Drew McIntyre challenged Randy Orton for the WWE Championship on the go-home episode of Monday Night RAW before Survivor Series. He ended up winning the match and became the new champion, in a move that certainly surprised fans. It seems WWE apparently has a good reason for the title changing hands before Survivor Series.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer provided an explanation as to why the title change took place right before Survivor Series. Meltzer said that the company had nothing for the pay-per-view. Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre had faced off on numerous occasions already, where Drew won the matches. That is why Orton won at Hell In A Cell.
Ultimately, the company wanted a heel vs face match at Survivor Series. He noted that Randy Orton vs Roman Reigns would have been a “nothing match” at Survivor Series both competitors were heels and fans would have cheered for Roman. This is something WWE wanted to avoid at all costs at this time.