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In recent years, the annual WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view has played host to the battle for brand supremacy. Championship matches are cast aside as the Superstars of RAW and SmackDown compete for bragging rights over their rival brand.
Survivor Series 2020 followed this same formula, with no official Championship matches on the show. However, the card did include four inter-brand non-title "Champion vs. Champion" matches, as well as both male and female traditional Survivor Series elimination bouts featuring teams from the Red and Blue brands.
The pay-per-view, though, was heavily advertised around The Undertaker bidding his "final farewell" to WWE. Having originally debuted with the company at Survivor Series 1990, Sunday night's card marked the 30th anniversary of the first appearance of "The Deadman" in WWE.
The Undertaker, of course, announced his retirement from the ring earlier this year. Survivor Series 2020, then, seemed the perfect time for WWE to pay tribute to one of its most legendary Superstars of all-time.
Although the show gave this nod to the past, we also learned plenty about the potential direction of WWE storylines moving forward. Here are five big takeaways from WWE Survivor Series 2020.
#5 Team RAW dominates Team SmackDown in traditional Survivor Series action
In the build-up to Survivor Series, the male and female teams on RAW had their problems in uniting as a team. This dissension did not carry over the show itself, however, as the Monday night brand won both traditional Survivor Series elimination matches.
The SmackDown men's team, in particular, imploded quickly. It did not take long for Jey Uso to find himself in a five-on-one situation against the whole of Team RAW. Uso himself was then pinned by Keith Lee - despite briefly threatening a comeback - to ensure that RAW recorded a 5-0 clean sweep win.
Team SmackDown fell apart at Survivor Series
The ease with which the RAW men's team brushed aside their SmackDown counterparts might have been surprising, but it does allow WWE to move forward with several angles on Friday nights.
In the first elimination of the bout, Seth Rollins sacrificed himself "for the greater good", freely allowing Sheamus to Brogue Kick him for the pin.
Rollins is expected to take paternity leave ahead of the birth of his first child. Whether this was the way in which WWE will ultimately write Rollins off of television remains to be seen, but the finish would provide an explanation for his absence if this was the route WWE wishes to take.
Two members of Team SmackDown that got into a confrontation on the Survivor Series Kickoff show were Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin. It seems logical that this will set the stage for an upcoming feud between the pair.
The biggest takeaway from this match, though, is the treatment of Jey Uso. While he was Team SmackDown's best performer, Uso's loss did not please Roman Reigns - who insisted that his cousin's defeat had shamed him and his family.
Reigns stated that Uso needed to exact revenge on the other members of Team SmackDown in order to restore respect to the family name. The Tribal Chief was clear that Uso failing to do this would lead to him losing his place at the family table.
Uso will likely begin his quest for revenge on his fellow team members this Friday on SmackDown.
#4 Lana finishes as the sole survivor for Team RAW at Survivor Series
Survivor Series 2020 marked the first show in a while where Lana was not put through a table by Nia Jax.
However, not only did she avoid a trip through the announcers' desk, but she also ended up as the sole survivor for the RAW women's Survivor Series team.
The story of the match saw Lana banished to stand on the ring steps by Jax and Shayna Baszler. The WWE Women's Tag Team Champions were upset at Lana's earlier performance in the bout and forced her to stay away from the ring apron. Lana would remain in tears on the steps until the conclusion of the contest.
Lana picked up the victory for her team at Survivor Series after Jax and Baszler eliminated themselves
Despite Lana playing little part in the match, Team RAW looked set for a comprehensive victory when Jax eliminated Liv Morgan from the bout, leaving Bianca Belair as the lone remaining member of Team SmackDown. RAW, meanwhile, still had Jax, Baszler, and Lana in the match.
Baszler, though, was soon disqualified for refusing to release the Kirifuda Clutch while Belair was in the ropes. Shortly afterward, both Jax and Belair were counted out after brawling on the outside of the ring.
This left a shocked Lana (who was still stood on the ring steps) as the sole survivor participant left in this traditional Survivor Series elimination-style match. Although it was time for her to experience some success after weeks of torment at the hands of Jax and Baszler, the win itself for Lana was a weak one.
It does mean, though, that we are likely to see a continuation of the issue between Lana and Jax, possibly in the form of a Tables Match at next month's TLC pay-per-view. Hopefully, a match on that show would see a more decisive finish.
#3 A new character direction for Asuka?
The women's traditional Survivor Series bout may have had an underwhelming finish. However, there was nothing disappointing about the clash between RAW Women's Champion Asuka and her SmackDown counterpart Sasha Banks.
One of the best matches on the Survivor Series card, the pair had a thrilling back-and-forth contest. Sasha Banks secured the win with a roll-up after just over 13 minutes of great action.
Asuka came up short against Sasha Banks at Survivor Series
While the bout itself was great, the post-match reaction of Asuka was also intriguing. The camera lingered on "The Empress of Tomorrow" following her defeat - and it was clear that the loss did not sit well with her.
This seemed to suggest some sort of shift in attitude for Asuka may be coming in the near future. With Survivor Series now in the books, the focus will now move to Asuka's next title challenger on the RAW brand.
Sunday's bout between Asuka and Banks was essentially an all-babyface affair brought together because of the format of the Survivor Series event.
It would not be a huge surprise if we were to see an altogether darker version of Asuka during her next Championship feud.
#2 Roman Reigns defeats Drew McIntyre in a battle of WWE World Champions
Just six days into his second reign as WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre tasted defeat at Survivor Series at the hands of Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
The "Champion vs. Champion" format leaves WWE with a delicate line to tread. This is particularly true when it comes to the meeting of each brand's respective World Champions.
Naturally, WWE wants to deliver a satisfying match for the Survivor Series card. However, the creative team also needs to ensure that both titleholders come out of the match looking strong. After all, each has a weekly television show to carry.
Roman Reigns chokes out Drew McIntyre at Survivor Series
In this instance, WWE made the right call by putting Reigns over on McIntyre. The finish of the match saw McIntyre pass out (rather than tap out) to Reigns' Guillotine Choke.
The finish also came after interference from Jey Uso, who was seeking to regain Reigns' approval following his defeat earlier on the Survivor Series card.
Defeat for McIntyre soon after regaining the WWE Championship is not ideal, but the win reinforces Reigns as the company's top heel. The conclusion to the match also continues the exceptionally well-booked story between Reigns and Jey Uso.
The controversial nature of the finish also opens up the possibility of a rematch between McIntyre and Reigns on a grander stage.
#1 The Undertaker bids farewell to WWE as advertised
When WWE announced that The Undertaker would say his "final farewell" at Survivor Series 2020, many speculated that there might be more to the segment than the company suggested.
Would Survivor Series play host to an angle to set up one last feud for the iconic Superstar, for example? The Fiend was even speculated as potentially being that final foe for "The Deadman". Surely The Undertaker would not just appear, say his goodbyes and leave?
That is, though, pretty much what happened. The ceremony - which headlined the Survivor Series card - saw many Superstars from throughout The Undertaker's 30-year WWE career make appearances.
Some of the Undertaker's most famous rivals made their way to the ring to celebrate his accomplishments. The likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Mick Foley, Ric Flair, and Kane were all present.
Alongside them were some of The Undertaker's real-life friends, including The Godfather, Savio Vega, Rikishi and The Godwinns. Each of these men were members of the "Bone Street Krew" with The Undertaker, a backstage group of Superstars who traveled together during the 1990s in WWE.
Strangely, though, all of these legends disappeared from the ring before The Undertaker ever appeared. It was left to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to introduce the guest of honor after paying his own emotional tribute.
The Undertaker says goodbye to the WWE Universe at Survivor Series
The man himself then made his way to the ring. He took in the occasion for several moments before delivering a promo that was entirely in-character.
Ending his short speech with the words: "My time has come to let The Undertaker Rest...In...Peace", Mark Calaway clearly intended to close the door on his legendary character at Survivor Series.
Fittingly, towards the end of the segment, The Undertaker bowed to a hologram of his late manager Paul Bearer - who passed away in 2013.
The whole presentation felt like the storyline ending of The Undertaker character in WWE, just as was advertised. Whether he decides to make any future appearances - particularly when crowds are allowed to return to WWE events - remains to be seen.
