Over the past few years, WWE Survivor Series hasn't actually had the namesake "traditional Survivor Series elimination match"—the concept in which the pay-per-view revolved for decades. Instead, under Paul "Triple H" Levesque, Survivor Series has been relegated to the spot where the WarGames matches take place (funny enough, previously on WCW Fall Brawl)
However, there will actually be one of those matches taking place before Survivor Series, in two weeks on Friday Night SmackDown. Announced tonight, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis told Solo Sikoa (after a brawl segment involving all parties) that he and his MFTs would be going up against the team of Sami Zayn, Rey Fenix, Shinsuke Nakamura, and The Motor City Machine Guns.
But of course, there will be another episode of SmackDown prior to that, and there are three matches announced for next week's show, taking place November 21st at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado (where the November 28th episode will also be taped, it seems).
Those matches will be the final two bouts in The Last Time is Now tournament to determine John Cena's final opponent for WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, where Big Bronson Reed will face Carmelo Hayes and two Raw Superstars will go up against each other when Finn Balor and Penta clash.
Along with that, the feud between #DIY and Fraxiom continues with Johnny Gargano and Tommaso CIampa against Axiom and Nathan Frazer. This came about after Ciampa attacked Axiom, who had just wrestled Ilja Dragunov in an open challenge for the Men's United States Championship.
Chelsea Green has also been given the go-ahead to have a celebration for winning the Women's United States Championship from Giulia on last week's episode.
To recap, here is your lineup for the next two weeks of SmackDown:
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - November 21, 2025
- Fraxiom (Axiom & Nathan Frazer) vs #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa)
- The Last Time is Now Tournament: Big Bronson Reed vs. Carmelo Hayes
- The Last Time is Now Tournament: Finn Balor vs. Penta
- Chelsea Green championship celebration
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - November 28, 2025
- Traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match: MFT (Solo Sikoa, JC Mateo, Talla Tonga, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa) vs. Sami Zayn, Rey Fenix, Shinsuke Nakamura, and The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)
What do you think about the return of the Survivor Series elimination match being on SmackDown instead of the premium live event? Who do you think will win these matches coming up? Drop a comment below with your predictions!