WWE Survivor Series 2011: Team Orton vs. Team Barrett Will Be Highlight of Card

All eyes will be on The Rock when he makes his return to the ring on Sunday at Survivor Series.

While it will be a spectacle, the true highlight of the pay-per-view event will undoubtedly be when Team Orton takes on Team Barrett in a traditional five-on-five elimination tag match.

Over the years, Survivor Series has lost a bit of its luster due to straying from the large tag-team matches that made it special.  Instead, Survivor Series is largely made up of regular matches, which simply makes it seem like a run-of-the-mill pay-per-view.

But, to the WWE's credit, it hasn't completely abandoned the traditional Survivor Series-style match as there is usually one every year.  This year it will be Randy Orton teaming with Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Kofi Kingston and Sin Cara to take on Wade Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger and Hunico.

Fans of the WWE can see a WWE Championship match with any old pay-per-view, but with the elimination of Bragging Rights, this is the only time of the year when they can see a truly unique match that conjures up great memories of years gone by.

Not only does this elimination-style match remind me of the company's glory days in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but it has a lot of significance in the present day as well. 

Strong performances in Survivor Series matches have launched the careers of many legendary superstars, including The Undertaker, who debuted at Survivor Series, The Rock and even Orton, who will be competing in this particular match.

With that said, the result of Sunday's match could realistically change the career path of one or more superstars involved.

I fully expect that to be the case for Barrett and possibly Ziggler as well.  I have come to the conclusion that the creative team is going to make the right decision by putting Barrett's heel team over Orton's team, despite the fact that an Orton win would get a bigger pop.

The WWE has gone to great lengths to build up Barrett in recent weeks as he has beaten Money in the Bank winner Daniel Bryan, Orton and Sheamus.  It is clear that Barrett is being positioned for something big, and because of that he needs the win at Survivor Series.

He was already put over Orton and Sheamus individually, so there's no reason why it can't be done in an elimination tag match.  There are plenty of ways to protect Orton and Sheamus from looking weak, while still giving Barrett the win and making him the sole survivor.

To a lesser extent, Ziggler could use a big performance as well.  He doesn't necessarily need to be the sole survivor like Barrett does, but it would be huge if he was allowed to make a few eliminations.

I have a feeling that Zack Ryder will use his petition to get himself involved in Ziggler's United States Championship match against John Morrison on Sunday.  Because of that, Ryder will win the belt, leaving Ziggler free to pursue the main event.

This match has all the makings of a classic Survivor Series battle as it has great wrestlers, great personalities, and the potential to leave a long-lasting impression. 

It's matches like these that make me wish that Survivor Series went back to strictly having elimination-style tag matches.