What if AJ Styles loses the WWE Championship before Survivor Series?

3. A Survivor Series Triple Threat

A three-way contest could really change the match's dynamic

One way of avoiding both a repeat of Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles and an unappealing heel vs. heel encounter would be to instead book a Triple Threat.

There would be some inconsistency in keeping Styles in the World Champions’ inter branded match, given last year’s precedent of matchups changing when titles switched hands. WWE could reasonably enough contrive a reason to keep Styles in the mix, though, especially if he lost the title in controversial fashion or at the very last minute. Having Paige and Shane McMahon in place as face authority figures makes this scenario particularly possible.

Styles vs. Miz vs. Lesnar, or perhaps even better Styles vs. Bryan vs. Lesnar could feel fresh. Besides that, all parties involved have proven histories of thriving in three-way matches (see Lesnar vs. John Cena and Seth Rollins from Royal Rumble 2015 or Styles’s Triple Threats from Impact Wrestling with Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels).