With the WWE brand split between Raw and SmackDown once again defined and the "Wild Card Rule" a thing of the past, the upcoming Survivor Series event seemed primed to once again be set up to be Raw vs. SmackDown. However, WWE aired two different commercials during Thursday's Crown Jewel pay-per-view stating that NXT would be added to the mix for one of WWE's biggest PPVs of the year.
WWE's third brand has gained a higher profile with its weekly TV show moving to USA Network on Wednesday nights. The addition of the brand to one of WWE's traditional "Big Four" PPVs is likely to increase exposure for NXT's roster of incredibly talented wrestlers. And seeing stars from all promotions standing opposite one another helps cement NXT as a third main brand, rather than a developmental territory as it was in the past.
Survivor Series takes place on Sunday, Nov. 24 from Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The event, which will stream live on WWE Network, does not yet have any matches announced.
Brand vs. brand matches in the past have focused on either clashes between champions at the main event and midcard level or 10-man tag matches featuring five man groups from each brand. We do not know how the 2019 Survivor Series will be formatted. Will all matches be triple threats with a competitor or competitors from each brand? Will there be a mix of Raw vs. NXT, SmackDown vs. NXT and Raw vs. SmackDown matches? Will there be a concentration on the titles of the respective brands?
Let's not forget that Survivor Series comes just 24 hours after NXT hosts one of its four special events of the year in NXT TakeOver: WarGames III. There are no title matches set for TakeOver at this time as it appears that all championship holders will be fighting in WarGames matches. How WWE will utilize NXT's biggest stars on two shows in such a short period of time will be interesting to see develop.
The only thing we do know about Survivor Series at this point is the tagline: "Who owns the night?"
