'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A total of 48 Superstars will compete in matches at the 2019 WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view, including 16 from the NXT brand.
The featured matches at the upcoming event include Brock Lesnar vs. Rey Mysterio (WWE Championship), “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan (Universal Championship) and Adam Cole vs. TBC (NXT Championship), while five RAW vs. SmackDown vs. NXT matches are also scheduled for the show.
Despite the large amount of Superstars who have been booked for this year’s battle of brand supremacy, there are still several high-profile names who are set to miss out on the event for a variety of reasons.
In this article, let’s count down five Superstars who have been omitted from Survivor Series and take a look at the likely reasons why they will not be competing on the show.
#5 Aleister Black
Reason for Survivor Series absence: Aleister Black was confronted by Buddy Murphy on the latest episode of RAW in what appeared to be the start of a rivalry between the two men. With Survivor Series largely revolving around Champions, Black’s only realistic way of participating in a match would have been for him to represent RAW in the five-on-five-on-five elimination match, but he has recently been sidelined due to a knee injury.
Chances of appearing on the show: We have seen various Superstars appear in the invasion angles on RAW, SmackDown and NXT in recent weeks, even though they are not set to feature at Survivor Series. Black, however, has kept a relatively low profile, so it seems unlikely that he will show up on Sunday.
Possible future storyline: As we saw on Monday, it is clear that WWE is heading towards a match between Black and Murphy on a future episode of RAW. Murphy defeated Akira Tozawa on this week’s RAW, so the Aussie goes into the storyline with some momentum.
#4 Andrade
Reason for Survivor Series absence: On the latest episode of RAW, Andrade had the opportunity to join Team RAW as the brand’s captain in the five-on-five-on-five elimination match. However, he failed to defeat Seth Rollins due to interference from Lucha House Party, which means he did not replace “The Beastslayer” in the Survivor Series team.
Chances of appearing on the show: It is not impossible but, much like Aleister Black, it seems unlikely. Realistically, the only way “El Idolo” shows up is if his recent match against Rollins is going to lead to a longer storyline. If that is the case, perhaps the former NXT Champion could somehow cost Rollins in the elimination match, even though that would ultimately hurt his own brand.
Possible future storyline: Alternatively, if the Rollins match was only a one-off, we can expect to see Andrade in the mix to challenge for the United States Championship in the not-too-distant future. The Mexican has not lost via pinfall or submission in six matches since moving to RAW in the 2019 draft, so his career definitely seems to be on the up.
#3 Rusev
Reason for Survivor Series absence: The love triangle storyline between Rusev, Bobby Lashley and Lana has been one of the biggest talking points in WWE over the last two months. However, with Survivor Series revolving around matches between rival brands, there was not enough space on the pay-per-view for a non-title singles match between two RAW Superstars.
Chances of appearing on the show: WWE has been known to add matches to the kickoff show on the day of the PPV in the past. It would be underwhelming if that happened with Rusev and Lashley, especially given the huge amount of television time that their storyline has received, so their best bet for a Survivor Series appearance is some kind of backstage segment to further their ongoing rivalry.
Possible future storyline: It was widely reported last month that WWE would add Rusev vs. Lashley to Survivor Series, but it now looks as though the company’s decision-makers are planning to continue this storyline until at least the TLC PPV on December 15, where the long-awaited match between the two rivals will surely take place.
#2 The Miz
Reason for Survivor Series absence: The Miz has not been involved in a meaningful WWE rivalry ever since his long-term storyline with Shane McMahon came to an end in the summer. He challenged Shinsuke Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship at Clash of Champions in September but the storyline consisted of just one match and it felt like it was over before it really began.
Chances of appearing on the show: In recent weeks, The Miz has been involved in Miz TV segments with Tommaso Ciampa and Daniel Bryan. There is an outside chance that he could interfere in the match between “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Bryan – he is scheduled to face “The Fiend” at upcoming live events – but it would be surprising to see WWE book another Universal Championship encounter with a shenanigan finish.
Possible future storyline: It is unclear if WWE’s announcement about the future Wyatt vs. Miz matches at live events will lead to an on-screen storyline between the two men. Live events often mirror what is happening on television, so perhaps “The A-Lister” will indeed get a shot at SmackDown’s top title.
#1 Alexa Bliss
Reason for Survivor Series absence: Alexa Bliss has been absent from WWE television since losing the Women’s Tag Team titles with Nikki Cross against The Kabuki Warriors at Hell in a Cell on October 6. Sportskeeda’s Tom Colohue recently reported that WWE granted Bliss a break because she is not needed in a storyline right now and the company wants to push other female Superstars on SmackDown.
Chances of appearing on the show: Out of all the names on this list, an appearance from Bliss at Survivor Series would make the most sense. After all, from a storyline perspective, she has been completely disregarded by Team SmackDown, so she could potentially betray her own brand for leaving her out, or perhaps she could take the opposite approach by helping her tag partner, Nikki Cross.
Possible future storyline: It feels like there is a lot of unfinished business between Bliss & Cross and Asuka & Kairi Sane over the Women’s Tag Team titles. Expect to see a rematch between the teams after Bliss returns.
Now you can rate RAW, SmackDown and NXT matches on Sportskeeda!
