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The next pay-per-view on WWE's calendar is Survivor Series, which is always an exciting event. Whether the brand loyalty aspect from recent years makes sense or not, WWE does their best in booking as many major matches as possible for Survivor Series. This includes the titular five-on-five Elimination Match.
These matches are generally the heart and soul of Survivor Series, with twists and turns galore. However, some of the twists in Survivor Series elimination matches have come in the weeks leading up to the event.
There have been multiple occasions where a Superstar has been added to a five-person team for Survivor Series, only to be removed from the match before the event. While it has happened due to real-life injuries, WWE has had several motives for this tactic as well.
Here are five WWE Superstars who were removed from Survivor Series teams.
#5 Matt Hardy from Team Triple H (WWE Survivor Series 2007)
The 2007 edition of Survivor Series featured only one elimination match, pitting Triple H and Umaga against each other as captains of their respective teams. The Game enlisted the help of Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Kane, and Matt Hardy. However, this match ended up being five-on-four after Matt Hardy was written out of the match.
Matt Hardy was taken out of the match via an assault from his tag team partner, MVP. This was meant to stack the odds against the babyface team and make their eventual victory all-the-more impressive. Triple H and Jeff Hardy won the match for the team at Survivor Series after coming back from a five-on-two disadvantage.
The current AEW star was supposed to return shortly after Survivor Series to exact revenge on MVP. However, a burst appendix forced an emergency surgery that would keep him out for four months.
Matt Hardy made a surprise appearance and took MVP out at WrestleMania 24, before winning his United States Championship one month later at Backlash 2008.
#4 Jason Jordan from Team RAW (WWE Survivor Series 2017)
The build-up to Survivor Series 2017 was overwhelmingly exciting, with Shane McMahon's invasion of RAW being a massive success. The event was headlined by the five-on-five Men's Elimination Match and the star power was through the roof. One of the biggest upgrades on that front came on the final RAW before Survivor Series.
General manager Kurt Angle, captain of Team RAW, had to select the final member of the team. He chose his illegitimate son, Jason Jordan, despite the fans completely rejecting him as an upper-tier Superstar. This storyline was not exactly great, nor was Jordan the best choice for the role.
Luckily for them, the former American Alpha member lost his spot on the team following a leg injury at the hands of Bray Wyatt. Jordan was replaced by Triple H, giving the Survivor Series main event a major boost, or so we thought. While the level of talent in the match was unbelievable, the huge 10-man Survivor Series main event was a flop.
The booking and eliminations were questionable at best and the swerve involving Triple H at the end did nothing to enhance anybody. Unfortunately, the Jason Jordan angle never paid off as well, due to his career-ending neck injury at the start of 2018.
#3 Christian from Team Barrett (WWE Survivor Series 2011)
The heel run Christian went on, in 2011, was pretty entertaining. He was at the top of the card, enjoying a lengthy rivalry with Randy Orton over the World Heavyweight Championship. Christian even won the world title from The Viper at one point. However, it ended unceremoniously in the build-up to Survivor Series.
Scheduled to feature in the only elimination match at Survivor Series 2011, Captain Charisma suffered an ankle injury during WWE's winter European tour. He was opposite Orton once again, being a part of Team Barrett, also featuring Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, and Hunico.
Christian's injury kept him out of the ring for a while, with his ultimate comeback around six months later resulting in a babyface turn. Meanwhile, he was replaced as the final member of Team Barrett by Dolph Ziggler, who already had a match at Survivor Series 2011.
Despite a member of his team performing double duty, Wade Barrett led by example and won the match for his Survivor Series team. He and Cody Rhodes survived at the end.
#2 Sheamus from Team Cena (WWE Survivor Series 2014)
The most epic build to a Survivor Series elimination match in recent history was for the 2014 main event, between Team Authority and Team Cena. Triple H's corporate stable was incredibly detestable and all the fans were rooting for John Cena's five-man squad. The stakes were also incredibly high.
The babyface contingent saw several members join the ranks, with only a few remaining in the team. Dolph Ziggler, The Big Show, and Sheamus were a part of Team Cena. However, The Celtic Warrior had to be taken out of the match to undergo surgery for some niggling injuries.
Sheamus wasn't the only Superstar to be removed from Team Cena. Jack Swagger was added to the team on an episode of RAW in the build to Survivor Series 2014 but was removed before the end of the episode. Sheamus, on the other hand, was forced to be taken out of Team Cena.
He was seemingly replaced in the match by fellow bearded ginger, Erick Rowan. The babyfaces ended up winning, with Dolph Ziggler surviving a three-on-one situation to become the sole survivor. Sheamus returned from his injury on the night after WrestleMania 31 and turned heel immediately, attacking The Show Off in the process.
#1 Daniel Bryan from Team SmackDown (WWE Survivor Series 2018)
The road to Survivor Series 2018 was a confusing one, with the feud between RAW and SmackDown feeling forced. That being said, the formation of the Blue brand's team for the five-on-five elimination match was interesting, to say the least. The Miz and Daniel Bryan were named the co-captains of Team SmackDown.
It is safe to say that the two did not get along, as Bryan attacked his fellow co-captain, as well as team members, Samoa Joe and Shane McMahon, on that episode of SmackDown. The next week, he was removed from the team as he challenged AJ Styles for the WWE Championship.
Bryan turned heel during that match and won the WWE title, confirming his spot opposite Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, instead of in the 10-man elimination match. It was a massive upgrade for the WWE Grand Slam Champion, as the said elimination match saw Team RAW thrash Team SmackDown.
Daniel Bryan had a 'Match of the Year' candidate alongside Lesnar, before embarking on a sensational WWE Championship run. Survivor Series 2018 certainly benefited from this change in plans.
