WWE Survivor Series 2016: Match Card, Potential Spoilers, Predictions and More

Built around brand warfare, WWE Survivor Series 2016 will be one of the most memorable events of the year.

As Raw collides with SmackDown in a series of traditional elimination matches, great performers will work their magic on the mat, subplots will unfold and rising stars will create signature moments. Nia Jax, Braun Strowman and American Alpha are among those poised to make Sunday's pay-per-view their coming-out parties.

The main event is a rematch of a 2004 bout in Brock Lesnar and Goldberg, but the undercard will be a showcase of New Era talent. 

Goldberg's first official WWE action in over 12 years will generate the most buzz heading into Survivor Series. But it will be the likes of Jax, Strowman and American Alpha who leave Toronto's Air Canada Centre carrying the most momentum.

News, Potential Spoilers

Goldberg won't be 100 percent heading into his battle with Lesnar. 

During a segment on the Nov. 14 edition of Raw, where the former WCW champ bowled over a number of security guards, Goldberg apparently hurt himself. He told Scott Dargis of NBC Sports: "My body feels horrible. I tweaked my shoulder last night."

Lesnar was likely to carry the load in the ring before this news. The chances of that are even higher now.

Another powerhouse may be set to outperform Goldberg.

Raw general manager Mick Foley spoke to Fox Sports writer Nick Schwartz of Strowman's opportunity at Survivor Series: "I believe he's going to impress a lot of people and surprise a lot of people on Sunday night."

That could be the Raw loyalty talking, but it may also be a hint at how WWE will book the big man. It's more than feasible that Strowman gets plenty of spotlight when he battles the blue brand as part of Team Raw.

SmackDown's team mascot could also play a major role on Sunday. It looks like James Ellsworth will be sticking around.

Dave Meltzer reported on Figure Four Online that "Ellsworth has contacted indy promoters [to say] that he's taking no new dates, which means he's either signed or about to sign a WWE contract."

The former jobber has become a key part of SmackDown stories of late. If that's going to remain the case, he won't just be standing around at Survivor Series. Ellsworth could well make an impact on the outcome.

WWE Survivor Series: Preview and Predictions for PPV's Top Matches

Match Card

• The Brian Kendrick vs. Kalisto (Cruiserweight Championship).
• The Miz vs. Sami Zayn (Intercontinental Championship).
• 10-on-10 Raw vs. SmackDown tag team elimination match.
• Women's Raw vs. SmackDown elimination match.
• Men's Raw vs. SmackDown elimination match.
• Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar.

Predictions

• Kendrick over Kalisto.
• The Miz over Zayn.
• Team SmackDown over Team Raw in the 10-on-10 bout.
• Team Raw over Team SmackDown in the women's match. 
• Team SmackDown over Team Raw in the men's match. 
• Lesnar over Goldberg.

Match Previews

Cruiserweight Championship

The entire cruiserweight division is on the line. If Kalisto defeats Kendrick, he not only brings the cruiserweight title with him to SmackDown, but also all the wrestlers chasing that championship.

The promise of that shake-up will add suspense to this bout. Kendrick's heel work has been outstanding, and that should continue here.

Shifting the cruiserweight division from Raw to SmackDown is far from a safe bet. Yes, the division has sputtered on Raw, but that would be quite the drastic move after only two months.

And that would make more sense if WWE hadn't revealed weeks ago that Kendrick, Lince Dorado, Cedric Alexander and the rest of the cruiserweights will be getting their own show, 205 Live. 

Intercontinental Championship

The Miz pushed Dolph Ziggler aside days before Survivor Series to become IC champ once more and earn his spot on the PPV card. He will face a hungry Zayn, with whom he briefly clashed for that same title earlier in the year.

The match promises to be one of the night's best, with a top-tier heel and a superb storyteller at work.

Zayn and The Miz's story isn't likely over after Sunday. The former may demand a move to SmackDown to chase the crown. Or a Triple Threat match involving Ziggler could be on the way.

Either way, Zayn will have to wait for his moment of glory.

Tag Team Elimination Match

With 10 teams to showcase, WWE is going to have to pinpoint which performers it wants to focus on. The Shining Stars aren't going to get that nod.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass from the Raw side and American Alpha from SmackDown's squad are the most likely candidates to get the bulk of the spotlight. The crowded, potentially messy bout will boil down to big moments, and these young stars will create theirs on Sunday night.

American Alpha was red-hot after first moving to SmackDown this summer. The group had to step aside to make room for the feel-good Heath Slater story, but it's time for Chad Gable and Jason Jordan to start charging toward the upper tier again.

Women's Elimination Match

Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Bayley will assure that this will be a stellar match. 

Infighting could easily derail one of these teams' hopes. Rivals Carmella and Nikki Bella are on the same side. As are the two women who brutalized each other at Hell in a Cell in October, Banks and Flair.

The talk of this bout, though, will be Jax. As Bleacher Report's Matt Camp noted in his Survivor Series preview, WWE may use the bout to get her over as a monster:

WWE Survivor Series: Preview and Predictions for PPV's Top Matches

The titan will make a major statement by knocking off a number of SmackDown members.

Men's Elimination Match

WWE's options in this contest are plentiful.

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens' friendship could start to dissolve after a mid-match misunderstanding. The final three wrestlers could be all three former members of The Shield: Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.

But among all the crazy and dramatic things that could happen, the safest bet is that Strowman roars, taking down a good chunk of Team Blue. WWE has made it clear how highly it thinks of him from the get-go. The company has booked him as unstoppable. 

And now he's side-by-side with the U.S. and universal champs, while Rusev, Neville and other promising talents are poised to miss Survivor Series altogether.

SmackDown will win, though. Raw doesn't need the momentum that comes from this kind of victory. It's already the marquee show.

The bigger story would be the blue brand coming out on top.

Goldberg vs. Lesnar II

The result is easy to predict. It's how good of a match this will be that's uncertain.

WWE isn't going to have Lesnar drop a match to a guy who may never wrestle for the company again. It won't hurt its top monster, a man it booked to end The Undertaker's streak and demolish John Cena. Lesnar will outlast Goldberg en route to whatever massive match at WrestleMania the company has planned for him.

As for Goldberg, this will be a farewell, a chance to go out on a higher note than the WrestleMania XX bout, during which fans booed these men unmercifully. 

Goldberg's age, ring rust and recently tweaked shoulder suggest Survivor Series will go off the rails in its closing moments. But he and Lesnar will surprise their critics. This will be a hard-hitting battle of beasts.

It won't be long or pretty, but it will be miles better than their first go-round.