7 things that need to happen at Survivor Series
The second longest running pay-per-view will be marking its 32nd birthday this Sunday but this will only be the third consecutive year of the ‘brand warfare’ angle. The card is already stacked, with three Survivor Series elimination matches pitting the men, the women and the tag teams against each other. On top of this, there are also three Champion vs. Champion matches, which include Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins against United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, and Universal Champion Brock Lesnar against the new WWE Champion Daniel Bryan.
As 2018 draws to an end, Survivor Series will arguably be the most significant pay-per-view remaining to steer the storylines heading into the Royal Rumble and the road to WrestleMania 35. With a fair few dream matches scheduled for Survivor Series including Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey, it is easy to assume that this Sunday's PPV could be among the best pay-per-views WWE have had this year. However, there are certain things that need to happen to make sure that Survivor Series doesn’t fall flat.
#7 Daniel Bryan doesn’t get squashed by Brock Lesnar
On the go-home episode of SmackDown before Survivor Series 2018, the WWE Title storyline had two shocking twists. Not only did Daniel Bryan defeat the third longest reigning WWE Champion in the last 30 years, but he did so in a shocking heel turn despite being one of the biggest babyfaces in the WWE in recent years. Much like Styles’ victory over Jinder Mahal little over a year ago, his win has also changed the complexion of the Champion vs Champion match against Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series.
In an ideal world, the majority of the WWE Universe would prefer Daniel Bryan to win the confrontation with Brock Lesnar outright, but if you consider the fact that Brock Lesnar has only been pinned or submitted three times in the last five and a half years, it is highly unlikely we’ll see another shock by Daniel Bryan this Sunday.
Since Brock Lesnar captured his first Universal Championship 18 months ago (back at WrestleMania 33), Lesnar has, simply put, been an unstoppable force. With the exception of his one loss at SummerSlam 2018, he has squashed all his opponents in one-on-one action, including the likes of Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns. The only other exception to this rule is the match he had against AJ Styles at last years’ Survivor Series – although Styles came up short, the fight he gave Lesnar was not that of someone who looked weak.
Although Bryan’s recent victory means this rematch will no longer happen, the new match shouldn’t be another example of a one-sided Lesnar fight. Daniel Bryan has more than enough skill to hang with the former UFC champion, and while we may not see Daniel Bryan win, the WWE Universe shouldn’t have to see him get squashed either.