Raw results, Nov. 14, 2016: Goldberg sends forceful Survivor Series message to Brock Lesnar during face-to-face encounter

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Survivor Series is Sunday and the name of the game, ladies and gentlemen, is teamwork. After pitting various fractions of Raw’s Survivor Series teams against each other, Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley saw at least one set of rivals put their differences aside to get a much-needed win. Good thing, too, as Stephanie promised “changes” for any partners who couldn’t get it together.

In a development so ironic it may as well have emanated from Brooklyn, Cesaro & Sheamus put their differences aside and worked together while thrown-together teammates Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns were the ones left bickering among each other for the duration of Raw’s opening contest. Despite that, however, and despite Owens trying to steal Reigns’ thunder, The Big Dog put the team first after KO took a Brogue Kick by Superman Punching Sheamus and pulling Owens’ limp body on top of him for the pin.

WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens teams with United States Champion Roman Reigns to face Cesaro & Sheamus on Raw.

We knew, thanks to last week’s dispatches, that Brock Lesnar is less-than-impressed with Goldberg’s do-it-for-my-son motivation heading into Survivor Series’ designated “Mega Match.” But perhaps The Beast and Paul Heyman made a mistake in prodding Goldberg about his family in the first, last and only confrontation between the two gladiators heading into Sunday’s collision. Goldberg held his composure well enough until Heyman dropped the final bomb: After the match, Goldberg’s would be so beaten that his son “will be calling Brock Lesnar ‘daddy.’ ” At that point, Goldberg battled through a Mick Foley–mandated wall of security to cut a clear path to Lesnar. But when it came time to throw down, The Beast Incarnate simply smiled and walked away.

Only six days before their Mega Match, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg meet in the ring on Raw.

Even with Raw’s various rivals embracing the spirit of teamwork, this one was surprising: Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks put aside their very severe differences for an intra-squad battle among Raw’s Women’s Survivor Series team, defeating team punisher Nia Jax and wild-card Alicia Fox while Bayley sat on commentary. Granted, Sasha initially left Charlotte alone against Nia by dodging an early tag and eventually even punched Charlotte.

Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair teamed up in NXT long ago, but now the rivals try to put aside their differences before representing Raw at Survivor Series.

But The Boss came through in the clutch by helping to force Nia Jax out of the match, then locking Alicia Fox in the Bank Statement after Fox attempted a high-risk crossbody on both Banks and Charlotte. As if to illustrate the breadth of the divide between Charlotte and Sasha, The Boss accepted a post-match hug from Bayley. Charlotte, however, did not. The horror.

The captain of the Raw Women's team at Survivor Series demands that all of her Team Red associates fall in line before Sunday.

We knew SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Maanger Daniel Bryan were coming to Raw. We didn’t know they wouldn’t be coming alone. What was initially a face-to-face between Raw and SmackDown LIVE’s brain trusts was poised to turn into a mugging when Raw’s Men’s Survivor Series team surrounded Shane and Bryan … until Team Blue revealed their collected aces in the hole: their Men’s squad of WWE World Champion AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Team Blue “mascot” James Ellsworth, who stormed through the audience to even the odds.

Follow The Lunatic Fringe and the SmackDown LIVE Men's Survivor Series team's mascot as they enter through the crowd at Raw.

It didn’t take long for hostilities to arise in the impromptu confab between the two teams, from a pointed confrontation between Wyatt and Braun Strowman to a jaw-jacking between the two heavyweight champions. Still, cooler heads prevailed … until Dean Ambrose straight-up punched Chris Jericho in the face to instigate an all-out brawl that ended with Seth Rollins saving Roman Reigns from a Styles Clash and the two former brothers executing a Double-Powerbomb of The Phenomenal One over the top rope. To coin an old phrase, maybe the dysfunctional Team Raw is something to believe in after all.

The battle lines have been drawn and SmackDown LIVE Superstars have invaded Raw ahead of Survivor Series.