Tag: Survivor Series Wargames

John Cena thanks WWE ring announcer Alicia Taylor

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena is thankful for the role that ring announcer Alicia Taylor played in his WWE retirement tour.

At Survivor Series this past weekend, Taylor performed the last ring introduction that she’ll ever do for Cena. Taylor reflected on the moment by tweeting that it’s been an “absolute honor” to play a role in Cena’s final WWE run. Cena — who now only has one match left before retirement — responded to Taylor by praising her professionalism and passion.

“Matches and moments are only memorable if we ALL believe in them. Thank YOU for being a driving force to help audiences around the world enjoy and invest in these moments,” Cena wrote. “NO ONE does it alone. Your professionalism, passion, presentation and overall love of the business lay the foundation for lifelong memories.”

Cena lost to Dominik Mysterio at Saturday’s PLE, dropping the Intercontinental title back to Dominik after a brief run with the belt. The returning Liv Morgan helped Dominik win the match.

The final date on Cena’s retirement tour is WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C. on December 13. Lilian Garcia is expected to be the ring announcer for Cena’s final match. His opponent has still yet to be determined, but we know that it will be either Gunther, Solo Sikoa, Jey Uso, or LA Knight. The semifinals of WWE’s Last Time is Now tournament are pitting Gunther against Sikoa and Uso against Knight.

Multiple men left bleeding at WWE Survivor Series WarGames match

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Violent WWE WarGames leaves two of the top stars in WWE bloodied.

In the main event of the November 29th, 2025 edition of Survivor Series: WarGames, fans witnessed current two World Champions CM Punk and Cody Rhodes heavily bleeding. Cody Rhodes began bleeding near his previously injured facial area, while Punk ended up in a crimson mask after suffering a cut near his eye socket and nose.

WarGames is widely regarded as one of the most violent matches in the industry, and it’s common for competitors to leave with visible injuries. Throughout the match, both Rhodes and Punk sported their bloodied faces and competed. Punk appeared to open up his wound after being scraped against the steel cage by Drew McIntyre. Although he initially bled heavily, the cut eventually dried and slowed down. It remains unclear when Rhodes reopened his facial wound.

Graphic warning: you can see the pictures here.

One moment in the match also saw Rhodes accidentally elbow Punk in the face, after facing a false threat.

Despite the two champions in one team alongside Roman Reigns and The Usos, the babyfaces failed to bring home the victory. The final moments of the bout saw a mystery man interfere and help Bron Breakker secure the pinfall victory over CM Punk.

WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2025 results

  • Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, and AJ Lee defeated Nia Jax, Lash Legend, The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane), and Becky Lynch – Women’s WarGames match
  • Dominik Mysterio defeated John Cena – Intercontinental Championship
  • Stephanie Vaquer (c) defeated Nikki Bella – WWE Women’s World Championship
  • The Vision (Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed), Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, and Brock Lesnar defeated CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso), and Roman Reigns – Men’s WarGames match

WWE reveals official poster for Survivor Series: WarGames

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With last weekend’s Saturday Night’s Main Event now over, WWE is setting its sights toward Survivor Series: WarGames.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque revealed the official poster for the November 29 PLE on social media today. The poster highlights The Vision, who are likely to feature in the men’s WarGames match with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed competing.

“A show so big and a match so brutal, it could only be held in a stadium,” Levesque wrote. “You don’t rise to the moment…you survive it.”

The competitors for the men’s and women’s WarGames matches have not been announced yet. Despite Seth Rollins being injured and no longer part of The Vision, plans are still for Breakker and Reed to lead a team against a babyface squad featuring new World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and Roman Reigns.

WarGames has been the theme of Survivor Series ever since Levesque took over as head of creative. He first brought the legendary Dusty Rhodes creation to WWE in 2017 while booking NXT.

Petco Park in San Diego — the home of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres — will be the venue for Survivor Series. The show is taking place on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend and will stream live on the ESPN app in the United States and Netflix elsewhere.

WarGames returning for WWE Survivor Series 2025, Roman Reigns advertised

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has confirmed some new information regarding Survivor Series 2025.

For the fourth straight year, WarGames will be the theme of Survivor Series. WWE confirmed today that the PLE is once again being branded as “Survivor Series: WarGames.” It’s taking place from Petco Park in San Diego on November 29 — the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.

A ticket pre-sale will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern time on July 9 with tickets then going on sale to the general public on July 11.

There will be both a men’s WarGames match and women’s WarGames match at the PLE. The participants have not been announced yet.

To promote the show, WWE has released a new poster advertising Roman Reigns among the talent that will be appearing. The poster also features John Cena, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Damian Priest, Rey Mysterio, Seth Rollins, Jacob Fatu, Tiffany Stratton, Naomi, Jey Uso, and Penta.

Reigns has been away from WWE programming since the fallout of WrestleMania 41 but is expected to be back soon with the build to SummerSlam starting. He’s booked a role in an upcoming “Street Fighter” movie that will begin production in Australia this August, which could mean he’ll have some more time off between SummerSlam and Survivor Series.

This will be the first time Survivor Series has ever been held at an outdoor venue. Petco Park is the home of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres and has a listed capacity of 39,860 before factoring in stage configuration.

WWE is partnering with the San Diego Tourism Marketing District for the event.

Shinsuke Nakamura wins United States title at WWE Survivor Series

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Shinsuke Nakamura is now a three-time WWE United States Champion.

At Survivor Series: WarGames on Saturday, Nakamura pinned LA Knight to win the United States Championship. The title change comes just a couple of weeks after a repackaged Nakamura made his return to WWE programming, targeting Knight in the process. We’ve seen a more sinister version of the Nakamura character since then with changes to his look and entrance.

Nakamura raked Knight’s eyes near the end of the match and delivered a reverse DDT onto the steel connecting the two rings for WarGames. A Kinshasa then got the victory for Nakamura.

Knight had been U.S. Champion since dethroning Logan Paul at SummerSlam this August. The commentary team tonight pushed that Knight did not look right in the match because he was affected by Nakamura’s mind games.

Before this, Nakamura’s most recent title reign was a run with the Intercontinental Championship in 2021-2022. It’s been nearly six years since he last held the U.S. title.

Though he spent several months away from WWE television this year, the 44-year-old Nakamura still worked house shows during that period. He returned to TV on the November 15 episode of SmackDown.

WWE Survivor Series WarGames live results: Bloodline vs. OG Bloodline

Posted on by Steve Khan

WWE returned to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Saturday for Survivor Series, headlined by The Bloodline vs. the OG Bloodline in a five-on-five WarGames match.

The show will also feature a women’s WarGames match with teams headed up by blood rivals Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley.

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther will defend the title against former champion Damian Priest while U.S. Champion LA Knight defends against Shinsuke Nakamura, and Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker defends against Ludwig Kaiser and Sheamus in a three-way.

**********

Date: November 30, 2024
Location: Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC 

**********

Show Recap — 

COUNTDOWN SHOW —

A large crowd was outside Rogers Arena watching the preshow despite the chilly weather and light rain. Michael Cole, Big E, and Wade Barrett hosted the first portion of the preshow.

There was a long history of WarGames video package. 

They started counting down the top 10 Survivor Series moments. Number 10 was Shawn Michaels winning the world title in the first Elimination Chamber match in 2002. 

To kill more time, they aired a video of male wrestlers reacting to their WarGames match from last year. 

********

Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser interview 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser. Kelley said people were questioning Gunther’s confidence. Gunther said it would be up to him to show them. Gunther quickly moved on and was happy that Kaiser had an IC title match. Kaiser called it a special night for both of them. The title has lost all prestige since Gunther lost it and it would be up to Kaiser to restore it.

Bron Breakker interview 

Jackie Redmond interviewed Bron Breakker (wearing a Scott Steiner t-shirt). Bron respected both of his opponents. However, Bron warned Kaiser that he wasn’t the one he should be trying to prove himself against. 

Meanwhile, Sheamus bought into false hope he read online that made it seem like he should just be given the IC title because he’s never won it before. It didn’t work like that. Bron played for the Baltimore Ravens and never won a Super Bowl but that didn’t mean he should just be given a ring. Bron told Sheamus to go to the retirement home. 

******** 

The number 9 Survivor Series moment was Iyo Sky hitting a dive while in a trash can at WarGames last year. Number 8 was Steve Austin being run over by a car in 1999. 

The announcers spoke about their favourite Survivor Series moments. I only bring this up because Cole said he always thinks of the Montreal Screwjob. This, of course, got booed because they’re in Canada. His actual favourite was the debut of the Shield, specifically mentioning Dean Ambrose along Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. He noted the impact they’ve had and where they are now in their careers. 

They aired the backstage footage of CM Punk’s return last year.

They did a feature on a fan from Victoria, BC who has been campaigning for years to bring WrestleMania to Vancouver. 

The number 7 Survivor Series moment was the “Rocky” debut of Rocky Maivia. Number 6 was WWF defeating The Alliance in 2001. (Vince McMahon was not shown.) Number 5 was Becky Lynch beating Charlotte Flair in a champion vs. champion match in 2021. Number 4 was The Rock and John Cena beating Miz and R-Truth in 2011. 

To kill even more time, there were videos throughout the show of Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods hanging out at WWE HQ.

Kelley interviewed William Regal. He put over WarGames and was happy to be part of it tonight.

The number 3 Survivor Series moment was The Shield debuting to help Punk retain the title over Cena and Ryback. Number 2 was Punk’s return last year. Number 1 was the debut of the Undertaker in 1990. 

Women’s WarGames will open the show. 

WWE SURVIVOR SERIES 2024 —

Michael Cole and Corey Graves are tonight’s announcers. 

Vancouver Canucks anthem singer Elizabeth Irving sang the American and Canadian national anthems.

The two women’s teams, LA Knight, the new Bloodline, Paul Heyman (wearing a suit and tie), CM Punk, Sami Zayn and Jey Uso, and Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso were shown arriving at the arena. 

After the show intro, Cole ran down the rules of WarGames. 

********

The women entered separately. The first entrance was at 6:08 pm and the match started at 6:16 pm. 

Ripley wore a cool custom protective mask. Bayley had “WAR” shaved into the side of her head. The Smackdown heels wore matching white and black gear, while the Raw heels wore matching black and white.

Women’s WarGames: Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Iyo Sky, Naomi & Bayley defeated Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Raquel Rodriguez & Candice LeRae (38:11) 

Bayley and Jax started. They were even for the first five minutes but Jax drove Bayley into the cage with a hip attack right before Naomi entered. 

Naomi used a colourful kendo stick (to match her gear). The crowd chanted “Happy birthday” to Naomi (she turned 37 today). Naomi had also brought a toilet seat in the ring and she placed it over Jax’s head and did the stink face. 

Candice LeRae entered next. The crowd booed because they wanted Stratton. The babyface advantage made no difference because Jax fought off her opponents and was standing tall by the time LeRae entered. They placed Bayley on top of two upright chairs and LeRae gave her a springboard moonsault. 

Belair entered next and she brought in a fire extinguisher and table, to the delight of the crowd. The babyfaces finally did gain control as Stratton entered next. 

Stratton smashed Belair over the head with a trash can lid (a rare shot to the head in WWE these days, but Belair definitely got her hands up). It was 3-on-3 and the heels easily took over thanks to Stratton. Naomi targeted Jax and hit her as lightly as possible with a chair. 

Sky entered next and she got a decent reaction. She grabbed a purple and gold trash can and immediately climbed up the side of the cage instead of entering the door. Sky placed the can on top of the cage but LeRae cut her off. Sky knocked her off the cage and hit a flying dropkick. 

Rodriguez entered next. Everyone waited around as she looked for something under the ring but I don’t think she ever found what she was looking for. She helped her team gain the advantage, even though, again, the teams are even. 

The crowd chanted “We want Mami,” as Jax and Rodriguez took a page out of AOP’s book by powerbombing Sky and Naomi into each other before powerbombing them onto Belair and Bayley. 

Ripley entered next. She went after Rodriguez but Stratton made the save. The heels had control even though the babyfaces had the numbers advantage. Naomi made a save for Ripley. 

With everyone down, it was time for the crowd to chant, “This is awesome.” (Objectively, this match has been poor so far.) 

Everyone traded moves which included the toilet seat and Belair’s braid being used as a weapon. Ripley used her face mask to headbutt Jax. 

Ripley stood tall and awaited Morgan who was the final entrant. Morgan marched to the back to grab a baseball bat. Morgan entered the match “officially” started 27 minutes in. 

Ripley removed her face mask and attacked Morgan but Jax saved her from a Rip-tide. Heels held down Ripley, and Morgan whaled her repeatedly in the mid-section with the bat. Everyone traded moves again until Jax hit Bayley with a Samoan drop for two. 

Sky climbed the right side of the cage even though nobody was in that ring. Stratton climbed the other side as the remaining eight wrestlers split into groups of four. They brawled with each other and awaited the biggest spot of the match. Sky placed the garbage can over her body and wiped out one group with a moonsault off the cage, while Stratton wiped out the other group with a senton bomb. 

Stratton seemingly looked for a weapon but pulled out her MITB briefcase instead, which got a big pop. Stratton seemed unsure which champion to cash-in on. Rodriquez screamed at her until Sky sprayed them both with the fire extinguisher. Ripley handcuffed Rodriguez to the top rope. 

Former Damage CTRL teammates Bayley and Sky argued until Jax knocked them both down. Belair and Naomi drove Jax through a table with a double powerbomb but Morgan broke up the cover with a bat shot on Naomi. 

Morgan gave Bayley an Oblivion with a chair but Ripley broke up the cover. Ripley set up Morgan for Rip-tide but Rodriguez was still able to break it up even though she was handcuffed. Morgan hit Ripley with a chair-assisted Codebreaker. 

Morgan and Ripley battled atop the top rope until Ripley hit an avalanche Rip-tide through a table for the pinfall win. The crowd was happy. The winning team posed together atop the cage. 

(If you missed this, you can just watch from the 28 minute mark after everyone enters. Even then, this wasn’t much of a match outside of two or three big spots.)

Cole announced a sold-out crowd of 17,828. This is the largest WWE arena gate in Canadian history. 

(They also plugged Elimination Chamber in Toronto, a show I will attempt to attend.) 

******** 

They used the noise meter graphic for LA Knight’s entrance. They put it up before his entrance but the meter didn’t go up the way they expected when his music hit (even though he did get a good reaction) so they quickly took it down. 

Nakamura wore all black. 

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated LA Knight to win the United States Championship (9:43) 

Knight had the advantage for the first four minutes until Nakamura hit a back elbow. Knight came back with a safe version of a burning hammer. Knight tried a leaping superplex but Nakamura saw it coming and hit an avalanche reverse exploder for two. 

Knight avoided a Kinshasa and hit a flying elbow drop. Instead of going for a cover, he set up for BFT but Nakamura rolled in between the two rings, onto the metal plate joining the rings. 

Knight went after him but Nakamura raked his eyes and hit a reverse DDT onto the metal plate. Nakamura followed with a Kinshasa for the pinfall win. Nakamura is a three-time US Champion. 

The crowd was quiet for the match but popped for the surprise win. 

(On the preshow, Redmond said a WWE title has never changed hands in Vancouver, so this would be a first if that’s true.) 

********

There was a sponsored segment where Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa gave Otis a new t-shirt to try on. Otis put it on and loved the shirt but was wearing nothing below the waist. He walked bare-assed down the hallway (this was blurred.) 

Belal Muhammed was shown in the crowd. 

******* 

Cole said Kaiser has had an incredible year. In 2024, he has a 8-16 record on TV, 7-7 in singles matches. 

Triple Threat Match: Bron Breakker defeated Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser to retain the Intercontinental Championship (14:25) 

Kaiser attacked Sheamus outside the ring until Bron hit him with an incredible leaping shoulder tackle. Bron took control over Sheamus in the ring and took time to do some push-ups. Sheamus and Kaiser wound up fighting outside the ring until Bron wiped them both out with a leaping clothesline over the announce table. 

Sheamus was dumped into the crowd but he wound up hitting ten beats of the Bodhrán to both guys over the barricade. Kaiser grabbed Sheamus’ shillelagh but Sheamus took it away and knocked him over the barricade with it. 

Bron invited ‘old man’ Sheamus back into the ring so Sheamus hit him with a Celtic Cross for a nearfall. Bron came back with a Frankensteiner. He went for a spear but Sheamus dodged it and Bron crashed into a chair that was wedged between the ropes. 

Sheamus followed with a Brogue Kick and had it won but Kaiser yanked the referee out of the ring right before the potential three count. The crowd booed. Kaiser hammered away at Sheamus with the shillelagh. Kaiser was proud of himself until Sheamus nailed a knee strike for a nearfall. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome.” 

Kaiser hit Sheamus with a Finlay/Kaiser roll and DDT but Bron killed Kaiser with a spear. Bron followed with a spear to Sheamus for the pinfall win. 

(This was good. The crowd was into Sheamus and Bron but it seemed like they wanted to see Sheamus finally win the title.) 

********

(So much time passed between the last match and this one that I got logged out of WordPress due to inactivity.) 

Gunther defeated Damian Priest to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (19:18) 

Priest hit a shoulder tackle early on and appeared to hurt his shoulder. The ref checked on him but Priest immediately waived him off. Gunther was out of the ring and smiled when he saw this. 

They kept wrestling but after Priest hit a slam, he started selling his shoulder again. As the ref checked on Priest, Gunther took advantage and booted his shoulder. Gunther targeted Priest’s shoulder from there until Priest eventually hit an enziguri. 

The crowd was quiet but they woke up a bit as Priest fired up for his comeback. He hit a flatliner for two. Priest tried for a Razor’s Edge but he couldn’t do it because of his shoulder. Priest instead applied a triangle choke but Gunther escaped and applied a sleeper before hitting a powerbomb for two. 

Priest hit a hurricanrana off the top and finally hit the Razor’s Edge for two. Priest failed twice to hit a chokeslam thanks to his shoulder and Gunther responded with a Kimura but Priest got a rope break. (The Kimura was the second reference to Brock Lesnar on WWE programming this week.)

Gunther played to the crowd as he repeatedly clotheslined Priest. Priest came back with a lariat for two.  

They battled on the top rope until Priest shoved Gunther into the ring but Priest fell to the outside as a result. (A few idiots chanted “You f*cked up,” not realizing this was the planned spot. And it’s a dumb chant anyway.) 

The ref checked on Priest but Priest told him to give him a second. As the ref checked on Gunther, Finn Bálor ran down and gave Priest a Coup de Grace off the steel steps. The ref saw Bálor but didn’t think anything of it. 

Gunther booted Bálor for fun before giving Priest a powerbomb. Gunther applied a sleeper until Priest passed out. Gunther retained. 

Cole said Gunther was pissed at Bálor because he wanted to prove he could win on his own. 

(This was pretty good but not great. I’m not sure weeks of making Gunther act like a wimp really helped. They could go to another rematch based on this so Gunther can finally prove himself. In this build to this match, Priest called himself the king of the streets, so they could do a street fight.) 

******** 

The new Bloodline and Bronson Reed entered together, wearing all black. The original Bloodline entered separately (as the women did earlier), wearing red and black. 

Zayn, Jimmy, Punk, Reigns and Jey enter in that order. The crowd assumed Jey would entered after Jimmy but he didn’t (they began chanting “Yeet” after Jimmy’s entrance). Jey entered last, in part because he was starting the match. But he also entered last at the previous PPV. 

After Sikoa’s team was already in their cage on the stage, Punk shoved one of them from the outside to rile them up. Punk and Reigns awkwardly entered their cage together, along with Jimmy and Sami.

Men’s WarGames: Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso & CM Punk defeated Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa & Bronson Reed (41:53) 

Jey started against Tama Tonga. Tama got the heat on Jey and went for a cover, but of course, there are no falls until everyone enters. The crowd chanted, “You f*cked up.” 

Jey fought back just in time for Bronson Reed to enter. Reed, who has killed people with his finishing move, decided to grab a bunch of chairs and toss them in the ring. Jey chucked the chairs at Reed but Reed ran him over with a body block. The heels worked over Jey as the crowd took turns lightly chanting for Zayn and Punk. 

Jimmy entered next and wiped out both heels on his own before helping Jey to his feet.  The Usos worked well together and took control. 

Tonga Loa was about to enter next to the dismay of the crowd, but Sikoa held him back and Jacob Fatu entered instead. Jey gave him a Samoan drop but Fatu popped right up and knocked him down. The heels took over. 

Punk was about to enter next but Reigns blocked the door. Reigns nodded at Zayn who entered instead. Punk stared a hole through Reigns. 

The crowd chanted “Olé” for Zayn who ran wild on the heels. Fatu caught him out of the air but Jimmy superkicked Fatu. Zayn and Jimmy did their special handshake before putting the boots to Fatu. 

The heels took over anyway as they often do and Tonga Loa entered next. It’s like they knew he wouldn’t get a reaction because the first thing he did was grab a table. This normally gets a big pop — Raquel Rodriguez got a pop earlier before putting the table away — but poor Tonga Loa didn’t get a reaction. 

The heels took over and you can skip the three minutes of action. The clock ran down and Reigns was about to enter next, but because he moves so slowly, Punk ran by him and entered instead. 

Punk teased that he wouldn’t get in the ring, but instead grabbed a tool box (like the one that busted open Drew McIntyre) and used it as a weapon against the heels. 

Punk took out everyone and gave Fatu a bulldog onto the toolbox but Fatu popped right up and knocked him down. 

Sikoa entered next with the new Bloodline firmly in control. Fatu gave The Usos (who were stacked up) a moonsault and Reed gave Zayn a Tsunami. Punk tried to fight back but they swarmed him. 

Sikoa brought his own chain and lock and locked the door. Reigns entered 15 seconds later but he couldn’t get in the ring. I guess they didn’t watch the women’s match earlier when Iyo Sky climbed the cage voluntarily. Reigns did that here and it didn’t get much of a reaction because we saw it already. 

Reigns wiped out the heels with a cross body off the ropes and the match “officially” began about 29 minutes in. Reigns helped his friends up to their feet—except Punk. Punk got up on his own and got in Reigns’ face. Paul Heyman entered ringside and tried to rally his guys. 

The two teams stood tall in each ring, 30 minutes into the match, and faced off. 

After some stalling, there was a spot where Reigns went for a spear on Sikoa but he moved and Reigns speared Punk by accident (as Punk set up Fatu for a GTS). This wasn’t timed well so it didn’t look good at all. Sikoa gave Reigns the Samoan Spike for a nearfall. 

Fatu went for a step-up moonsault but he tripped and began tending to his leg. Reigns speared Fatu moments later. 

Reed placed Reigns on a table and climbed all the way to the top of the cage. He went for Tsunami but Punk pulled Reigns to safety and Reed crashed through the table. The crowd chanted for Punk. Reigns helped Punk to his feet and the crowd popped but Fatu attacked them both. 

Sikoa gave Reigns the Spike but the Usos superkicked him. The Usos gave Fatu a 1D. Jey speared Loa, Zayn gave Tonga a Blue Thunder Bomb, and Jimmy splashed Fatu through a table off the top of the cage. 

Zayn helped Jimmy, Jey and Punk to their feet, while the Usos helped Reigns to his feet. The new Bloodline was down as Sikoa got to his feet. Sikoa was on his own against the originals. 

Sikoa ate superkicks by the Usos, a Zayn Helluva Kick, a Punk GTS, and a Reigns spear. Reigns pinned Sikoa for the win. 

— Reigns, Zayn, Jey and Jimmy hugged as Punk looked on. Punk embraced Jimmy, Jey and Zayn individually. Reigns offered Punk a handshake and Punk obliged. Punk hugged Heyman and told him that when he’s owed a favour, he was coming for it. 

Reigns put his arm around Heyman for a moment but did not hug him and kind of moved on quickly. 

Punk initially left on his own but came back out. The babyfaces posed together with Heyman. 

(This came to a nice conclusion, I guess, but I wouldn’t call it a good match. Like the opening match, you can skip everything that happened before the final competitors entered. The two WarGames matches totalled 80 minutes and you could skip a full 60. That’s not a good thing.)

R-Truth returns at WWE Survivor Series

Posted on by Joseph Currier

At Survivor Series, a WWE veteran appeared for the first time in more than a year.

R-Truth returned to WWE programming by taking part in a backstage comedy segment at Saturday’s event. The segment was sponsored by Ruffles and also included Alpha Academy, Pretty Deadly, Chelsea Green, and Piper Niven.

The 51-year-old Truth (Ron Killings) had been away from WWE since suffering a torn quad in November 2022. During an NXT match against Grayson Waller, Truth suffered the injury when he didn’t fully clear the top rope on a dive attempt and landed badly on his left leg. The match ended in a referee stoppage after Truth got hurt.

Truth underwent surgery to repair the quad injury. In January of this year, Truth gave an update on his condition and said he underwent a second surgery due to an infection.

“I’m going back to WWE. I just got to heal up. I had to have two surgeries — a lot of people don’t know that,” Truth said. “I caught an infection so I had to have another surgery.”

Truth was a 53-time WWE 24/7 Champion when that title was in existence.

WWE Survivor Series live results: Two WarGames matches

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: November 25, 2023
Location: Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL

The Big Takeaway —

CM Punk is back. 

Show recap — 

KICK-OFF SHOW —

The preshow panel was hosted by Kayla Braxton, Jackie Redmond, Booker T, Wade Barrett and Peter Rosenberg. Braxton noted how chilly it was because, in fact, they were hosting outside the arena. Redmond wasn’t bothered by the cold because she’s Canadian. (I’m guessing they were placed outdoors in part to free up as many seats in the arena as possible.)

They ran down the card including the return of Randy Orton. 

There were some CM Punk chants but it didn’t last long as fans are filing into the arena. 

Among the things Booker has said so far: You can always trust a snake and Bayley is like Tom Brady. 

********

Byron Saxton interviewed Santos Escobar and asked about his attacks on Rey Mysterio and Carlito. Escobar said “attack” was too small a word. He delivered justice. Justice for all the time he spent in Mysterio’s shadow. They called themselves mentors but they were really gatekeepers and he showed the world that their time was up.

Dragon Lee was the next chapter in the same old story. Dragon Lee had spirit but spirit didn’t win fights. Escobar could do whatever it took and Dragon Lee made the biggest mistake of his career by challenging him. Dragon Lee would be an example of what happens when you turn your back on Santos Escobar.

******** 

Thanks to a fan vote, the team of Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair and Shotzi will have the advantage in their WarGames match. 

There was a video package for Roman Reigns, who is not on tonight’s show.  

********

SURVIVOR SERIES: WARGAMES 2023 MAIN SHOW —

As you may have seen on Smackdown, the lack of a big stage makes it look like there are a ton of people in the building. It appears most people are in as the show kicks off.

They lowered the cage as fire pyro went off. Michael Cole and Corey Graves are on commentary. 

If you didn’t see it on the preshow, the babyfaces will have the advantage in the Women’s WarGames match. 

WarGames Match: Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair & Shotzi defeated Bayley, Asuka, Kairi Sane & WWE Women’s Champion Iyo Sky (33:37)

Team Damage CTRL all entered wearing masks. Becky Lynch and Bayley started for their teams. (Graves made a reference to the Four Horsewomen as Bayley entered.)

Bayley suplexed Lynch onto the metal plate between the two rings but Lynch suplexed Bayley into the cage and and applied a Disarmer. Dakota Kai showed up at ringside and hit Lynch with a kendo stick to break it up. She handed the kendo stick to Bayley who used it on Lynch. The crowd chanted for tables less than five minutes into the match.

Shotzi entered next and the crowd cheered as she looked under the ring but they booed because she didn’t grab a table but instead shoved chairs and a trash can into the ring. Bayley tried to escape the cage (which the announcers noted would be a forfeit) but Shotzi and Lynch brought her down.

Iyo Sky entered next. Cole noted this was her fifth WarGames match which was the most in history. The crowd cheered for a moment as she also looked under the ring but she brought out a steel chain, not a table. Sky wiped out her opponents with a springboard double dropkick before Sky and Bayley hit Lynch with a double superplex.

Bianca Belair entered next. She had her hair in two braids instead of one. She didn’t bring a weapon into the ring and used her braids instead. Bayley and Sky tried to yank Belair off the top by her braids but she did a backflip and hit them with a double superplex. That was a cool spot.

Kairi Sane entered next. The crowd chanted for tables. Sane grabbed a trash can lid instead and nodded at the crowd. Even though the babyfaces were in control and had the numbers advantage, Sane was able to take them down one at a time. Damage CTRL buried Shotzi under some chairs. Sky launched Sane into the air and she hit an elbow drop on Shotzi. Belair press slammed Sane into her partners. Damage CTRL regained the advantage by using the chairs.

Charlotte Flair entered next and she handed out chops. She didn’t even look under the ring. Charlotte slammed Sky into the cage and Sky slid down and landed awkwardly on her tailbone. Charlotte also hit Sane and Bayley with a double Natural Selection/blockbuster off the top. Lynch and Charlotte faced off and Damage CTRL used the distraction to attack them.

Sky went to the top of the cage and dropped one end of the chain down to Kai who tied it to a trash can. Sky pulled the trash can up and placed it on top of the cage. Sky stood up on top of the cage as my hands began sweating. Sky placed the trash can over her body and did a flying crossbody onto everyone while in the lid. The crowd chanted “Holy shit.” Indeed.

Asuka entered last with everyone down. The crowd cheered as she went under the ring but she pulled out two kendo sticks. The crowd booed. Asuka did pull out a table next and the crowd cheered. She also grabbed a fire extinguisher.

Damage CTRL chained Lynch and Belair together and all four team members dropkicked them simultaneously. Asuka blew mist in Shotzi’s face and hit a missile dropkick on Lynch, who was inside the trash can, for two. Lynch and Belair powerbombed two opponents out of the corner.

Charlotte went to the top of the cage and hit a moonsault on all four members of Damage CTRL. Iyo Sky caught the worst of this as Charlotte, predictably, didn’t exactly land gracefully. Charlotte covered Bayley for two.

Charlotte and Lynch did a double-team move and they did a big hug. Lynch really played it up as a big moment. They got attacked from behind again but each managed to apply their submissions. Sane tried an elbow drop but Lynch countered into a Disarmer. Bayley broke that up with a knee strike. Belair put Asuka on her shoulders and Shotzi hit a nice missile dropkick but Bayley broke up the cover.

They traded some moves before Belair sprayed the fire extinguisher in Asuka’s face. Sane killed Shotzi with a trash can lid. Charlotte went to spear Sane but Bayley took the bullet and ate the spear. Shotzi hit Bayley with a senton and Bayley hit her with KOD.

Belair handed Bayley to Lynch who put her through a table with a Man-handle Slam off the ropes for the pinfall win.

Lynch, Belair, Charlotte and Shotzi celebrated together. Cole put over Lynch and Charlotte finally being back on the same page together.

(This was a perfectly fine/good WarGames match but the highlight by far was Iyo’s blind dive off the cage. The crowd enjoyed it.)

******** 

Jey Uso met with Sami Zayn in the back. Zayn warned Jey that Randy Orton wasn’t there yet. Jey wasn’t surprised. He wondered why Orton would show up after what they did to him. (This led to CM Punk chants.) Zayn said they would take care of this together no matter what happens.

********

Cole said that if Miz won, he would tie Chris Jericho for most Intercontinental title reigns ever. He also said that Gunther has been champion for 533 days and if you add up all of Miz’s eight title reigns, it amounts to 592 days. (Cole also mentioned Edge later on the list of great former IC champions.)

Gunther defeated The Miz to retain the Intercontinental Championship (12:21)

They gave Miz a lot but Gunther won by submission.

Miz chopped Gunther which just irritated him. Gunther dropped Miz with a chop. Miz fought back but his strikes didn’t have much of an effect. However, Miz tripped Gunther while outside the ring and drove his leg onto the edge of the ring. Miz also applied the Bret Hart figure four around the ring post. Miz tried a springboard move but Gunther booted him out of the air.

Gunther took over from there and kept cutting off Miz’s offence. Gunther gloated to the crowd who booed. Miz managed to fight back, again targeting the leg with unconvincing strikes. Gunther sold big for him anyway. Miz continued to use kicks, this time to Gunther’s chest to bring him down. Miz followed with a tilt-a-whirl DDT for two.

Gunther countered a Skull Crushing Finale and hit a dropkick and powerbomb for two. Gunther applied a sleeper as Miz accidentally-on-purpose yanked the turnbuckle cover off.

Miz kicked Gunther in the nuts as the referee fixed the turnbuckle cover and followed with Skull Crushing Finale for a nearfall. I guess the ref didn’t fix the turnbuckle because Miz drove Gunther into it and applied a cradle for another nearfall. (The crowd bought a potential title change.)

Gunther clotheslined Miz, splashed his back, and applied a Boston Crab. Gunther transitioned the crab into a Liontamer and Miz tapped out.

(Cole mentioned Jericho earlier, and they compared a few of Miz’s spots to Bret Hart, but they did not mention Jericho when Gunther used the Liontamer.)

********

There was a credit card ad with Jey Uso and Liv Morgan.

The male members of Judgment Day met in the back. Dominik Mysterio heard that Orton wouldn’t be there. Finn Bálor said they were good either way. Either Orotn wouldn’t be there, or he would show up and poison his team from the inside. Damian Priest left to let Drew McIntyre know what was going on.

********

Cole mentioned some notable wrestlers who made their WWE debut at Survivor Series including Kurt Angle, The Rock, Undertaker, The Shield, and Sting. 

Santos Escobar defeated Dragon Lee (8:19)

Escobar was in control from the get-go but Dragon Lee leaped over the top and brought Escobar down with a hurricanrana to the outside. Dragon Lee followed with a flip dive and the crowd chanted for him. Lee went to the top but Escobar met him and brought him down with a hurricanrana for two.

A frustrated Escobar aggressively ripped at the mask of Dragon Lee and the crowd chanted “assh*le.” (Denise Salcedo on Twitter said they were chanting “culero” and I will take her word for it.)

Dragon Lee came back later with a double foot stomp off the top for two. Escobar dropped him with a superkick. They traded knee strikes before Dragon Lee showed off his strength and hit a sit-out powerbomb for two.

Dragon Lee went for something but Escobar countered into a Canadian Destroyer and Phantom Driver for the abrupt pinfall win.

This was good for the time they had but this and the Gunther matches felt like TV matches.

*******

LA Knight was in a Slim Jim commercial.

Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston arrived at the arena in a Slim Jim car. They honked their horn to the New Day chant and the crowd sang along. Woods and Kingston were happy to have Slim Jims.

********

Rhea Ripley defeated Zoey Stark to retain the Women’s World Championship (9:15)

By the end of the match, Cole made it seem like Stark put up a hell of a fight but that’s not how it came across at all. Ripley dominated and Stark got some offence but everybody liked Ripley and Stark didn’t get even as much as Miz got against Gunther.

There was an odd spot where it looked like maybe Ripley was going to chokeslam Stark off the top and Stark tried to land on her feet but she didn’t. WWE crowds are patient these days so they let this go.

While Ripley was on offence, Stark dared Ripley to hit her because she’s tough. Ripley did, but Stark countered the Rip-tide into a German suplex. Ripley countered a Z360 and hit a headbutt. She followed with Rip-tide for the pinfall win. Another TV match. 

(The crowd really likes Ripley but her matches lately have no heat at all.)

********

Cody Rhodes approached Seth Rollins, Jey Uso and Sami Zayn in the back. They were annoyed that Orton wasn’t there. Rhodes assured them that he’d be there. Rollins and Jey weren’t so sure. Zayn seemed to trust Rhodes. 

WarGames Match: Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso & World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defeated Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh & Drew McIntyre (34:07)

Priest and McIntyre stared each other down for a long time before the match as Bálor entered to start for his team. Rollins started for his team. Orton wasn’t there so they started without him. Some fans chanted for CM Punk and some other fans booed.

The crowd sang Rollins’ song as he entered. He played it up like usual but then suddenly attacked Bálor to start the match because Bálor wasn’t expecting it.

Rollins had the advantage over Bálor until the “tenacious Irish ace” JD McDonagh entered next to team up with Bálor. They attacked Rollins with kendo sticks. The chants for tables have been replaced with chants for CM Punk. (Admittedly, not as loud.)

Jey Uso entered next and the crowd woke up because they got to say “Yeet” as he hit strikes. Jey was doing well until McDonagh hit him with a standing Spanish Fly. Rollins and Jey worked together to regain the advantage.

The next member of team Judgment Day was up next. It seemed like it would be McIntyre but Priest, the leader for tonight, said it would be him instead. Rollins and Jey fought off the numbers advantage momentarily but Priest used a metal baton to get the advantage for his team.

A relatively small group of fans keep trying to get CM Punk chants going but it isn’t carrying. (It seems like the crowd is just waiting for Orton, or whoever, to enter.)

Sami Zayn entered next. McDonagh tried to attack with a kendo stick but Zayn grabbed it and used it on him instead. Zayn slammed the door on Bálor’s face too. Zayn woke up the crowd for a second time by grabbing a table. The crowd chanted “Thank you, Sami.” Zayn grabbed a conveniently placed pipe from the cage and used it as a weapon on Judgment Day.

McIntyre entered next. He suplexed Zayn and Rollins before turning his attention to Jey. Jey fought him off for a moment before McIntyre hit a neckbreaker. Jey and Zayn teamed up to give McIntyre a 1D.

Cody Rhodes entered next. Cole talked about Dusty Rhodes inventing WarGames. Rhodes hit a few moves before grabbing a bull rope. Rollins grabbed the other end and they used it as a weapon together. (Dominik was alone in a cage so the crowd chanted “Dom, you suck.”)

Dom entered to a chorus of boos. Dom used some Miz-level strikes before suplexing Rhodes. He tried three amigos but was surrounded by the babyfaces. They put the boots to him and set up a table. They were going to put him through a table but the rest of Judgment Day saved him.

There were chants for “Randy” followed by chants for “CM Punk” Judgment Day and McIntyre each took turns hitting big moves on the good guys.

Time counted down to the final member of team Rhodes. Nobody entered.

However, Rhea Ripley entered with the briefcase. They planned to cash in but… Randy Orton entered. Orton was in terrific shape.

Orton clotheslined Dom and hit a powerslam. He also powerslammed McDonagh. The crowd chanted for Orton as he gave Bálor a draping DDT. Orton and McIntyre faced off but their encounter was quickly cut off when Priest attacked Orton from behind.

The babyfaces jumped in to save Orton which led to a spot where all the good guys hit draping DDTs to members of Judgment Day. Orton set up for an RKO but seemed to draw his attention to Jey Uso. Orton was letting Jey know he didn’t forget what happened.

Priest was about to attack Orton but Jey saved him with a superkick. This led to the babyfaces each hitting their finishers. McDonagh was the last man up and tried to escape the cage but was stopped by Zayn and Rollins.

Zayn and Rollins chucked McDonagh off the cage and Orton planted him with an RKO. Orton shoved Priest into Rhodes who hit Cross Rhodes for the pinfall win.

— The good guys posed together as the show ended.

Nope, the show didn’t end. CM Punk entered. He’s back. Crowd went nuts. 

Drew McIntyre under consideration for WWE Survivor Series WarGames match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Drew McIntyre is under consideration to be added to the men’s WarGames match at WWE Survivor Series.

The WarGames match is currently scheduled to pit Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso against The Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio) & JD McDonagh. In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer confirmed that WWE is considering adding McIntyre to Judgment Day’s team:

The men’s War Games match right now is listed as having Seth Rollins & Sami Zayn & Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio & Finn Balor & JD McDonagh. There were reports that this will change and McIntyre will be part of the Judgment Day team. I was just told that this is under consideration and could happen. That would lead to someone having to be added to the other side. While there’s a roster full of people who would fit that bill, there is nobody obvious. Kevin Owens makes the most sense on a storyline basis. Ricochet would fit from a spectacular basis but he’s questionable for that date due to the possibility of a concussion. Bronson Reed would be an unpredictable pick who would benefit from a main event.

McIntyre has been playing a tweener character in recent weeks. At Crown Jewel last Saturday, he unsuccessfully challenged Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship. McIntyre had declined Judgment Day’s help leading into the match. When he was shown sulking backstage after his loss to Rollins, Rhea Ripley walked by and shrugged.

McIntyre refused to speak about his Crown Jewel loss on Raw this week.

WWE’s video package announcing that WarGames would be the theme of this year’s Survivor Series indicated that there would be 10 participants in each WarGames match.

It’s expected that there will also be a women’s WarGames match at Survivor Series. The event is being held at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on Saturday, November 25.

Intercontinental title match official for WWE Survivor Series

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The Intercontinental Championship will be defended at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames. 

The Miz won a four-way number one contender’s match on Monday’s Raw to earn a shot at Gunther’s Intercontinental title at Survivor Series: WarGames set for Saturday, November 25. 

Miz pinned “Big” Bronson Reed after Reed missed a Tsunami in a four-way also involving Ivar & Ricochet to earn the title shot at Survivor Series. Ivar had Ricochet pinned simultaneously, but Ricochet kicked out at two while Miz held on to his cover on Reed to cement the win. 

Ivar attacked Miz after the match and a bout between the two is set for next Monday’s Raw. 

Zoey Stark won a number one contender’s battle royal on Raw to earn a shot at Rhea Ripley’s Women’s World Championship at Survivor Series and the first two bouts are now official for the event. 

The current lineup: 

WWE Survivor Series: WarGames, Saturday, November 25, 8 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock & WWE Network —

  • Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends against The Miz
  • Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defends against Zoey Stark

WWE announces return of Survivor Series: WarGames

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WarGames is officially returning for this year’s Survivor Series.

During Crown Jewel on Saturday, WWE announced that WarGames will be taking place at Survivor Series later this month. WWE has yet to reveal any of the participants who will be taking part in the men’s and women’s WarGames matches.

Survivor Series is just three weeks away. The event is taking place from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on Saturday, November 25. It will stream live on Peacock/WWE Network. 

In 2022, WarGames made its WWE main roster debut at Survivor Series. The decision to use WarGames on the main roster was made by Paul “Triple H” Levesque after he took control of WWE creative.

Originally created by Dusty Rhodes in Jim Crockett Promotions, WarGames was a signature match of the NWA/WCW. It was revived by Levesque in 2017 for NXT. WarGames matches took place in NXT every year from 2017 through 2021.

The men’s WarGames match at last year’s Survivor Series saw Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa & Sami Zayn defeat Sheamus, Ridge Holland, Butch, Drew McIntyre & Kevin Owens. In the women’s WarGames match, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Asuka, Alexa Bliss & Mia Yim defeated Rhea Ripley, Bayley, IYO SKY, Dakota Kai & Nikki Cross.

Update on Brian Kendrick producing match at WWE Survivor Series

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer gave an update on Brian Kendrick’s involvement with Survivor Series: WarGames.

Kendrick was backstage at Survivor Series and was listed as a producer for Ronda Rousey and Shotzi’s SmackDown Women’s Championship match. The match was also produced by Jason Jordan.

Meltzer noted that Kendrick, who was Rousey’s original pro wrestling trainer, was brought in for the match because Rousey asked for it.

What happened was, Ronda Rousey — Brian Kendrick was Ronda Rousey’s original wrestling trainer. And she suggested, she asked for him to be brought in for her match with Shotzi. So he was in on Saturday. And it was not a hire. You could say it was a tryout, I wouldn’t say it wasn’t a tryout, but it really wasn’t like a normal tryout. It was more Ronda Rousey asked for him to help produce. Jason Jordan also produced it, but she asked for Brian to be brought in, so they brought him in.

“He’s not hired, or at least as far as I know he wasn’t hired, obviously that could change,” Meltzer added.

Kendrick worked behind the scenes in NXT before being granted his release from WWE earlier this year. In February, Kendrick was supposed to make his AEW debut in a match against Jon Moxley, but Kendrick was pulled from the match due to comments that he had made in 2011 and 2013 resurfacing online. Kendrick questioned the severity of the Holocaust and whether the Sandy Hook school shooting was real.

After being pulled from the AEW match, Kendrick posted a statement on Twitter apologizing for the comments.

“I apologize for all the hurt and embarassment I have caused with my words. These are not my beliefs and never were beliefs of mine, and I crossed the line,” Kendrick wrote. “I spread the most vile comments without thinking of the damage it would cause. I will live with this regret for the rest of my life. I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused.”

Triple H discusses Hell in a Cell event future at WWE Survivor Series press conference

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Triple H, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Paul Heyman, and Sami Zayn all took questions after tonight’s Survivor Series WarGames event.

Here are notes from the interviews, which were held in front of pro wrestling media.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque

  • Thanked the fans for attending tonight, saying that this was the highest grossing Survivor Series of all time, as well as the most viewed. He also said that the event was a complete sellout, with 15,600 in attendance.
  • He put over Becky Lynch, who he thought “knocked it out of the park” upon her return from a dislocated shoulder.
  • When asked if the WarGames match will be a permanent part of Survivor Series going forward, Triple H said “we’ll see”, mentioning that tonight was a success.
  • One interviewer asked about reports that shows like Hell in a Cell and Money in the Bank would be moved away from being premium live events. Triple H said that he thought Hell in a Cell worked better as something where one person could challenge another to the match, match types like Elimination Chamber and Money in the Bank couldn’t be done the same way. “I think there’s a difference there,” he said. “I think we have to re-evaluate that. It’s really looking at the overall calendar and saying ‘what is the best place to put this, what is the best way to entertain our fans’.”

  • Regarding Ozzy Ozbourne, Triple H said he called Ozzy and asked to use the song ‘War Pigs’ for Survivor Series, and put both him and Sharon Obsbourne over. He said that at one point they were considering a live performance, but the timing wasn’t right. He is looking forward to doing more together.
  • After someone brought up the absence of traditional Survivor Series elimination matches, Triple H said they “weren’t done with anything”, saying it is about what is best for the fans at the moment, and this was the right year to “freshen up the concept a little bit”.
  • When asked about wanting to bring WarGames to Survivor Series 20 years ago, Triple H says he doesn’t remember, though the concept was pitched over the years and has always been a fan of the match.
  • The final question had someone ask about where they would like to go next. mentioning Latin America as a potential destination. Triple H said they would eventually like to go “everywhere”, saying he was looking forward to sitting down with local governments.

Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch

  • Lynch says that they felt like they tore the house down. Gave a storyline response regarding how she came back, saying she had a family engagement in Ireland when Belair called her and asked to be on her team. Lynch said that Belair sent a jet to Ireland to pick her up. Lynch put over Belair, saying she really was the EST of WWE.
  • Belair mentioned that in a perfect world, she would next like to face either Rhea Ripley or Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania.
  • When asked what goals they would like to accomplish heading into the road to WrestleMania. Lynch said she would like to be the first person to win the women’s Royal Rumble twice. Belair said she would like to headline the second night of WrestleMania.
  • Regarding the finish to the main event, which saw Lynch execute a legdrop off the top rope, Lynch said she was “terrified” at practice, but when you feel the energy of the crowd, the crowd lets you feel like you are a superhero.

Sami Zayn and Paul Heyman

  • Zayn said he hopes the finish of Survivor Series WarGames ends the speculation regarding himself and Kevin Owens. He mentioned that he fully accepted The Bloodline, and that The Bloodline had accepted him.
  • Paul Heyman said that the special thing about Zayn is that Zayn brings a dynamic The Booldline doesn’t have, because they have been too busy being the top act in the industry for the last two years. He is the member of the audience that gets to enter the ring and live their dream. He was a guest star that ended up being a part of the cast.
  • Zayn said that real emotions came to the front of the performance, bringing up that the audience is well aware of their history together, and it’s not “really good acting”. He said it “hit different” tonight compared to his match against Kevin Owens from Battleground 2016. 

The Bloodline, Team Belair win WWE Survivor Series WarGames matches

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Sami Zayn proved his loyalty to The Bloodline at Survivor Series: WarGames.

Saturday’s pay-per-view concluded with The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa & Zayn) defeating Sheamus, Ridge Holland, Butch, Drew McIntyre & Kevin Owens in the men’s WarGames match. Jey Uso pinned Owens to win the match after Zayn stopped Owens from pinning Reigns.

Owens hit a pop-up powerbomb and a stunner on Reigns near the end of the match, but Zayn stopped the referee from counting to three. Though Zayn looked conflicted about what he did, he then gave Owens a low blow. Zayn charged at Owens to hit a Helluva Kick. He then put Owens in position for Jey to connect with a top rope splash on Owens.

The show ended with The Bloodline standing tall and everyone in the group hugging Zayn — even Jey Uso. It was said on commentary that Zayn is now much more than an “Honorary Uce.”

There had been a show-long storyline questioning whether Zayn would be loyal to The Bloodline or Owens. While Jey doubted Zayn, Reigns chose to believe him. Zayn stayed true to The Bloodline throughout the match despite Jey accidentally giving him a superkick at one point.

Earlier in the night, Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim & Becky Lynch defeated Bayley, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY, Nikki Cross & Rhea Ripley in the women’s WarGames match.

Belair and Lynch were able to take out all three members of Damage CTRL. Belair hit a KOD on Bayley into the side of the cage, then Lynch jumped off the top of the cage and gave Kai and SKY a leg drop through a table. Lynch pinned Kai to get the win.

WWE Survivor Series WarGames live results: The Bloodline vs. Team Brutes

Posted on by Steve Khan

WarGames makes its WWE main roster debut as Survivor Series takes place at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts tonight.

Two WarGames matches are set for the pay-per-view. The men’s WarGames match will feature all five members of The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa & Sami Zayn) taking on Sheamus, Ridge Holland, Butch, Drew McIntyre, and Kevin Owens. Team Brutes have the man-up advantage after Sheamus & McIntyre defeated The Usos on SmackDown.

Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim & Becky Lynch vs. Bayley, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY, Nikki Cross & Rhea Ripley is the women’s WarGames match. Team Damage CTRL have the advantage in the bout.

Two title matches have been announced for the PPV. Ronda Rousey defends her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Shotzi. The United States title will be up for grabs in a triple threat between Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, and Austin Theory.

Plus, AJ Styles faces off with Finn Balor in a singles match for just the second time ever.

Tonight’s PPV streams live on Peacock/WWE Network at 8 p.m. Eastern time. There will also be a pre-show starting at 7 p.m. 

******** 

Show Recap —

KICK-OFF SHOW

The pre-show panel was Kayla Braxton, Jerry Lawler, Booker T, Kevin Patrick and Peter Rosenberg.

They ran down the card, played a WarGames video package and spoke about the women’s WarGames match. After Braxton explained the WarGames rules, Booker said, “In other words, it’s going to be a long night!” 

They spoke in excruciating detail about the US Title match and played a video for Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi. Shotzi was shown arriving to the building with Raquel Rodriguez who had a heavy-duty brace on her arm.

Megan Morant interviewed Rousey and Shayna Baszler. They mocked Shotzi and Rodriguez and bragged about what they did. They also waxed poetic about how it felt to snap somebody’s limb.

They plugged AJ Styles vs. Finn Bálor.

They aired the video of Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley inviting themselves into Rey Mysterio’s house and beating him up in front of the family. (The person they brought with them to tape this on their camera did so in portrait mode.) 

The women’s WarGames match will open the show.

(The regime may have changed but the pre-show is as pointless as ever.)

********

SURVIVOR SERIES MAIN SHOW 

Ozzy Osbourne welcomed us to WarGames in the intro video. Michael Cole announced a sold-out crowd of 15,609. Cole mentioned that Dusty Rhodes created the match and told us about the wrestlers in the very first one.

It appears they’ve settled on “Michin” as a nickname for Mia Yim (instead of replacing her name).

WarGames Match: Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Asuka, Alexa Bliss & Mia Yim defeated Rhea Ripley, Bayley, Nikki Cross & Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai & IYO SKY (39:38)

Belair and Kai started the match. They had a back-and-forth exchange but Belair got the advantage moments before SKY entered. Belair gave them a double vertical suplex but they managed to work her over until Asuka entered.

Asuka beat up both women (and looked great in doing so) long enough for Belair to recover and even the odds. Kai has already been driven into the side of the cage a bunch of times.

Cross entered next and brought kendo sticks and trash can lids in with her. She also slammed the door on Asuka’s head. The heels were in control until Bliss entered and ran wild.

Everyone hit each other with kendo sticks as Cross climbed to the top of the cage and brought everyone down with a diving crossbody.

Bayley entered next and brought ladders and tables into the ring. Her team used weapons to regain the advantage.

Yim entered next and brought more stuff into the ring. She teed off on Kai before spiking her onto a trash can lid.

The women paired off into different corners of the ring. Belair superplexed Bayley, Yim superplexed Kai, Bliss superplexed Cross, and Asuka superplexed SKY.

Ripley entered and wiped out all the babyfaces allowing her team to take over again. SKY dropkicked Asuka’s head as Ripley held in her a standing cloverleaf. Yim tried mounting a comeback but Bayley caught her in the ropes and SKY hit her repeatedly with the lid.

Lynch entered last and the match officially “started” at the 27:44 mark.

Lynch handed out kicks and dodged an attack by Cross who hit SKY with a trash can by mistake. With SKY covered in the trash can, Lynch gave her a diving leg drop.

Lynch faced off with Bayley which I think was meant to get a big reaction but it didn’t really. Lynch easily disposed of Bayley before she was confronted by Ripley (which did get a reaction). Bayley got in the way so Ripley gave Lynch a Riptide for two.

Asuka sprayed mist in Ripley’s face and Lynch spiked her with a DDT but Bayley got in the way before they could make a cover. Bayley gave Lynch a Roseplant onto the steal plate (in between the two rings) but the cover was broken up.

Belair tried to bring down six women with a tower of doom spot but Cross hit her with a kendo stick before she could do it.

Everyone traded moves which led to SKY wiping out Belair and Yim with a moonsault off the top of the cage. The crowd was pretty quiet up to this point but they broke out a “holy sh*t” and “this is awesome” chant after that.

Cross handcuffed her old pal Bliss so Bliss handcuffed herself to Cross and hit an electric chair drop onto a trash can. (It looked like Bliss could just slip her hand out of the cuff.) Asuka gave Ripley a Codebreaker before Ripley drove her into the cage. Yim went after Ripley but Ripley drove her into a ladder which snapped.

Lynch gave Kai a Man-handle Slam and Belair gave SKY a KOD. Belair took out Bayley with a KOD into the side of the cage.

The finish was insane. SKY and Kai were placed on two tables and Lynch put them through the tables with a leg drop off the top of the cage. Lynch pinned Kai for the win. This looked particularly painful for Kai who took a lot of big bumps in the match.

The crowd popped big for the finish. The match was really good once everyone was in.

********

There was a commercial break/Brock Lesnar video package.

Jey Uso approached Roman Reigns. Jey said he warned them about Sami Zayn since day one. Zayn cost them the match last night and lied to his face about speaking to Kevin Owens. Jey said the only reason they didn’t go after him was that Reigns didn’t give the order.

Jey wanted to know what Reigns wanted to do. Reigns told him to go out there and be the right-hand man. Reigns said he would look Zayn in the eye and would know where he stood. Reigns told Paul Heyman to bring him Zayn.

********

AJ Styles (w/Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) defeated Finn Bálor (w/Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest) (18:24)

Cole spoke about Styles’ time in Japan as well as the history of these two men in the (Bullet) Club and Corey Graves remarked, “you love when Twitter is nice to you.”

Seven minutes into the match, a distraction by Priest allowed Dominik to trip Styles on the apron so Gallows and Anderson went after Dominik. Priest jumped in and they brawled through the crowd. Styles made sure to get a shot in on Dom before they scampered off.

They traded moves until Styles no-sold a few of Bálor’s kicks and fired back but Bálor cut him off with a headlock elbow drop. Bálor set up for a Styles Clash but Styles slipped out of it before Bálor nailed a Pelé Kick.

Styles tried mounting some offence but Bálor cut him off again, this time with a gutbuster and his own fireman’s carry neckbreaker. Styles did a backflip into a headlock elbow drop for two. Bálor missed a Coup de Grace and Styles applied the Calf Crusher but Bálor countered by slamming Styles’ head into the mat.

They traded a few counters until Styles hit a Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall win.

Pretty good match. 

(There are two rings side-by-side because of WarGames but they kept the action to one ring.) 

********

There was a commercial break/Liv Morgan video package.

Ozzy Osbourne told the WWE universe to buy his album.

********

Cole said Raquel Rodriguez wouldn’t be at ringside thanks to her broken elbow which will keep her out of action for 4-6 weeks.

Shotzi pointed to the sky during her entrance and Cole said she has dedicated the match to her father who recently passed away.

Ronda Rousey (w/Shayna Baszler) defeated Shotzi to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship (7:13)

Shotzi went for a suicide dive but Baszler pushed Rousey out of the way and took the move instead. Shotzi shoved Rousey into the steel steps and knocked down Baszler again. Shotzi tried a high cross but Rousey countered into a slam.

Rousey toyed with Shotzi and mocked her while she did as a brief “we want Sasha” chant broke out. Shotzi tried a tornado DDT onto the apron but the spot didn’t work and Rousey just sort of fell over.

Shotzi chucked Rousey and Baszler into the crowd and knocked them down with a dive off the barricade. They all fell over into three or four fans (plants) in the front row.

Shotzi went to the top but Rousey brought her down with a judo throw and followed with Piper’s Pit. Rousey applied an armbar and Shotzi quickly tapped. Rousey retains.

This match will not be remembered fondly.

******** 

There was a commercial break/Cody Rhodes video package. (These packages are aired in place of commercials depending on how you’re watching and so far all of the videos have been for people not on tonight’s show.)

Zayn approached Reigns in his locker room. Reigns asked if he spoke with Kevin Owens last night. Zayn said yes. Reigns asked why he lied to Jey. Zayn didn’t want to put too much on Jey’s plate before his big match. Zayn also said that he didn’t really speak to Owens, Owens did all the talking.

Reigns wanted to know what Owens said and Zayn told him that Owens wanted him to turn on the Bloodline before they turn on him. Reigns knew that Owens was his friend but they (Bloodline) weren’t just family — they were blood.

Reigns needed to know where he stood. Zayn was completely on Reigns’ side. He knew that only five people were allowed to enter Reigns’ locker room and it meant everything to him that he was one of those people. “I’m with the Bloodline.”

Reigns stared him dead in the eyes. Reigns then smirked and said, “let’s do it.” The crowd cheered and they hugged. Reigns’ face turned serious as they hugged (so Zayn didn’t see). This was good.

********

Triple Threat Match: Austin Theory defeated Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley to win the United States Championship (14:51)

They had a really fun match and Theory won the US title on a fluke.

Lashley dominated early but Theory prevented him from potentially winning by pulling the referee out of the ring on a pin attempt (which is how Lashley cost Theory the title on his cash-in). They fought outside the ring and Theory dropped Lashley with the steel steps.

Theory worked over Rollins until he came back with chops, clotheslines and a thrust kick. Rollins handed out suicide dives to each guy before wiping out both men with a flip dive. Rollins tried a stomp but Lashley yanked Theory out of the way and put Rollins in a Hurt Lock. Theory put Lashley in a sleeper until he had to let go of Rollins.

Lashley dumped Theory from the ring and Rollins gave Lashley a Pedigree for two. Theory dumped Rollins from the ring and gave Lashley a rolling blockbuster. Lashley slipped out of an A-Town Down attempt and applied a Hurt Lock. Theory used the Bret Hart kick off the ropes counter into a pin but Rollins broke that up with a frog splash on Lashley for a nearfall.

Rollins and Theory traded counters until Lashley managed to put them both in the Hurt Lock at once but they quickly got out of it. Theory and Lashley were hunched over so Rollins stepped off Theory’s back and gave Lashley a curb stomp.

Theory prevented a cover so Rollins gave him a superplex. Rollins was going to transition into a falcon arrow but Lashley speared Rollins. As a result, Theory fell on top of Rollins and pinned him to win the title. (Lashley couldn’t get up in time to break it up.)

(The finish didn’t quite land the way they wanted but it still worked for the story they’re going for.)

******** 

There was a commercial break/Miz video package. New Day plugged WWE Shop.

Jey approached Reigns and asked if Zayn lied to him too. Reigns said he saw everything he needed to see in Zayn’s eye. Jey seemed content.

********

Owens wore a Dusty Rhodes t-shirt. Rhodes has a red elbow pad on in the picture and Owens wore a matching elbow pad.

WarGames Match: WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Solo Sikoa & Tag Team Champions Jey & Jimmy Uso (w/Paul Heyman) defeated Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Ridge Holland & Butch (38:32)

Butch and Jey Uso started. Jey had the upper hand but Holland entered next and they beat the crap out of Jey for three minutes.

Jimmy was going to enter next to save his brother but Reigns stopped him and sent Zayn out instead (forcing him to save Jey and team with him). The crowd chanted “Sami Uso.” Zayn ran wild on Holland but Butch wiped out Zayn and Jey with a dive after they got into a light argument. Holland was about to squish Jey into the cage but Zayn saved him.

McIntyre entered next and tossed around Jey and Sami with suplexes. McIntyre setup Jey for a superplex but Sami saved him again. Holland wiped out Zayn and McIntyre suplexed Jey before giving Zayn a DDT.

Jimmy entered next and brought tables into the ring. Jey and Sami argued over who would set up the table and they got into a shoving match as Jimmy tried breaking it up. Reigns shook his head watching this. They eventually did work together to fend off the other team.

McIntyre fought them off as Owens entered next. Owens brought steel chairs in with him and used one on both Usos before hitting Jey with a Swanton.

Zayn and Owens faced off but Holland attacked Zayn before anything could happen. Owens put Jimmy through a table as his teammates beat up Zayn (Owens was down as this was happening).

Sikoa entered next and ran wild on the Brutes. Owens drove him into the cage and superkicked him twice but Sikoa no-sold it. Owens tried a powerbomb but Sikoa backdropped him onto the steel. Reigns was impressed. Sikoa dropped McIntyre with a superkick but McIntyre came back with a running headbutt.

Sheamus entered next and tossed the Bloodline around. Sheamus rallied his buddies and they put the boots to everyone. Reigns was looking at his feet as his team was getting beat up.

Reigns entered last and the match was “official” at the 28:00 mark. Each team stood tall and they squared off. Reigns handed out right hands and gave Sheamus a superman punch. Sheamus blocked a spear with a knee strike.

The good guys each grabbed a member of the Bloodline in the ropes and they all did ten beats of the Bodhrán to the delight of the crowd.

Sheamus setup Reigns for a Brogue Kick but Sikoa took the move instead — saving Reigns. Reigns followed with a spear but Holland broke up the cover.

Jey went for a superkick on Butch but he ducked and Jey nailed Sami. Jey seemed unbothered and the crowd booed and chanted “asshole.” The Usos gave Butch a 1D but Holland broke up the cover. The Usos superkicked Holland and Reigns speared him through the table.

Sikoa saved Reigns again and gave McIntyre a Spinning Solo through a table. Owens gave Sikoa a stunner but Reigns broke up the cover.

Owens slapped Reigns and they traded fists. Reigns gave Owens a superman punch but Owens came back with a superkick and pop-up powerbomb. Owens hit a stunner and seemed to have it won but Zayn blocked the referee from counting.

Owens and Zayn stared at each other before Owens yelled at him and the crowd loudly chanted “Sami Uso.” Owens blocked a Jimmy superkick and Zayn gave Owens a low blow. Zayn looked at Reigns before giving Owens a Helluva Kick.

Jey saw what he did and followed with a splash on Owens for the pinfall win.

Reigns hugged Sami and the crowd popped. Jey gave Sami a big hug and the crowd popped even louder.

The Bloodline posed together.

The match itself was good but was really just a backdrop for the Bloodline story stuff — which was really well done. The payoff at the end was terrific.