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Looking to continue the streak of solid WWE pay-per-views in the ThunderDome, Survivor Series is this Sunday. It will follow the tradition of brand warfare, with RAW and SmackDown going head-to-head. There are currently six matches announced for the card, with four 'Champion vs. Champion' matches and two traditional Survivor Series elimination bouts.
Also, there is the small matter of The Undertaker's 30th anniversary as a WWE Superstar. The company has billed it as his 'Final Farewell'. The Deadman might be retired once and for all now, although Survivor Series could feature a major development towards the contrary.
Despite the relative lack of build for the event, Survivor Series could be another hit for WWE. There are several things the company must ensure for the show though, whether they are major decisions or minor ones. They could go a long way to make this another memorable edition of the November supershow.
Here are five things that must happen at WWE Survivor Series 2020.
#5 WWE announces stakes for the winning brand at Survivor Series
For years now, the Superstars of RAW and SmackDown have fought each other at Survivor Series for nothing but brand loyalty and bragging rights. But how can one be loyal to a brand they joined barely a month ago? WWE needs to add stakes to make the matches at Survivor Series truly matter.
The RAW men's team has not been on the same page for a number of weeks, so there needs to be an incentive for them to make the effort to get along. The same goes for every team, as well as the Champions of each brand. Each winner should get a reward of sorts, possibly linked to the Royal Rumble.
WWE needs to come up with a proper reason for every Superstar to fight for their respective brands at Survivor Series. This would be a major boost for the pay-per-view, which already looks like a fun card without the stakes.
Perhaps, the winning brand could get the main event of WrestleMania? Now that would make Survivor Series truly a high-stakes affair and lend even more stock to the possible decider between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre.
#4 The Women's Survivor Series match is a straight-up elimination contest between Shayna Baszler and Bianca Belair
WWE's plans for the winner of the women's Survivor Series elimination match might revolve around the abuse that Lana has suffered at the hands of Nia Jax. It is likely that she will be put through the announce table for the tenth time in a row, before somehow ending up as the sole survivor.
Whether that happens or not, the in-ring action has to focus on the biggest stars in the match, namely Shayna Baszler and Bianca Belair. The former NXT rivals could both be equally dominant at for their respective teams at Survivor Series, with quite a few disposable members on either side.
Baszler and Belair could eliminate two to three Superstars each, before coming to blows near the end of the match. It would be a big moment which may go a long way in making them into bigger stars. The two of them dominated this year's Royal Rumble Match, with a combined 15 eliminations between them.
If Lana isn't booked to win at Survivor Series, one of Shayna Baszler or Bianca Belair could come out victorious. Either of them would be a great choice as the sole survivor of the women's elimination match this year.
#3 Seth Rollins is eliminated first in the Men's Survivor Series match
Seth Rollins is about to take some time off from WWE shortly after Survivor Series, to be with Becky Lynch as she is set to give birth to their child soon. His appearance as a part of Team SmackDown could be his last on WWE TV until 2021, so the company could write his character off in a logical way.
After losing his blow-off match against Rey Mysterio on last week's SmackDown, Rollins could end up putting Murphy over as well this week. Following a couple of demoralizing defeats, another embarrassment at Survivor Series could send The Savior of SmackDown over the edge.
WWE has booked some surprisingly early eliminations in recent men's Survivor Series elimination matches, with Samoa Joe and WALTER both exiting the match within seconds. Rollins would be perfect in this role, considering he won't be contributing to storylines for a month or two.
A shock early pinfall at the hands of somebody like Keith Lee would boost his stock massively, en route to a possible victory at Survivor Series. Seth Rollins, ever the egomaniac, would be so ashamed by his string of losses that he 'no-shows' SmackDown until he returns from his paternity leave.
#2 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt ruins The Undertaker's 'Final Farewell' at Survivor Series and attacks him
The Undertaker might be retiring for real at Survivor Series, with WWE promoting The Deadman's 'Final Farewell' for the event. However, there is a chance that a current Superstar crashes the segment and challenges him to one final match before permanently retiring.
The one Superstar who must interfere and ruin The Undertaker's retirement ceremony is 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt. Five years from the day of Survivor Series 2020, Undertaker celebrated his 25th anniversary in WWE with a victory alongside Kane against The Wyatt Family, who were mere fodders for The Brothers of Destruction.
Earlier that year, 'Taker soundly defeated Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania. These two defeats were detrimental to the former Universal Champion's momentum and, sure as hell, The Fiend hasn't forgotten. Along with John Cena, who was dealt with, and Randy Orton, who is possibly next, Wyatt's encounters with The Undertaker have been damaging for him.
A showdown between Undertaker and The Fiend would be spectacular and be the perfect way to end the WWE legend's career. The match doesn't even need to be good. It just needs to be symbolic of a change in times, with Bray Wyatt's monstrous alter-ego decimating the 30-year legacy of The Undertaker.
WWE could even book a Boneyard or a Firefly Fun House Match, or possibly a combination of the two, if they are willing to go the cinematic route one final time. It would be an epic end to an epic career. Survivor Series, while advertised as the end for The Undertaker, could wind up being the beginning of his true end.
#1 SmackDown finally wins Survivor Series
Since RAW and SmackDown have started doing battle annually at Survivor Series, the Blue brand has never come out on top. While they won the big 10-man elimination match in 2016, RAW won more matches overall. 2017 saw the Red brand win the main event elimination match to emerge victorious.
2018 wasn't so close, as SmackDown lost every match on the main portion of the Survivor Series card. Last year's event featured NXT as well, with the Black and Gold brand winning the night. After four years of misfortune, will the fifth time be the charm? It has to be.
SmackDown is currently firing on all cylinders, with some incredible storylines in the past couple of months featuring the likes of Roman Reigns and Sasha Banks, among others. The show is so much better than its Monday night counterpart and that should be reflected in the ring at Survivor Series.
Along with Team Blue winning at least one of the elimination matches, both Banks and Reigns should win their 'Champion vs. Champion' bouts against Asuka and Drew McIntyre respectively. They are the 'best of the best' in WWE at the moment.
Another match should be added to Survivor Series as well, taking the match count to seven and ensuring that one brand will win more matches at the show. Whether that happens or not, SmackDown must emerge victorious on Sunday. Also, the stakes that were mentioned at the start of the article could come into play here.
Roman Reigns defeating Drew McIntyre to earn the right to main event WrestleMania, as long as he remains the Champion, would solidify the Tribal Chief as the number one Superstar, and SmackDown as the number one brand in WWE.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
