WWE Survivor Series 2019: 8 last-minute predictions - NXT wins, Brock Lesnar retains

The 2019 WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view will take place in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, November 24.

Eight matches have been confirmed for the show, including Brock Lesnar vs. Rey Mysterio (WWE Championship), “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan (Universal Championship) and Adam Cole vs. TBA (NXT Championship).

The following RAW vs. SmackDown vs. NXT elimination matches have also been announced: Team RAW (Charlotte Flair, Natalya, Asuka, Kairi Sane and Sarah Logan) vs. Team SmackDown (Sasha Banks, Carmella, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans and Nikki Cross) vs. Team NXT (TBA), and Team RAW (Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton and Ricochet) vs. Team SmackDown (Roman Reigns, Mustafa Ali, Braun Strowman, King Corbin and Shorty G) vs. Team NXT (TBA).

Elsewhere on the card, three Champion vs. Champion vs. Champion matches will also take place: Becky Lynch (RAW Women's Champion) vs. Bayley (SmackDown Women's Champion) vs. Shayna Baszler (NXT Women's Champion), AJ Styles (United States Champion) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Intercontinental Champion) vs. Roderick Strong (NXT North American Champion), and The Viking Raiders (RAW Tag Team Champions) vs. The New Day (SmackDown Tag Team Champions) vs. The Undisputed Era (NXT Tag Team Champions).

In this article, let’s try to predict the outcome of all eight matches at this year's Survivor Series.

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#8 Brock Lesnar vs. Rey Mysterio (WWE Championship)

Before Paul Heyman announced the No Holds Barred stipulation, it looked as though Brock Lesnar vs. Rey Mysterio could turn out to be another quick victory for “The Beast”. After all, it only took him nine seconds to defeat Kofi Kingston last month, while Mysterio lasted just 60 seconds against Samoa Joe at WrestleMania 35.

Heyman has been known as the best on-screen promoter in WWE for the last seven years, and his magnificent tag line for this match – “Massacre or Miracle?” – made for a pleasant change from his usual “spoiler” promo.

The new stipulation means anything goes at Survivor Series, which opens up the possibility of Dominik or Cain Velasquez getting involved to help out Mysterio and essentially turn the match into a handicap match.

That being said, regardless of whether or not the numbers game is against Lesnar, it feels like we are far too early in his WWE Championship reign for him to lose the title on Sunday.

Prediction: Brock Lesnar def. Rey Mysterio

#7 “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan (Universal Championship)

The upcoming match between “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan has had a very short build-up, but it has quickly become one of the most intriguing storylines in all of WWE.

“The Fiend” made his presence felt on the go-home episode of SmackDown before Survivor Series when he locked in the mandible claw on Bryan, who had looked set to finally embrace the WWE Universe again by joining in with their “Yes!” chants.

In January 2014, Wyatt defeated Bryan in what turned out to be one of the best WWE pay-per-view matches of the year, and there is no reason why WWE should not give both Superstars sufficient time to tell another fascinating story in their match at Survivor Series.

Unfortunately for Bryan, “The Fiend” heads into this match in a similar position to Brock Lesnar. Both World Champions seem unbeatable right now and they only won their titles in October, so the chances of Bryan winning in Chicago are slim-to-none.

Prediction: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt def. Daniel Bryan

#6 Adam Cole vs. TBA (NXT Championship)

WWE announced this week that Pete Dunne vs. Killian Dain vs. Damian Priest will take place at NXT TakeOver: WarGames on Saturday, with the winner going on to challenge Adam Cole for the NXT Championship at Survivor Series on Sunday.

You could make a case for any of the three men picking up the victory at WarGames, but Dunne seems to be the most likely winner when you take into account that his two allies – Moustache Mountain members Tyler Bate and Trent Seven – could potentially reignite their rivalry with Cole’s Undisputed Era colleagues after the event.

Cole vs. Dain or Cole vs. Priest would make for an interesting one-off match, but can anybody really see either of those opponents chasing the NXT Championship in a long-term storyline after this weekend? NXT is all about long-term stories, as opposed to one-off title matches which are set up with one day’s notice, so it would not be at all surprising if Cole vs. Dunne kick-started an Undisputed Era vs. British Strong Style feud.

With that in mind, let’s predict that Cole will start the rivalry by picking up a win, courtesy of help from his fellow Undisputed Era members, over Dunne, prompting Bate and Seven to get involved after the match.

Prediction: Adam Cole def. Pete Dunne

#5 Women's 5-on-5-on-5 elimination match

Participants: Team RAW (Charlotte Flair, Natalya, Asuka, Kairi Sane and Sarah Logan) vs. Team SmackDown (Sasha Banks, Carmella, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans and Nikki Cross) vs. Team NXT (TBA).

Friday’s episode of SmackDown saw Team NXT captain Rhea Ripley defeat Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks in a Triple Threat match, while Toni Storm, Mia Yim, Candice LeRae and Tegan Nox supported their fellow NXT Superstar from ringside.

It appeared as though those four women were on the NXT Survivor Series team following the segment, but it has not yet been confirmed if they will indeed represent the black and gold brand alongside Ripley on Sunday, or whether they were merely on SmackDown to lend their support.

Either way, no matter who is on Ripley’s team at Survivor Series, the Aussie produced a very strong showing on SmackDown, and a victory for Team NXT in the women’s elimination match would help cement the brand’s women’s division as the best in any wrestling company right now.

Also, with respect to the women on Team RAW and Team SmackDown, they are missing some key Superstars (Becky Lynch, Bayley, Alexa Bliss etc), so it would look bad on NXT if either of those teams picked up the win.

Prediction: Team NXT wins

Team RAW (0), Team SmackDown (0), Team NXT (1)

#4 Men's 5-on-5-on-5 elimination match

Participants: Team RAW (Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton and Ricochet) vs. Team SmackDown (Roman Reigns, Mustafa Ali, Braun Strowman, King Corbin and Shorty G) vs. Team NXT (TBA).

Last year’s Survivor Series saw RAW win 6-0 in main-show PPV matches over SmackDown, but there is no way this year’s event will feature one brand winning every match against their rivals. There is far too much star power and competition across all three brands in 2019 for that to happen.

Looking at the names on each team (except NXT, whose team has not been revealed), Randy Orton is destined to produce a good showing and be involved towards the end – he is Mr. Survivor Series after all – while Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre are likely going to be tough to eliminate.

As for SmackDown, the dissension between Roman Reigns and King Corbin could result in both of those Superstars being eliminated, so Braun Strowman is almost certain to be the most difficult Team SmackDown member to eliminate.

Taking all of that into account, let’s predict that Strowman will emerge as the surviving member of his team for the third year in a row.

Prediction: Team SmackDown wins

Team RAW (0), Team SmackDown (1), Team NXT (1)

#3 AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong

Many people are predicting that this Triple Threat match could be one of the best WWE pay-per-view matches of 2019.

All three men have allies – AJ Styles has The O.C., Shinsuke Nakamura has Sami Zayn, and Roderick Strong has The Undisputed Era – but it would be smart for WWE to let this match flow without any interference from fellow faction members or other Superstars on the roster.

The long-awaited Styles vs. Nakamura matches in 2018 did not meet expectations, in all honesty, but the addition of Strong to the mix means this is likely to be similar to a high-tempo TakeOver-style match.

With regards to the outcome, any of these Superstars could realistically pick up the win, so this prediction is based solely on the fact that Team RAW has to record at least one victory at Survivor Series, and Styles appears to be their best bet.

Prediction: AJ Styles def. Shinsuke Nakamura and Roderick Strong

Team RAW (1), Team SmackDown (1), Team NXT (1)

#2 The Viking Raiders vs. The New Day vs. The Undisputed Era

Much like the Triple Threat between the secondary title holders, any of these three teams could realistically win the match and fans would have few complaints.

After a rocky and repetitive beginning to main-roster life, The Viking Raiders have started facing more established Superstars on RAW in recent weeks, and their status as one of the most menacing duos in all of WWE will remain intact even if they lose at Survivor Series.

The New Day, meanwhile, recently became seven-time WWE Tag Team Champions and they are certain to be future Hall of Famers one day. That fact alone should be enough to position them as favourites heading into this match.

Then, of course, there is The Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish, who are often involved in the Match of the Night every time they compete on an NXT card.

Once again, this prediction is based on the overall RAW vs. SmackDown vs. NXT score at the end of the show, so let’s opt for The Undisputed Era.

Prediction: The Undisputed Era wins

Team RAW (1), Team SmackDown (1), Team NXT (2)

#1 Becky Lynch vs. Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler

Becky Lynch is the biggest name in this match, but can anybody really see her walking out of Survivor Series with a victory over her fellow Champions? Unlike late 2018/early 2019, “The Man” no longer needs to win matches to build up her status as one of the top women in WWE.

Bayley, on the other hand, needs to do just that. Since ditching the ponytail and her “Hugger” gimmick, the SmackDown Women’s Champion has shown off a more villainous side to her personality, but she needs to win high-profile matches like this to prove that she should be taken seriously as the top heel in all of WWE’s women’s divisions.

As for Shayna Baszler, the NXT Women’s Champion has been unstoppable for over a year on NXT, with her last televised defeat as a singles competitor coming at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV in August 2018 against Kairi Sane.

While every match on this card has the potential to be the show-stealer, the PPV is ultimately all about the battle of brand supremacy, which has mostly revolved around NXT and their multiple invasions over the last few weeks.

With that in mind, it is difficult to see either RAW or SmackDown emerging with the overall brand win at Survivor Series, so let’s predict that Baszler will record the all-important victory to seal NXT’s triumph on Sunday.

Also, a Baszler win over Lynch would add another chapter to the Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey storyline, which is destined to be revisited in 2020.

Prediction: Shayna Baszler def. Becky Lynch and Bayley

Team RAW (1), Team SmackDown (1), Team NXT (3)

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