Survivor Series 2018: 4 Surprises that could be in store

Honestly, the build-up to this year's edition of Survivor Series has felt a little off. To be completely honest, I hold a bit of a grudge against this PPV for a few reasons. First, losing the majority of the card as four-on-four or five-on-five matches bums me out, as I really liked the format. Also, we do somewhat miss the PPV actually happening on the day before Thanksgiving, though it's been a while since that has happened.

This build-up feels off for several reasons-Crown Jewel and Evolution being the biggest among them. Instead of WWE promoting this major PPV for over a month, the show was on the back burner while WWE held it's first-ever all women's PPV (a good idea) and it's second major show in Saudi Arabia (not a good idea). Much of the hype in October and early November went to these two shows, which gave Survivor Series a shorter build than it truly deserved to have.

So how can WWE save the show? In a word, surprises.

Here are some surprises I would love to see happen on Sunday:

#1 Chris Jericho returns and takes issue with Shane McMahon being "Best in the world"

Sure, everyone would love to see someone else, but this is far more likely given Jericho's positive relationship with the company. That being said, I'd think if he were coming back, doing so on SmackDown television works as well or better. Jericho could come in and set up a match with Shane at a future show, like TLC or Royal Rumble.

Why do I think this makes sense? Well, Jericho has been known to call himself the G.O.A.T., or at least wear ring attire saying as much. He is still in his usual great shape too. Also, there have been rumblings recently that Y2J was indeed planning to return to WWE. Given that Royal Rumble is right around the corner, and with it, the Road to WrestleMania, getting a big name back isn't all that crazy. Also, factor in the loss of top talents to illness and injury, and you can see why Lionheart might come back for another run.

#2 We see the Horsewomen

The MMA Horsewomen meet the WWE Horsewomen during the 2017 MYC

If Shayna Baszler drops the NXT Women's Title on Saturday, the odds of this happening shoot up exponentially. Baszler is legit ready to rise, and some could argue she's even better in the ring than Rousey. With the match now being Charlotte against Ronda, having both iterations of the Horsewomen on tap seems plausible. Odds here are 50/50, partly depending on what happens at TakeOver.

As for why it would make sense? Several reasons really. For one thing, people have been speculating about a match between WWE's Horsewomen and MMA's Horsewomen for a long time. Things heated up when Baszler was in the first Mae Young Classic and her fellow Horsewomen were there to cheer her on, and they happened to bump into Charlotte Flair and her Horsewomen.

Now with all the MMA Horsewomen under some manner of WWE contract, the match easily can become reality. With Flair and Rousey doing battle, the easy setup is right there, and with WrestleMania right around the corner, setting up a huge tag match does make some sense. However, I think this is still something of a dream scenario. Only two of the MMA Horsewomen (Rousey and Baszler) have had significant in-WWE-ring work. Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke are training and did show up on Evolution, but they haven't even worked so much as an NXT TV match yet. I think they could all get involved at some point, but perhaps not yet. It may make more sense for such a mega-tag match to be held off until later in 2019 when everyone is a lot less green.

#3 Team RAW wins, followed by Strowman destroying Baron Corbin

The Monster Among Men

OK, fine, this one is hardly a reach. But given the stipulations discussed on RAW, it seems very likely that once the match is over, it's open season for Baron Corbin.

While we could see The Monster Among Men do what others have done before him at Survivor Series and just obliterate anyone and everyone he wants to, I don't think he will. I mean, what would it gain him? Stephanie promised if he was a good Braun, he'd get his matches against Baron Corbin and, eventually, Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. And good Braun will show up on Sunday, right up to the point where either Corbin and Strowman are eliminated, or the last two men standing.

One thing's for certain though- Corbin won't be standing at the end of Sunday's show.

#4 Undertaker shows up to help distract Brock Lesnar

The Phenom

I will admit this one is pure fantasy. I don't expect Brock to work with 'Taker one more time. But stranger things have actually happened, so why not. Undertaker's gong could toll, causing a massive distraction. This, in turn, allows Team SmackDown to claim victory, and could lead to a 'Taker/Lesnar match, if one is even in the cards.

In all honesty, I can't even wrap my head around another match between Undertaker and Lesnar. As much I fondly remember The Phenom, he's not the same Superstar he once was. He does still put on a show, and fans would no doubt pay money just for the chills his entrance provides. But he has no business going in against Lesnar anymore. If you think 'Taker can still go, I do urge you to watch the tag match from Crown Jewel as proof that it's time he hangs up the boots for real.

That being said, we could still have an appearance of The Undertaker at Survivor Series in some capacity. Would he show up to cause a distraction during the Lesnar match? Maybe, but it would make much sense other than just to mess with The Beast. More likely, we could get The Dead Man just doing his entrance to spook someone into losing.

I'd love to see Undertaker there because, for me, Survivor Series is his birthplace; it's where he made his debut so many years ago. But with his career on the decline, such a surprise appearance doesn't do much for him and certainly does not do anything for WWE. As big a name as Undertaker is, WWE wants to hype his appearances, not have him surprise people at a PPV. Even with last year's WrestleMania "surprise" appearance, he had been talked about for weeks and people expected him. With no mention of him during the lead up to Survivor Series, this is purely wishful thinking. There is a glimmer of hope, if only because he has been around lately, working the two big international shows.