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WWE seems to have a lot of tricks up their sleeve for the upcoming Survivor Series pay-per-view, which begs the question of what exactly fans are going to witness at the upcoming event? Furthermore, what effect will these big moves have on all three brands and the Superstars on each roster?
While those questions might sound a little melodramatic, the company legitimately seems to have a lot of surprises planned for this event. The only question is how exactly will they go about executing these swerves.
With that being said and Survivor Series only a few days away, here are five Superstars that fans need to keep their eyes on for the pay per view. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and let us know who you think fans should be watching out for?
#5 Kevin Owens
While Kevin Owens received a beat down at the hands of The Undisputed Era before he got a chance to answer Triple H's invitation to join NXT, that doesn't necessarily mean that the option is entirely off the table. In fact, WWE could use that segment to plant seeds of Owens betraying Monday Night RAW and heading back to NXT after the pay-per-view.
Of course one could argue that the same could be said for Seth Rollins, who found himself being given the same invitation to join NXT, but Triple H ultimately betrayed him before he could make his decision. As for Owens however, Triple H seemed legitimately surprised at The Undisputed Era's attack, which points to him trying again in some capacity.
Either way, this will be an interesting storyline to watch play out at Survivor Series and could go a long way in shaping the landscape of NXT for months to come.
#4 Finn Balor
Finn Balor has made it known what he thinks about today's NXT product and while he has hasn't used that as a reason to join RAW or SmackDown, that doesn't mean the opportunity won't arise. Furthermore, with NXT being booked dominantly throughout the invasion storyline, one could easily imagine RAW or SmackDown looking to Balor for help.
Or maybe none of that happens and Balor just goes into business for himself to cost NXT the victory. At least that way, Balor doesn't have to be tied to RAW or SmackDown going forward, he can stay on NXT and the betrayal will hurt more since he did it of his own volition.
How does it happen though? What can Balor do at Survivor Series that would be bad enough to warrant fans turning their back on him? If nothing else, WWE needs to book this situation carefully and slowly build up to this throughout the night. This means keeping the score dead even throughout the show and having the victory come down to the last match.
Then, all WWE has to do is have NXT get the upper hand at the final seconds of the match and bring in Balor for the big betrayal. In the end, that will give Balor an anti-NXT storyline going forward, while allowing NXT to lose without looking weak and gives the win to RAW or SmackDown.
#3 Shayna Baszler
Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Shayna Baszler are set to face off in a Triple threat match at Survivor Series and there is a very good chance that the Queen of Spades comes out on top. In fact, between Lynch not needing to be pinned for the match to end and Baszler needing the momentum boost, it almost seems like a sure thing.
Of course, that is going to come at the expense of either Bayley or Becky Lynch, who will lose some of their momentum. It could also open the door to Becky Lynch versus Shayna Baszler in the future, which would be a blockbuster match up for fans to enjoy.
The Man has been on top for so long that a loss at the hands of a rising Superstar would not hurt her whatsoever. Then again, the same could be said for Bayley, who has just turned heel and won the Women's Title from Charlotte Flair, but the point is that it's not like WWE needs to protect them.
With that being said, however, Baszler coming up short to Bayley or Lynch would be a drastically different story and really wouldn't fall in line with fans' expectations. What would fall in line with their expectations, however, is to have Baszler beat Bayley or Lynch clean as a whistle at Survivor Series.
#2 Triple H
How far will Triple H go to win at Survivor Series? The Game has already given fans a hint of that by trying to court several Superstars to join NXT's army at Survivor Series, but what will he do once the pay-per-view actually arrives? Will he stay out of the fray and allow his army to fight it out with RAW and SmackDown or will he play dirty and give his team the advantage?
While some might believe Triple H should stay out of the way, it is far more likely that he will go into business for himself and make sure NXT comes out on top. Why else would WWE hint at that several times throughout the invasion storyline and continue to have The Game try to recruit several Superstars?
If nothing else, WWE is foreshadowing Triple H resorting to some pretty nefarious tactics to make sure NXT come out on top and it is going to be fun to watch. It will also be interesting to see what effect his shenanigans will have on NXT in the long run.
#1 Cain Velasquez
Brock Lesnar and Rey Mysterio are set to face off in a 'No Holds Barred' match for The WWE Title, which begs the question of how this will end. Beyond that, one also has to wonder if WWE is using the No Holds Barred stipulation to work in some kind of interference at the end of the match.
If WWE plans to script an interference at the end of the WWE Title match at Survivor Series, then the only reasonable options would be Dominic or Cain Velasquez. Now both options are very interesting and will add something different to the overall storyline, but having Velasquez be the one to interfere seems to make more sense.
That doesn't mean Dominic can't do a run in as well, especially since he has a previous history with Brock Lesnar, but having Velasquez do it allows him to get his momentum back. It also sets up another match between Lesnar and Velasquez, which could be very valuable for WWE in terms of mainstream attention.
In the end, WWE does everything for a reason and it's highly likely that the addition of the No Holds Barred stipulation will have a purpose as well. Whether that turns out to be the predicted outcome or something else remains to be seen, but there has to be some kind of reasoning behind this decision.
