WWE returns to pay-per-view (PPV) -- if your cable provider is carrying the event, of course -- tomorrow night (Sun., Nov. 23, 2014) live from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri with its Survivor Series event starting at 7:00 p.m. ET with the Kickofff show featuring the return of both Bad News Barrett and Fandango leading right on into the main course at 8 p.m. ET on the WWE Network.
And it's free!
Set for the card: Team Cena vs. Team Authority in a battle for power and employment, Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt, and more!
Luckily for you Cagesiders, our staff of learned wrestling blowhards is here to help figure out just how the event is going to play out with predictions for each match on the card.
Let's get to it.
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WWE SURVIVOR SERIES 2014 PREDICTIONS
Team Cena vs. Team Authority
The General: I'm still sticking with the idea that John Cena will come close to overcoming the long odds once more before a member of his team turns on him and he ultimately loses to keep The Authority in power. Perhaps Vince McMahon will return to Raw next Monday to ensure Team Cena doesn't all get fired and kick start the long power struggle storyline they teased a few weeks back. And if The Rock is unavailable to oppose Triple H because of movie commitments, there is a certain rumor going around of someone who could fill that role. Pick: Team Authority
Sean Rueter: I don't like either outcome. At a time when the company believes itself to be hurting for star power, why write two of your best characters off television? Even if there's something to the Stephanie rumors (she is approaching 40 and the non-high-risk pregnancy window is nearly closed), that can be done with taking Hunter out too. They can always come back later with a note from the Board, but that's honestly more eye-roll inducing to me than Vince coming out on Monday night and announcing that Cena and company are re-hired...which is a trite but logical way to kick-off a power struggle storyline. I'm also not ruling out the possibility of another interference ending designed to kick off the next big angle. Perhaps Bray shows up with The Ascension and to reveal that Harper & Rowan are still with him, destroying everybody and forcing Cena to team with The Authority to take him down? Eh, I guess I read too many comics. Here's hoping Seth, Rusev, Ziggler and the former Family members get a chance to shine and this isn't just John vs. Kane and Haitch. Pick: Team Authority and/or schmoz
Hulk Holland: It's much easier for me to believe that Vince will disband The Authority after Roman Reigns or someone else swoops in to save Team Cena than it is for me to try to envision a scenario where most or all of the top babyfaces get fired. The stipulations in this match are dumb either way: Pick: LOLTEAMCENAWINS
Cain A. Knight: Doesn't it seem odd that Triple H would leave himself out of a match where his job was on the line in favor of less accomplished wrestlers like Kane, Henry, and Harper? That is just one of the many logic-defying constructs of this extremely bizarre main event match. The match itself could get pretty ugly considering that half the participants are very limited in the ring. Rowan and Harper don't really seem to belong in this story, and Rusev will probably fall victim to a disappointing DQ or count out elimination to keep his streak alive. The bottom line is that John Cena was always going to be the guy who would vanquish The Authority, and I can't wait for Commissioner Bryan to come out the next night on Raw and officially kick The Authority's butt out the door. Pick: John Cena is the sole survivor
Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt
The General: This definitely feels like they're recycling what they were doing with Wyatt and Daniel Bryan before they had to abandon ship when CM Punk left and they strapped the rocket on Bryan's back leading into WrestleMania. That means Ambrose is going to lose early and often in this feud while they build sympathy and rally fans to help turn him later. Pick: Wyatt
Sean Rueter: I'm on record with being underwhelmed by this feud, but I still hope it isn't over. They deserve another month or so to really turn what they've started into a blood feud. In order for that to happen, the heel needs to win here. And Bray needs a victory more than Dean at this point anyway. Pick: Wyatt
Hulk Holland: Dean Ambrose needs the win more than Bray Wyatt does, based on where they sit in the grand scheme of things. That said, Wyatt probably has something up his sleeve (Ascension?) and I have a hard time believing this is going to have a clean finish. Pick: Bray Wyatt
Cain A. Knight: The story of this match hasn't clicked just yet and so Ambrose feels out of place here, especially when you consider that he should've been eagerly pursuing a spot on Team Cena. And the new Bray Wyatt is exactly the same as the old Bray Wyatt, which is pretty underwhelming. Both guys desperately need this win. Dean Ambrose has yet to win a match on PPV since splitting from The Shield, while Bray Wyatt is still trying to recover from that atrocious feud with John Cena. For whatever reason WWE chose not to ride out the huge wave of momentum that Ambrose was on a month ago, and so I think they are just going to use him to make Bray Wyatt look like a horrible monster. Pick: Bray Wyatt
AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella
The General: We still can't be certain if there is a Total Divas rule regarding the Divas championship and even if there is it always came with the disclaimer that it's a loose rule that can change at any time. Why not put the belt on Nikki here? Isn't the long term story to continue getting heat on her so she can pass the strap off to her sister, Brie? Pick: Nikki
Sean Rueter: The only reason to not give Nikki the belt is if the Total Divas rule is a real thing. She's got an actual storyline with heel heat and has proven she can work a really entertaining style in the ring. Brie's 30 days are up this week, too, so this is one of her last chances to be forced to help her twin - or an opportune time to join the dark side. And I love AJ, but she's been champ for the better part of almost two years or something now, right? Going with storyline logic over "booking around a reality show". Pick: Nikki Bella
Hulk Holland: I can't imagine giving Nikki Bella the title -- for what? Brie's servitude is about to expire and I'm sure Creative has new and increasingly awful ideas to exploit their sibling rivalry, and I'm not sure we need a belt to accomplish that mission. Pick: AJ Lee
Cain A. Knight: I was all ready to pick AJ as the winner up until a week ago, but then WWE had to go and book AJ to stand tall over the Bellas on both Raw and Smackdown this week. Therefore the rules of opposite momentum strongly suggest that AJ will lose this match. Brie Bella has been very ineffective as Nikki's assistant for this entire month. I think that will finally change on this night and Brie will aid Nikki in taking the championship away from AJ. Pick: Nikki Bella
Divas Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag
The General: I'm not going to pretend like I care but there's a surefire way to ensure I stay involved: Alicia Fox must hit the Northern Lights suplex and they should build to a big Emma-Paige showdown. They won't, because Emma isn't on Total Divas season three, so, again, I can't pretend to care. Pick: Paige's team
Sean Rueter: When did Alicia Fox become a babyface? How am I supposed to care about this if I don't watch E! Does this mean Emma and Layla will be joining the Total Divas cast? Can everyone get eliminated early except for Paige and Natalya, followed by a 30 minutes singles' match? I'll break it down like a real sporting event, since if any match on this card deserves respect - this is it. Everyone on Foxy's team can work. Everyone on Paige's team can't (except for Paige). Pick: Team Fox
Hulk Holland: Not sure it matters but I'm thinking Paige will win and set up her feud against Emma. Finally! Pick: Paige
Cain A. Knight: Last year at Survivor Series, WWE booked 12 rapid-fire eliminations in the divas tag team match in under 12 minutes. This year's divas tag match only has 8 participants, and so WWE will probably run through 7 eliminations in under 7 minutes. I'm not sure if I'm kidding. Pick: Paige is the sole survivor
Gold & Stardust vs. Usos vs. Los Matadores vs. Miz & Damien Mizdow
The General: There has to have been a conversation that involved Vince McMahon realizing the tag team championship titles both look the same and, therefore, should be on The Miz and Damien Mizdow, right? I like to imagine it's an idea someone fed to him, he rejected it outright, then came back a day later and claimed it as his own, complete with a snap of the fingers after a light bulb went off over his head. Pick: Miz & Mizdow
Sean Rueter: Hey look! The division is at least four teams deep and they're still no reason to care about any of them! But we'll probably forget about their crappy writing once the match starts because all the guys can go and have good chemistry! It's just like every PPV tag title match this year, but with more dudes! Eh, either Konnor & Viktor show up and destroy everyone, fulfilling the Survivor Series debut quota, or the Hollywood duo get rewarded for their exemplary work over the last several months (and Damien wins his first title in WWE!) Pick: Miz & Mizdow or schmoz
Hulk Holland: I think it's high time the 'E hands those titles to the Miz twins. They may not be able to hit the same show-stopping moves as the other three teams, but the Damien Mizdow character is red hot. Pick: Team Mizdow
Cain A. Knight: This match could definitely steal the show. It's filled with plenty of above average workers and also includes the most must-see mid-carder that WWE has to offer in Damien Mizdow. I just wish that this was an elimination match instead of one fall to a finish. This fight also has a good degree of unpredictability to it, as only Los Matadores stand out as guys who don't have much of a chance to win the titles. The act of Miz and Mizdow is really hot right now and so I am going to give them the slight edge over the other teams. Pick: The Miz and Damien Mizdow
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Those are our predictions, Cagesiders. What are yours?