Survivor Series is the next WWE pay-per-view event, scheduled to take place on November 22 at ThunderDome. But much to the disappointment of some fans, this year’s event will not feature the NXT brand.
The black-and-gold brand not only put up a dominant performance at last year’s Survivor Series, but won brand supremacy as well. NXT (inclusive of NXT UK) claimed victory in four of the seven inter-brand matches of the night.
No NXT in this year’s WWE Survivor Series
According to a report by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the reason NXT is not included this year is to prevent any further COVID-19 outbreaks. The Performance Center has recently seen a spike in coronavirus cases, and Vince McMahon does not want the NXT talent to bring it over to the main roster Superstars.
That is why WWE is keeping NXT at a distance from RAW and SmackDown.
While this can certainly be a legitimate reason, it has also been reported recently that Vince McMahon has lost interest in the NXT brand, which is run by his son-in-law, Triple H. NXT has fallen short weeks after weeks in ratings compared to the rival company AEW, which might also be the reason behind the exclusion.
WWE Survivor Series 2020 lineup
With or without NXT, Survivor Series 2020 already promises to be an explosive event. Four inter-brand Champion vs. Champion matches are already announced for the card.
Sasha Banks (SmackDown Women’s Champion) vs. Asuka (RAW Women’s Champion)
Roman Reigns (SmackDown – Universal Champion) vs. Randy Orton (RAW – WWE Champion)
Sami Zayn (SmackDown – Continental Champion) vs. Bobby Lashley (RAW – United States Champion)
The Street Profits (SmackDown Tag Team Champions) vs. Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston (RAW Tag Team Champions)
