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The build for Survivor Series might be in its infancy, but it surely is more exciting than a special house show event likely on the way to cancellation in the wake of a political disaster. Of course, the road to Survivor Series has already begun the return of Kurt Angle up against Baron Corbin.
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There's no doubt this angle will lead to a battle for the control of RAW between the two, it's how these stories usually play out. Yet besides that, there's a lot of functioning elements that indicate a force of change coming to the Survivor Series PPV, now ready to move away from the Brand Warfare gimmick.
Subtle hints of angles are there across the board of what might go down at Survivor Series. From rising tensions between factions to a newly minted heel turn and betrayals as well as the sign of evolution in the women's division. Most important among them is the return of a main event worthy legend.
So why not try to guess what goes down at Survivor Series come 18th November, what will the WWE landscape be like and what can we look forward to?
Kick-off Show
As usual with any pay per view, Survivor Series will feature its own Kick Off show with a slew of interesting matches for those who just can't make it on to the main card. This will include;
Smackdown Tag Team Championships: New Day (c) vs. The Bar
A stellar bout between two teams going at it, this time with The Bar finally securing the big win to steal the titles from The New Day. After which in shocking fashion, The Usos will make their presence felt having been left out in the cold since Wrestlemania. They will take down both teams, to reignite a feud with The New Day and promise to return to the top of the division.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
Another contest with an unfortunate interference angle, as Buddy Murphy will retain thanks to the aid of a disillusioned Cedric Alexander. Alexander will target Murphy for his failures, costing his friend Ali the match. A break between heart and soul will then see Alexander push away an irate Ali, to a spat of boos.
Team Bryan (Daniel Bryan, Rusev, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio and Batista) vs. Team Orton (Randy Orton, Aiden English, Andrade Almas, Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura)
The high stakes of RAW's power struggle will cut off the usual Brand Warfare gimmick, pushing WWE to think of a vital Survivor Series match for the blue brand. This shall be established at the upcoming Smackdown 1000, in the form of a team fight between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan.
The now ruthless Orton has maintained that he has a new target set, though we aren't sure who it is as of yet. With Bryan busy fending off The Miz and turning to AJ Styles, Orton will target the man who overshadowed him at Wrestlemania 30 and brings his Evolution mate, Batista into the mix.
Orton will target Bryan while bringing other elements into the mix. This will include the building rivalry between Rusev and Aiden English, a vengeful Samoa Joe to tackle Jeff Hardy and shine a spotlight on Andrade 'Cien" Almas. Meanwhile, United States champion, Shinsuke Nakamura faces off with his Smackdown 1000 episode rival; Rey Mysterio.
The big surprise shall be Batista joining his former tag team partner's side while maintaining a certain tension with Daniel Bryan. Mysterio shall act as a bridge between the two men, eliminating Nakamura and earning a future title shot while having Orton all to themselves.
Orton's comeuppance will come at the hand of the three heroes, with Batista picking up the win and finding begrudging respect from Bryan and vice versa.
WWE Women's Tag Team Titles: Boss 'N' Hug Connection (Sasha Banks and Bayley) (c) vs. The Bella Twins (Nikki and Brie Bella)
With Sasha Banks out with an unidentified injury, Bayley is adrift on RAW fighting the good fight for the Mixed Match Challenge.
She will need something to do come time for Evolution, the likely hope being by management that by then Banks can return to the ring. This is because the belief is that the company is building towards a women's tag team division.
This is why the WWE hasn't pulled the trigger on the Bayley and Banks rivalry, hoping to use the duo to act as the lynchpin of a division in desperate need of a full-time lynchpin for the division. This will come in the form of the Boss 'N' Hug Connection. It will also allow the two women to rehabilitate their image and characters for the better part of a year.
Holding the division down until a real team is worthy of the accolade will give Bayley and Banks the chance to build their history further together, as well as their eventual rivalry. At this juncture especially with big events, the champions defending across shows need a blockbuster duo on their first PPV defense post-Evolution.
Enter the Bellas, the perfect mean girl act now established after their attack on Ronda Rousey. The two will fail to thwart Rousey, and will then take on the Boss 'N' Hug Connection in a blockbuster match at Survivor Series.
Of course with the Bellas' part-time status, this will allow Banks and Bayley to notch a huge win for themselves heading into Wrestlemania as champions against an intriguing legendary duo of women.
Bobby Lashley/w Lio Rush vs. John Cena
Bobby Lashley's heel turn couldn't have come at a better time, with Lio Rush by his side turning obnoxious day in and day out. The heel turn helps Lashley to reset his dwindling fortunes on RAW. He becomes the best version of himself, that dominated Impact Wrestling one time.
Lashley's ruthless takedown of Kevin Owens poses an interesting question going forward. Much like Zayn, Owens is on the injury list leaving a spot open for someone to build a feud up against Lashley.
If the Saudi show does go down, this shall be in the form of building tension between him and John Cena. Cena recently partnered with Lashley and will need a huge showdown for Survivor Series.
Lashley tackling a man who will cost him the World cup, as well as his last opponent in his first run in WWE would be poetic. Leaning into this history, Cena could present Lashley as the face that could have been had he stuck around. The two come to blows in a clash of behemoths, at a PPV where they once actually dominated a decade ago. With Cena putting over the heel Lashley en route to big things for the big man.
Team Lynch (Becky Lynch, IIconics [Peyton Royce and Billie Kay], Absolution [Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville]) vs. Team Flair (Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Asuka, Carmella and Lana)
With the Brand Warfare theme abandoned this year, Survivor Series will need to represent the women of WWE after the Evolution PPV.
This will come in the form of a traditional Survivor Series match pitting the Smackdown Women against one another. It will also act as a perfect way to prolong the Flair and Lynch feud, giving Flair a final win before she moves on from the title picture.
Unfortunately, Becky Lynch's heel side might seem a bit low-key, but it this is a chance for the talents like Peyton Royce and Sonya Deville to shine; having improved since debut.
Apart from that the contest shall build to Naomi as Becky's next challenger and hint at Asuka's resurrection to challenge for the title once more at Wrestlemania.
While Charlotte will win the match alongside sole Survivor Asuka, Becky Lynch shall seek retribution finding the aid of a mystery helper building to Charlotte's next big match. This will finally be the time of Nikki Cross's arrival on the main roster.
RAW Women's Title: Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Nia Jax
Nia Jax operates better as a take no prisoners heel and this shall come in the form of her burgeoning friendship with Ember Moon.
On this week's RAW, Jax lost to Moon due to a count out and expect this to stick like a thorn as we head to Evolution. Once the turn comes, Jax has to set her eyes back on the prize she lost at Money in the
It shall allow for a rematch between her and Ronda, a hoss battle that was spectacular at Money in the Bank and will be better the second time around. The two women can duke it out in a match with a definitive winner, adding another notch in the belt for the fast learning Rousey.
Ronda's dominance will lead the ensuing months asking if anyone can stop her, an increasingly irate Nia Jax might not do the job.
This causing Rousey to finally grow an air of arrogance and confidence heading towards the biggest event of the coming WWE calendar. As long she gets this huge win, that arrogance shall add to Rousey rounding out her first year as part of the roster
WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. The Miz
Daniel Bryan might get his shot at Crown Jewel or somewhere else, but there's no denying that a feud between the phenomenal one and the IT guy will be one to watch with bated breath.
In their few previous confrontations, both men have proven to have some genuine chemistry. Add to that the alignment dynamics and fans wishes to see The Miz once again climb to the top of the mountain, means this feud will occur soon.
AJ Styles isn't long for the championship, though they might just have him retain here. This will prolong the feud long enough for Miz to regain the championship just as Bryan once again ascends to contendership, drawing a great parallel.
Unfortunately, it also means the continued pattern of Styles current reign, that has made it stale in the eyes of the fans.
Still the contrasting combatants might light it up unlike Styles previous two dream rivalries in the WWE. Giving Styles someone who can also take a loss but still remain relevant and make him relevant, is perfect.
The Miz as mentioned will win the title eventually, for now, Styles builds along as champion en route to breaking a modern-day record, proving he is the best in the world.
Team Corbin (Baron Corbin, AOP [Akam and Rezar/w Drake Maverick], Dolph Ziggler and Elias) vs. Team Angle (Kurt Angle, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho)
The struggle to control RAW is a big narrative growing on Monday nights at the moment. It received a huge shot in the arm with the return of Kurt Angle, taking an easy win from Baron Corbin to qualify for the World Cup.
While the end game is likely singles match against Corbin and then to lead into another feud with Triple H. Angle can look to a Traditional Survivor Series match to settle the matter.
It's the perfect cliche for WWE to jump on with this feud and the dividing lines on RAW indicate this is the next step for the Monday Night brand's growing dissension between the stars and the remnants of the Authority. This will mean teams that make sense and are slowly uniting under one Umbrella.
Baron Corbin shall be flanked by the AOP, whom he has gotten along with. Apart from this, there will be Elias and a newly minted Intercontinental Champion in Dolph Ziggler.
Meanwhile, Angle shall enlist Corbin's old rival Finn Balor, the new RAW tag team champions, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose as well as a surprise fifth member.
The tag team title win shall keep Ambrose satiated and the SHIELD trudging along for a while. While the fifth member (in a pipe dream) will be IWGP Intercontinental champion, Chris Jericho.
Though he won't arrive with the title, the allusions of seeing Jericho face off against Ziggler (another Intercontinental champion) shall be interesting. This will also play into the fact that Jericho can seemingly do anything he wants in wrestling.
Thanks to this, Kurt Angle's team shall pick up the huge win to put himself back in prime position. Meanwhile, Triple H shall look on with smug satisfaction. Their feud just about developing.
WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Braun Strowman vs. Drew McIntyre/w Dolph Ziggler
While there is the narrative thread of cracks within the SHIELD, the belief is WWE will keep them together long enough for a big blow out come Wrestlemania season. Meanwhile, this leaves WWE with the lingering tensions festering between the Dogs of War.
Strowman's erratic mood might target Dolph Ziggler for now, but it's becoming increasingly clear that even Drew has had enough of the monster.
Things shall come to a head just as Survivor Series rolls on with McIntyre and Ziggler turning on the monstrous Strowman building to their own tensions. Roman Reigns won't have it easy, especially with his brothers taken out just in the last match by the AOP.
The contest will keep Reigns in the fringes, giving him a convenient win due to Ziggler's mistakes ringside as well as the titanic clash between Strowman and McIntyre.
With both men and the Dogs of War vanquished, Reigns can look forward to bigger threats towards the Road to Wrestlemania. While McIntyre and Ziggler's tenuous relationship will go through testy waters in a war against Strowman.
Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker/DX vs. Brothers of Destruction
The elements within this match depend on one factor: Will Crown Jewel take place? And if it doesn't, what does it mean for the promised Shawn Michaels in-ring return?
Let's not kid ourselves, after years of rebuffing the company; Michaels is only set to return to cash in on a huge Saudi Arabia paycheck. After all, everybody has a price and the showstopper is no different.
Will WWE abandon the narrative completely or will Shawn stick to this word and continue along with part-time duties? It would be just lovely if Shawn were to stay retired, but being as it is in the WWE, this storyline can't just evaporate. As such there's no doubt that Survivor Series would be the best place for Shawn to make his vaunted return to the squared circle.
It could be in the blockbuster tag team match announced for Crown Jewel, or it could just be in a single match against the Undertaker, in an event where he was born and one where a loss to Shawn might not sting as much. This could also allow Michaels to push forward for a Wrestlemania contest, against a dream opponent not named Undertaker or Triple H.
Either way, if Shawn Michaels returns expect him to stop the show in the main event. All glory to WWE and its foolish endeavors to elevate the old-timers.
