WWE Survivor Series 2017: B/R Expert Match Picks, Predictions and Analysis

WWE has turned this year's Survivor Series into a war between Raw and SmackDown, and it has led to some interesting storyline developments in recent weeks.

Management made a few last-minute changes to the pay-per-view by having three titles switch hands. This has led to a more stacked card in terms of star-power.

Here is a quick rundown of Sunday's card, according to WWE.com:

• Enzo Amore vs. Kalisto for the Cruiserweight Championship
• The Bar vs The Usos
• Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss
• The Shield vs. The New Day
• The Miz vs. Baron Corbin
• Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor and Triple H vs. Shane McMahon, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode and John Cena
• Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Asuka vs. Becky Lynch, Carmella, Tamina, Naomi and TBA
• Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles.

Bleacher Report's lineup of writers will go through each feud and provide predictions for Survivor Series' matches. Our group is made up of the following:

• Anthony Mango (AM) (@ToeKneeManGo)
• Kevin Berge (KB) (@TheBerge_)
• James Moffat (JM) (@JamesMoffat)
• Ryan Dilbert (RD) (@RyanDilbert)
• Yours truly (CM) (@BR_Doctor).

Enzo Amore vs. Kalisto (Cruiserweight Championship)

Q: Kalisto and Amore have the only title match on the card, and they have been relegated to the pre-show slot. Is there anything they can do in this match to prove the cruiserweight division deserves more prominent placement?

RD: Not likely. Amore has been great for 205 Live as a character, but betting on him to come through in the ring is a mistake.

Prediction: Amore hangs on via nefarious means.

KB: If Neville couldn’t get this division on the main card of Big Four shows, how can Kalisto and Enzo? Enzo does not warrant the spot by virtue of his in-ring ability, and Kalisto is not a big enough star to get the spot. That said, it is certainly the right move for them to be on the Kickoff for Survivor Series as this match has nothing to do with Raw vs. SmackDown which is the focus of the show.

Prediction: Enzo once more survives Kalisto thanks to an exposed turnbuckle.

JM: Considering the lineup at Survivor Series, this match is definitely an outlier and has a proper place on this card. Moving forward, WWE needs to consider what it wants to do with the cruiserweight division. The current product is a show-within-a-show, which isn’t working. More crossover between 205 Live, Raw and SmackDown could help, which would bring the cruiserweights more prominence.

Prediction: Amore retains the cruiserweight title.

AM: Absolutely not. We have to face the fact that no matter what, the cruiserweight division is never going to be viewed as an equal or higher priority than the main brands. Even if they put on the best match of the night, that won't change a thing, but that's not going to happen, either.

Prediction: Amore retains the title.

CM: Unfortunately, no. Even if they have the best match of the night, it will be forgotten by the end of the show because of all the big showdowns happening. I would love to see the division taken more seriously, but it's going to take a lot of work.

Prediction: Amore retains thanks to some help from his Zo Train cronies.

The Miz vs. Baron Corbin

Q: Heel vs. heel matches are always tricky from a fan perspective. Which Superstar do you think the crowd will get behind?

RD: The Miz. He's been a revelation as Raw's resident braggart and Hollywood elitist. He'll get crowd support despite his character alignment, especially against a guy so many aren't buying into like Corbin.

Prediction: Corbin scores a big win for his surging career.

KB: Miz can get the crowd behind him anytime he wants. He’s charismatic enough to pull it off, and he’s going to be the easy choice next to Corbin, who fans clearly loathe. Miz will cheat throughout, but he’ll make it fun to watch and root for.

Prediction: Miz escapes with a win after a timely distraction from The Miztourage sets up a low blow.

JM: Definitely The Miz, for the sheer fact that he’s as engaging a personality as there is in WWE today. Crowds have been reacting positively to him of late, and they understand and appreciate the work he has done over the last year-plus.

Prediction: Corbin needs the win, but I think The Miz sneaks out with the victory.

AM: Easily, The Miz will have the crowd's support. He's far more likeable and interacts with the audience in a level that Corbin never touches. The Lone Wolf comes off as less fun whereas The Miz is goofy and has had the time to build a great rapport with the WWE Universe, so the A-Lister will be cheered for sure.

Prediction: Corbin offsets his recent string of bad luck and gets the win.

CM: The crowd has already chosen The Miz based on the reception he gets every time he brings up Corbin during one of his promos. Corbin has a following, but it's not as big as The Miz's fanbase. 

Prediction: The Miztourage helps The Miz defeat The Lone Wolf.

The Shield vs. The New Day

Q: Aside from the Raw vs. SmackDown aspect of this PPV, which stable would benefit more from a win in this match?

RD: The Shield can't lose. They only just reunited. Falling on Sunday, even to The New Day, will deflate some of the enthusiasm for their comeback tour.

Prediction: The Shield wins a show-stealer.

KB: If WWE wants The Shield to be a major part of the brand going forward, the three stars have to win here in just their second match as a trio again. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins once went undefeated in six-man tag matches for months, selling the idea that no one could stop them, and this should be the story again. Until someone new can rise up to take them down or they implode, The Shield must be unstoppable as a trio.

Prediction: The Shield stands tall after a triple powerbomb on Big E.

JM: There’s no doubt The New Day would benefit most from a win here. How many teams can say they went toe-to-toe with The Shield and came out victorious? Not many. Plus, with The Usos moving on from The New Day in SmackDown’s tag division, the trio needs something to boost their place on that show. The Shield will always headline Raw, so a loss doesn’t affect them nearly as bad.

Prediction: The Shield wins.

AM: At this point, The New Day have achieved so much as a team that they have a protective bubble around them that will keep them fine with a loss like this, whereas The Shield coming up short will reflect poorly on the three Hounds of Justice and make it seem like they're no longer the same faction they used to be. WWE seems to be all-in for Reigns, so for him alone, The Shield needs this win to keep up appearances.

Prediction: The Shield stands strong with another win for Raw.

CM: It makes more sense for The Shield to win, but The New Day would benefit more. Nobody expects Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and Big E to win, so putting them over would get the best reaction from the crowd. 

Prediction: The Shield wins a competitive matchup.

Bonus Question

Q: The card has changed three times in recent weeks due to title changes. Is this a result of poor  initial planning, or do you think it’s WWE’s attempt to be unpredictable?

RD: This smells like a case of WWE changing its mind. In every case, it does so for the better. And the “anything can happen” feel that emerged from it all is a welcome by-product of the company ripping up the card this late. 

KB: If WWE had this card planned out from the start, I would hope they would have better planned out booking. Even though the card now looks great, no match here has really had time to develop beyond its nominal value. I am excited about the show regardless because WWE eventually settled on a strong card, but it took too much time getting there, especially with a few no-brainer decisions.

JM: I think it’s option three; lukewarm reception to the initial Survivor Series plans. I didn’t think the outline was poor when WWE made its initial Survivor Series announcements last month with champion vs. champion formats, traditional elimination matches, etc. But fans were tepid about the actual matches and the Superstars in them. The changes have shaken up the pay-per-view and created a buzz that wasn’t there before. 

AM: If the previous cards over the past few months were better, an argument could be made that this was all WWE's grand machinations, but that isn't the case. This is very clearly an instance where the company didn't plan things out well enough, per usual, and started to realize the flaws as time went on.

Thankfully, WWE was able to correct some of those blunders, but it meant forcing some chaotic rewrites, including title changes that probably wouldn't have happened otherwise. The sad thing is that this exact same poor planning problem will probably still plague the events to come over the next few months, too.

CM: I think it's a little from column A and a little from column B. The Shield losing the tag titles so the group could face The New Day always seemed like the plan, but Charlotte and Styles' wins were definitely an effort to beef up the card with better matches.  

Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte Flair

Q: If you were booking this match, explain who you would book to win and why it would be the best decision.

RD: Flair is established enough as a star not to need this win the way Bliss does. If The Goddess can beat out WWE's biggest female name, that's going to do wonders for her. Bliss should leave heartbroken here.

Prediction: Flair wins, and Carmella teases a Money in the Bank cash-in.

KB: This is a battle of 2016’s most decorated women, and, in 2016, Bliss would have needed the win here more. However, Charlotte has been much lower in the pecking order since their brand switch. I would have her win to solidify her new championship reign and remind everyone she was once WWE’s biggest female star and should still be spoken about with that level of respect.

Prediction: Charlotte makes Bliss tap out to the Figure Eight.

JM: Charlotte would be winning this match, and it’s more to affect Raw than SmackDown. With the depth in Raw’s women’s division at the moment, Bliss needs to look vulnerable in order for someone to be able to knock her off her perch. A loss to Charlotte at Survivor Series would do that and pave the way for Nia Jax, Sasha Banks or Asuka to stake a claim to being the top woman for the Red Brand.

Prediction: Charlotte prevails.

AM: While I'm personally a much, much bigger fan of Bliss than Flair, I can't justify having her come out on top. Flair is the bigger, more powerful and more experienced of the two, and since she's a babyface, it's easier for her to win and for Bliss to pout than to think of a way for the smaller woman to score a pin. For the sake of simplicity and logic as well as helping keep Flair's momentum going, she should win.

Prediction: Flair scores a point for SmackDown.

CM: I would have Charlotte win so Bliss could attack her after the match out of anger, leaving the door open for Carmella to cash in her Money in the Bank contract and win the title. Two title changes in one week might upset some people, but it would give Survivor Series a memorable moment.

Prediction: The Queen beats The Goddess.

Women's Elimination Match

Q: If you could only pick one woman to be the sole survivor of the match, who would it be and why?

RD: Asuka. There's a chance to make her look dominant and special. A ton of eliminations and being the last woman standing would help with that process.

Prediction: Team Raw gets the win.

KB: While I get the feeling SmackDown will win this year, if I got to choose, I would have Asuka standing tall over everyone by the match’s end. She is an electric star who can change the game, and having her quickly establish her dominance by taking out multiple stars, perhaps even coming back from three-to-one odds, would solidify her as the division’s most dominant performer.

Prediction: Team SmackDown survives with sole survivor Lynch eliminating Jax last.

JM: It has to be Asuka. WWE has been playing up her invincibility too much for it not to continue the angle. Having her eliminated in any way, be it pin, submission, count-out, disqualification or alien abduction, would derail her immediately. She needs to not only survive in this match, but thrive.

Prediction: Raw wins, with Asuka and Nia Jax standing tall in the end.

AM: Hands down, everybody's choice for this has to be Asuka. For her to suffer her first loss as part of a team match would kill all the fun out of her undefeated streak, and if she's going to be on the winning team, she might as well be the last woman standing while her teammates all fell.

Prediction: Asuka secures the victory for Team Raw.

CM: I want to say Asuka because her undefeated streak should stay intact, but Lynch is my favorite wrestler on the entire roster right now, so I would have to book her to be the last woman standing. She deserves a big moment like this after being overshadowed by Charlotte since the last draft. 

Prediction: Team SmackDown wins for the blue brand.

Men's Elimination Match

Q: WWE gave four spots in this match to part-timers Shane McMahon, Kurt Angle John Cena and Triple H. Pick two Raw and two SmackDown Superstars to replace them on the teams and explain why they deserve to be included.

RD: Bray Wyatt and Jason Jordan are among the only feasible options for Team Raw. Jordan teaming with his storyline father and possibly betraying him would be something to watch. Wyatt is a former WWE champ who keeps getting shafted, as he will be on Sunday. For SmackDown, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn would be mighty intriguing team members as they clearly have issues with McMahon. There would be a great subplot to the bout as a result.

Prediction: Owens and Zayn stab their fellow SmackDown stars in the back, aiding Raw to victory.

KB: For SmackDown, I would have given the spots to Zayn and Owens as the two are not only fantastic but create the perfect story with the two holding power over Shane on the team that he is forced to respect. For Raw, the spots should go to Wyatt (directly replacing Jordan after his attack) and Kane given both missing this show makes no sense. Kane especially being on Team Raw alongside Strowman would have been a fascinating dynamic.

Prediction: Team SmackDown wins with sole survivor Roode thanks to the timely distraction from a furious and noticeably healthy Jordan.

JM: SmackDown is simple; Owens and Zayn. These two are too important to the company to have them not participate in this match. They are featured Superstars currently not even part of the pay-per-view. Raw isn’t so cut-and-dry. I think Jordan, while a questionable choice, would be the right one, seeing as WWE has big plans for him moving forward.

The final spot? I would have liked to see someone like Cedric Alexander make the move away from 205 Live. He’s too talented to be wasted on multi-man matches like he’s done for the last month-plus.

Prediction: Raw wins with help from Owens and Zayn.

AM: Given the options, I would go with Jordan and Wyatt on Raw, with Jinder Mahal and Tye Dillinger for SmackDown. Jordan's story has been interesting, so I wouldn't have cut him, but rather have him stand in for Angle. Wyatt is noticeably absent from this card, and it feels strange for him to have no feuds going into it or anything to do. When it comes to Mahal, it's also odd that the former WWE champion is left off the show, so a spot on the team could help offset that massive downgrade he's suffered. Finally, Dillinger is someone who could represent the future as opposed to clinging onto the past.

Prediction: This is a toss-up, but the lingering threat of Owens and Zayn costing SmackDown the win gives the edge to Team Raw for the victory.

CM: I would have put Matt Hardy and Kane on Team Raw. Matt needs something to do while Jeff heals up and Kane being on the same team as Strowman would lead to some interesting conflicts. For SmackDown, it would have to be Dillinger and Rusev. The Bulgarian Brute is criminally underused right now, and Dillinger could get a huge boost if he were one of the final survivors in the match.

Prediction: Team Raw wins thanks to a dominant performance from Strowman.

Bonus Question

Q: Which show had the better invasion, Raw or SmackDown?

RD: Raw's ambush made more sense as it had a revenge element to it. SmackDown's felt forced. Plus, the red brand laid out the other show's commissioner, something Team SmackDown didn't pull off.

KB: Raw’s invasion was easily better. SmackDown’s invasion was a misfire, a moment for the sake of a moment that happened too soon. Raw’s built up for weeks before boiling over and coming off as better organized. Though it could have been better by not making SmackDown look inept after weeks of preparing for the moment.

JM: Raw’s invasion of SmackDown was the clear winner for the simple fact that there was more to care about so close to Survivor Series. SmackDown’s invasion was very well orchestrated, but there was little to no investment from fans at that moment. With so much upheaval in the card and the fact that every major player took part, Raw’s angle worked so much better. 

AM: SmackDown's invasion on Raw wasn't expected, which hurts Raw's in the long run. Both felt brutal, but the red brand's response was something everybody anticipated for weeks, whereas the initial first strike came out of nowhere, making that the better of the two.

CM: Raw's invasion of SmackDown was predictable, but it still came off better on television. Angle finally showed some anger and The Shield put an exclamation point on the attack with a Triple Powerbomb to Shane. The Raw women's roster attacking the SmackDown locker room also had more impact than when SmackDown attacked Raw a few weeks earlier.  

The Usos vs. The Bar

Q: Where does this match rank among the other bouts in terms of the level of anticipation leading to the show?

RD: As hot as The Usos have been, this won't be a contest many are thrilled about. Facing Rollins and Ambrose would have generated more buzz, but this is still going to be a hard-hitting, wild affair.

Prediction: The Usos sneak by The Bar.

KB: For me, it’s second behind just The Shield vs. New Day because those are the two matches with the most likely chance to steal the show. These teams have been the two highest performing tag teams in WWE and have never faced off in a two-on-two match, which makes the encounter a must-watch.

Prediction: The Usos conquer The Bar after a flurry of near-falls.

JM: From a pure wrestling match, this might be among the best on this card and, frankly, one of the top three I’m looking forward to. Both teams are great fun in the ring and are clearly the top teams in the company right now. As for hype, it’s at the lower end of the spectrum. But once the bell rings, these four men could steal the show come Sunday.

Prediction: The Usos claim a victory for Team SmackDown.

AM: It's nowhere near at the same level of Styles vs. Lesnar, The Shield vs. The New Day or the elimination matches, but it's on par with the rest of the bouts featuring the champions. Both teams are equals and have had fantastic matches in their divisions this year, so this could be a surprise candidate for the best in-ring performance of the show.

Prediction: The Bar wins, but I'm not too confident in that prediction.

CM: The WWE Universe would likely rate this match in the middle of the pack, but I am personally looking forward to this just as much as Lesnar vs. Styles and The New Day vs. The Shield. Both The Usos and The Bar are amazing tag teams and will likely steal the show with the most physical encounter of the night.

Prediction: The Bar wins, possibly due to interference from Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin. 

Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles

Q: While Lesnar always gets a great reaction, his matches aren't usually memorable. Do you think Styles will be the guy to finally get a great match out of Lesnar? 

RD: Indeed. That's what Styles does. He is fresh off making Jinder Mahal look like a legit headliner.

Prediction: Lesnar fends off a gutsy Styles for the win.

KB: Lesnar has had many great matches since returning to WWE in 2012, from Cena to Reigns to The Undertaker, but since that Taker feud, Lesnar has retreated into a formula that seems to be unbreakable. Short, physical, and suplex-heavy, Lesnar’s matches just do not lend themselves well to a main-event spotlight anymore. Joe could only pull a "good" match out of Lesnar, and I expect the same from Styles no matter how much effort he puts in.

Prediction: Lesnar escapes the flurry of Styles by catching him mid-air for an F5.

JM: I think AJ Styles will have a great match, yes. Can he get anything out of Lesnar? Probably not, but it won’t stop The Phenomenal One from carrying the match by himself. I’m sure Lesnar will look like Lesnar, providing some great spots in places, but this match will be all AJ from an in-ring performance.

Prediction: Lesnar wins.

AM: Sadly, no. I have a feeling everyone's hopes will be too high for this to meet their expectations. Lesnar isn't the same type of performer as Styles in any regard, and the size difference will make it hard to believe. This won't be a slaughter, but I have my doubts that Styles will be able to put up enough of a fight against WWE's top priority save for Reigns, so this could end up being a relatively quick one-sided affair.

Prediction: Lesnar definitely wins.

CM: This match won't steal the show due to Lesnar's limited arsenal and WWE's unwillingness to put him in a match longer than 10-12 minutes, but Styles will help make this Lesnar's best performance in quite some time.

Prediction: Just to be that guy, I will say Styles walks out with the win.