Monday, February 19, 2018

WWE Survivor Series 2017: AJ Styles Defeating Brock Lesnar And 5 Smart Booking Decisions

WWE Survivor Series 2017: AJ Styles Defeating

Brock Lesnar And 5 Smart Booking Decisions

WWE Survivor Series 2017 has undergone many changes to its card in recent weeks, but the pay-per-view’s final lineup is a tremendous one that includes a dream match between AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar and in-ring appearances from Kurt Angle, John Cena and Triple H.

Credit: WWE.com

Credit: WWE.com

Viewership on the road to the pay-per-view has been up and down a bit, with Raw at one point losing nearly 600,000 viewers between hours one and three, while SmackDown recently generated its lowest viewership since June. That may have been the result of a constantly changing card, but with the Survivor Series card now set in stone and viewership back on track, it’s up to all of the performers on the show to deliver the goods at this "Big Four" pay-per-view.

After all, WWE is reportedly cutting back on the number of pay-per-views in 2018, meaning that there will be fewer chances for the stars of Raw and SmackDown to shine on Sunday nights. Of course, Survivor Series is also the last dual-branded show we’ll get until The Royal Rumble in 2018, so WWE will need to ensure that whatever happens this Sunday is good enough to keep fans interested in the happening on both brands going forward.

Once Survivor Series is in the books, this temporary hiatus of the brand split will be over and done with, making it absolutely critical that Survivor Series sets the stage for brand-specific feuds after the PPV. So, how should this pay-per-view be booked? Well, let’s take a look at five smart booking decisions WWE must make at the oh-so important Survivor Series.

Bobby Roode Turns On Team SmackDown Or Jason Jordan Betrays Team Raw

Credit: WWE.com

Credit: WWE.com

The Bobby Roode as a babyface experiment hasn’t worked, and it’s time for him to go back to his more natural heel roots.

Likely because of the incredible popularity of his entrance song  and John Cena’s switch to  Raw, WWE pigeonholed Roode into a babyface role on  SmackDown  that never really fit him, and the only notable thing his face run has produced is an awkward and rather forgettable rivalry with Dolph Ziggler. That’s a shame because Roode was one of NXT’s biggest attractions, having headlined sellout NXT TakeOver shows  and carrying the brand as its top heel for the better part of a year.

Notice that last sentence said top heel and not a top babyface. The former is a role much more suited for Roode, who will join a star-studded squad at Survivor Series that consists entirely of babyfaces, which sets the perfect stage for him to turn on Team SmackDown. There is still no clear-cut No. 1 heel on the blue brand, and that’s a spot that Roode could easily take because he’s proven in the past to be such an incredible villain.

WWE reportedly has big plans for Roode on the main roster, viewing him as a potential top star for the foreseeable future, but the company is looking for a way to ignite his push to the main event scene. Survivor Series is the ideal time and place to do that when infighting with his SmackDown teammates causes Roode to turn on his squad and cement him as a heel in the process.

Likewise, the stage is obviously set for Jason Jordan, who was replaced by Triple H and then pedigreed by "The Game" in front of his father Kurt Angle, to cost Team Raw the match and ignite a heel turn that would lead to a feud between Angle and Jordan. WWE may choose to go the slow burn route with that rivalry, but having Jordan cost Angle and Team Raw the match could catapult him to instant heel stardom.

In fact, that may be the plan.

Braun Strowman Is The Sole Survivor 

Credit: WWE.com

Stephanie McMahon let Kurt Angle know that he will lose his job as Raw General Manager if he doesn’t lead Team Raw to victory over Team SmackDown, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has to win the match himself.

In fact, the best candidate to do that is Braun Strowman, who should be the soul survivor for the red brand. WWE recently pulled the trigger on a full-fledged babyface turn for "The Monster Among Men," so it’s imperative that he continue his streak of dominance but do so for the first time as a fan favorite. There’s no better way for him to do that than to be the one who saves the beloved Angle from his losing his job.

There is evidence that Strowman may very well be the biggest draw WWE currently has, but his success thus far has all come as a heel. The crowd reactions forced an organic face turn, but now, it’s up to the creative team to ensure that he continues to be a well-liked wrecking machine rather than someone who "always buries his opponents," like fans used to say about Roman Reigns and John Cena. The great thing about Strowman is that fans expect him to defeat and destroy just about everyone who steps in his path, so he should still be massively over as a fan favorite.

Survivor Series will be a great way to test that by having Strowman emerge from the 5-on-5 match as the last man standing and the savior of  Raw  and its GM, which could go a long way toward Strowman becoming a top draw as a face like he was as a heel.

WWE Survivor Series 2017 has undergone many changes to its card in recent weeks, but the pay-per-view’s final lineup is a tremendous one that includes a dream match between AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar and in-ring appearances from Kurt Angle, John Cena and Triple H.

Credit: WWE.com

Viewership on the road to the pay-per-view has been up and down a bit, with Raw at one point losing nearly 600,000 viewers between hours one and three, while SmackDown recently generated its lowest viewership since June. That may have been the result of a constantly changing card, but with the Survivor Series card now set in stone and viewership back on track, it’s up to all of the performers on the show to deliver the goods at this “Big Four” pay-per-view.

After all, WWE is reportedly cutting back on the number of pay-per-views in 2018, meaning that there will be fewer chances for the stars of Raw and SmackDown to shine on Sunday nights. Of course, Survivor Series is also the last dual-branded show we’ll get until The Royal Rumble in 2018, so WWE will need to ensure that whatever happens this Sunday is good enough to keep fans interested in the happening on both brands going forward.

Once Survivor Series is in the books, this temporary hiatus of the brand split will be over and done with, making it absolutely critical that Survivor Series sets the stage for brand-specific feuds after the PPV. So, how should this pay-per-view be booked? Well, let’s take a look at five smart booking decisions WWE must make at the oh-so-important Survivor Series.

Bobby Roode Turns On Team SmackDown Or Jason Jordan Betrays Team Raw

Credit: WWE.com

The Bobby Roode as a babyface experiment hasn’t worked, and it’s time for him to go back to his more natural heel roots.

Likely because of the incredible popularity of his entrance song and John Cena’s switch to Raw, WWE pigeonholed Roode into a babyface role on SmackDown that never really fit him, and the only notable thing his face run has produced is an awkward and rather forgettable rivalry with Dolph Ziggler. That’s a shame because Roode was one of NXT’s biggest attractions, having headlined sellout NXT TakeOver shows and carrying the brand as its top heel for the better part of a year.

Notice that last sentence said top heel and not top babyface. The former is a role much more suited for Roode, who will join a star-studded squad at Survivor Series that consists entirely of babyfaces, which sets the perfect stage for him to turn on Team SmackDown. There is still no clear-cut No. 1 heel on the blue brand, and that’s a spot that Roode could easily take because he’s proven in the past to be such an incredible villain.

WWE reportedly has big plans for Roode on the main roster, viewing him as a potential top star for the foreseeable future, but the company is looking for a way to ignite his push to the main event scene. Survivor Series is the ideal time and place to do that when infighting with his SmackDown teammates causes Roode to turn on his squad and cement him as a heel in the process.

Likewise, the stage is obviously set for Jason Jordan, who was replaced by Triple H and then pedigreed by “The Game” in front of his father Kurt Angle, to cost Team Raw the match and ignite a heel turn that would lead to a feud between Angle and Jordan. WWE may choose to go the slow burn route with that rivalry, but having Jordan cost Angle and Team Raw the match could catapult him to instant heel stardom.

In fact, that may be the plan.

Braun Strowman Is The Sole Survivor 

Credit: WWE.com

Stephanie McMahon let Kurt Angle know that he will lose his job as Raw General Manager if he doesn’t lead Team Raw to victory over Team SmackDown, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has to win the match himself.

In fact, the best candidate to do that is Braun Strowman, who should be the soul survivor for the red brand. WWE recently pulled the trigger on a full-fledged babyface turn for “The Monster Among Men,” so it’s imperative that he continue his streak of dominance but do so for the first time as a fan favorite. There’s no better way for him to do that than to be the one who saves the beloved Angle from his losing his job.

There is evidence that Strowman may very well be the biggest draw WWE currently has, but his success thus far has all come as a heel. The crowd reactions forced an organic face turn, but now, it’s up to the creative team to ensure that he continues to be a well-liked wrecking machine rather than someone who “always buries his opponents,” like fans used to say about Roman Reigns and John Cena. The great thing about Strowman is that fans expect him to defeat and destroy just about everyone who steps in his path, so he should still be massively over as a fan favorite.

Survivor Series will be a great way to test that by having Strowman emerge from the 5-on-5 match as the last man standing and the savior of Raw and its GM, which could go a long way toward Strowman becoming a top draw as a face like he was as a heel.

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