According to Dave Meltzer in the most recent edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, NXT will not be a part of the 2020 Survivor Series, and this hasn’t gone down well with Rhea Ripley.
Instead, it is said that the black and gold brand will build to their final TakeOver event of 2020 on December 6. Although there is no word whether this will be the traditional WarGames or a stand alone edition of the pay-per-view.
Though there is no clear explanation as to why NXT has been excluded from this year’s elimination spectacle, Meltzer does speculate that it is down to one of two reasons.
Either a need to keep the brands apart as much as possible to stop the potential spread of COVID-19 or want to not portray NXT as a major brand on the same level and their red and blue offerings.
The latter, according to the respected journalist, makes more sense as NXT were not majorly involved in the recent draft with the exception of Dabba Kato and Arturo Ruas being called up to the main roster.
However, the decision not to include the black and gold brand at Survivor Series has rubbed Rhea Ripley the wrong way. The star of last year’s Survivor Series weekend – rising to the top at NXT WarGames and then being the standout star when she captained NXT’s women’s team to glory against Raw and SmackDown – has spoken out about the decision to omit her and the brand she proudly represents.
Speaking on the subject in a recent Twitter question and answer session, Ripley said on the subject:
“Raw and SmackDown are sore losers.”
Raw & SmackDown are sore losers 🤷🏼♀️ https://t.co/iiw4sjNdkp
— RheaRipley_WWE (@RheaRipley_WWE) October 28, 2020
Her comment comes after NXT was successful last year, winning the majority of their outings and helping to spike interest in the event in the weeks prior thanks to appearing on both Raw and SmackDown.
In fact, it was the overwhelmingly positive reaction to Rhea Ripley over Survivor Series weekend that helped to convince management that she would be the one to defeat Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship.
Inside the Ropes will keep you updated on all the latest regarding the potential NXT TakeOver on December 6.