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Shane McMahon's World Cup victory at WWE Crown Jewel all but confirmed a RAW vs SmackDown showdown at this year's Survivor Series, as the two brands will once again face off in head-to-head competition.
WWE has already announced 3 champion vs champion matches between the two brand champions, and soon 10 superstars (5 from each brand) will be revealed who will face off in the traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series tag team elimination match.
Also Read - 5 Superstars who should be a part of Team RAW and 5 superstars who should not
I have already discussed about Team RAW, and here are the 5 superstars who should be a part of Team SmackDown Live and 5 who should not.
#1 Should be - Shane McMahon (Captain)
Shane McMahon won the inaugural WWE World Cup at WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and became the best in the world. His win was quite controversial as Shane O' Mac inserted himself into the tournament as a replacement for The Miz, defeating a tired Dolph Ziggler to take the trophy home to the blue brand.
This turn of events upset the Acting RAW General Manager, Baron Corbin, and has further inflamed the brand rivalry.
With Shane McMahon captaining the side last year in 2017, and being the last man to be eliminated, there is zero doubt that he would assign himself the same role in 2018, and being the commissioner, not even SD Live GM Paige can stop him from doing so.
Shane signaled a probable heel turn at Crown Jewel, and his desire to win the battle between the two brands may reveal his dark side to the WWE Universe.
#1 Should not be - R Truth
R Truth has made himself relevant on SmackDown Live after he formed an alliance with the Princess of Staten Island, Carmella.
The Truth TV segments and dance breaks are one of the mainstays of SD Live shows right now, and on the SmackDown 1000 episode, even Vince McMahon, Shane O' Mac, and Stephanie enjoyed a dance break with Truth and Carmella.
Truth's involvement in the match at Survivor Series would reduce the seriousness, as he might initiate a dance break before being eliminated.
R Truth possesses the talent to put on good matches, but with age not on his side, he should be ignored for the traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series tag team elimination match.
#2 Should be - Randy Orton
When the year 2018 began, Randy Orton was a face superstar for whom the WWE Universe popped only when he hit an RKO out of nowhere. But ever since The Viper turned heel in mid 2018, and destroyed Jeff Hardy, he has become one of the top superstars on the blue brand.
He was even a part of the WWE World Cup for which he qualified by defeating the Big Show on the 999th episode of SmackDown.
The 13-time World Champion has had quite a history with the traditional Survivor Series match, as he has emerged as the sole survivor several times in his legendary career. Though he received lacklustre booking at Survivor Series 2017, he was one of the sole survivors for Team SmackDown Live in 2016, along with Bray Wyatt.
#2 Should not be - The Miz
The Miz has always prided himself as one of the most "injury-free" superstars of the WWE. He rarely gets injured or misses TV time due to injury. However, The A-Lister while representing SmackDown Live in the WWE World Cup final against RAW's Dolph Ziggler, pulled out of the match due to an injury.
He had eliminated Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio on his way to the final, but his injury led to Shane McMahon replacing him in the World Cup final.
In my opinion, Shane would reprimand The Miz for his softness, and might not give him an opportunity to represent Team SmackDown, citing his injury as the reason. This could give The Miz some much needed time off TV before getting involved in the WWE title picture, and possibly facing AJ Styles at TLC.
#3 Should be - Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe has received poor booking lately, as he has been unsuccessful in defeating AJ Styles and capturing the WWE Championship on multiple occasions.
WWE Survivor Series provides him with an opportunity to redeem his image, and maybe eliminating 1 or 2 RAW Superstars with his submission move, the Coquina Clutch, before being eliminated may help in improving his character.
The Samoan Submission Machine if ignored for Team SmackDown Live may end up getting lost in the mix, and another talented NXT graduate may get wasted on the main roster. Also, Joe has been one of the top heels on the blue brand since SummerSlam, leaving him out of the team would be criminal.
#3 Should not be - Rusev
Rusev seems to be marching towards the upper mid-card after a brief feud with Aiden English, and also receiving a United States Championship match unexpectedly at the pre-show of WWE Crown Jewel.
Despite being one of the most popular superstars amongst the WWE Universe, Rusev has not received the push he deserves.
He is just being used as a filler on SmackDown Live. The WWE Creative have had Rusev battle for the US Championship, WWE Championship, and SmackDown Tag Team Championships in 2018, but never has he been able to win a title.
His inclusion in the 5-on-5 match may see The Bulgarian Brute getting eliminated from the match in its early stages, which would further depreciate his character. Thus, it is better for him to stay out of the match.
#4 Should be - Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio has lost some momentum due to his defeat at the hands of The Miz at the Crown Jewel PPV. He is set to receive a shot at Nakamura's United States title at WWE Starrcade, so he needs momentum heading into that match.
This match would even allow Rey Mysterio make his return to the Survivor Series PPV after a long gap, and WWE may even let him emerge as the sole survivor from the match.
WWE Creative has always been high on Mysterio, and see the Luchador as a big draw. His participation in the traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series match would draw more viewers towards the inter-brand warfare, and would also give the WWE Universe some dream confrontations such as Rey Mysterio and Finn Balor, or Rey Mysterio and Drew McIntyre.
#4 Should not be - The New Day
Given how stacked the SmackDown singles division is, The New Day must not be included in the men's team of Survivor Series. Allotting a slot to any member of The New Day will result in another two members' non-participation at the event.
Perhaps, the WWE Creative could plan a 10-on-10 elimination match between the tag teams of both brands, just like in 2016, or they can have the trio of Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods face off against any other trio of the RAW brand.
They lost their match against The Shield at Survivor Series 2017, and were eliminated from the 2016 match in its early stages.
The best option for WWE here is to book them as the hosts of WWE Survivor Series, as the longest reigning tag champs have previously hosted WrestleMania 33.
#5 Should be - Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan made his much awaited return to in-ring competition at WrestleMania 34 where he teamed up with SmackDown Live's commissioner, Shane McMahon, to defeat the duo of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
He then stepped down from his GM role and made a full-time return to the ring. Bryan has been involved in feuds with Big Cass, The Miz and AJ Styles since his return, and after his defeat to AJ Styles on the SmackDown episode before Crown Jewel, taking part in the traditional Survivor Series match is the best thing Bryan can do at the inter-brand warfare PPV.
The Bearded G.O.A.T was one of the flag-bearers of SD Live after the brand split, and his absence from the match would make no kayfabe sense.
#5 Should not be - Andrade 'Cien' Almas
WWE created a big mess in the Survivor Series main event of 2017, in a match which was supposed to be the best match of the company in a long time.
With Finn Balor, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe on Team RAW, and Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode, Shane McMahon, John Cena, and Randy Orton representing team SmackDown, the match involved 5 legends, 4 former NXT Champions, and Braun Strowman.
The WWE Universe expected the new talent to outperform the legends. However, the WWE Creative booked all the erstwhile NXT champions to be eliminated early in the match at the hands of legends.
This disappointed the WWE Universe, and Andrade Almas could be the next victim of this poor booking if he is included in the SmackDown Live team. Almas should rather be written off TV till after Survivor Series, before he engages in a feud leading to a match at TLC.
