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Survivor Series is nearly upon us and as the wrestling world readies itself for what’s to come, many questions abound. Will The Wyatt Family manage to pull an upset and defeat The Brothers of Destruction? Will Charlotte versus Paige erase the bad taste left from their promo on Raw? Who will be the next WWE world heavyweight champion? As fans continue to speculate on the possibilities, it’s become clear that something big has to happen.
There’s plenty of room at the top right now and with no obvious choices to take spots left behind by absent Superstars, it’s anyone’s guess as to what will happen on November 22. But there’s no doubting that this could very well be the early start of WrestleMania season for WWE.
When Seth Rollins went out with injury, many fans went into full on panic mode.
John Cena had already left for his sabbatical, Rusev and Randy Orton had both went on the shelf and Daniel Bryan was still M.I.A. Brock Lesnar disappeared from TV again after his feud with The Undertaker wrapped up and Sting had shown no signs of returning any time soon. Suddenly, Seth was out and the options became very slim very quickly for WWE.
Rollins was a workhorse for the company, a guy that brought his A game every time he stepped through the ropes. Though many fans considered his title run a weak one due to poor booking, his effort to be the best had not gone unnoticed. He had earned respect from fans and peers alike and his departure shook an already depleted main event roster down to its core.
This is the main reason why Survivor Series could be the start of something very big for WWE.
This is the time to shake things up, to deliver twists historically reserved for SummerSlam and The Royal Rumble. The company needs to get back on track, to show it can rebound and spark new directions that can lead them forward. The top players are sparse right now so the best option is to hit the reset button and bring new and fresh ideas into the fold.
Whether or not this will actually happpen of course is anyone’s guess.
But the road to WrestleMania will begin sooner than later and it’s not too early to start speculating on what that road will look like. The events of Survivor Series will be the initial start of Mania season because it’s the only logical way to go.
Sheamus is the x-factor at Survivor Series thanks to his Money in the Bank contract. Virtually no one wants to see him win the belt as the hate levelled at him has less to do with his heel status than it does with the staleness of his character. But if he cashes in against Roman Reigns while receiving the full support of The Authority, then the title match at Mania could very well be set.
Roman versus Sheamus for the industry’s top title on the grandest stage of them all would be perhpas the most fitting payoff for the former Shield strongman. It would mark the culmination of a year’s worth of work, of constantly fighting from behind and being outnumbered, to finally beating back the forces seeking to hold him down. Reigns would knock The Authority on its heels and take his place on top.
However if Sheamus does not cash in for whatever reason, then fans could see one of WWE’s top friendships of all time come to a destructive end.
Many fans expect a heel turn is on the way and that turn could come in a finals match between Reigns and Dean Ambrose. Triple H wants to maintain control of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and that means gaining control of the new champ. This poses a serious problem for both men as a betrayal is certainly on the way.
Will Ambrose be the one to align with The Authority or will Reigns sell his soul for the 10 pounds of gold?
Or perhaps neither scenario plays out and either Kevin Owens or Alberto Del Rio wins the championship. What would WWE look like with KO as the top titleholder? Is this the new and fresh start that the company and more importantly the fans, want to see? Despite what happens with the championship, it’s obvious that Survivor Series is not the end of the story but only the beginning.
The end will likely play out at WrestleMania.
The same could be said of The Undertaker and Kane versus The Wyatt Family. Do fans really believe The Brothers of Destruction will go over clean, then disappear into the ether again until Taker is needed at Mania? Or could their demise as a team come at Survivor Series, beginning a feud that could end in a vicious match at Mania? What if Bray and his family beat the brothers, lengthening their rivalry and establishing The Eater of Worlds as a major player in the company?
Whatever WWE has planned for Survivor Series, the fact is that the sky’s the limit. Virtually anthing can happen this time as there are no guaranteed winners or losers in any bout. The company has opportunities to do something different and paving the road to WrestleMania is surely what will begin on November 22.
