WWE Makes Significant Change to Survivor Series
The show will now have a small stage due to strong ticket demand.
WWE has put an emphasis on maximizing its venues in recent years. Stadium shows like WWE WrestleMania and WWE SummerSlam still boast the pomp and circumstance that their sets are known for, but arena-based events like WWE Backlash and WWE Money in the Bank have opted for minimalist stages in order to fill seats that would have been previously blocked by the massive titantron. These stage set-ups are often reflective of the interest in the show, as WWE only ran the smaller sets for WWE Backlash and WWE Money in the Bank because they took place in Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom, respectively, two markets that were starving for professional wrestling. It's more rare that WWE goes small with sets for stateside shows.
WWE Survivor Series Changes Venue Set-Up
WWE is looking to pack Chicago's Allstate Arena.
As pointed out by @WrestleTix on Twitter, WWE has increased the WWE Survivor Series configuration, bringing the total number of available seats to 15,342, adding 2,784 seats to the previous set-up.
WWE expanded the setup/configuration for Survivor Series at Allstate Arena.
— WrestleTix (@WrestleTix) October 19, 2023
The new setup accommodates a total of 15,342 seats, adding 2,784 to the previous configuration.
Sections 105, 108, 205, and 208 have been added, resulting in what should be a different stage setup. This… pic.twitter.com/Oz1pSwGbnx
This change will result in those newly-opened seats taking the place of what would have been the big screen titantron that WWE uses for Monday Night Raw and WWE SmackDown. Instead, WWE will likely be using the small, curved LED screen used at events like WWE Backlash and WWE Money in the Bank earlier this year.
What Matches Will Headline WWE Survivor Series?
Recent reports have indicated that the WarGames stipulation will return for this year's WWE Survivor Series. Last year, WWE held its first-ever main roster WarGames match at this very event, pitting The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn) against the team of Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, and the Brawling Brutes.
This year, signs point to a unit comprised of Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens taking on The Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh). That said, Owens was recently traded to WWE SmackDown, drawing himself away from this red brand storyline. It's possible that Rhodes's unofficial team finds a new fourth member or Owens returns to fight alongside them for one night only. Other WWE stars that would have a reason to battle The Judgment Day include Raw's Drew McIntyre as well as NXT's Trick Williams.
WWE Survivor Series goes down on Saturday, November 25th.