WWE Survivor Series 2017 Predictions: Sole Survivors of the Men's Elimination Match

While Survivor Series is mostly about team competition and brand supremacy, there is always an opportunity for one person to stand out above the rest of his or her squad.

In the instances where a single competitor is left standing tall for a particular team, they are referred to as the "sole survivor" of the match—typically indicating that they are in for quite a push from WWE in some capacity.

Over the years, we've seen folks like Randy Orton (multiple times) and Dolph Ziggler given this honour and although it isn't a guarantee that it will happen again this year in either match, it's worth looking at the current teams to predict who stands the best chance to be the sole survivor of their respective brand's representatives.

In this post, we'll be focusing on the 10 men representing Team Raw and Team SmackDown Live for the 2017 Survivor Series traditional elimination match.

Team Raw consists of: Kurt Angle (captain), Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Jason Jordan, and Samoa Joe

Team SmackDown consists of: Shane McMahon (captain), Bobby Roode, John Cena, Randy Orton, and Shinsuke Nakamura

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Most likely to be Team Raw's Sole Survivor: Braun Strowman

Who can possibly move this mountain of a man?

In terms of sheer strength and size, Team Raw's biggest asset is definitely Braun Strowman.

While he's come up short in the bigger matches like his Universal Championship opportunity against Brock Lesnar, Strowman has had an amazing year of being dominant and tearing through the roster like a wrecking ball.

Clearly, WWE officials realize how popular he's getting and would want to showcase him at this event, as evidenced by his quick addition to Team Raw before anybody else save for Kurt Angle had been decided on.

It would be very easy for this match to be booked in a way where Strowman is the unstoppable force that Team SmackDown simply can't get past since Finn Balor and the others will all be more easily disposed of in comparison.

However, just because Strowman is the best option on paper doesn't mean that will necessarily be the case.

The lingering threat of Kane interfering in the match to cost Strowman an elimination is going to hover like a black cloud and could possibly change the game up, lending an opportunity to this next man as the backup option.

Runner-Up for Team Raw: Jason Jordan

Could this be a turning point for Jason Jordan?

While some fans may be anticipating Kurt Angle himself to be the next best in line underneath Braun Strowman due to his status as a legend and the captain of the crew, it's actually Angle's "son" who stands a much better chance at taking on that responsibility.

Just as WWE knows people like Strowman and Angle and even Balor are popular, they can tell that Jason Jordan hasn't quite caught on the way they might have wanted to.

For two reasons, this match could present the perfect opportunity to play around with that.

In one scenario, this could be the final straw to see if fans can get behind him, making him fight back from an underdog spot to garner sympathy from the crowd.

If that doesn't work, then they would pull the plug on his push and wash their hands of the whole thing.

On the contrary, this could be the total opposite of a babyface push. This could be the impetus for a heel turn.

Some suspicion has been cast on Jordan to be in line for a heel turn that would cost Team Raw the match, but what if he's actually the person who wins the match for the brand and it gets to his head?

What if he feels as though he isn't getting the respect he deserves from the locker room after clearly proving himself and he starts to go on an ego-trip about how he's done something even his dad couldn't do?

That heel turn has a lot of potential behind it, so if you're taking bets, don't count out Jordan being booked in a situation like this.

Most Likely to be Team SmackDown's Sole Survivor: Shinsuke Nakamura

"The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura

If the blue brand is going to be victorious in a way where only one man was left standing, it makes sense for it to be Shinsuke Nakamura above all other options.

Bobby Roode is the newer star, but he's not getting quite the same push as Nakamura and can take a loss without dropping too much momentum.

Shane McMahon is certainly not going to be the single star who stands out above the rest as the company wouldn't prioritize him over the future of the people who are actually going to be more active. He's a team captain and a prop to build around and tell this story, which is surely a focal point, but not in the same regard.

Randy Orton's legacy as a multi-time sole survivor is unlikely to ever be replicated, so he doesn't need another accolade like this to add to his list of accomplishments.

Nakamura, on the other hand, could use a win. He has spent the last few months coming up short against Jinder Mahal and hasn't quite bounced back yet, so taking on the spotlight in this match could start to turn things around in preparation for a big push heading into WrestleMania season.

Runner-Up for Team SmackDown: John Cena

Wouldn't it be strange if a free agent was a brand's saviour?

When it comes to WrestleMania, SmackDown's options for the WWE Championship match seem to boil down to either Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles or Jinder Mahal vs. John Cena.

If there are plans to put the belt back on Mahal after Survivor Series and start to build toward a match against Cena—either with the latter winning the Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber in order to get the title shot at WrestleMania—then this could kickstart that storyline.

Like Orton, Cena is well past the point in his career where he needs anything like this, as he could theoretically win any championship on any given night and the fans wouldn't bat an eye, but his status as a legend means he's always in contention to possibly steal the show at any event, too.

Just because Nakamura is the newcomer in comparison doesn't mean he would take priority over someone like Cena, particularly if the Styles vs. Nakamura match isn't going to be the top draw of SmackDown come the biggest show of the year.

Who do you think has the best chances to be the sole survivours for the men's teams this year? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below!

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