WWE’s annual Survivor Series pay-per-view arrives on the WWE Network on Sunday night from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, and this year’s show is getting an extra twist on the battle for “brand supremacy.” Instead of just Raw and SmackDown wrestlers fighting each other, stars from NXT will enter the fray for three champion vs. champion triple threat matches and two 15-man Survivor Series elimination tag matches. The show will also feature three title matches — WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Rey Mysterio, WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan and NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne. As with every pay-per-view, we’ve gathered up ComicBook.com’s team of wrestling writers to break down the biggest questions heading into the show, as well as give predictions on who will walk out victorious.
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Check out the predictions in the list below! Survivor Series will begin with the free kickoff show at 5 p.m. ET on WWE’s YouTube channel.
Do You Care About Brand Supremacy?
Connor Casey: Not in the slightest, and that’s why it’s been hard to get excited about Raw and SmackDown recently. An invasion can be fun, and it legitimately was when the NXT guys first showed up on SmackDown a few weeks back. But then they did it again. And again. And then things started getting boring. We’ve got five matches where the three brands face each other on Sunday, and with the exception of the women’s match there’s been very little build on TV for any of them. Styles, Strong and Nakamura haven’t said a word about facing each other, ditto the tag teams, SmackDown’s men’s team is way more focused on Corbin vs. Reigns than the actual match and (as of this writing) we still don’t even know who is on either of the NXT five-person teams. Instead it’s been brawl after brawl each week between midcarders, most of whom won’t even wrestle on Sunday.
If they do this same way next year with all three rosters facing each other, I hope they actually build to some matches rather than just say “Everybody, fight the people not wearing the same colored shirt as you!”
Matt Aguilar: Not one bit honestly, though there is one way I would care, and that’s if somehow WWE lets NXT win the event, using it as a pivot in their overall storyline and going meta with it. They won’t do that though, so no, not at all. There are just no stakes. if you attach something meaningful to it next year then yeah, maybe I will, but for now, no.
That Being Said, Which Brand Wins The Night?
Connor: NXT. I know everybody is saying SmackDown because of the FOX deal but it feels like the honeymoon phase for that is already over. WWE seems focused on trying to make NXT feel like the legitimate third brand, but mainstream fans won’t buy that idea if all of their guys job out in their first attempt against Raw and SmackDown.
Matt: While I’m hoping for WWE to push NXT as the winner, I’m just not sure they will. I honestly think it will be an even split between all the shows until the very last match or something, showing that they are all strong. Would like to say SmackDown or NXT, but I’m going with Vince’s usual favorite, Raw.
How Has WWE Done With Integrating NXT Into the PPV Build?
Connor: See that first slide for my full thoughts on WWE’s build for the show. But credit where it’s due, they’ve done a decent job of making a few NXT guys feel like legitimate stars like Cole and Ciampa.
Matt: Personally I think it’s been fantastic. Having them drub the WWE superstars on SmackDown really gave the NXT roster an adrenaline surge that they’ve built on for weeks now, and continually treating them like they’re a threat to people like AJ Styles, Becky Lynch, and Seth Rollins has lent their stake in this some authenticity, more than just letting them win the pay-per-view overall would. This might not have been the first plan, but it worked out quite well.
Everyone Seems to Have Styles vs. Nakamura vs. Strong as the Match of the Night. Do You Agree?
Connor: It’s pretty hard to argue. We’ve been let down by Styles and Nakamura before, but you have to remember that their best match last year was when they dropped the storyline (and the nut shots) and just let the two go at it for 30 minutes at Money in the Bank. Since they didn’t bother trying to add a storyline for this one I get the feeling it’ll be the same situation here, only now we get the added bonus of a legitimate workhorse in Roderick Strong. This should be the best 2015 Ring of Honor triple threat match we never got to see.
Matt: That’s going to be a great match, but for me, it’s Becky Lynch vs. Baszler vs Bayley. I can’t wait to see Lynch and Baszler link up in a match, and Bayley is an intriguing wild card, especially if she continues to push her more aggressive wrestling style we’ve seen in recent weeks. Styles, Nakamura, and Strong is going to be good, don’t get me wrong, but the last few matchups between Styles and Nakamura were a bit on the boring side, and that’s something I don’t think Lynch vs Baszler vs Bayley will have a problem with.
Pick One Wrestler to Turn on Their Brand and Join NXT
Connor: Kevin Freaking Owens. The man has been given nothing to do since getting drafted to Raw and that promo on Monday night from Triple H hit the nail right on the head — this guy went from being an unstoppable bada— on NXT to just another guy on the roster. Now it’s time for him to come home.
Plus he wrestled at TakeOver. That kind of gives away the game.
Matt: Hmm, it would make sense for it to be someone like Kevin Owens, Kairi Sane, or Nikki Cross. It has to be someone that NXT openly embraced, and while all three have found success on the main roster since then, their hearts always seem to be with the black and gold.
