WWE Survivor Series 2021 – Predictions

Traditional Survivor Series Match

Team Raw (Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley and Austin Theory) vs. Team SmackDown (Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, King Woods, Happy Corbin, and TBA)

You know how there’s a running joke that WWE will often book around some dated pop culture reference because that’s how long it takes Vince McMahon to hear about it? This year’s Survivor Series suggests that Vince McMahon has recently heard of the Hokey-Pokey.

You put Sami Zayn in, Sami Zayn out, you book Mysterios and then you turn around etc.

I think this will be Smackdown’s year this year. RAW took it last year – Smackdown the year before – and this will somehow still leave Kevin Owens on the losing side for each of the last 3 years. The bookies agree (although the odds are short), the Blue Team are 4/7 whilst the Red Team are 5/4.

Why the assumption here? With Kevin Owens’ recent heel turn, he promising to take it out on everyone on RAW – so expect him to not only lose himself, but also be responsible for Balor being eliminated. 

Leaving one person “as yet unannounced” on the Smackdown Team is going to be interesting – it would always be good to get our annual “WWE remembers Cesaro is a thing” but I think the most likely scenario is another European. WALTER.

WALTER was actually included on the recent house show tour of the UK (no other NXTUK talent were) and having dropped the NXTUK title to Ilja Dragunov, now feels the time if The Ring General is going to move up to the main roster. Having had an awful previous appearance at Survivor Series, it would actually be quite nice to see WALTER massacre someone like an Austin Theory. Not sure he’ll make it to the end (he may well do) but a Drew McIntyre lead finale feels like the most likely of conclusions.

Predictions – Team Smackdown WINS (McIntyre / WALTER Surviving)

Traditional Survivor Series Match

Team Raw (Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Carmella, and Queen Zelina) vs. Team SmackDown (Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, Natalya, and TBA)

Given that the Men’s Survivor Series match is likely going to Smackdown, I’ve got to assume that the Women’s match goes to RAW. It shouldn’t work like that, obviously, but it is what it is.

At time of writing, RAW is at 8/15 whereas Smackdown is 5/4 so it’s not as cut and dry as it could have been, but there’s still a clear suggestion on where this match is going. There’s still a space to be claimed on the Smackdown Women’s team – I feel like this will be sorted on Friday with Toni Storm most likely joining the merry crew (unlike the men’s team which I think will be left until the night itself). With Toni having already been on the show, there’s fewer “impact” surprises on the women’s side than the men’s.

Liv is the next challenger to “Big Time Becks” (it should really be Big Time Bex, “Big Time Becks” sounds like a weak Lager) so expect her to go very deep in the match – likely even being the sole survivor on the team. Bianca could well join her, but I also think Doudrop will be somehow involved here which could well have an impact on Belair’s involvement here. 

I don’t see anyone on the Smackdown side who needs this win quite as much as Morgan, so that’s where the money is going

Prediction: Team RAW Wins (Liv Morgan Final Survivor)

Charlotte Flair (Smackdown Women’s Champion) vs Becky Lynch (RAW Women’s Champion)

Oof. This could be match of the night. Or it could be an absolute car crash. I guess it all depends how much what Charlotte Flair has been up to is legit and how much is the general smoke and mirrors of professional wrestling. Either way though, my prediction remains in line with the bookies here and am going to predict a win for The Man (it’s a rare night where the bookies and I are agreeing on everything) 

At time of writing, Becky is the favourite at 1/2 on, whereas Flair is currently at 11/8. Neither result is out of the question (especially where these two – arguably two of the four most protected wrestlers in the company, including Reigns and Lesnar – are in the picture) but a Lynch win feels the more natural conclusion. If the rumours are true that Charlotte has got some heat backstage, then it’s even more likely. 

Lynch moves on to Morgan after this, but it doesn’t feel likely that Morgan gets involved here (maybe she does after the match) but the more likely ending is enough cheating to keep Charlotte strong and enough for The Man to crow about.

Fingers crossed that this one stays professional and we’re just being played like the gullible wrestling fans we all secretly want to be.

Prediction: Becky Lynch WINS

Big E (WWE Champion) vs Roman Reigns (Universal Champion)

Incredible really that Big E, a WWE Champion – a home grown superstar with tons of charisma in their first reign – is currently 4/1 to win a singles match at Survivor Series. But that’s as much of a comment on Roman Reigns and his position in the company overall. Even in a Champion vs Champion setting, The Big Dawg is the clear favourite (in this case, a ridiculous 1/10 on).

I think Reigns’ next challenger is going to be set elsewhere on the card. Nakamura having a clear win over Corbin is certainly a likely potential, as is whoever takes the final spot in the Men’s Survivor Series match. WALTER vs Roman at The Rumble maybe? King Woods is currently a possible, but doesn’t feel like a “sizeable” challenge (unfortunately)

Big E though, will go from here directly onto Kevin Owens. It’s very, very likely that Mr Langston will end this feud this as WWE Champion (especially if the rumours about KO going to AEW in Jan are true) but I imagine this is a match where the Owens/Big E feud moves a bit further forward with the match ending in a cluster involving the whole of the Bloodline, Big E, King Woods & Kevin Owens. But the cluster only ends one way…

Prediction: Roman Reigns WINS 

RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) (Raw Tag Team Champions) vs. The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (SmackDown Tag Team Champions)

These last two matches haven’t yet got published odds against them (as I type this up on Tuesday evening) so there’s no official guidance out yet – but I’d going to imagine that the bookies will back The Usos here. Jimmy & Jey are positioned more as the Hyenas to Roman’s Scar (Lion King reference for you) rather than all being equal importance in The Bloodline; whilst obvious, this is kinda important for matches like this. The Usos can afford to lose as they’ll always have heat for when they get involved on Roman’s behalf later on. 

It’s a match that’s likely to open the show – Orton & Riddle are good for that – and I imagine that when we do eventually get the turn and Orton / Riddle feud, it won’t be until Wrestlemania – meaning that the team gets a win here (especially a week after Orton – begrudgingly – said how much the team means to him on RAW last night)

And that’s fine – predictability isn’t an issue in wrestling when it’s entertaining and hopefully that’s what these two teams give us here

Prediction RK-Bro WINS

Damian Priest (United States Champion) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Intercontinental Champion)

If the previous matches all go as expected above, then RAW are 3-2 up with Nakamura and Priest to go. So I’m backing Shinsuke to get the win here to make it 3-3.

Perhaps it’s the romantic in me, but I do believe that Shinsuke Nakamura could be built up to be a legitimate challenger to Roman Reigns – even to the point of being the one to dethrone him. It probably won’t happen, but it’s getting harder to see who it actually could be. 

Damian Priest is leaning heavily into a dual personality (with one of the least subtle entrance videos I’ve ever seen – we get it – Damian means bad, Priest means good). I imagine having him lose here and then attacking Nakamura afterwards would be a way of driving this home. There’s a chance that Priest cheats to win here for the same purpose, but either a Nakamura win – by pinfall or DQ feels more likely.

PREDICTION Shinsuke Nakamura WINS

Those are our predictions, what are yours? Leave them in the comments.