6 mistakes WWE must avoid at Survivor Series

Survivor Series 2018 has been a complete mess. Supposedly it wasn't originally supposed to be given a Raw vs. SmackDown theme again. Then Roman Reigns got cancer and forced the change. Then Becky Lynch got injured in an inconsequential angle and forced the cancellation of the most anticipated match on the card.

Nevertheless, there's a lot to like about this show. The Raw vs. SmackDown angle has reinvigorated a Survivor Series that was falling into irrelevance beforehand. The card looks like it will be one of the best of the year. This is also the time when WrestleMania plans start to unfold on screen, so there's a lot to think about.

While it seems unlikely that Daniel Bryan will beat Brock Lesnar, and the tag team champion vs. champion match seems irrelevant, there's a lot of other things to think about. Hopefully, WWE won't make the following mistakes at its last major show of the year.

#1 Ronda Rousey losing

It looks like it will be WrestleMania come early this Sunday, as what most people anticipated to be the main event in MetLife Stadium will happen in Los Angeles.

While it seems unlikely that Ronda Rousey will lose, when company favourite Charlotte Flair is involved, you always need to think about the possibility of a stunning "upset" in her favour.

That would be a mistake. Ronda Rousey is much hotter than Charlotte Flair is now. She needs to continue that hot streak. Whether the plan is for Charlotte to get a rematch at WrestleMania or, as chatter has increasingly become, a showdown with Becky Lynch there is on the cards, now isn't the appropriate time for Ronda Rousey to lose.

Rousey should face the toughest fight in her WWE career thus far and come out on top.

#2 Dean Ambrose no-shows

In another of the show's eagerly anticipated matchups, we'll see Seth Rollins take on Shinsuke Nakamura for the first time ever. However, this first time ever match is likely to have an unhappy ending.

While it would be predictable, that doesn't mean it's the wrong thing to do. Dean Ambrose costing Seth Rollins the match is the right thing to do at this point in their rivalry.

Shinsuke Nakamura also badly needs some momentum as United States Champion. He has been featured so little and felt so unimportant that it's a wonder why he's still carrying the title, or even why he won it in the first place. A victory over Raw's Intercontinental Champion, albeit with the help of Dean Ambrose, would give Shinsuke Nakamura some much-needed bragging rights. Bragging about an unclean win is one of the things a heel is supposed to do, anyway.

#3 Not having Drew McIntyre as the sole survivor

Drew McIntyre has been one of the brightest spots on Raw through this entire year. It's now time to cement his status as a main event player and begin his ascendancy to the top of the card. With the status of the Universal Championship up in the air as WrestleMania season approaches, Drew McIntyre is one of the ideal players to rise to the occasion.

The men's traditional Survivor Series match should be all about putting over Drew McIntyre. He should be the biggest threat in the contest, racking up some eliminations and emerging as the sole survivor, to gear him up as the Royal Rumble approaches.

Though Braun Strowman is also on the team and has unfinished business with Brock Lesnar, it's hard at this point to have any confidence in him. It's time for Drew McIntyre to inject some sorely needed new blood in the Universal Championship scene.

#4 Not rebuilding Asuka

While I don't expect a repeat of last year's performance, where she scored three eliminations and emerged as the sole survivor, the women's traditional Survivor Series match needs to be the beginning of the rebuilding of Asuka's credibility. As we saw this week, fans still want to get behind her.

Asuka doesn't need to do what she did last year, but scoring a few eliminations and being eliminated in a wacky way would be fine enough.

Expect Nia Jax to play a big role in this match, but as we again saw with her causing Becky Lynch's injury, she's not worth investing a lot of resources in, especially since she's certain to lose to Ronda Rousey at TLC.

It's a no-brainer. In this match, Asuka should be the one that shines the brightest. With Charlotte's absence, she's far and away the best talent involved.

#5 Buddy Murphy losing

Buddy Murphy and Mustapha Ali have had tremendous matches, both individually and each other, on 205 Live all year long. There's no doubt that this should be the purple brand's headlining match for WrestleMania 35 and this should only be the next, but far from the concluding, chapter in their rivalry.

Nevertheless, at this stage of the game, it's imperative that Murphy retains his Cruiserweight Championship after a tough fight. Make it so that Ali questions his famous heart and needs to go on a path of redemption, but by no means is now the time for Murphy to lose his title. He deserves a long reign after everything he's done on the purple brand.

This should be the first step in an extended storyline that moves all the way to WrestleMania, where the two do battle again on the grandest stage.

#6 Not rebuilding the Usos

At this time last year, The Usos were arguably the best tag team in the world. Since the loss of their titles at WrestleMania 34, they've cooled off dramatically. Now is the time to start rebuilding them.

A feud with The Bar is an enticing one because it would be new and fresh. Whether the idea is to begin it immediately or to build to it slowly for WrestleMania, The Usos should have a great performance in the tag team elimination match on Sunday. They're clearly the team with the most upside in the match, especially compared to Raw's pathetic tag teams.

Them being the sole survivors would be the best case scenario, but it doesn't need to be that way. A standout performance where they're the stars of what's sure to be a great match would be perfectly adequate.