4 Past battles for Survivor Series brand supremacy
It’s that time of year again in WWE. The battle for brand supremacy is set to rage once more as WWE's brands will face off against one another at Survivor Series on November 24th.
This year’s event marks the fourth straight year in which WWE’s weekly shows have faced off, with the 2019 edition adding an extra element with the inclusion of NXT into the mix. WWE's third brand will look to solidify their place with RAW and SmackDown, and as more than just a developmental system.
The involvement of the Black and Gold Brand has spiced up a formula WWE has long incorporated, even before the 2016 Brand Split.
Join us as we take a look at four previous times WWE has utilized brand warfare at Survivor Series.
#4 Survivor Series 2005
It’s often forgotten that WWE has done the RAW vs SmackDown format in the past, long before the four consecutive years of brand warfare fans have currently seen.
The hot angle toward the end of 2005 was the first major engagement between RAW and SmackDown since the original brand split in 2002.
Following weeks of invasion attacks by both rosters, General Managers Eric Bischoff and Teddy Long agreed to two clashes for brand supremacy - one being 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series match-up between the best of both rosters, as well as a one-on-one contest between Bischoff and Long.
The buildup to the event was sadly marred by the tragic passing of Eddie Guerrero, who was originally scheduled to be a part of Team SmackDown. Despite these unfortunate circumstances, two star studded teams were assembled with the Blue Brand’s champion Batista being targeted repeatedly in the weeks before Survivor Series by RAW Tag Team Champions Kane and Big Show.
It was a tactic that Team RAW would take with them into the Survivor Series main event, with ‘The Animal’ being the third man eliminated from the match. Despite this, SmackDown would soon find themselves with a 3-1 advantage of Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and JBL to RAW’s Shawn Michaels.
In typical HBK fashion, he would fight back from adversity to eliminate Rey and Bradshaw in quick succession before eventually falling to Orton. It was soon clear that this win for ‘The Viper’ was done to serve as the continuation point for his year-long feud with The Undertaker. 'The Dead Man' would appear to confront Orton at the show’s end, as 'The Viper' was held high by the entire SmackDown roster.
What about Bischoff versus Long? Well, it lasted five minutes with Long winning after interference from The Boogeyman.
Fun fact: Three members of Team SmackDown - Bobby Lashley, Orton and Mysterio - are still members of the active roster.
RAW vs SmackDown score: 2-0 to SmackDown
Teddy Long defeats Eric Bischoff
Team SmackDown (Batista, Bobby Lashley, JBL, Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio) defeat Team RAW (Big Show, Carlito, Chris Masters, Kane and Shawn Michaels)