A new report claims WWE is hoping to recruit the services of The Rock for Survivor Series, but nothing is yet in place.
WWE is now only a little more than a month away from returning to the road. The first real indicator that wrestling life is about to return to normal. Other than WrestleMania this year, all of WWE’s shows since March of last year have been in empty buildings. Superstars have had to settle for performing in front of thousands of LED screens.
Needless to say, once fans are back in attendance WWE will want to give them as much as they possibly can. That might seem like a slightly contradictory thing to say considering the recent big names releases. However, there are rumors that Brock Lesnar and John Cena will be back soon, and even reports that WWE is tapping up The Rock for a long-overdue return.
That’s according to Dave Meltzer. Meltzer noted in the most recent edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE is currently working on getting The Rock back into the mix for Survivor Series this year, but hasn’t managed to lock him down just yet. Considering the projects The People’s Champ always seems to have on his slate, that’s not in the least bit surprising.
The last time The Rock appeared on WWE TV was for SmackDown’s debut on Fox. It could be argued that the July 16 edition of SmackDown, which will be WWE’s first show back in front of fans, will be a show on equal footing with that episode, if not slightly bigger considering what it will signify. It could be a little short notice for The Rock though, which is why November’s Survivor Series might be the earliest possible opportunity to get him in.
Survivor Series is also the last major WWE PPV before Royal Rumble, the show that is considered to be the start of the road to WrestleMania. With fans clamoring for a Rock versus Roman Reigns match at WrestleMania, Survivor Series could well be the place where WWE plants the very first seeds for that dream match.
DUAL-BRANDED BATTLE ROYAL (KICKOFF)Ricochet, Jeff Hardy, Elias, John Morrison, The Miz, Angel Garza, Humberto Carrillo, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Apollo Crews, Kalisto, Shinsuke Nakamura, Chad Gable, Robert Roode, Dolph Ziggler, Murphy Miz wins the Battle Royal
MEN’S TRADITIONAL 5-ON-5 ELIMINATION MATCH Team RAW(AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, and Riddle) defeated. Team SmackDown (Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, King Baron Corbin, Otis) – All of team RAW survive
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits defeated WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day
WWE US Champion Bobby Lashley defeated WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defeated WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka
We see how The Gobbledy Gooker captured the WWE 24/7 Title from R-Truth on the Kickoff. We see Gooker backstage now, following a trail of bird seed. This leads to Akira Tozawa pinning him for the title with his ninja referee. R-Truth then appears and pins Tozawa for the title to begin his 45th reign. Truth runs away with Gooker and Tozawa chasing him.
WOMEN’S TRADITIONAL 5-ON-5 ELIMINATION MATCH Team RAW(WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler, Lacey Evans, Peyton Royce, Lana) defeated Team SmackDown(Bayley, Natalya, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott, Bianca Belair) – Lana is the sole survivor
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated WWE Champion Drew McIntyre
THE UNDERTAKER’S FINAL FAREWELL
Mike Rome is in the ring for The Undertaker’s “Final Farewell” segment. Rome welcomes those who came to say goodbye to Taker. The music hits and out first comes Shane McMahon. Big Show is out next, followed by WWE Hall of Famer JBL, Jeff Hardy (who has Taker’s symbol painted on his face), WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, WWE Hall of Famer The Godfather, The Godwinns, Savio Vega, WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi, WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, WWE Hall of Famer Triple H, and then Kane. We go to a video package on The Deadman.
The video features comments from Triple H, John Cena, Shane, WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin, and goes on for several minutes with highlights from Mark Calaway 30 years as The Undertaker. Fans in the virtual ThunderDome crowd chant “Undertaker!” now. WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon is introduced. The other guests are no longer in the ring. Vince talks about Taker’s 30 years in the company, striking fear in his opponents and entertaining a global audience, in WWF and WWE. Vince says this run will never be duplicated, so tonight we say goodbye, we say nothing lasts forever, which could be wrong, because the legacy of The Undertaker will live on eternally. So now Vince gives you… The Deadman, The Phenom… ladies and gentlemen… The Undertaker! The bells start to toll inside the Amway Center. The crowd goes black as the flame start to shoot up. Vince waits in the ring as The Undertaker’s iconic entrance begins.
Taker’s symbol appears high up in the arena as lighting strikes it and goes along with a MIDI-like version of his theme song. The bell tolls again and now The Undertaker begins his signature entrance to the ring.
Taker stops on the ring steps as more flames go off around the ring. Taker finally enters the ring and looks around for a minute or two. We hear “Undertaker!” chants apparently being piped in. Taker just stands there as crowd chants continue. The virtual crowd has not returned to the LED boards. Taker says for 30 long years he’s made that slow walk to the ring and has laid people to rest time and time again. He says and now his time has come. A “thank you Taker!” chant starts up. Taker says his time has come, it’s time for The Undertaker to… Rest.. In.. Peace. The ring fills up some with fog now as Taker tips his hat and drops down to one knee. Taker does his signature pose as we see a graphic of the late WWE Hall of Famer Paul Bearer on the wall, holding the urn. Taker looks up at the Bearer graphic and resumes his pose on his knee, looking down as the lights go out. The “Undertaker!” chants continue with just a single spotlight on Taker in the ring now. The bells start to toll once again as Taker’s music starts back up. He stands back up from his pose as the lighting and thunder start again. Taker stands tall in the middle of the ring and cuts his own throat. Taker exits the ring and marches up the ramp. He stops, turns back around to look at the ring, then faces forward again. Taker raises his fist in the air as the lightning strikes. The Undertaker’s “Final Farewell” ends as Taker heads to the back and the 2020 Survivor Series pay-per-view goes off the air.
DATE: November 22, 2020 at 7:00 PM ET (Preshow at 6:00 PM ET) LOCATION: Amway Center (WWE Thunderdome), Orlando, Florida AVAILABLE ON: WWE Network (first month free for new subscribers)
CARD
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka vs. WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks
WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits
WWE US Champion Bobby Lashley vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn
MEN’S TRADITIONAL 5-ON-5 ELIMINATION MATCH AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, and Riddle vs. Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, King Corbin, Seth Rollins, and TBA
WOMEN’S TRADITIONAL 5-ON-5 ELIMINATION MATCH Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, Lana, Lacey Evans, and Peyton Royce vs. Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, TBA, and TBA
WWE has officially announced The Undertaker for the upcoming WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view.
WWE just announced that Taker will make his Final Farewell at the November 22 pay-per-view, wrapping his legendary 30 year career.
There is no word yet on if this appearance will lead to one more match for The Deadman, possibly at WrestleMania 37.
Taker will speak with WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin on “Broken Skull Sessions” right after Survivor Series goes off the air on the WWE Network. This interview will be the final part of the “30 Days of The Deadman” celebration of programming that kicked off last month. WWE noted in today’s announcement that the celebration also includes Taker photos, videos and features on the WWE website, a Taker challenge on Tik Tok, Instagram and Snapchat filters, exclusive Funko items from Amazon, feature space in 2,300 Walmart stores for an exclusive Mattel action figure, national media appearances, and more.
Stay tuned for updates on Taker’s WWE future. Above is a new promo for the Survivor Series appearance, and below is the full announcement sent to us today by WWE, along with a new logo for Taker’s 30 year anniversary:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UNDERTAKER®’S FINAL FAREWELL SET FOR WWE® SURVIVOR SERIES®
#ThankYouTaker
STAMFORD, Conn., November 6, 2020 – Undertaker’s Final Farewell will take place at Survivor Series on Sunday, November 22 at 7 pm ET streaming live around the world on WWE Network, capping off The Phenom’s legendary 30-year career.
One of the most iconic Superstars in WWE history and a pop culture phenomenon, Undertaker made his WWE debut at Survivor Series on November 22, 1990. From his debut with Brother Love to his critically-acclaimed match vs. AJ Styles® at this year’s WrestleMania®, Undertaker has participated in some of the greatest matches in history against Hall of Famers such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair®, Triple H®, Shawn Michaels® and Mick Foley®; had multiple WWE Championship reigns; and held an unmatched and astounding undefeated streak at WrestleMania that lasted 21 years.
As part of Undertaker’s Final Farewell and 30th anniversary, WWE is celebrating “30 Years of the Deadman” throughout November, including recently debuted documentaries “Meeting The Undertaker” and “WWE Untold: The Phenom and The Legend Killer” on WWE Network as well as “The Mortician: The Story of Paul Bearer” premiering this Sunday, November 8 and “Brothers of Destruction,” which premiered in October at the Austin Film Festival, and will stream on WWE Network on Sunday, November 15. In addition, Undertaker will be a special guest on “Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions” immediately following Survivor Series.
Activation will also include special Undertaker photo galleries, video highlights and features on WWE.com, Undertaker Tik Tok Challenge, Instagram filter and Snapchat lens, two exclusive product opportunities with Funko only available at Amazon, feature space in 2,300 Walmarts including an exclusive Mattel action figure, national media appearances including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and blocks of primetime programming from WWE’s distribution partners around the world dedicated to Undertaker.
In addition to Undertaker’s Final Farewell, WWE Survivor Series is the one night of the year where Raw® squares off against SmackDown®. Current matchups are highlighted by: WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns® taking on WWE Champion Randy Orton®; Raw Women’s Champion Asuka® vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks®; Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day® against SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits®; United States Champion Bobby Lashley® vs. Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn®; as well as men’s and women’s 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination matches.
There will be no WWE NXT involvement in the 2020 WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The news was first reported by Ringside News.
There had been speculation on NXT being involved this year, like they were last year, but the NXT brand will instead start building to the next Takeover special on Sunday, December 6 instead.
Regarding the speculation on NXT and the Survivor Series, a logo for the pay-per-view was shown during WWE Hell In a Cell, and that logo still featured the red, yellow and blue colors for all three brands. However, new Survivor Series promotional material was revealed on the WWE website and social media accounts this week, and the yellow color has been removed.
It’s interesting that WWE is keeping NXT off this year’s Survivor Series event because the involvement made the show last year, and led to an increase in ratings on RAW, SmackDown and NXT TV for the month of November with the build-up.
The Observer notes that there are two explanations for WWE keeping NXT off the event this year. WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon wants to keep the brands separate as much as possible to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19. The second reason is that there is simply a mentality to not portray NXT as a major brand that is on the same level as RAW and SmackDown. This is the same reason why there were no NXT Superstars in the 2020 WWE Draft.
The 2020 WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view will air live on November 22 from The ThunderDome at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Last night, NXT Champion Shayna Baszler defeated Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley in the main event of WWE’s Survivor Series PPV.
The match was a big test for Baszler, as WWE has had eyes on her for a while. While the win was praised by many, the match was not.
During the bout, fans chanted boring or were just quiet. According to WrestleVotes, Vince McMahon himself did not like the main event.
After the bout, Becky attacked Baszler, closing the show with her putting Baszler through a table. It’s not known if anything will come of it in the near future, as Triple H told the media last week that the brand split would be more defined following Sunday’s pay-per-view.
Mauro Ranallo missed Sunday’s WWE’s Survivor Series pay-per-view due to some tweets made by SmackDown color commentator Corey Graves.
Ranallo deleted his Twitter account after Graves tweeted during Saturday’s NXT Takeover: WarGames event that Ranallo did not allow fellow commentators Beth Phoenix or Nigel McGuinness to talk enough, writing, “Just for the record guys, I know you wouldn’t know it, but there’s actually a WWE Hall of Famer AND a former Ring of Honor Champion on commentary. I’d imagine they have a lot to offer.” The tweet is still live.
Graves responded to another Twitter user asking how many Chicago rap references Ranallo had made, to which Graves replied, “Far, far too many.”
According to the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reports that Ranallo has not quit WWE. Everything is said to be fine between Ranallo and WWE, and from Ranallo’s side, he will be back on commentary this Wednesday for NXT.
To explain Graves’ absence from the Survivor Series, Michael Cole mentioned during the show that Ranallo was so passionate about Saturday night’s NXT TakeOver: WarGames event that he blew his voice out.
Cole ended up replacing Ranallo and calling the bout between Adam Cole and Pete Dunne for the NXT Championship. According to Meltzer, WWE was not happy with Graves, although he ended up on commentary later in the night.
(Kickoff) Tag Team Battle Royal: The OC, The Revival, The Forgotten Sons, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, The Street Profits, Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, Breezango, Lucha House Party, Imperium, Heavy Machinery –
Winners: Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler
(Kickoff) NXT Cruiserweight Championship: (C) Lio Rush vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa –
Winner: Lio Rush
(Kickoff) NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. RAW Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders –
Winners: The Viking Raiders
Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team RAW (Charlotte Flair (Captain), Asuka, Kairi Sane, Natalya and Sarah Logan) vs. Team SmackDown (Sasha Banks (Captain), Carmella, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, and Nikki Cross vs. Team NXT (Rhea Ripley (Captain), Toni Storm, Candice LeRae, Bianca Belair and Io Shirai –
Winners: Team NXT (Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae)
Video shown of how Kevin Owens joined Team Ciampa at the NXT “Takeover: WarGames” event last night. Owens is backstage now when Seth Rollins walks up. Owens asks if he has something to say or not. Rollins says everyone saw last night how Owens had a big moment with Team NXT. Rollins goes on and says he hates to ask but considering Owens’ history, he needs to know where Owens’ loyalty is tonight – Team RAW or Team NXT. Owens says last night was about what The Undisputed Era did to him. He admits he has a strong connection to NXT but NXT doesn’t need him, and RAW desperately does. Owens tells Rollins not to worry because he’s Team RAW tonight. Owens says Rollins questioning his loyalty and history is funny. Owens brings up Rollins turning on The Shield and then walks off.
United States Champion AJ Styles vs. NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong vs. Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura –
Winner: Roderick Strong
NXT Championship: (C) Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne –
Winner: Adam Cole
Universal Championship: (C) “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan –
Winner: Bray Wyatt
Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team RAW (Seth Rollins (Captain), Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, and Ricochet) vs. Team SmackDown (Roman Reigns (Captain), Shorty G, King Corbin, Mustafa Ali, and Braun Strowman) vs. Team NXT (Captain Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Matt Riddle, Damian Priest, WWE UK Champion WALTER) –
Winners: Team SmackDown (Roman Reigns)
WWE Championship – No Holds Barred – No DQ: (C) Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs. Rey Mysterio –
Winner: Brock Lesnar
RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler –
Winner: Shayna Baszler
After the match, Baszler takes her title and sits up in the middle of the ring as her music hits. We go to replays. Bayley rolls over and tries to recover. Baszler has her arm raised by the referee as the graphic shows that the night ended with 1 (RAW) – 4 (NXT) – 2 (SmackDown). Baszler exits the ring and stands on top of the announce table, posing and looking down at Lynch, who is still laid out. Baszler turns to leave the announce table but Lynch jumps up and knocks her down. Lynch drives Baszler onto the German announce table as fans start chanting for her. Becky jumps off the top of the barrier and puts Baszler through the table now. Becky stands tall and says something about this being her show. Lynch’s music hits as she stands tall. We go to more replays. The 2019 WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view goes off the air with Lynch raising her title and talking trash while standing on top of the announce table.
November 24, 2019 at 7:00 PM ET (Preshow at 5:00 PM ET) – Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
WWE Championship: (C) Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs. Rey Mysterio
Universal Championship: (C) “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan
RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler
RAW Tag Champions Viking Raiders vs. SmackDown Tag Champions The Revival vs. NXT Tag Champions Undisputed ERA
Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team RAW (Seth Rollins (Captain), Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, and Ricochet) vs. Team SmackDown (Roman Reigns (Captain), Shorty G, King Corbin, Mustafa Ali, and Braun Strowman) vs. Team NXT
Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team RAW (Charlotte Flair (Captain), Asuka, Kairi Sane, Natalya and Sarah Logan) vs. Team SmackDown (Sasha Banks (Captain), Carmella, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, and Nikki Cross vs. Team NXT (Rhea Ripley (Captain), Toni Storm, Candice LeRae ) Mia Yim and Tegan Nox are questionable after what happened at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
United States Champion AJ Styles vs. NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong vs. Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura
NXT Championship: (C) Adam Cole vs. NXT TakeOver WarGames Triple Threat Match (Pete Dunne vs. Damian Priest vs. Killian Dain)
The affects of the chaotic travel issues stemming from the WWE Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia are still being felt, as a big plan originally set for this month’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view appears to be scrapped altogether.
On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio at F4WOnline.com, longtime Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer (@DaveMeltzerWON) suggested that one of the last matches that will be announced for this month’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-vew will be “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt defending his WWE Universal Championship in a one-on-one showdown against Daniel Bryan.
It was speculated that the original idea for the title match was for Wyatt to face The Miz, with an angle to be shot for the episode of WWE SmackDown after the WWE Crown Jewel special.
Instead, due to the travel issues that came up, the angle and entire direction in general was changed.
Under those original plans, Bryan was headed for a WWE Intercontinental Championship win over Shinsuke Nakamura on TV, which would have put him in the three-way match at WWE Survivor Series against AJ Styles and Roderick Strong in the “Champion vs. Champion vs. Champion” triple-threat match featuring the WWE United States Champion from the WWE Raw brand (Styles), the WWE Intercontinental Champion from the WWE SmackDown brand (Bryan) and the North American Champion from the NXT brand (Strong).
As seen by the recent announcement made by WWE, the match will instead feature Styles, Nakamura and Strong competing in the three-way match of secondary individual title-holders.
WWE Survivor Series is scheduled to take place on Sunday, November 24th from Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The show will air live via pay-per-view and will stream on the WWE Network.
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