WWE Survivor Series 2016 is shaping up to be an old-school classic, with a heavy focus on the traditional elimination matches that made the pay-per-view a fan favorite over the years.
On the Oct. 11 episode of SmackDown Live, commissioner Shane McMahon and general manager Daniel Bryan issued a challenge to their Raw counterparts, proposing three separate 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series elimination matches featuring male Superstars, female Superstars and tag teams. The next week, Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon and general manager Mick Foley officially accepted the Survivor Series challenge.
Now it's up to WWE Creative to get the right Superstars in these matches.
WWE's recent history with traditional Survivor Series elimination matches is checkered, at best. While the company has had some hits—most recently the 2015 edition featuring Team Cen vs. Team Authority—most of the recent editions of this pay-per-view have been sprinkled with unappealing matchups featuring low-to-midcard talents or a weak women's division.
WWE must avoid that booking mistake by making this year's matches high-profile bouts. Big-name Superstars need to buy in to the premise that they're fighting for their brands.
WWE Creative successfully weaved such a narrative into the Brock Lesnar-Randy Orton feud heading into SummerSlam, only to have it nosedive immediately following that event. The few crossover instances of Orton and Lesnar appearing on each other's shows drove the narrative well.
The company should follow a similar path for Survivor Series. Superstars from both brands need to build the feud across all platforms, from television to social media to media interviews. There was already a small shot following SmackDown Live this week, as Nikki Bella and Charlotte engaged in a brief Twitter squabble.
Such animosity needs to continue to build, but it's only part of the equation. The most important aspect to making this year's Survivor Series a success will be putting the company's best and brightest in the same ring.
So who should compete for Raw and SmackDown Live at Survivor Series? Click through to take a look at the teams that should compete for each brand.
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