WWE Survivor Series 2017: Match Card, Potential Spoilers, Predictions and More

Brand warfare will dominate an electric WWE Survivor Series 2017. Raw is set to collide with SmackDown Live again and again on Sunday's pay-per-view inside Toyota Center in Houston.

Raw universal champion Brock Lesnar will face WWE champion AJ Styles from SmackDown. Representing the flagship show, The Shield will charge into battle with The New Day. And in a pair of traditional Survivor Series elimination matches, the red brand will look to overwhelm SmackDown, much as it did in the invasion we saw unfold on Tuesday night.

"

It's all about #RAW vs. #SDLive this Sunday when #SurvivorSeries streams LIVE at a special start time of 7e/4p, only on @WWENetwork! pic.twitter.com/iaMP0UbQwg

— WWE (@WWE) November 16, 2017"

The match card looks a lot different than it did just weeks ago.

Styles dethroning Jinder Mahal pushed The Phenomenal One into the spotlight. Wins by Charlotte Flair and The Bar rearranged the card.

Jason Jordan was supposed to fight alongside his father, Kurt Angle, on Sunday's PPV, but WWE made a big change there too. Triple H seized Jordan's spot on Team Raw, helping the event to feel even bigger.

Who will walk out of H-Town with a victory to boast about? What surprises may be in store for the 31st edition of Survivor Series?

Read on for a look at those questions and a full preview of the show.

News, Potential Spoilers

It doesn't look like David Otunga will be serving in his usual pre-show role.

He's in the midst of a legal battle after a split from his wife. And he's apparently chosen to focus on his personal matters. TMZ Sports reported: "Sources close to Otunga tell us he wants to focus on the intense child custody fight with Jennifer Hudson and decided to pull out of 'Survivor Series' coverage."

WWE will consequently have to find another talking head for its Survivor Series panel.

The PPV will be without Carmella's man pet too. WWE announced on Wednesday it had released James Ellsworth.

Carmella kicking him in the jaw on Tuesday turned out to be his final moment on SmackDown.

And while Ellsworth won't be around, fans may see a familiar face return on Sunday. Paige is poised to return after dealing with a neck injury for months.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson recently reported that while there were plans to have Paige join the SmackDown brand, "WWE will instead have her return to the Raw roster." She didn't appear on Monday's Raw, but Johnson later noted she was backstage at the show.

Plans seem to keep shifting for Miss Hell in Boots, so it wouldn't be a shocker to see her join either side on Sunday.

Match Card

• Enzo Amore vs. Kalisto (Cruiserweight Championship)
• The Miz vs. Baron Corbin
• Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte Flair
• Cesaro and Sheamus vs. The Usos
• The Shield vs. The New Day
• Raw vs. SmackDown women's traditional Survivor Series elimination match 
• Raw vs. SmackDown men's traditional Survivor Series elimination match 
• Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles 

Predictions

• Amore over Kalisto.
• Corbin over Miz.
• Flair over Bliss.
• The Usos over The Bar.
• The Shield over The New Day.
• Asuka leads the way for a Team Raw victory.
• Team Raw wins. 
• Lesnar over Styles.

The Shield's Comeback Tour Rolls On

The Shield's first match together since the group's 2014 dissolution was supposed to be at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view in October. A viral infection kept Roman Reigns out of action, though, forcing WWE to change course.

The Hounds of Justice instead reunited for official action on Monday's Raw to take on The Bar and The Miz. They now face a trio that has been WWE's best stable in The Shield's absence.

The New Day vs. The Shield promises to be a thriller. It's the smart bet for the night's show-stealer.

There's little reason to believe Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins will fall here as a loss this early into the reunion would be deflating.

Asuka Remains Undefeated

Alicia Fox will captain a formidable squad of herself, Asuka, Bayley, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax.

Becky Lynch is the leader of Team SmackDown, a unit that is as yet incomplete. Carmella, Naomi and Tamina will battle for the blue brand. But the fifth member remains a mystery.

Could it be Paige? A returning Nikki Bella? An NXT star?

It may not matter. Not only does Team Raw have three former champs in Fox, Bayley and Banks, but it also boasts the powerhouse Jax and the dominant Asuka. The Empress of Tomorrow ran through the NXT roster before arriving on Raw in October, and her winning ways have continued.

It makes the most sense for Asuka to look like a force of nature here and increase the hype around her by being one of the last women standing.

Betrayal Dooms the Blue Brand

A star-studded match highlights Survivor Series. John Cena, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Shane McMahon and Bobby Roode will represent SmackDown against Raw's five-man crew of Kurt Angle, Triple H, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman.

It may end up being two Superstars not on either squad who determine the outcome, though.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are in the middle of a feud with McMahon. And the fact the SmackDown commissioner has left them off the Survivor Series team only made things worse. The two heels are poised to throw a wrench into the blue brand's plans.

Owens making sure McMahon loses is easy to imagine, especially when one remembers that Triple H of Team Raw gifted KO the Universal Championship last year.

Styles Brings Out The Beast's Best

Lesnar's run of shorter, disappointing contests has every chance of ending on Sunday. He will be facing the most athletic opponent he's had in years in Styles. And The Phenomenal One has made his name off making his foes look stellar.

Styles is a major underdog here, as WWE has made an effort in recent months to play up Lesnar's unstoppable nature.

He's sure to give a gutsy and memorable effort, though. That and an invigorated Lesnar will lead to an excellent showing from both men.

The Beast Incarnate's closer-than-expected victory will one of many reasons Raw will have to celebrate in Houston.