Wrestling is weird. Looking back at WWE Survivor Series 2017, it’s easy to get lost in the sheer star power that shared the ring at the Toyota Center in Houston. You had Kurt Angle, Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton, and a surging Braun Strowman all in the same main event. On paper, it was a fever dream for anyone who grew up during the Attitude Era or the Ruthless Aggression years. But if you actually sit down and rewatch it, the show tells a much more complicated story about where WWE was headed—and the mistakes they were about to make.
The whole "Raw vs. SmackDown" rivalry has always felt a little forced, right? Like, why do these people suddenly care about a shirt color just because it's November? But in 2017, the stakes felt slightly higher because of the "Under Siege" segment where Shane McMahon led a blue-brand raid on Raw. It set the stage for a night that was supposed to be about brand supremacy but ended up being a weirdly egotistical showcase for the old guard.
The Main Event Mess and the Braun Strowman Problem
Let’s be real. The 5-on-5 men's elimination match at WWE Survivor Series 2017 was one of the strangest pieces of booking in the modern era. You had Team Raw (Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Finn Bálor, Samoa Joe, and Triple H) against Team SmackDown (Shane McMahon, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, and John Cena). Look at those names. That is an absurd amount of talent.
However, the match didn't really focus on the future. Nakamura and Roode, two guys the fans were desperate to see succeed, were the first two eliminated. It felt like a punch in the gut. Instead of a passing of the torch, the spotlight stayed firmly on Triple H and Shane McMahon. The ending was genuinely baffling. Triple H turned on his own captain, Kurt Angle, Pedigreeing him and letting Shane pin him, only to then turn on Shane and win the match for Raw himself.
Why? Honestly, nobody really knows. It felt like "The Game" just wanted to be the center of attention.
The only person who came out of that mess looking like a star was Braun Strowman. After the match, Braun didn't care about the win. He choked out Triple H and laid him out with two Running Powerslams. The crowd went nuts. It was a rare moment where WWE actually listened to the audience’s desire for a new monster. Braun was the hottest thing in the company at that point, and this was the peak of his "Monster Among Men" run. If you want to understand why people were so high on Strowman before his booking went off the rails, this match is the evidence.
📖 Related: The Truth About the Memphis Grizzlies Record 2025: Why the Standings Don't Tell the Whole Story
Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles: The Match That Saved the Show
If the main event was a bloated ego trip, the champion vs. champion match between Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles was a masterclass in professional wrestling. This match almost didn't happen. Remember, Jinder Mahal was the WWE Champion for most of that year. The original plan was Lesnar vs. Mahal, which... let’s just say fans weren't thrilled about. But WWE pulled a massive audible on a random episode of SmackDown in Manchester, having AJ Styles win the title.
It changed everything.
Styles was the perfect foil for Lesnar. He sold like his life depended on it. There’s a specific moment in this match where Brock throws AJ across the ring with a German Suplex, and AJ lands with this sickening thud that makes you wonder if he’s actually okay. That’s the magic of AJ Styles. He made Brock look like an unstoppable god, but he also used his speed to make you believe, just for a second, that a "small" guy could actually topple the beast.
Lesnar won, obviously. He hit one F-5 after catching AJ out of mid-air during a Phenomenal Forearm attempt. But it didn't matter that AJ lost. This was the match that proved AJ Styles belonged at the very top of the card permanently. It’s arguably one of the best "Big Man vs. Small Man" matches in the history of the company. If you're going to revisit WWE Survivor Series 2017, this is the 15 minutes you need to watch.
The Shield and the New Day’s Forgotten Classic
We also got the Shield vs. The New Day. This was a "dream match" that actually lived up to the hype. It’s easy to forget that at this point, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose hadn't been together as a unit for years. Their chemistry was still there, though.
👉 See also: The Division 2 National Championship Game: How Ferris State Just Redrew the Record Books
The New Day brought the comedy, but they also brought the work rate. There was this incredible spot where Big E had both Seth and Dean on his shoulders for a double Midnight Hour. It was high-octane, creative, and it showed that the tag team division was actually the most consistent part of the show. The Shield won with a Triple Powerbomb off the middle rope, which felt like the right way to cement their reunion. Sadly, Ambrose would get injured shortly after, making this one of the last times we saw the original Shield in their prime during that era.
The Women’s Revolution and the Arrival of Asuka
On the women’s side, things were in a weird transition period. We had Alexa Bliss (Raw Champion) vs. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown Champion). This was a solid match that showed just how far both women had come, but the real story was the 5-on-5 elimination match.
Asuka was the sole survivor for Team Raw.
At this point, "The Empress of Tomorrow" still had her legendary undefeated streak from NXT. WWE actually did the right thing here. They let her tear through the SmackDown roster, eliminating Tamina and Natalya back-to-back to win. It protected her aura. It made her look like the most dangerous person in the building. Looking back, it’s bittersweet because we know how her streak eventually ended at WrestleMania, but at WWE Survivor Series 2017, she felt untouchable.
What We Learned from Houston
This event was a microcosm of 2017 WWE. You had flashes of absolute brilliance—like Styles vs. Lesnar—interrupted by the company’s obsession with its aging legends.
✨ Don't miss: Por qué los partidos de Primera B de Chile son más entretenidos que la división de honor
The crowd in Houston was electric for the most part, but you could hear the confusion during that main event. When you have guys like Finn Bálor and Shinsuke Nakamura standing on the apron while Triple H and Shane McMahon do a slow-motion drama routine, it sends a message to the fans. It says that the guys you like aren't as important as the guys who own the company.
How to Re-watch for the Best Experience
Don't just sit through the whole four-hour slog. Be surgical about it.
- Start with The Shield vs. New Day. It sets a high energy tone and reminds you why tag team wrestling is great when given time.
- Skip the mid-card filler. Unless you’re a die-hard The Miz or Baron Corbin fan, their Intercontinental vs. US Title match is fine but forgettable.
- Watch the Women’s 5-on-5 solely for Asuka. Pay attention to how the crowd reacts to her compared to everyone else.
- Devote your full attention to Lesnar vs. Styles. No phone, no distractions. It’s a clinic.
- Watch the Men’s 5-on-5 but treat it like a soap opera. Don't expect a wrestling masterpiece; expect a weird, ego-driven drama.
If you want to dive deeper into the stats, the night ended with Raw winning 4-3 over SmackDown. But does anyone actually remember the score? Probably not. We remember the visual of Braun Strowman towering over a cowering Triple H. We remember AJ Styles nearly pulling off the impossible. That’s the legacy of WWE Survivor Series 2017—a night of incredible individual performances trapped inside a slightly nonsensical "brand war" script.
To get the most out of your re-watch, compare the 2017 roster to today’s. It’s wild to see how many of these "future stars" are now the veterans leading the industry, or in some cases, leading the competition elsewhere. Study the camera work during the Lesnar/Styles match; the way they frame Brock's power makes the eventual comeback from AJ feel much more earned. If you're a student of the game, that match alone is worth the price of a streaming subscription.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Analyze the Styles/Lesnar finish: Watch the final three minutes in slow motion to see how AJ positions himself for the F-5. It’s a masterclass in safety and impact.
- Track the Braun Strowman trajectory: Compare this performance to his 2018 Money in the Bank win to see where WWE started to lose the "monster" thread.
- Compare to 2016: Watch the 2016 Men's Survivor Series match immediately after. You’ll notice the 2016 version flowed much better as a cohesive story rather than a series of individual moments.