‘WWE Survivor Series 2018’ Preview & Predictions
Welcome to this preview of the 2018 edition of Survivor Series, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have lots of surprising things to get to with this card, which has one of the biggest matches of the decade coming in at the last minute. Here we go, Idaho.
10-on-10 Tag Team Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match (Kickoff Match)
My Take: As long as they give this time, then this should be a lot of fun and, arguably, the best kickoff match the WWE has ever produced. It’s not every day that you get a big match on the kickoff, so I would hope the match gets the attention it deserves. I’ll say that Smackdown wins.
Raw Tag Team Champions AOP vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar (w/ Big Show)
My Take: This ought to be a tense, physical fight that gives both teams a chance to make an impression. The AOP should get the win to make them a bigger act for TV, but if the match is good enough, then both teams should get lots of attention from Vince… for a week.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali
My Take: This should be a good one, as long as time permits. Hopefully, Vince is happy to give some TV time to these guys that they can do something with. I’m assuming that Buddy keeps the strap, but you never know how Vince will feel on Any Given Sunday (it’s a movie pun).
Men’s 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
My Take: This might favor Smackdown, in an effort to build anticipation for the blue brand’s trip to the FOX Network. Raw winning is always a possibility, but Smackdown winning is more interesting. This match should be a good one, as long as they let these guys wrestle, rather than work a story-line favoring a Sole Survivor.
Women’s 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
My Take: I think Raw will win a match marred by pacing issues. I hope I’m wrong, but the way the women are required to wrestle has traditionally made their Survivor Series matches quite dull.
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura
My Take: This is one of the dream matches and since Vince acknowledged this on TV, then it may be safe to say that this will be allowed to be a good one. Shinsuke should win this and get some momentum for the trek to Wrestlemania season.
Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair
My Take: This is a dream match, but not nearly as tantalizing as the bout with Becky Lynch was. Ronda should absolutely win this thing, as Flair is good, but more like Curtis Axel in that she is a dull retread of her father and has hit the ceiling with what she can do, for now. Ronda should win a fine match against Flair, but the match itself should leave Flair with enough dignity to be a good opponent for her in the months to come.
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan
My Take: What a difference a few days makes. There’s no question that this is the main event of the card, no matter its placement. You can easily have Lesnar win this and keep them both strong, which works just fine for me. I’d love to see Bryan win, but it isn’t necessary to bolster his appeal. Bryan is supposedly a heel, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he gets the same reaction that Becky Lynch has been getting lately. I get Bryan wanting to pull a Jericho and get a face-lift with being the heel, but what Chris Jericho always neglects to mention is that those turns only stay effective for about two months, so Bryan the face will still be around in some form anyway. This will be the best match of the night.
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Final Thoughts:
It’s strange that the least promoted card from the WWE this year is the most interesting. The loss of Roman Reigns has sent Vince into a fervor that almost seems ridiculous, when you consider Roman only sold merchandise and not tickets. This Survivor Series is a reminder that Vince does know good wrestling and that he just refuses to let his league promote these kinds of cards, because he wants to make wrestling into a variety show, rather than just do business the right way. If this thing is a success, then maybe it will help crack open Vince’s thick skull and let a little fresh air get in there.
