WWE Survivor Series 2016: Full Card Predictions After No Mercy PPV

WWE Survivor Series 2016 will be a battle of the brands, with Raw clashing with SmackDown for the right to be called the superior show.

The Nov. 20 pay-per-view will also feature feuds that spill over from Sunday's SmackDown-exclusive show—No Mercy. Rivalries that don't get settled at Raw's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on Oct. 30 will find their way on the Survivor Series card, too. But WWE is bound to take advantage of the first dual-brand show since SummerSlam. 

Roman Reigns could find himself in a fight to prove that he's a better champion than SmackDown's midcard titleholder. Becky Lynch, Carmella and others are likely to lock horns with Raw's top female Superstars in a traditional Survivor Series matchup. 

AJ Styles could be in line to face a surprise challenger, and Brock Lesnar's PPV opponent won't be a shocker to anyone who has kept up with online chatter for the past few weeks.

Projecting where current storylines are headed, analyzing WWE logic and, in one case, digging through backstage reports lay out what fans can expect from the Survivor Series lineup.  

John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose

So often during John Cena's and Dean Ambrose's pursuits of AJ Styles did their animosity for each other outshine their issues with the world champion.

On Talking Smack, Ambrose claimed that Cena doesn't run WWE anymore, dismissing him as a part-timer. Cena later responded on the post-SmackDown show that he doesn't care about Ambrose. That verbal sparring hinted at them moving into a feud of their own down the road.

And coming out of No Mercy, they will have more reason to bicker.

Both Ambrose and Cena had Styles locked in holds during their title bout when he tapped out. The referee waved off the submission, but rest assured that these men won't drop the issue. It's easy to imagine that snowballing into a singles collision at Survivor Series.

Raw Tag Teams vs. SmackDown Tag Teams

Sheamus, Cesaro, The New Day, Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. American Alpha, The Usos, Heath Slater and Rhyno

WWE has a litany of talent to showcase at Survivor Series.

And with both Raw's and SmackDown's rosters needing spots, the company is going to have to cram a number of wrestlers together. Going this route does just that while also utilizing brand pride as a means to create drama.

Pitting Raw's top teams against SmackDown's best duos would also play up the PPV's original theme of elimination tag team bouts.

Sheamus and Cesaro's tension, as well as The Usos having to be on the same squad as their enemies, will create a number of subplots. WWE would be flush with booking options here, and it could highlight a rising star such as Big Cass by having him score eliminations aplenty.

Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton

Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton's rivalry isn't over. Not even close.

Their first bout never happened. Wyatt ambushed The Viper backstage at Backlash. At No Mercy, Wyatt stole a cheap win following a distraction by the returning Luke Harper.

That didn't feel like the climax of their story.

The pace of this feud suggests that it will play out for months. That means more trips into the bizarre and more in-ring showdowns between these two, including one at Survivor Series. This is the kind of intense rivalry that eventually has the enemies clashing inside of a steel cage. 

There's a good chance Orton demands that kind of protective structure to prevent Harper or anyone else ruining his chance at revenge.

Braun Strowman vs. Sami Zayn

Done tearing through journeymen, Braun Strowman demanded more competitive fights last week on Raw.

General manager Mick Foley is sure to appease the monster, but Strowman is likely to tear apart the opposition coming his way next. WWE has presented Strowman as unstoppable.

That and his size will make the ideal setup for a David vs. Goliath storyline featuring Sami Zayn at Survivor Series.

Zayn is in need of direction of some kind. He's bound to lose to Strowman a number of times, but he will shine in his gutsy, never-say-die performances along the way. Plus, the raw powerhouse could use a skilled in-ring performer like Zayn to lead him along.

WWE can also infuse a touch of history. It was Strowman who ousted Zayn from this year's Royal Rumble.

Raw Women vs. SmackDown Women (Survivor Series Elimination)

Sasha Banks, Bayley, Charlotte and Nia Jax vs. Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella, Carmella and Alexa Bliss

Survivor Series won't have enough space to house all the rivalries from both Raw's and SmackDown's women's divisions.

And WWE will have to be careful to not overdo Banks vs. Charlotte. Those two have been clashing for weeks and are now set to do battle at Hell in a Cell.

WWE is likely to take a break from that display of bad blood in November.

Banks and Charlotte will be forced to put aside their differences, as will Lynch and Bliss. For one night, they will have to band together in the name of brand warfare. WWE can play up the competition between the shows with this bout and introduce Nia Jax on a big stage by having her blast through a number of SmackDown's female Superstars.

Roman Reigns vs. Dolph Ziggler

United States champion Roman Reigns is poised to face Rusev inside Hell in a Cell on the PPV of the same name. With how strong The Big Dog has looked in their last two championship encounters, the safe bet is for him to outlast Rusev once more.

That will leave Reigns in need of a new challenge.

As for Dolph Ziggler, he is fresh off a major victory against The Miz. The win both earned him the Intercontinental Championship and allowed him to avoid a forced early retirement.

After that story wraps up soon, Ziggler will have to face someone else to keep things fresh.

WWE can give both men a temporary storyline by pitting midcard champ against midcard champ. Raw's authority figures will claim that the United States titleholder is superior. SmackDown's general manager and commissioner will argue that The Showoff is better.

This bout can decide that argument, provide Survivor Series with an intriguing, special clash and continue the theme of Raw vs. SmackDown.

AJ Styles vs. The Miz (WWE World Championship)

AJ Styles taking on The Miz would be the biggest surprise on the Survivor Series card.

Both Superstars are heels, and The Miz hasn't been a world title contender for years. The latter is on the verge of changing. One could argue that The Miz has been the most compelling character on SmackDown since the brand split. He's doing his best in-ring work and has raised his game on the mic, too.

WWE may be inspired to push him up the ladder after his loss at No Mercy, eventually placing him in a headlining spot.

As for Styles, a tweener role may be on the way for him. It hasn't seemed to matter whether The Phenomenal One has used low blows or chair shots to win; fans still root for him.

Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross wrote on his blog, "The ticket buyers want to cheer Styles and will continue to do so most likely. "

That attitude may inspire a shift in Styles' character rather than a full babyface turn. If so, that opens the door for an unexpected showdown of two guys having career years. 

Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins (WWE Universal Championship)

If Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins are still trading blows when 2017 arrives, few will be surprised.

Their rivalry feels as if it's just getting started. There hasn't been a decisive result between them yet. And Triple H hasn't explained his role in cheating Rollins out of the Universal Championship.

That means there are more battles ahead. After Owens and Rollins meet at Hell in a Cell, Survivor Series could be the home of their rubber match.

Owens looks set to eventually start feuding with his current best friend, Chris Jericho. Rollins vs. Triple H is an inevitability. But both those rivalries will take some time to develop; Survivor Series will arrive before they do.

As a result, fans will experience the familiar at Survivor Series. 

Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar

A rematch 12 years in the making is coming.

Rumors of Goldberg returning to face Brock Lesnar have flooded the internet. Dave Meltzer reported on Figure Four Online, "At this point, a Brock Lesnar vs. Bill Goldberg match is all but confirmed for WWE Survivor Series." Ross tweeted that a source said that Goldberg vs. Lesnar is "a done deal."

As much as their WrestleMania XX collision was a disaster, WWE would surprise no one by booking these two behemoths against each other again.

The situation would be vastly different than their clash in 2004. Goldberg and Lesnar were both on their way out back then, so fans sent them off with boos.

This time, Goldberg would be coming back to satiate fans who have long missed his presence. And Lesnar is a far bigger star now.

With this battle as its centerpiece, Survivor Series would suddenly feel like a marquee show. That alone is a major motivation for WWE to put this together. If it hasn't already.