Rebooking Lesnar vs. Styles, Elimination Matches and WWE Survivor Series Card

WWE Survivor Series was perhaps the perfect example of how capable the company is of putting on a show that features the good, the bad and the ugly in equal measure.

What was—at least in large part—a solid show with plenty to get excited about was eventually overshadowed by some questionable booking decisions in the bigger bouts of the night.

The two elimination matches, and the men's in particular, were confusing in the way they were booked for significant periods, leaving a sour taste in the mouth.

With that in mind, here's how WWE could have better delivered Survivor Series, as we take a look through the card and rebook the critical moments of the key matches.

Women's Elimination Match

Like most of the matches at Survivor Series, WWE at least got the ending right.

Having Asuka stand tall as the sole survivor was the undisputed right choice for the company to make. She is clearly destined for greatness on Raw.

But what about the rest of the fight?

Much like in the men's elimination match, WWE chose to have one of its most popular competitors, Becky Lynch, knocked out first.

That made hardly any sense. Lynch, despite receiving little in the way of a bona fide push from WWE Creative in recent months, remains as over as ever in the eyes of fans. She's talented and charismatic, and she has all the assets to become a huge star on the blue brand.

This would have been a great opportunity for her to go one on one with Asuka by standing tall as SmackDown's final survivor. Instead, WWE opted to have the likes of Tamina last longer in the piece. That felt like a mistake. 

The Miz vs. Baron Corbin

It was pretty cool to see Baron Corbin pick up a big victory at Survivor Series.

His 2017 has been hit-or-miss to say the least. He looked destined to become WWE's next big breakout star when he won the Money in the Bank briefcase in the summer—before disastrously losing it just a few weeks later.

Corbin's interactions with Maryse, who was at ringside for Survivor Series, solidified him as one of SmackDown's best heels too, but it would have been nice to see him play on that a bit more.

This was a little too much about The Miztourage as well rather than focusing enough on The Miz and Baron Corbin. Did they need to get involved? Sure, it's a pretty straightforward move for WWE to pull out when Miz is fighting babyfaces. But Corbin is a straight-up heel.

WWE should have let the two brawl without any distraction or disruption for a bit more of the bout. 

Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles

There are some matches at Survivor Series that desperately needed rebooking.

However, Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles wasn't one of them. It felt like it would have been easy to rework the direction of the match in the early exchanges, not least when it looked like Lesnar would record a crushing victory.

But given how strong Styles looked in the later moments of the bout, WWE deserves credit for making both guys look great.

Could WWE have manipulated the finish so that Styles' next challenger, like Jinder Mahal, perhaps, interfered and caused a distraction?

Maybe. There's no doubting it would have protected Styles a lot more. But of all the individuals on the roster who can survive a big pay-per-view defeat, it is The Phenomenal One.

Men's Elimination Match

Where do you begin with one of the more frustrating and disappointing main events in recent times?

Bizarrely, it's probably best to start at the end. Triple H vs. Kurt Angle and/or Triple H vs. Braun Strowman are matches that were fine to be set up during this match, but holding them at the finish was a poor decision.

HHH taking down Angle should have happened midway through the match. In that way, fans would have seen the swerve but still would have had plenty more to look forward to.

And moving that moment to midway through the bout opens the door to correct the poor booking at the beginning, during which two of SmackDown Live's biggest stars were the first to leave the match.

Having Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode eliminated first was a huge error. These are two guys who should be built toward potential WWE Championship storylines in the next six to eight months. Sunday night crushed any momentum or direction they may have had.

Nakamura in particular should have been among the final two or three participants. Sure, if the plan all along was for Raw to win, then fine, but make Braun Strowman the sole survivor after putting away a brave effort from Shinsuke.

That would have been the ideal way to finish this bout and ensure the right people looked strong—as opposed to the company's part-time stars.