WWE: The case for an NXT sweep at Survivor Series

An NXT sweep at Survivor Series might be one of the best ways for WWE to ensure their night of dream matches has some real meaning.

One of the common complaints for WWE heading into Survivor Series is a so-called lack of stakes at the event. The prevailing thought being that the concept of “brand supremacy” is a lame excuse to build tension for the pay-per-views various dream matches.

While I can sympathize with that claim to a certain extent, WWE has given a reason for a war between brands this year

NXT is out there with something to prove. They’re not just fighting for the hell of it, nor do they seem like a hodgepodge team of disparate superstars. NXT has been fighting as a unit when they invade Raw and SmackDown, sometimes even regardless of the rivalries going on every Wednesday night.

In other words, this brand warfare isn’t just an excuse for NXT superstars to be involved. WWE has made it abundantly clear that the superstars on the black and yellow brand are hungry to prove they are on par, if not better, than both of the “main roster” brands.

To me, that’s a more than valid reason for NXT to want to win at Survivor Series, but I understand that NXT’s reasoning doesn’t really apply to Raw or SmackDown.

Both those shows are in somewhat different situations. With drastically changed rosters compared to just a few short months ago, both brands really don’t have a unifying tie to bind them together.

Why would Team Raw feel any sort of reason to put forth their very best efforts when headlining names like Kevin Owens and Charlotte Flair only just arrived on the red brand? That very same question could then be asked of Team SmackDown as well with Sasha Banks and Braun Strowman.

Maybe that lack of brand loyalty shouldn’t be overlooked as just an obnoxious flaw though. Maybe it should be validation for something radical to happen at Survivor Series.

I’m suggesting a total NXT sweep at Survivor Series needs to occur. That means both Survivor Series matches, and even all the triple threats. Total dominance from NXT.

Honestly, when you get right down to it, the concept isn’t really too hard to envision either.

Both the tag team and mid-card title triple threats are more dream matches than anything else. No major feuds have been built up there, so what’s stopped a dominant faction like The Undisputed Era from running the table in those matches?

That leads us to the aforementioned Survivor Series matches themselves, and the loyalty issues they present for both SmackDown and Raw.

At this point, if someone doesn’t betray Raw during the Men’s Survivor Series match, that would be more shocking than any actual betrayal itself. That rules Raw out of the match, bringing us to SmackDown and the fact that it’s two most prominent superstars hate each other right now.

Tensions between Baron Corbin and Roman Reigns boiling over would be pretty easy to envision, leaving us left with Team NXT as the clear victor because of their dedication to wanting to prove themselves no matter what.

Those same inter-team disputes are also reflected in the Women’s Survivor Series match as Charlotte and Natalya will be forced to team with Asuka and Kairi Sane after both have had their fair share of run-ins with the reigning WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions over the past few weeks.

Similarly, Sasha Banks and Nikki Cross are going to have to co-exist on Team SmackDown despite their recent history with one another.

Basically, the overarching point is that the fact that we’ve seen a clearly unified Team NXT, besides a potentially rogue Undisputed Era that likely won’t be pulling double duty at Survivor Series anyways, means that they have an easily explainable advantage over both main roster brands.

That just leaves the women’s triple threat match that should probably main event the entire show.

Admittedly, this one isn’t as easy to defend as the others, simply because Bayley has such a compelling case to walk away the winner. Nevertheless, Shayna Baszler still has an incredibly bright future in WWE, and her win here could help set up a Four Horsewomen clash down the road. Don’t rule out the “Queen of Spades” here.

Ok, so if an NXT sweep is indeed feasible then, what’s stopping WWE from giving us some results that actually mean something come Sunday? A full NXT sweep would cement the show as the true third brand for WWE, and not just a developmental program that’s destined to be raided once again after WrestleMania.

WWE should ensure that Survivor Series is NXT’s time to shine, and a clean sweep of the brand versus brand matches would be the best way to do that. The fact that it would help WWE justify a poorly chosen angle for one of it’s major shows is just icing on the cake then.