Match predictions for WWE Survivor Series

With Survivor Series taking place Sunday, theScore is celebrating the WWE's annual fall classic throughout the week with an in-depth look. Here, we run down the matches scheduled to take place at the event.

• Related - Q-and-A with Jim Ross (Part 1): Talks Goldberg-Lesnar, 1-man show, Kurt Angle
• Related - Q-and-A with Jim Ross (Part 2): Talks Survivor Series card, WWE's commentary team
• Related: 30 facts from 30 years of WWE Survivor Series
• Related: Match predictions for NXT TakeOver: Toronto

10-on-10 Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination Match

Team RAW: WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day, Enzo Amore and Big Cass, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, Sheamus and Cesaro, and The Shining Stars

Team SmackDown Live: WWE Tag Team Champions Rhyno and Heath Slater, The Hype Bros., The Usos, American Alpha, and Breezango

Thank goodness only one member of a team needs to be pinned or submitted for the entire duo to be eliminated from this cluster of a match. Is there even going to be enough room for everyone to stand on the apron and not hinder the view of those sitting ringside? Won't someone please think of the children?

With there being three of these gargantuan elimination matches on the card, wrestling logic dictates that the first two be split so the main event can determine the superior brand. RAW's brigade presents more of an opportunity for inner turmoil, especially with The Club's Anderson and Gallows in the fold. Everyone on that side of the fence is already extremely over with the audience, and won't benefit heavily from a victory here.

This should be American Alpha's time to shine, as well as Beauty and the Man Beast's Slater and Rhyno, who would benefit from a positive showing here since they haven't done much of anything since becoming champions.

Prediction: Team SmackDown Live (Survivors: Rhyno and Heath Slater, and American Alpha)

WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) vs. Sami Zayn

Let's assume that the decision was made to put the Intercontinental Championship back on The Miz this past Tuesday to have a heel drop the gold to a babyface Zayn. Let's also assume that WWE may simply want Zayn to get a stronger reaction as the returning Canadian hero, rather than split the pop with a champion Dolph Ziggler.

Although all signs point towards Zayn bringing the belt over to RAW, what purpose would that really serve? The show already has its mid-card strap with the United States Championship, and doesn't need a second to fill up a three-hour timeslot.

If Miz isn't going to get the main-event push he very much deserves, than rebooting his Intercontinental Championship tour is the best course of action to give him something to do until that inevitably happens. Zayn will be left out in the cold, unfortunately, barring an unforeseen trade so he could continue a program with the titleholder.

Prediction: The Miz retains

WWE Cruiserweight Championship: RAW's Brian Kendrick (c) vs. SmackDown Live's Kalisto

The mere fact that WWE is debuting a brand-new cruiserweight show on the WWE Network entitled "205 Live" (in reference to the weight limit) would lead one to believe that Kalisto will walk away with the win here, as the program will air immediately after SmackDown Live on a weekly basis.

The division has fizzled out ever since the lucrative Cruiserweight Classic tournament, with a lack of focus on character development and creating a star to put at the forefront acting as two of its bigger obstacles. The T.J. Perkins experiment bottomed out quickly, and the jury is still out on Kendrick being a lead heel.

It's still far too early to label the cruiserweights a failure, but the early returns aren't promising. Kalisto is at least a familiar face who the WWE Universe has taken a liking to, and an easy choice to carry the title over on the blue brand. It won't cure what ails the division, but it's sinking like the Titanic on Monday nights, so a hard reset would be welcome.

Prediction: Kalisto becomes new WWE Cruiserweight Champion

5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination Match

Team RAW: WWE Women's Champion Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Nia Jax, and Alicia Fox

Team SmackDown Live: Nikki Bella, WWE Women's Champion Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Naomi

RAW's female contingent looks far stronger on paper, although SmackDown Live has a far deeper talent pool, with all five women predominantly featured on the show. Alicia Fox is seldom heard from, Nia Jax vanished after a series of jobber matches, and Bayley hasn't carried over any momentum as perhaps the most popular star in NXT history.

The X-factor here is Charlotte, who's as much of a sure thing to win on pay-per-view (13-0 in singles competition) as someone like Eva Marie is to not be on one. That aura of invincibility at special events is enough to feel confident in her survival, as well as a victory for RAW.

And what's with Nikki Bella being the captain of team blue, despite not holding the brand's championship? Can we show some love to the "Irish Lasskicker" Becky Lynch, please?

Prediction: Team RAW (Survivors: Charlotte and Nia Jax)

5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination Match

Team RAW: WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens, WWE United States Champion Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins, and Braun Strowman

Team SmackDown Live: WWE Champion A.J. Styles, Dean Ambrose, Shane McMahon, Bray Wyatt, and Randy Orton

No matter how much WWE wants everyone to believe that RAW and SmackDown Live are on equal footing, nothing will change the perception that Monday's feature the flagship show and Tuesday's belong to the sister program.

The possibilities for epic in-ring confrontations here are endless: Ambrose colliding with his former Shield brethren, Wyatt facing off with his former black sheep in Strowman, and even Styles and Owens going nose-to-nose as the WWE Champion and Universal Champion, respectively. Since nothing at all is on the line, this match will need to lean on those dream scenarios for the ACC faithful to ultimately give a damn.

The "WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs" pay-per-view airs only two weeks after Sunday's big show (not THAT Big Show), with Styles and Ambrose booked to main event. SmackDown Live could use the rub anyway, however, for the sake of the build, the two being the sole survivors - if the plan is in fact for the blue brand to go over - is right on the money.

Prediction: Team SmackDown Live (Survivors: A.J. Styles and Dean Ambrose)

"The Beast Incarnate" Brock Lesnar vs. Bill Goldberg

There's presumably no long-term plans in place to utilize Goldberg beyond Sunday, other than a potential WWE Hall of Fame induction during WrestleMania weekend. His age and dwindling health - he's dealing with a shoulder injury he suffered during the Nov. 14 edition of RAW - make it difficult to invest in another match, frankly.

He did say during his return promo that Lesnar would be his "last" opponent, after all.

Far too much time and money has been invested in Lesnar, and having his first pinfall loss be to a man who's probably going to be a one-and-done return project doesn't make one iota of sense.

Goldberg also still has the stench of World Championship Wrestling on him, and as we've seen in the past (*cough* Sting *cough*), that's usually held against a performer when squaring off with homegrown WWE talent. Sure, he emerged victorious at WrestleMania 20 over 12 years ago, but the circumstances were far different back then with both men leaving the company.

Prediction: Brock Lesnar