WWE Survivor Series Proved WWE Has Plenty of Dream Matches Left in Its Arsenal

At WWE Survivor Series Sunday, a Raw vs. SmackDown Live pay-per-view quickly went from Suplex City to Dream Match City.

In an era when WWE's abundance of content—with five hours of television per week in addition to 16 pay-per-view events scheduled in 2017—leads to repetitive matchups, a combination of the brand split and part-time performers has protected a large handful of WrestleMania-worthy feuds.

WWE's Survivor Series main event featured a mix of several mouthwatering showdowns. Triple H vs. Kurt Angle; John Cena vs. Samoa Joe; Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura; Triple H vs. Kurt Angle; Triple H vs. Shane McMahon; Randy Orton vs. Samoa Joe; Braun Strowman vs. John Cena; Triple H vs. Kurt Angle; Triple H vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and, of course, Triple H vs. Kurt Angle.

Even a potential feud between Triple H and Braun Strowman was teased at Survivor Series, and those two are technically on the same brand.

There's no doubt WWE's product has been watered down by its own growth, as pay-per-view-caliber matchups are given away on free television every week. Still a major ratings draw for NBCUniversal, WWE's nine-figure television contract with USA Network, in a post-Attitude Era landscape, demands quality in-ring competition on a platform that used to be filled with non-competitive squash matches.

But with WWE teasing so many refreshing matchups at Survivor Series, the promotion is a few trades or even another Superstar Shake-up away from creating brand-new, worthwhile rivalries.

The brand split has been the great equalizer in protecting WWE from itself when it comes to preserving exciting future one-on-one feuds. The Survivor Series main event served as a microcosm of WWE's ability to book these first-time feuds, which was the case in five non-Survivor Series matches.

It's quite comforting to think that in 2017, WWE has given away Roman Reigns vs. John Cena, The New Day vs. The Shield, AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar and Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman. And it could still book a handful of novel matches at a future WrestleMania with relative ease.

In this era of the brand extension, the promotion has shown impressive discipline in keeping Raw and SmackDown Superstars on their respective brands, with talent only crossing enemy lines for designed interbrand feuds—which was the theme of Survivor Series 2017—or in case of emergency. That ability to honor brand exclusivity has helped WWE cultivate matchups fit for Big Four pay-per-views.

Though it may have had a somewhat flat ending, WWE Survivor Series proved, if nothing else, WWE's fanbase has plenty to be excited about with a new year around the corner.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.