5 WWE Superstars who were removed from Survivor Series teams
The next pay-per-view on WWE's calendar is Survivor Series, which is always an exciting event. Whether the brand loyalty aspect from recent years makes sense or not, WWE does their best in booking as many major matches as possible for Survivor Series. This includes the titular five-on-five Elimination Match.
These matches are generally the heart and soul of Survivor Series, with twists and turns galore. However, some of the twists in Survivor Series elimination matches have come in the weeks leading up to the event.
There have been multiple occasions where a Superstar has been added to a five-person team for Survivor Series, only to be removed from the match before the event. While it has happened due to real-life injuries, WWE has had several motives for this tactic as well.
Here are five WWE Superstars who were removed from Survivor Series teams.
#5 Matt Hardy from Team Triple H (WWE Survivor Series 2007)
The 2007 edition of Survivor Series featured only one elimination match, pitting Triple H and Umaga against each other as captains of their respective teams. The Game enlisted the help of Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Kane, and Matt Hardy. However, this match ended up being five-on-four after Matt Hardy was written out of the match.
Matt Hardy was taken out of the match via an assault from his tag team partner, MVP. This was meant to stack the odds against the babyface team and make their eventual victory all-the-more impressive. Triple H and Jeff Hardy won the match for the team at Survivor Series after coming back from a five-on-two disadvantage.
The current AEW star was supposed to return shortly after Survivor Series to exact revenge on MVP. However, a burst appendix forced an emergency surgery that would keep him out for four months.
Matt Hardy made a surprise appearance and took MVP out at WrestleMania 24, before winning his United States Championship one month later at Backlash 2008.