WWE Survivor Series has experienced many changes in its storied history. It began with your traditional 5-on-5 elimination matches. That gimmick stuck for years before the format began to change. Every type of match was used for the show, and when WWE leaned into its 2016 brand split, the format changed once again.
Wanting to promote their newest brand split, WWE devoted the entirety of Survivor Series to brand dominance. Each match featured a wrestler from each brand competing to determine whether Raw or SmackDown reigned supreme. It was a novel idea that didn’t last incredibly long, but one that produced some fantastic matches. Matches that should be required material whenever Survivor Series is on the horizon.
Team SmackDown (A.J. Styles, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton & Shane McMahon) vs Team Raw (Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman & Seth Rollins) Survivor Series 2016
For the first Survivor Series of the brand split, we were lucky enough to get an absolutely fantastic Survivor Series match. Featuring the biggest names from both brands and Shane McMahon, WWE put its whole weight behind the build for this contest. The segments leading up to the match created genuine tension between the brands and excitement among the audience.
Clocking in at a staggering 52 minutes, this was a saga of a match, but one that was necessary. There were no quick eliminations in this match, with the first taking place 16 minutes into the contest. This match took its time, allowing each participant to look strong in the process. There was some great back-and-forth action throughout the contest. There was chemistry on both sides of the ring, and it made for perhaps the most entertaining of Survivor Series matches.
Having Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt go over was the cherry on top here. It was an unexpected and welcome twist to a great match. One that had a main event program gained a lot of steam heading into WrestleMania.
