Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE Survivor Series 2016 Will Be Best Edition in Years
1. A Return to Form
Healthy doses of hype, star power and tradition will make WWE Survivor Series 2016 one of the best editions of the pay-per-view in a long time.
An electric energy is surrounding Sunday's PPV, thanks to big matches and brand warfare. And suddenly, a long-neglected event feels as if it belongs among WWE's Big Four again.
Start with the undercard.
SmackDown's Kalisto will battle Raw's Brian Kendrick in a match where the cruiserweight title and division itself are at stake. If Kalisto knocks off the veteran, the cruiserweights will move to the blue brand.
The athleticism alone will make the match good, but having this much on the line makes it a far more significant contest.
When The Miz defends the Intercontinental Championship against Sami Zayn, there will be an added buzz to that match as well. A Zayn victory would pluck the IC title from SmackDown and bring it home to Monday night.
The PPV is loaded with other intriguing brand-against-brand battles.
Survivor Series will feature the first 10-on-10 elimination match since 1988. The women's divisions for both shows will be on display in a traditional Survivor Series match that is sure to eclipse the train wreck that was Team Total Divas vs. Team True Divas in 2013.
And although there have been some plot holes and out-of-character behavior, WWE has done a stellar job of ratcheting up the intensity for the three elimination matches.
As TheHistoryofWWE.com pointed out, the company has excelled in using the brand-warfare dynamic:
Not only is Survivor Series set to focus on the gimmick matches that the PPV was originally built around, but these clashes will also feature a bevy of new stars and top-notch performers.
Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Braun Strowman and American Alpha are poised to create career moments and shine on the Survivor Series stage. They will help make the event feel momentous as a turning point for the New Era.
And Survivor Series' venture into nostalgia will be better than expected.
The first time Brock Lesnar and Goldberg met at WrestleMania XX in 2004, they flopped. Both men had one foot out the company door. A restless crowd watched a supposed megafight fizzle out.
This time around, WWE has booked Goldberg far better.
He has been presented as a titan and a fatherāa superhero with a human side. He wants to tear down The Beast Incarnate once again as much as he just wants to impress his son.
That has helped erase memories of Goldberg and Lesnar's initial meeting and made it easier to get excited about the rematch.
Survivor Series has underwhelmed in recent years. It won't in 2016. The promotion and the performers will make sure of that.
Count on adjusting your list of top five Survivor Series PPVs.
2. Throwback Video of the Week: Vader
A giant delivered sad news Tuesday. Former WCW world champion Vader tweeted that doctors believe he has only two years to live due to a heart condition.
Vader was one of wrestling's best heavyweights and arguably the most agile man in that category. He is most famous for his hard-hitting style and ability to pull off moves that men his size shouldn't be able to attempt, let alone complete.
His mic skills were highly underrated, though. He showed those off in an interview after beating Ron Simmons for the world title in 1992:
An apex predator of the squared circle, Vader was a special talent. Here's hoping he proves the doctors wrong and sticks around to hear fans celebrate him for years to come.
3. Goldberg's Gap
When Goldberg collides with Lesnar, it will mark the first time he has wrestled for WWE in 12 years.
It's hard to wrap one's head around how long that is. Between WrestleMania XX and Survivor Series 2016, though, the WWE world has changed dramatically.
The Money in the Bank, TLC and Hell in a Cell pay-per-views did not exist when Goldberg had his last WWE bout.
John Cena won his first title in WWE the night of Goldberg's exit. Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Booker T and Sable were all still active wrestlers. The first incarnation of the cruiserweight division was still alive.
Kevin Owens was still Kevin Steen and battling El Generico (Zayn) in various indy promotions.
TNA Impact Wrestling was in its first year. Roman Reigns was a sophomore at Georgia Tech.
But in that span between matches, Goldberg looks to have spent plenty of time in the gym. He's in great shape.
At Survivor Series, he will have a lot to prove and will shake off that ring rust to outdo Lesnar vs. Goldberg I by miles.
4. A Disappointing Classic
Only one match remains in the 2016 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. And even if TM-61 and The Authors of Pain put on a standout performance, this tournament will be a letdown.
No bout has been as good as last year's top contests. There has been no classic in the bunch.
This year's event has showcased more of NXT's developmental side. Teams like The Authors of Pain and Heavy Machinery are rawer than many of the duos from the inaugural edition of the contest.
The Revival had only one match. The Bobby Roode-Tye Dillinger partnership never got off the ground. Injury forced Austin Aries out early.
That has all added up to an underwhelming series of matches and a Dusty Classic that never kicked into high gear.
5. The People's Champ
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's mantel just got more crowded. People magazine announced it had given The Great One its annual award:
Add that to eight Slammys, a Pro Wrestling Illustrated Wrestler of the Year honor, an NCAA national championship and 11 world championships with WWE.
The Rock became the first wrestler to nab the "Sexiest Man Alive" title. Reigns fans likely don't agree with People on this one.
6. Bells and Whistles, Underground Style
The promo video for Mil Muertes' Grave Consequences match with Prince Puma is a glimpse at what makes Lucha Underground so great:
First off, the promotion's production values are off the charts. Lucha Underground so often looks and feels like a dark, ominous, bizarre movie.
And it knows how to dress up the medium. Puma's headdress, the procession of people in Dia de los Muertos face paint and Catrina zapping the life from a man all show off Lucha Underground's flair for the theatrical. The promotion so often leaves the audience with haunting images to digest.
WWE would do well to mimic Lucha Underground's visual excellence.
7. The Miz at Survivor Series
A short reign may be in The Miz's future. Days after dethroning Dolph Ziggler to become IC champ again, The Miz will defend the title against Zayn at Survivor Series.
History says WWE doesn't mind letting The Awesome One lose at the November PPV.
| Year | Match | Result |
| 2007 | The Miz vs. CM Punk vs. John Morrison | Loss |
| 2008 | The Miz, MVP, Kane, John Morrison, Kane and JBL vs. Cryme Tyme, Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali and Shawn Michaels | Loss |
| 2009 | Team Miz vs. Team Morrison | Win |
| 2011 | The Miz and R-Truth vs. John Cena and The Rock | Loss |
| 2012 | Team Ziggler vs. Team Foley | Loss |
| 2014 | The Miz and Damien Mizdow vs. Goldust and Stardust vs. Los Matadores vs. The Usos | Win |
There's reason to believe The Miz will improve his 2-4 record at the event, though. He is in the midst of his best year as a performer, in and out of the ring. WWE has to recognize the roll he's on and showcase him moving forward.
Fans won't have to wait long to find out whether the IC title will be draped over his shoulder.
8. Undertaker's Best on the Blue Brand
The Deadman stepped on the stage on Tuesday's SmackDown and hinted at a return to the show.
The part-timer has mostly only appeared at WrestleMania each year of late. If that's no longer the case and the blue brand is set to welcome Undertaker on a more consistent basis, Tuesdays are going to get interesting in a hurry.
Undertaker has an impressive resume of bouts on SmackDown going back to more than a decade ago:
- Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle: Sept. 4, 2003
- Undertaker and Kurt Angle vs. John Cena and Brock Lesnar: Oct. 3, 2003
- Undertaker vs. John Cena: June 2004
- Undertaker vs. Triple H: Oct. 24, 2008
- Undertaker vs. Dean Ambrose: April 26, 2013
The possibilities for The Phenom in 2016 and beyond leave one salivating. Undertaker vs. AJ Styles. Undertaker vs. Baron Corbin. Undertaker vs. The Miz?
9. Is More Really Better?
The WWE landscape continues to widen. The company can't seem to help itself; it keeps adding shows and events.
This year, WWE aired five PPVs in the span of 11 weeks. It has added a post-Raw talk show to go along with SmackDown's Talking Smack. After struggling to find time for the cruiserweight division during Raw's three-plus hours, WWE is set to introduce 205 Live, a show exclusive to that division.
On Monday night, State of the WWE Universe debuted.
The path to pulling in more viewers isn't more product; it's a better product. Raw is consistently a flawed show. It drags, meanders and befuddles its audience at times. Too many PPVs are average or forgettable.
To get fans invested, WWE would be better off focusing on existing programs. It has to tighten the storytelling on Raw and allow more build between special events.
Great shows that leave the audience wanting more always trump a buffet of so-so fare.
10. Goldust on Tolerance
Goldust (real name: Dustin Runnels) shared some disturbing news in a recent Facebook post (warning: NSFW language). The former tag team champ revealed that three men attacked his transgender stepson.
A section of his response to that violence carried a powerful message that applies beyond this situation. Goldust wrote, "Let people live their lives the way they choose. Stop all this hateful crap towards one another."
Those are some mighty good words to live by.
