Sean Powers 
This coming Sunday, WWE presents the 2019 Survivor Series. The 32nd annual extravaganza is coming to us this year from Chicago, Illinois, and looks to be one of the more exciting events in recent memory for the company. Since the Survivor Series inception in 1987, the theme of the night has been Elimination style tag matches, with four competitors per team to start off. It’s a unique concept, yet oftentimes the matches seemed to have been randomly put together with no real storyline or consequence for the winning or losing team. Some years, the concept was barely even present on the card, save for a token “traditional Survivor Series Match” or two. However, 2019 is a different animal in the WWE Universe, as the company now boasts three separate “brands”, each with its own roster of stand outperformers. With each of these brands seeking to stake their claim as the superior outfit, there has been a feeling of importance around all of the matches on the card, and a sense of curiosity as to how it all will play out. To further drive home the high stakes aspect of Sunday’s event, the last few weeks of WWE programming has focused on each brand’s stars attempting to outdo the others by showing up unannounced and attacking their rivals backstage. This cross-promotional style of presentation has come off as credible and interesting, as a variety of “hard to pick a winner” contests have filled out the card quite nicely. Below are the early betting odds from Las Vegas for the 2019 Survivor Series, along with my picks for the night. While more matches will be added to the card, these are the latest odds, courtesy of https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/futures-and-props/wrestling.
WWE Universal Champion “the Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan (Wyatt -600, Bryan +350)
Between the confusing storyline build going into this bout and the very large investments being made into Wyatt’s “Fiend” persona, I absolutely believe Bryan is being positioned here as merely the first challenger of Wyatt’s title reign. To have him drop it to Bryan here would be completely nonsensical on all fronts. Besides, Bryan is coming off of a heel run that was handicapped by the poorly executed Bryan-Rowan-Reigns angle, despite his excellent work in the role up until that point. Word backstage was Bryan was turned face because of injuries to other performers, and he is certainly great in the role. However, so far, the start of this run has seemed a bit directionless to me. At the same time, Bray Wyatt’s Fiend character needs a few dominant performances over established stars, and Daniel Bryan certainly fits that bill. Let’s just hope it isn’t an overbooked mess because both of these guys can deliver when given the opportunity. at WWE Survivor.
WWE Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar vs Rey Mysterio (Lesnar -400, Mysterio +250)
This could be interesting, and for the right odds, I’d take Mysterio. Mysterio’s contract is up soon, and WWE very much wants to keep him around beyond 2019. Between his connection to the Latino demographic that the WWE treasures, his son Dominick training in the WWE developmental system, and rival company AEW openly clamoring for an opportunity to bring Mysterio in for a run at the top, this match could be part of WWE’s pitch to resign the legendary superstar. His recent promos have been the best of his career, and the angle has been booked well. Lesnar and Mysterio worked together before, in a feud about 15 years ago on Smackdown. They had some very entertaining matches at the time, but Brock works in a very different style these days. I am sure if the suggested plan was an underdog upset victory for Rey, especially if the plan includes Brock getting his belt back in a rematch at the next PPV, Lesnar would have no problem putting Mysterio over here at WWE Survivor.
Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. US Champion AJ Styles vs. NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong (Styles -150, Nakamura +150, Strong +300)
In my opinion, this will be the best match on the card. Their styles are all very complimentary, so I expect a fast-paced bout with a lot of near falls. Who comes out on top here might actually be decided more by the overarching storyline of competing brands. In my eyes, Styles and Nakamura are both well-proven stars in the company, while Strong is still new and lesser-known to many audiences. A win here would mean the most for him, so Roderick Strong is my pick to steal this one. He is the big-time underdog, but again, the storyline is a factor here. The way Triple H has played up the level of threat NXT presents to the other two brands should play a role in this match as well. That being said, the earlier in the night this match happens, the more confident I am that Strong will come out on top- it would add the overall theme of the show, and a bit of much-needed unpredictability.
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler(Lynch +150, Baszler +110, Bayley +200)
The focus for the last month or so of WWE programming has been on Bayley’s heel turn. Upon turning, her main gripe was not getting the proper amount of respect and “shine”, so to speak. I think Shayna Baszler should get the win, though, especially because she has looked very impressive heading into this event. Obviously, her UFC past doesn’t hurt her being taken as a credible threat, so I understand her being positioned as a slight favorite here. Becky Lynch has been the star of the Women’s Division for all of 2019 and seldom loses. That said since this is a three-way dance, Becky can lose without being pinned. The underdog is Bayley, and although it would make a lot of sense for her to get the win here, I expect WWE to pull the trigger on a Shayna Baszler run sooner than later.
Raw Tag Team Champions the Viking Raiders vs. Smackdown Tag Team Champions the New Day vs. NXT Tag Team Champions Undisputed Era (Raiders -175, Era +200, New Day +300)
Again, the overarching theme of inter-promotional battle is a factor in how this match plays out, in my opinion. Undisputed Era as slight underdogs, but they are a team with a very loyal fan base in NXT, and a win for them here would be very much a feather in the collective brand’s cap during the night. Similar to the Styles/Strong/Nakamura match, I think placement on the card is a factor here. If this match goes on later in the show, I think the favored Raiders will further establish themselves as big-time players in the WWE. As for the New Day, while I think all three are incredible talents, their face schtick has become very tiresome to me. The most exciting ending for me would be some sort of heel turn for the trio, regardless of who wins as a result.
