Building the Perfect Traditional Survivor Series Match with Today's Roster

Monsters and heroes, megastars and up-and-comers comprise the perfect traditional Survivor Series elimination match.

Too often, today's Survivor Series elimination bouts are afterthoughts. The November pay-per-view once featured teams brimming with star power, supersquads that one wouldn't see anywhere else.

In 1987, Randy Savage, Jake Roberts, Brutus Beefcake, Ricky Steamboat and Jim Duggan were all on the same team. That's a total of four Hall of Famers. In 2001, The Rock, Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Kane and Big Show made up an all-star team looking to save WWE from The Alliance. 

When Survivor Series 2014 rolls around, we're not likely to see a convergence of big names like that. Brock Lesnar's limited schedule and singles bouts on the card are likely to leave the traditional elimination match lacking.

Imagine instead that the pay-per-view's headline match was a five-on-five match for the ages.

The following assembly of opposing teams gathers WWE's biggest stars into a single match. The appeal of the rivalries and partnerships involved play a factor in the choices. Injured Superstars are eligible for this discussion. 

Team Lesnar

With John Cena now the No. 1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, his feud with The Beast Incarnate should be the foundation of the headlining elimination match.

The WWE champ hasn't been in one of these kinds of matches since 2006, when Cena took on a team headed by Big Show. It would be even more special, then, that the little-seen Lesnar showed up at Survivor Series with four comrades at his side.

Credit: WWE.com

Although The Authority has a uneasy relationship with Lesnar, it's easy to imagine them working together for a single night, especially if Cena is on the opposite side of the ring. That's Seth Rollins' entry point into the bout.

Rollins has established himself as one of the top heels in the company in the process of snatching up the Money in the Bank briefcase and torturing Dean Ambrose.

He's an exciting in-ring performer who has no shortage of enemies at this point. Just about every top babyface has a reason to be gunning for him.

That makes for some intriguing subplots, including one involving current Authority member Randy Orton. More on that later.

Of the rest of The Authority, Triple H is the best option. Kane is a surefire Hall of Famer, but The Game remains the bigger star. There is also a big-match feel to all his matches, thanks to him doing so few these days.

Triple H and Lesnar's contentious past also adds the possibility of that alliance imploding live on the air.

To fill out the final two spots, we select two emerging stars in Bray Wyatt and Cesaro. They are among the more exciting members of the roster right now, two men who employ an aggressive, unique style in the ring.

Both Wyatt and Cesaro have had run-ins with Cena in the past. They'd be easy to convince to join a team designed to bring him down.

That leaves Team Lesnar with the intimidating quintet of Wyatt, Cesaro, Rollins, Lesnar and Triple H. That's a total of two former world champions, two no-doubt-about-it Hall of Famers and three of the roster's most promising talents.

Team Cena

Even the harshest of Cena's critics have to include him in this match. There is no bigger babyface star right now. He ups the importance of the bout by being a part of it.

He's also had battles with every man on the heel team, meaning that this collision would be rich with history. 

Orton has ample reason to switch sides and join Cena.

His relationship with The Authority has worsened over time. He was once the man Triple H dubbed the face of WWE. He has since watched Rollins take over more of a lead role, barking out orders to The Viper.

Credit: WWE.com

That tension alone would make Orton's inclusion must-see. It would be fun to watch him fire shots at Rollins, Triple H and the WWE champ. Lesnar would have extra incentive to take Orton down following The Apex Predator hitting Paul Heyman with an RKO.

Including Orton is to include a marquee star who may have been overexposed in recent years but consistently delivers in the ring. 

His confrontations with Rollins, Lesnar and company would be fun to watch. The same is true for Ambrose trading blows with those men.

He is WWE's fastest rising star, a captivating madman with an entertaining move set. Throwing him into the mix infuses new blood into the team. The many enemies he has on the other side of the ring would add to the entertainment value as well.

Ambrose has shown that he and Rollins create sparks every time they collide.

He's also had an uneasy relationship with both Cena and Orton. That adds all kinds of uncertainty to how these men will get along.

Daniel Bryan joins the fray next. His issues with The Authority and with his partner Orton would make for an interesting dynamic, but the bigger reason to add him is his star power.

Before injury took him out of action, his popularity was shooting upward. He was challenging Cena for the top spot on the roster, with rowdy crowds supporting him all over the country.

Putting him into this battle also assures the audience of a number of thrilling moments. His frenzied, breakneck style was one of WWE's highlights when he was active. Whether he was tangling with Cesaro, slugging it out with Wyatt or facing Lesnar for the first time ever, every eye in the arena would be zeroed in on Bryan.

Roman Reigns rounds out the team.

His offense is best designed for this kind of match. He has yet to develop the ability to engage for a long period of time in a singles match, but when asked to come in for short bursts, he thrives.

Him zipping around the ring and hitting folks with spears and clotheslines would elevate the match.

He joins a team that includes his former partner from The Shield and two of his recent enemies in Cena and Orton. Add the fact that so many bitter rivals would oppose him and it's a safe bet that this bout is a classic in the making.

Reigns, Bryan, Cena, Orton and Ambrose make up a team that boasts three former world champions, two guaranteed Hall of Famers and three men with the best shot to dethrone Cena as the franchise centerpiece.

This collection of gladiators would make for a dream Survivor Series match. Unfortunately, it's not likely to look anything like what we see at the pay-per-view. The safer bet is that Los Matadores get throw into a midcard battle, with WWE's biggest stars elsewhere.