Why Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair need to main event WWE Survivor Series 2021
The 35th annual edition of the WWE Survivor Series is just around the corner and to say the event has been overlooked from a buildup perspective would really be an understatement.
The show, which has previously seen some legendary debuts, big-time dream matches and results that heavily impacted WWE programming for weeks (if not months) to come, has this year been relegated to nothing more than a glorified formality.
For starters, at the expense of sounding like a broken record, brand loyalty DOES NOT exist. Especially when most of your stars just went through a brand switch mere days before the contest.
Why are they fighting? What do they get from winning? Why do teams have to co-exist? Questions like these take over the wrestling world consistently every year in November.
This year seems to be no different, with a lack of emphasis on what's supposed to be one of the biggest WWE PPVs of the year.
Survivor Series 2021 appears to be the least built edition of the historic show in a very long time.
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While there is little WWE can do now to build more interest heading into the show this weekend, the most they can (and should look to) achieve is create a strong talking point heading out of Sunday night.
There needs to be drama surrounding at least one of the high profile matches booked for the event that bleeds into weekly TV next week. Luckily for WWE, it has all the ingredients to drum up interest in the struggling weekly product.
Mostly in the form of real-life tension between WWE's two top women's champions, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.
Wwe Survivor series 2021 Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair https://t.co/uiYJqOLu1L
The two former best friends (both inside the ring and outside) have landed themselves in a very peculiar situation. They're supposed to face off against each other, despite allegedly not looking eye-to-eye backstage, Yet having arguably the most anticipated match on an otherwise lackluster card for the same reason.
Flair and Lynch have a storied rivalry that has not only been hailed by the WWE. Their cracking chemistry with each other and truly inspired moments in the past that helped both the women reach the pinnacle of sports entertainment.
And yet this new chapter in this illustrious rivalry feels as fresh as anything, thanks in large part to their bizarre title exchange segment on Smackdown last month that brought this personal animosity between the two into the mainstream limelight.
This is the match most viewers will be tuning into the Survivor Series PPV for, not just because of the aforementioned heat between the two competitors, but also because WWE has failed in hyping up anything else to this level.
The 5-on-5 Men's Elimination Match feels like an afterthought with the way it was randomly announced on social media and has not been substantially addressed ever since.
Even Roman Reigns' match doesn't feel big this time around. Sure, he has been feuding with The New Day on Smackdown, which technically does feel relevant to his match with the WWE Champion Big E on Sunday. But again? A lack of proper promo work, go-home segments, or any exchange between the two men's champions has hurt the build to their champion vs. champion clash. A clash that has probably the most forgone conclusion of them all.
Big E has his best years ahead of him. He will have his moment to shine under the main event spotlight, but a valiant effort in a match which he will eventually lose does not scream main event.
WWE will need to spice things up enroute to its busiest time of year. Closing yet another PPV with Reigns using The Usos to beat a valiant (insert your favorite wrestler's name) babyface is a trope they'd want to avoid at all costs.
Now provided, it might be easier said than done to bring Lynch and Flair to terms on working with each other for a prolonged wrestling match. Maybe their real-life tension does make it uncomfortable for the two women to share the ring with each other. But the fact that both women are still onboard with the scheduled match on Sunday tells us that they are willing this in to a tide-turning angle for the company.
It's up to the WWE creative to use this as a basis to design an extremely unorthodox shoot-style match on the card. It's something that stands out even when looking at other Lynch-Flair matches. Not only does it give the women's division of both brands a much-needed boost as WWE looks towards the future. It's created a genuine talking point among fans and outlets coming out of Survivor Series.