Team Cena vs. Team Authority Match Counterbalances Brock Lesnar's Absence

WWE is leaning on tradition to make up for the fact that Brock Lesnar won't be around for Survivor Series.

That pay-per-view is set to return to its roots, featuring Team Cena vs. Team Authority in a Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination match as its marquee bout, per WWE.com. Short of convincing CM Punk to come back or coaxing Steve Austin out of retirement, that's the smartest way to handle this situation.

It makes use of the roster's star power, makes Survivor Series a special event and creates multiple opportunities on the big stage.

The company needs to stray from recent history. It is heading down an unfamiliar, uncomfortable path without its top titleholder not around. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship will remain draped across Lesnar's shoulder as the champ remains at home.  

At Hell in a Cell, John Cena defeated Randy Orton to earn the right to face Lesnar for that title, but that reportedly won't come until 2015. According to F4WOnline (h/t Wrestle Zone) the plan is to have The Beast Incarnate face Cena at next year's Royal Rumble.

That leaves Survivor Series without Lesnar and the WWE title.

This is unheard of in this era. Lesnar may skip three consecutive pay-per-views, and there would be a four-month gap between WWE title bouts. That's a surefire way to make fans restless, to have them questioning the choice to give a part-timer the top belt.

On Monday's Raw, Triple H offered a solution. He challenged Cena to compile a team of his choosing to face The Authority:

It has the potential to be a match with enough pull to put Lesnar out of our minds for now. Suddenly, Survivor Series feels like Survivor Series again and not just another event on a crammed calendar. 

If Team Cena vs. Team Authority headlines the pay-per-view, it will be the first time this kind of bout has done so since Team SmackDown outlasted Team Raw in 2005. And that won't be the only drought this clash would be ending.

Per TheHistoryofWWE.com, Cena hasn't been featured in a traditional Survivor Series Elimination match since 2006. If Triple H steps into battle as well, it will mark the first time he's been in one of these wars since 2007 and his first match of any kind at this pay-per-view since 2009.

Those two stars alone make this match feel mighty significant. 

It's hard to remember when one could say that about a five-on-five or four-on-four Survivor Series match. The show has rarely been a showcase for main event talent in recent years, but that is set to change.

One would assume that Seth Rollins and Kane will battle alongside Triple H.

As for The Viper, it's unclear whether The Authority will be able to reign him back in. He went mad-dog on Rollins on Monday's Raw, leaving his supposed ally out cold.

Credit: WWE.com

If he's not fighting for The Authority, though, he'll be fighting against them. The match would then be comprised of four former world champions and four guaranteed Hall of Famers.

As for the rest of the team, it's not as if WWE is going to have Cena team with Los Matadores and The Bunny. His squad is going to be filled with top babyfaces, which is only fitting for someone of his stature.

Dolph Ziggler looks to be joining Cena's side. He chatted with Cena backstage, an action that led to him putting thrust into a match with Kane and later taking a beating from The Authority:

Perhaps Chris Jericho joins the fun as well. He has told fans that he is coming back in November:

Possibly add Dean Ambrose or Sheamus to the mix, and that makes for an intriguing team comprised of a blend of younger and more established stars. WWE could even call up Sami Zayn as a fifth member, his pay-per-view debut adding a jolt of excitement.

This would be Rollins, Ambrose and Ziggler's first time main eventing Survivor Series and would see WWE further embracing its future.

The process of Cena piecing together his team is going to be a lot of fun, as is the battle that will ultimately follow. It's set to be a throwback to when Survivor Series was built around its Elimination matches.

There is no single Superstar who can fill the Lesnar-sized void that WWE has right now, but a convergence of 10 men will do the trick.