So is it the man, or the push? Previous 205 aces weren’t given the prime RAW real estate (top of the hour promos, main events, closing out the show) that Enzo has been gifted.Either way, the Enzo era of 205 has produced an uptick in interest, even if the match quality at the top has suffered dramatically.

The Kalisto feud has to end. It’s gone on entirely too long, and as Andrew alludes to elsewhere in this preview, the show could use some new blood. Prediction: Enzo Amore

August Baker: Kalisto still comes out to little to no reaction, and Enzo is still Enzo, so the outcome of this one isn’t in a lot of doubt. Enzo has a lot of potential new challengers out there. Both Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali have been focal points of 205 Live and either would make a good challenger. There’s rumors that Hideo Itami may join soon, and there are few things I want to see more than Enzo take a Go To Sleep. But I would be remiss if I didn’t address the real MVP of 205 Live, Drew Gulak. Gulak’s act is legit funny, and I hope he stays as Enzo’s hype man/pin eater for a while. Prediction: Enzo Amore

Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte

Andrew Sinclair: Of the three champion-versus-champion clashes on this card, this has received the least attention. Bliss has grown massively in the last 12 months, from her in-ring to her confidence on the microphone. She’s been the best woman on WWE main roster TV this year and is someone they clearly have a lot of time for. A win firmly establishes her as the top woman before she eventually drops the belt to Asuka. Likewise, with Charlotte having got the home town win in front of her dad on Smackdown, a loss doesn’t hurt her as much as it would have Natalya. Prediction: Alexa Bliss

Joe Lanza: I have no clue where to begin in terms of prognosticating potential winners of these BRAND vs BRAND matches, especially this one, so I’ll stick with breaking down the potential match quality. This could be really good, but I do have some concerns. Alexa has shown chemistry issues with certain opponents (Becky Lynch comes to mind), and when things fall apart for her, things tend to get very sloppy and very ugly very quickly. Charlotte isn’t a stranger to sloppy work, so I could easily see this going off the rails in all the wrong ways. Prediction: Charlotte

August Baker: The WWE is nothing if not opportunistic. With Ric Flair’s name in the news, it shouldn’t be any surprise that Charlotte is a champion again. Both these two are very hit or miss with me, so I don’t have high hopes for this one. The challenge in predicting this one is where it falls on the Raw vs Smackdown theme. I think Smackdown wins more of the little matches, while Raw takes the big ones. Alexa’s character isn’t a particularly skilled wrestler, while Charlotte is genetically superior or whatever, so Smackdown should take this one. Prediction: Charlotte

The Miz vs. Baron Corbin

Andrew Sinclair: Is it me, or has the Miz’s IC title reign been completely irrelevant? He’s in his seventh reign, and he’s held the title since the beginning of June (he’s not far off Pedro Morales now), but I’m struggling to remember anything significant. Worst part is, there’s a complete dearth of contenders on Raw and they’ve no PPV until the Royal Rumble – more meaningless episodes of MizTV it is. I say that with great disappointment, because I love the Miz’s work and he had a stellar 2016. Corbin, fresh off beating Sin Cara, needs this win to try and give him some credibility, and the Miz losing does him no damage at all, but I just can’t see them giving Smackdown more than two wins (SPOILER ALERT). Prediction: The Miz

Joe Lanza: These guys going into business for themselves on social media built this match more effectively than anything they have done or could have done on TV. It’s the only reason I have any interest whatsoever in this match. Prediction: Corbin. I’m flipping coins on these BRAND vs BRAND bouts

August Baker: This is similar to the above match. The Raw champion is a cowardly heel while the Smackdown champion is a (supposedly) physically dominant wrestler, though Charlotte’s 10x more intimidating than Baron Corbin. Corbin kind of sucks though, and the Miz is awesome It wouldn’t surprise me if Miz, as the canny veteran, gets the win here, but I’m still going with my gut that Smackdown picks up these undercard matches: Prediction: Baron Corbin

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins) vs. The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods)

Andrew Sinclair: Attempt to get Roman over #194. Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to this match; all things being equal it will steal the show. It’s just that this whole feud between Raw and Smackdown is completely daft. Why have no teases at all until after TLC? Fans aren’t stupid – no one believes that these two teams started hating each other conveniently just before Survivor Series. If you want to do brand conflicts fine, I get it, but at least don’t treat us like total dorks. How much would it take to sow the seeds at Summerslam and intermittently since? This will be excellent and the Shield will win, because everything is designed to get Roman over, because Roman is the guy. Prediction: Sierra-Hotel-India-Echo-Lima-Delta SHIELD

Joe Lanza: This is one BRAND vs BRAND match where I have full confidence in the outcome. There is no chance The Shield is losing in their highly anticipated, belated re-debut…oh wait, they blew that on a RAW a few days ago. Welp, despite blowing a chance to truly make the reunion match special, The Shield will still win here, with Roman Reigns surely putting someone away with the Superman Punch in the end. Prediction: The Shield

August Baker: I’m really looking forward to this one. New Day and Shield have been a fantasy booking choice of mine for months, though I would have waited until the Royal Rumble. Still, the track record of these teams, in particular the recent run by the New Day, is outstanding. All six dudes can go, and this should be a fast paced extravaganza. Big E is the hill I die on, and while I agree that the Shield wins, I will be happy as long as E and Roman face off. I’m not as sure as my compatriots that Roman gets the pin for his team though. WWE probably wants this match to end with the crowd cheering. Prediction: The Shield

The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) vs. The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso)

Andrew Sinclair: The rival tag champions facing off, trying to prove which team is truly the best. A concept we can all get behind, right? Well, aside from a few passing comments by Sheamus on MizTV on this week’s episode of RAW, this match has had more or less no build. Both teams have been wrapped up in their own title programmes, meaning there’s been no direct build towards this. It’s a simple enough story to tell. It’s hard to see places on this show where Smackdown will get wins, and after toying with the idea that Raw might run the table, I’m picking the Usos. Like the rest of this year, this will probably be one of the show’s highlights. Prediction: The Usos

Joe Lanza: In a pretty lousy year (by modern standards) for high level MOTY bouts in this promotion, the tag scene has been a low key highlight. The Usos/New Day feud was the best tag team rivalry in the world this year, The Bar always delivers, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins have felt fresh again, and even the Hardyz had a nice little run before Jeff went on the shelf with an injury. I have no idea who will win this, but it has a chance to be the match of the night. Prediction: The Usos

August Baker: This is the second match I’m really looking forward to. The Uso’s heel run has been phenomenal, both in and out of the ring. They’ve always been a skilled in-ring tag team, but the edge they have now, along with their high energy promo’s, have made them the complete tag team package. Cesaro and Sheamus (The Bar name hasn’t caught on with me yet) could be main eventing, but I won’t complain as long as they continue to have great matches. My expectations for this one are high indeed. Prediction: The Usos

Team Raw (Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Asuka, Sasha Banks, and Bayley) vs. Team SmackDown (Becky Lynch, Carmella, TBD, Naomi, and Tamina)

Andrew Sinclair: Looking at the names in this match tells you Raw are winning, but there are two big questions looming over it. First is, who is going to fill Smackdown’s vacancy? I had Charlotte pegged to win as soon as the rematch with Natalya was announced and I assumed Nattie would fill Charlotte’s spot. She still might, but I think this is where they reinsert Paige into the mix. Given the length of her absence from WWE screens and the magnitude of this show, this is 100% the right place to bring her back. The other question, then, is how many survive from Raw and who survives? Asuka simply has to and her being the last woman standing would be a great visual, but I think it’s her and Nia, setting up a mini-feud before Asuka goes after Alexa. Prediction: Team Raw

Joe Lanza: On Paper, it appears as though RAW can’t lose, especially with Asuka on their side. But Smackdown has the always dangerous Mystery Opponent, and Asuka could always succumb to a Dusty Rhodes/Undertaker style double countout or something else equally backdoor to retain her unbeaten streak. Prediction: SmackDown

August Baker: With Nia Jax and Asuka on their side, and no Charlotte on Smackdown, this is Raw’s match to lose. But a lot depends on who TBD is. If it’s Paige, you don’t want her to be on the losing side in her return match. Anyone else, eh, who cares. With Alicia Fox there to take any blame for poor unit cohesion, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Asuka and Jax brawl to the back after a miscommunication, leaving Fox at the mercy of Lynch, Naomi, and Paige. Prediction: Team Smackdown

Team Raw (Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and Triple H) vs. Team SmackDown (Shane McMahon, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, and John Cena)

Andrew Sinclair: OVERBOOKING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. Raw’s final segment provided more questions than answers – why is Hunter, the COO of the company, taking sides? Why is Kurt such a bad dad? Because of the obvious overbooking in this match, it’s quite tough to pick a winner. Kane will definitely take out Braun, Jason Jordan is getting involved (be it trying to help and costing them the match, or turning on his ‘dad’) and Owens and Zayn’s involvement is telegraphed by them not having anything to do on the show. I think they do Owens/Zayn vs Orton/Cena at Clash of Champions; set up Kevin and Sami take them both out here. Roode is expendable and will get pinned first. Balor and Joe will get too busy fighting amongst themselves and get one or the other eliminated. Trips and Kurt are destined for a prime spot in Orlando. Nakamura will probably look strong before being eliminated by HHH. And I think, think, Smackdown get the win with Shane the last man standing. However this goes, I’m not looking forward to it. Prediction: Team Smackdown, probably

Joe Lanza: They’ll be tellin’ stories here. That makes it impossible to predict. Expect 40 minutes or so of wild action, advancement of angles, and plenty of run-ins (Kane? Sami Zayn? Kevin Owens? Mr. McMahon? Stephanie McMahon? Jason Jordan? Sister Abigail?). Hopefully it’ll be fun. Prediction: WWE Shenanigans

August Baker: Wow what a mess. What an absolutely wonderful mess. I can’t wait. There is way to much to unpack on this one, so I’ll just give my top 5 interactions I’m looking forward to. 1: Nakamura/Strowman. 2: Joe/Cena. 3: Finn/Cena. 4: Nakamura/HHH. 5: HHH/Roode. It’s tough to pick against any team with Orton on it, as he’s known for Survivor Series matches, but the story is all about Raw, and Raw is all about The Game. Prediction: Team Raw

Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles

Andrew Sinclair: I’m aware I sound like a miserable goat, but the saddest part of this was Daniel Bryan’s promo. Not in the sense it was bad, because it was one of the WWE promos of the year, but you could tell that was the promo Bryan wanted to cut for the match between him and Lesnar that we never saw. That said, him and Heyman did an exceptional job of selling what is easily my most anticipated match on the entire card. Lesnar hasn’t been good this year (I have a sneaking suspicion he may well be close to retirement) but he can pull it out of the bag when it counts, and AJ is the best big-match guy in the entire company. Brock will throw AJ around, AJ will have a few Goldberg-esque spots, and this will be the best singles match all night. Prediction: Brock Lesnar

Joe Lanza: I may be in the minority when it comes to hardcore circles, but I still think Paul Heyman is one of the best talkers around, and I love me some Brock Lesnar. Lesnar brings a totally different feel to the table in that his matches feel like true special attractions, with an aura of danger and unpredictability. Structure wise his matches break the usual WWE formula, helping add to the aura and big fight feel. I’m all in favor of his rare appearances and title defenses, as it keeps him special in an era where nearly every wrestling star is badly overexposed. His matches are short, explosive, and tense, because they can end at any time. Jinder Mahal is legitimately one of the worst major league wrestlers on the planet, and was a terrible style fit for a modern Lesnar match. So not only was the AJ Styles title win over Mahal the end of a failed experiment to elevate a charismaless void into an international star, it was as much of an upgrade as humanly possible in terms of caliber of opponent here. This is the in ring equivalent of replacing Bone Soldier with Kazuchika Okada, and I say that with zero hint of hyperbole. AJ will bump his ass off for Brock, in what is sure to be a wild spectacle. I can’t wait. Prediction: Brock Lesnar

August Baker: Let’s get this out of the way first. Brock Lesnar hasn’t had a really good singles match in a year and a half. Every match since his confrontation with Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 31 has been disappointing in one way or another. However, he has never had a better chance to have a great match than he has here. I flat out cheered when AJ won the WWE title, in large part because the dreaded Jinder/Lesnar match would never happen. Even if we get a less than motivated Lesnar here, AJ will still bump his ass off and make this an entertaining match. And if Lesnar is motivated, watch out. This is a match with an extremely high ceiling, and though it may not reach those heights, the chance that it will is very exciting. Hopefully we don’t get lame interference from Jinder, the former champion who isn’t even on the card, and these two go out and kill it. Prediction: Brock Lesnar