4 things WWE should change with Survivor Series and 1 thing that should remain

Survivor Series has been around for over 30 years. It's one of the "Big Four" PPVs in WWE along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and the Royal Rumble. Since it's been around for more than three decades, it stands to reason that some things could change.

Before the brand split, WWE had numerous 5-on-5 elimination matches. It allowed stars from all over the card to get a spotlight on the PPV. Once RAW and SmackDown became separate brands again in 2016, it revamped the Survivor Series template.

Instead of multiple elimination matches, there was only one for the men, one for tag teams, and one for the women of WWE. To fill the space on the PPV, Survivor Series started to feature Champion vs. Champion matches.

Essentially, the WWE Champion faced the Universal Champion while the women's titleholders of each brand squared off. The mid-card titleholders faced each other as did the respective tag team Champions of RAW and SmackDown.

It's well past time for some things to change about the Survivor Series PPV. A lot has been altered in WWE over the last five years. Here are four things that should change and one thing that should stay the same with Survivor Series.

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#5. Brand Supremacy doesn't mean much anymore at Survivor Series.

Brand Supremacy may have been important when pushing the Survivor Series, but the time has passed regarding it really mattering. Unless more is on the line like when GMs were present for each brand, it might have made more sense. When it was McMahon vs. McMahon, brand supremacy made more sense.

Neither McMahon wanted to look bad in the eyes of their father, so it mattered more four years ago. With Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce both showing up on RAW and SmackDown, it doesn't have the same effect.

Even Becky Lynch believes that the whole "brand supremacy" trope has run its course. Rather than RAW vs. SmackDown, WWE can have more than just three elimination matches.

It would also be easy to have each brand's Champion on a team so that he/or she doesn't have to defend the title. Because WWE treats it as brand supremacy and Champ vs. Champ, a lot of stars get left off the card.

#4. Champion vs. Champion matches at Survivor Series should be saved for a different PPV.

Survivor Series used to feature more than two or three traditional elimination matches. It got a lot of stars on the card, even if they were immediately eliminated. If WWE wants to have Champion vs. Champion matches, they could use that gimmick for Night or Clash of Champions.

At Clash of the Champions, every title is defended. Instead of two Champions fighting each other, it is a bout against a person from the titleholder's own brand. Pitting one titleholder against another brand's champion means that one star will have to lose.

To keep both titleholders strong, that shouldn't be the case. If someone goes against Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Becky Lynch, or Charlotte Flair, that person will likely lose.

Big E is facing the Tribal Chief this year, and WWE has booked Reigns on a historic run. He hasn't been pinned and has a title run of over 400 days.

They sacrificed "the Demon" to continue his run as Universal Champion, so Big E probably won't win at Survivor Series. He could use the win much more than Reigns, but unless some interference takes place, Reigns is winning.

WWE has run into this problem in the past. When Becky Lynch was slated to face Ronda Rousey, Lynch was hurt. Flair was inserted as the new opponent. Since WWE didn't want either woman to look bad, Flair lost via DQ after attacking Rousey.

Last year, Reigns beat McIntyre, who had just become a main-event player in WWE. Big E is in the same boat as McIntyre last year. Flair and Lynch are the two biggest stars in the women's division. Is one going to win clean?

The mid-card title match for Survivor Series has barely been pushed. Damien Priest hasn't been on RAW much over the last few weeks. His match with Shinsuke Nakamura was announced on the latest RAW.

The action in Champion vs. Champion matches is usually fine. As a byproduct, however, one belt holder always looks weaker in a loss at Survivor Series.

#3. WWE should definitely keep having traditional elimination matches at Survivor Series.

These matches are the foundation of Survivor Series. When the PPV began, teams of four or five stars faced off. Varying numbers of stars were the sole survivors. At the end of the night in 1990, the "sole survivors" even teamed up in an ultimate test of survival.

It usually meant that Hulk Hogan and some other faces would be going against the top heels of that era. WWE stopped having the "ultimate survivors" matches at Survivor Series but still had a handful of 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 matches.

Having someone last and come back against three or four opponents is a great way to tell a story. It can create a new star much like gauntlet matches are supposed to. The scrappy and resilient face keeps hope alive for the fans.

Just as the Royal Rumble is supposed to represent a potential new star, winners in elimination matches can be used in a similar fashion. This happened when Dolph Ziggler won against the Authority in 2014. He was the sole survivor after eliminating the last three performers from the other team.

If that person is already a made star in WWE, like Reigns or Seth Rollins, then it isn't an effective storytelling device. If someone like Ricochet won after facing and eliminating three other stars, it would do wonders for his WWE career. He even commented on being left out of the PPV.

Keeping 5-on-5 matches and having more than just one for both the men and women means that a lot of stars get a spotlight. The women's division might have much less depth than the men's division. For that reason, they could still have separate title matches at Survivor Series.

Nikki A.S.H., however, is a current Champion and isn't on a team. Once the 2021 edition of Survivor Series is over, stars like Ricochet, Sami Zayn, AJ Styles, Apollo Crews, and Cesaro will have missed the PPV.

#2. Survivor Series teams should have qualifying matches rather than simply announcing the participants.

WWE does this for Survivor Series and it also does the same for Money in the Bank. The teams are often simply announced during episodes of RAW and SmackDown. This year's teams were announced on Twitter two weeks before the Survivor Series.

Participants in the MITB ladder matches have also just been announced rather than placed in qualifying matches. With rosters of over 35-45 people on both brands, there are more than enough stars to face each other for the right to represent their brands.

WWE did have one qualifying match after announcing Rey and Dominik Mysterio, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Finn Balor as RAW's team. Adam Pearce thought the team needed all members to have been former WWE Champs, so Bobby Lashley faced and defeated Dom for the final spot. Austin Theory then replaced Rey after Rey fell to Lashley.

SmackDown's Men's Team also had one match as Jeff Hardy defeated Sami Zayn to remain on Team SmackDown. That leaves one vacant spot for the blue brand. Who will join Hardy, Drew McIntyre, Happy Corbin, and King Xavier?

Since the WWE Draft is about a month old, it would have allowed most stars on each brand a shot at a spot at the PPV. With less than a week to go before the Survivor Series, the rest of the spots won't be up for grabs.

Sonya Deville did the same thing on SmackDown. Aliyah picked up her first win as a member of the main roster. As she celebrated backstage, Deville informed Aliyah that she was off of the SmackDown Survivor Series team.

Will Deville take the spot for herself or will another woman from SmackDown join the team? Sasha Banks, Shotzi, Natalya, and Shayna Baszler are the remaining women on the team.

Toni Storm showed up to confront Charlotte Flair on the latest SmackDown but Flair denied Storm a chance at her belt. RAW's Women's Team includes Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Carmella, and Queen Zelina. There weren't any changes to RAW's team.

Qualifying matches allow every star a chance to represent their brand. Announcing the Survivor Series teams takes a lot of fun and sportsmanship out of the PPV.

#1. WWE needs tangible rewards for winners of 5-on-5 Elimination matches at Survivor Series.

WWE touts "brand supremacy" as the main prize at Survivor Series. In last year's men's match, RAW swept SmackDown. Some of the participants received title shots because of the sweep.

Before that, however, there weren't many big rewards attached to winning the elimination matches. Again, when there were GMs a few years ago, winning stars were rewarded by said GMs.

Since WWE has gone away from brand-specific GMs, there haven't really been any tangible rewards for winners of survival matches.

One easy way would be to give any survivor an automatic shot at the Champion of the winner's brand. It would be a tangible reward and something to work for. When Braun Strowman won the Greatest Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia, he simply won a green title belt.

There have been many title matches before and after the 2021 Draft, so why not award winners that have actually earned something? Bianca Belair faced Becky Lynch several times before and after the Draft. She also faced Flair.

If bragging rights are the lone prize for winning at Survivor Series, then the match doesn't feel as important as it could be. Becky Lynch recently reiterated the need for an actual reward for winning at Survivor Series.

With the Royal Rumble match around the corner, allow any survivors a chance at the No. 30 entrance spot. If two or more stars survive, then they battle for that spot.

Winning the King of the Ring/Queen's Crown tournament turns any winner into a King or Queen. It also clearly means a lot to those that win the tournaments. Nothing, however, has come their way in terms of Championship shots.

Awarding a title shot to the victors of specialty matches puts more on the line. Title shots have been given out a lot over the last few months. Surviving an elimination match at Survivor Series should lead to one.