Kickoff match
10-on-10 Tag Team Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match, Raw vs. SmackDown
Because WWE really didn’t want to leave The Usos and The New Day off the card, we have this match.
The Road to Survivor Series
Let’s check in on what each of these teams was doing heading into this one...
- The Usos (SmackDown team captains): Won the right to lead their side by beating long-time rivals The New Day. Prior to that they were losing #1 contender matches and beating AJ Styles & Daniel Bryan while they were doing the “babyface challengers forced to team” gimmick.
- The New Day (SmackDown): Were tag champs for the fifth time until losing to The Bar at SmackDown 1000. Since then, they’ve mostly continued to wrestle The Bar, well past when creative could use “contractual rematch clause” as an excuse.
- Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (SmackDown): Appeared on TV back in late August to lose in a first round Triple Threat for a tournament to crown a #1 contender, aka “the last time the bookers needed more than two tag teams for an angle”.
- The Colons (SmackDown): Appeared on TV back in late August to lose in a first round Triple Threat for a tournament to crown a #1 contender, aka “the last time the bookers needed more than two tag teams for an angle”.
- SAnitY (SmackDown): Appeared on TV back in early September to lose in a first round Triple Threat for a tournament to crown a #1 contender, aka “the last time the bookers needed more than two tag teams for an angle”. Emerged from hiding to introduce their NXT teammate Nikki Cross for a match in the United Kingdom a couple weeks ago. Then agreed to set aside their anarchistic agenda for their love of blue t-shirts.
- Chad Gable & Bobby Roode (Raw team captains): Were doing a storyline that seemed destined to lead to a feud between them, but then that kind of disappeared. Have managed to get on screen every few weeks anyway, probably because Roode is on Mixed Match Challenge again. Won a battle royal for the honor of leading the motley crew from the red brand.
- Lucha House Party (Raw): May actually be the most active of any group on either side thanks to having been constantly involved in an angle on 205 Live. Moved to Raw out of nowhere because someone really didn’t want to have Heath Slater & Rhyno on this team, I guess. Also, to sell masks to kids, probably.
- The Ascension (Raw): Got on TV - and got a few wins on Konnor’s record! - back when it looked like Gable & Roode might feud. Otherwise, probably miss their glory days as extras on Fashion Files.
- The B-Team (Raw): Were oddly popular for a while after Miz left them without someone to -tourage. Enough so they got a tag title run out of their loveable reactions to unexpectedly winning. Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler showed up and we all remembered they were actually just Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel.
- The Revival (Raw): Are actually one of the best tag teams in the world, not that you’d know it from watching double-u double-u e programming. They did get like ten minutes to strut their stuff against Dolph & Drew back in September, though. That was cool.
What’s at stake?
Even less than usual. There’s enough talent here that this could produce some fun moments though! How else are we gonna get Scott Dawson locking up with Jimmy Uso, or Chad Gable wrestling Big E?
That’s all I got.