WWE Survivor Series 2016: Biggest Winners and Losers from Marquee Event
The wrestling world is still in shock from the main event of Sunday's WWE Survivor Series 2016 pay-per-view, as Goldberg stunned everyone by destroying Brock Lesnar.
But aside from that explosive—albeit short—main event, there were plenty of other winners and losers on the night, too.
The three traditional Survivor Series matches gave birth to new stars and renewed hopes that big names like Bray Wyatt can begin to scale the ladder on SmackDown.
Elsewhere, The Miz's success over Sami Zayn makes him one of the night's big winners.
But who else prevailed? And who had a night to forget? Here's a look at the biggest winners and losers from Survivor Series.
Winner: The Miz
1 of 6The most despised heel on the entire WWE roster continued his impressive run of form on Sunday night.
However, it took another assist from Maryse to get him over the line and help him retain the Intercontinental Championship, but that is all part of The Miz's gimmick at the moment—win by any means possible.
Many suspected that Sami Zayn would win the title and bring it to Raw. But thanks to Maryse ringing the bell and causing a distraction, it was The Miz who retained his title.
But what's next? That will be an interesting watch. WWE could keep an interbrand rivalry between Zayn and The Miz alive, but the most likely option is Dolph Ziggler seeking retribution for his defeat last Tuesday.
All things being equal, Sunday was another strong night for a man who has quickly become the top heel in the company.
Loser: Sasha Banks
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With Raw having two survivors in the women's Survivor Series match on Sunday night, it was a strong night for that division—with the exception of Sasha Banks.
The Boss was eliminated earlier than many thought she would be, and given the events that transpired following the match, she looks to have fallen down the pecking order when it comes to challenging Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women's Championship.
WWE is now going to press ahead with its plans for Bayley vs. Flair, meaning that Banks will be left kicking her heels and looking for someone else to feud with. Does she go into a program with someone like Nia Jax? Will Dana Brooke step out of Flair's shadow again and make an enemy of The Boss?
That should all become clearer on Monday's edition of Raw, but for now, Sunday was a night to forget for Banks.
Winners: The Usos
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They may not have been on the winning team Sunday night, but given the way they performed at Survivor Series, The Usos looked like SmackDown's best tag team.
They eliminated The New Day in the match's opening moments and then went on to survive the majority of the match before eventually being put away by Sheamus and Cesaro as the last team to be eliminated.
What did Sunday's performance suggest? It told us that, in reality, Jimmy and Jey have to be at the front of the queue to go after Heath Slater and Rhyno's tag titles. From there, WWE can restart the feud between The Usos and American Alpha, this time with the titles on the line.
It was a great showing from Jimmy and Jey Uso on Sunday night. They've been given a great platform to build on moving forward into 2017.
Loser: The New Day
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Just what is happening with the Raw tag champions? The New Day has been on a terrible run of late, and that seemed to continue on Sunday night, as it was the first squad from Team Raw to be knocked out.
Is WWE building up to a storyline where The New Day addresses its vulnerability? Fans will find out quickly whether its poor form is going to continue, as it will defend its titles Monday against Sheamus and Cesaro.
Will WWE pull the trigger on The New Day's reign before it surpasses Demolition? Or is there something else to this run of suspicious booking? Either way, it's impossible to argue that The New Day was one of the biggest losers on Sunday night at Survivor Series.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
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The obvious talking point from the main Survivor Series match of the evening was the mini-reunion of The Shield—but the bigger story here is the development of Bray Wyatt's career on SmackDown.
Randy Orton's performance is more than worthy of a mention here. There was some good storytelling with Orton "taking the bullet" in the closing moments, not to mention his spectacular assist to help put Seth Rollins away in what had become an excellent tag match between Orton, Wyatt, Rollins and Roman Reigns.
But Wyatt scoring the winning pinfall should be the start of something huge. What's next for him? With The Undertaker announcing he's back on SmackDown, perhaps the program will deliver what many consider to be a dream match—Taker vs. Wyatt.
Or does he have his sights set on AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose and the WWE World Championship? Either way, Sunday should be the start of something huge for Wyatt.
Winner: Goldberg
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This was the most unlikely result in recent memory—and the most divisive main event in WWE's recent history.
Goldberg didn't just beat Brock Lesnar in his first match back in a WWE ring in 12 years; he decimated him. There are so many questions WWE fans will be asking, but it doesn't take away from the fact that Goldberg is the biggest winner of the night.
Within hours of Goldberg pinning Lesnar and recording a second straight victory over him, a report emerged from Pro Wrestling Sheet's James McKenna stating that Goldberg has signed on for the 2017 Royal Rumble match.
That will likely lead us to a third meeting between Goldberg and Lesnar, probably at WrestleMania next year. But for now, WWE fans can reflect on an astonishing main event with a result that nobody saw coming. The manner of Goldberg's victory made it even more unbelievable.
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