WWE will close its 2021 pay-per-view schedule this Sunday with the 35th annual Survivor Series pay-per-view at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. On top of the usual “battle for brand supremacy” between Raw and SmackDown, the show will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (who is rumored to make some sort of appearance during the show). No titles will be on the line, but the show has some massive Champion vs. Champion bouts lined up like Roman Reigns vs. Big E, Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair and The Usos vs. RK-Bro.
But which show will come out on top this year? Can SmackDown’s Men’s Survivor Series team redeem itself after getting swept last year? Once again we’ve assembled ComicBook’s team of wrestling writers to break down the biggest questions heading into the show! Check them out in the list below!
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Does The Rock Make Any Sort of Appearance During The Show?
Connor Casey: I won’t completely rule out an in-person appearance, but the latest reports stated he’ll be too busy with Young Rock‘s filming to make the trip to Brooklyn. My guess is we get a recorded message at some point during the night and maybe some sort of hint of a Roman feud.
Matt Aguilar: It was different with Cena, as there were strong impressions and rumors out there that he was coming back, at least for an appearance. With The Rock, there hasn’t been that, and also, he is still super busy promoting his movies all over the place, including his latest Red Notice. I would love it, and it would be a show-stopping moment, but I’m just not sure if he actually has the time in his schedule for an in-person appearance. Maybe a video though? Or some sort of message to Reigns to kickstart that storyline for later?
Evan Valentine: It’s simply too good of an opportunity to not have The Rock play some role, perhaps in building up to a GIANT match between him and Reigns in WrestleMania. He has been talking about professional wrestling a lot since his twenty-fifth anniversary for his debut rolled around, and the only thing that I think could stop him is if he has a movie filming at present.
Nick Valdez: No, the most we’ll get is a promo package (if anything).
Tim Adams: Here’s the scenario: Roman Reigns stands victorious after defeating Big E. He’s cutting a promo in the ring with the Bloodline and Paul Heyman repeating how he’s the Head of the Table, Tribal Chief, etc etc. Then “Do You Smell What The Rock Is Cooking?” blasts through the Barclay Center speakers. Rock gets in the ring and acts like he’s approving of Roman’s shenanigans, raising his arm in the air. Maybe even a handshake between the two. Except when Roman tries to walk away, Rock holds onto his hands and they have a staredown as the show goes to black.
Roman vs. Big E — Who Ya Got?
Connor: This feels like the one time they could get away with Roman taking a pin since there are no stakes involved, but it doesn’t seem like something WWE is interested in right now. Reigns takes it.
Matt: It’s hard to bet against Reigns right now, and I can’t do it here either. It would seem that the most likely scenario is that E actually gets a pin or a tap out, but something happens to where the referee is taken out or doesn’t see it or some shenanigans. Granted, it’s been done before this way, but it does keep your Champion looking strong and Reigns free and clear of a loss.
Evan: Can anything stop Roman Reigns at this point until The Rock officially brings his Universal Reign to a close? Listen, I am the biggest proponent in the world of Big E as champion, and having him beat Roman would place the biggest feather in his cap, but this train isn’t stopping until something truly legendary happens and I don’t see E taking the win here. I’d definitely put money down on Roman.
Nick: It seems so odd that we’re getting this instead of the baked-in New Day vs. Bloodline match that seems perfect, and because of that, Roman probably takes it. It’s definitely not going to be a clean win, and E’s going to make him work for it, but it seems like Reigns is going to snake another victory.
Tim: I wanted to pick Big E since the titles aren’t on the line, so Roman wouldn’t be hurt by getting pinned. However, they want to keep Roman’s first pinfall defeat as the Tribal Chief for either a Brock Lesnar rematch or The Rock at WrestleMania. And if Brock couldn’t beat Roman at Crown Jewel, then Big E won’t win at Survivor’s Series.
How Much of the Becky vs. Charlotte Feud is Actually Real?
Connor: I buy that the backstage altercation was real — that segment on TV was way too awkward for everything to go exactly as planned. And I’ll even buy that Lynch and Flair aren’t close anymore, people drift apart, that’s just life. But these latest comments in interviews about Charlotte being difficult and Lynch saying she doesn’t trust her feels like the two are trying to capitalize and build a little hype for this match.
Matt: It’s probably somewhere right in the middle, which is honestly all it needs to be. It seems evident that some real-life opinions are coming through in the promos, and that’s why they’ve actually been pretty entertaining. I don’t think it’s like this unfixable relationship, but there does seem to be some built-up animosity there.
Evan: Actually real? Well they do have a history and I think that the best Wrestling storylines do sprinkle in some truth, but ultimately, I don’t see it being 100% but it’s definitely looking to be one of the biggest matches of the night, that’s for sure.
Nick: It’s real enough! Because of all that extra stuff this is the only match with any real draw, so I’ll take it whether it’s a work or not.
Tim: I’ll go 50% of it. I think it’s a mix of a work and shoot. Probably started as a shoot after their confrontation backstage on SmackDown, but now they’re both playing it up during interviews to build up the anticipation of what will happen when they step back into the ring against each other. I’m a pessimist, so I’ll assume Charlotte will win the feud because she always does in the end.
Does SmackDown’s Men’s Team Sweep Raw This Year as Payback for Last Year?
Connor: I don’t hate the idea, but there’s no way Happy Corbin makes it all the way to the end of the match. SmackDown still wins though.
Matt: I don’t think they sweep, but I do think they ultimately win.
Evan: Whenever I see a “To Be Announced”, that makes me think that there’s a big reveal on the way. I wouldn’t necessarily say that Raw will sweep, but I do see them winning out the match with a good majority. Heck, maybe they throw in Goldberg in there to really up the stakes.
Nick: I don’t really think either side has the kind of competitors who could believably sweep the other side, so I don’t think that’ll be the case. It’ll go down to the 1 vs 1 against whoever the TBA entrant is.
Tim: While I don’t see a sweep, I do have the Smackdown Men’s team coming out victorious. TBA is always a wildcard in these scenarios, and hopefully, it’s someone who is actually good that the fans want to see.
Which Brand Wins This Time Around?
Connor: There’s technically only six matches on the card right now so there’s a chance we get a tie, but I’ll go with SmackDown.
Matt: I would say that Raw would win because their last year has been so tumultuous that it feels like they need a win, but then again I don’t see WWE just outright pissing FOX off with a loss either. It’s odd, though I’m going to say by the end of the night it’s Raw with a very small margin of victory.
Evan: This is a tough one as I can really see it being 50/50 when you lay all the matches out. I’d probably give the slightest of advantages to Raw across the board, but again, it’s a really tough choice as I think they’re pretty evenly matched as a whole.
Nick: Does it matter? It’s hard to care about this aspect given how the Draft was not long ago, but I would say Raw at least. If there’s one that really needs the bump of the win here, it’s that show.
Tim: SmackDown has the biggest star (Roman Reigns) so I’ll go with the Blue brand. Raw could use some momentum and positive buzz, but the Bloodline is the driving force in the company right now.
Survivor Series Needs Some Stakes. Pitch One Idea to Improve the Show:
Connor: Each member of the winning team gets a championship match of their choosing from the following Raw through Royal Rumble. WWE’s programming often sleepwalks its way through December, this would guarantee at least five must-see matches.
Matt: Okay, here’s one. Whoever wins the Survivor Series matches gets one of two rewards. Either they get to steal someone from the other brand for their roster, or they get to draft someone from NXT immediately. So, in this case, if the Raw Men’s team wins their match, they could steal someone from the men’s SD roster or draft someone from NXT, like say Bron Breakker. Likewise for the women, if SmackDown were to win, they could steal Alexa Bliss, or maybe draft someone from NXT like Raquel Gonzalez. Think that would add some chaos and would lend the whole “repping the brand” thing a little credence since superstars would actually not just be improving their roster but also theoretically improving their show.
Evan: I would say that the winner of the Big E/Roman Reigns battle should get both belts, but that would just give us an even more unstoppable Roman at this point. I’ve always been a big fan of the earlier days of the Survivor Series wherein it focused much more on four-man teams leading up to a giant elimination match at the end. I definitely think doing this kind of scenario with the ultimate winners getting shots at belts of their choice would work best to raise the stakes.
Nick: I think it’d be fun to tie it into the Royal Rumble. The final survivor that gets the pin gets to choose what number they want to enter the Rumble in. It’s something small in the grand scheme of what could be coming in the next couple of months, and isn’t as notable as a title shot, but I think it’d be big enough to have a faux kind of celebratory moment. Sort of like how the KOTR and Queen’s Crown ultimately don’t mean much in the grand scheme but feel noteworthy.
Tim: This may have happened once in the past, but I’d have the winner of the Men’s and Women’s Survivor Series teams compete against each other for a shot at their respective world titles. And it would only be the winners who survived until the very end, not the entire teams. So if a wrestler was eliminated and their team wins, they don’t get to participate in the #1 contender match.
Predictions:
Connor:
- Universal Champion Roman Reigns def. WWE Champion Big E
- Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch def. SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair
- United States Champion Damian Priest def. Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura
- Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro def. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
- Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, King Woods, Happy Corbin and TBA def. Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory vs.
- Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Carmella, Queen Zelina def. Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, Natalya and TBA
Matt:
- Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeats WWE Champion Big E
- Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defeats SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair
- United States Champion Damian Priest defeats Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura
- Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro defeats SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
- Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, King Woods, Happy Corbin and TBA defeats Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, and Austin Theory
- Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Carmella, Queen Zelina defeats Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, Natalya and TBA
Evan:
- Universal Champion Roman Reigns def WWE Champion Big E
- Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch def SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair
- United States Champion Damian Priest def Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura
- Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro def SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
- Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, King Woods, Happy Corbin and TBA def Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory
- Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Carmella, Queen Zelina def Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, Natalya and TBA
Nick:
- Universal Champion Roman Reigns def. WWE Champion Big E
- Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch def. SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair
- United States Champion Damian Priest def. Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura
- Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro def. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
- Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory def. Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, King Woods, Happy Corbin and TBA
- Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Carmella, Queen Zelina def. Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, Natalya and TBA
Tim:
- Universal Champion Roman Reigns def WWE Champion Big E
- SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair def Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch
- United States Champion Damian Priest def Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura
- SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos def Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro
- Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, King Woods, Happy Corbin and TBA def Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory
- Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Carmella, Queen Zelina def Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, Natalya and TBA
