On November 20, WWE will host its first dual-branded Pay-Per-View since SummerSlam, Survivor Series. Since both brands are going to be on the same show, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan of SmackDown challenged Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley of Raw to three different traditional Survivor Series matches: one for men, one for women, and one for tag teams.
A traditional Survivor Series match is a 5-on-5 (or 10-on-10 in the tag team case) elimination tag team match. It has been used for feuding team captains, and even for John Cena vs. the Authority. This time around, it is purely for the spirit of competition. It is Raw’s best against SmackDown’s best, but who should represent that honor?
These teams are assuming that the top champions not already mentioned (like Heath Slater and Rhyno) will be defending their belts at the event.
Men’s Teams
SmackDown is pretty short on talent, especially considering the rumors that John Cena and Randy Orton are going to be gone until the end of the month. I assume the Ambrose/Styles feud will continue at Survivor Series, so those two are also out of the picture. This leaves Dolph Ziggler as the top guy, along with the former Intercontinental Champion, The Miz. While they won’t gel as a team, they are the two top guys available, so Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan should choose them.
This leaves three spots on the team. With the tag team division having their own match, this really narrows it down. My picks would include Luke Harper (Bray Wyatt wouldn’t want to do the dirty work), Baron Corbin (he destroyed Jack Swagger at No Mercy and demanded more opportunities from Daniel Bryan), and Kalisto (he’s rumored to be healthy from his injury).
Raw has more talent, so this one had a little more room for variation. Chris Jericho has already put his name in the running for captain, and Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley have clearly been enjoying Y2J’s recent run, so he should be pencilled in as soon as tonight. Seth Rollins and Rusev just finished up championship programs, so representing Raw is a good direction for them while WWE figures out what to do with them next.
This leaves two “wild card” spots. If Mick Foley has been watching Raw at all, he would put Braun Strowman on the team. The “mountain of a man” has been destroying everyone in his path, and even pushed former NXT Sami Zayn to the wayside in his pursuit for “real competition.” The last spot should go to someone who is unlike anyone else, and is tough for SmackDown to prepare for. This is the perfect time for Raw to look at their Cruiserweight Division and choose none other that Rich Swann.
Team SmackDown: Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Luke Harper, Baron Corbin, & Kalisto
Team Raw: Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins, Rusev, Braun Strowman, & Rich Swann
Women’s Teams
I wish there was as much strategy for the next two matches as there could be for the men’s, but there is barely anyone to choose from. The assumption for this match is that Charlotte will be in a title feud against Bayley, and that Becky Lynch defending her title against Alexa Bliss on November 8 will free her up for Survivor Series.
Raw’s team is everyone who isn’t Dana Brooke. This includes the former Raw Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, the dominant Nia Jax, the returning Emma/Emmalina, Summer Rae, and Alicia Fox.
SmackDown is in the same boat, since they have already confirmed that Natalya won’t be a part of the team (even though she’s the most experienced female Superstar in WWE).
Team Raw: Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Emma, Alicia Fox, & Summer Rae
Team SmackDown: Nikki Bella, Naomi, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, & Carmella
Tag Team Teams
The tag team divisions are in the same boat that the women’s divisions are in; there aren’t enough teams to choose from. Originally, I tried to keep New Day off of the list, but then I realized that they wouldn’t have any tag teams to defend their titles against. Heath Slater and Rhyno have already been confirmed for SmackDown’s team, so it makes sense that both brands’ champions would be squaring off.
Raw has no tag team division, so their team should be everyone except the Shining Stars. Smackdown already has The Ascension eliminated from qualifying, which leaves almost every team on their show guaranteed to be competing.
Team Raw: The New Day, Enzo & Big Cass, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, Golden Truth, & Sheamus & Cesaro
Team SmackDown: Heath Slater & Rhyno, The Hype Bros, American Alpha, The Usos, & Breezango.
Things can always change, like the rumored return of the Headbangers or any potential NXT call-ups. However, these teams seem to make themselves, since there aren’t a lot of options for either brand.
