Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including an update on Joe Doering and Jon Gresham, Lash and Trick get engaged, War Games, Dynamite and Collision notes, the New Japan World Tag League, all the weekend news we can fit in, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Tag: war games
B&V: War Games 2025 plus backstage news!
The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with tons to talk about as we recap Survivor Series: War Games 2025! The John Cena match was the highlight, the War Games matches had their moments, Steph and Nikki were put in a death spot, some backstage notes, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
WWE Survivor Series live results: Two WarGames matches
Date: November 29, 2025
Location: Petco Park in San Diego, CA
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Show Recap —
COUNTDOWN SHOW
“War Pigs” by Black Sabbath played as Joe Tessitore welcomed us to the pre-show at Petco Park in San Diego. He’s joined by Big E and Wade Barrett.
The heel women’s team (referred to as Team Asuka) arrived together, as did Team Rhea. Paul “Triple H” Levesque, not wrestling tonight, was also shown arriving.
Different personalities ran down tonight’s card. Peter Rosenberg referred to Dominik Mysterio, 28, as “the kid.”
Big E flat-out mentioned that there are online rumours that there is jockeying among the men’s babyface team to determine who would enter last.
Michael Cole showed up to the panel, and the fans (and Tessitore) reacted to him like he was the John Cena of announcing.
There was a Cena video package and an interview Megan Morant did with Stephanie McMahon. She told the story of discovering that Cena could rap and suggesting he do it as part of his act. She really put him over strong. Cole called Cena the greatest of all time and added, “I don’t care what anyone says.”
Cathy Kelley interviewed Stephanie Vaquer. She said she had no mercy and she would show Nikki Bella what a real champion was. Bella spoke to Jackie Redmond. Bella said she would embarrass Vaquer, and Vaquer would respect her.
There was a sit-down interview with Becky Lynch. She’s going hard on the idea that she was screwed out of the IC title, and she referred to Cole as “Misleading Michael.”
They cut back to Cole live, and he made fun of Barrett for suddenly having very grey hair.
Tessitore mentioned Lynch’s recent social media posts, where she posts in all-caps and uses a lot of alliteration and stated, “She’s taking some cues from somebody.”
Author Mark Kriegel interviewed Dominik Mysterio. Dom said he had issues with Cena that he didn’t know about, but admitted that Cena helped him a lot when he was getting started in WWE. Dom said he didn’t need Cena now and called himself quite possibly the face of WWE.
There was a video showing how mainstream WWE is now.
Rosenberg interviewed Levesque backstage. Levesque admitted the structure of a baseball stadium is difficult to work with, and wrestlers will actually be coming out of the dugout (which sounds cool, actually). He spoke about Cena and said it was surreal seeing the end of his career.
CM Punk interview
Kelley interviewed CM Punk live backstage. She asked him about all the egos in his match and said she noticed him pacing around earlier. Punk knew you would be dealing with egos when you were on top of the mountain.
He was happy to team with a friend, Cody Rhodes. He didn’t see eye to eye with Roman Reigns, but he loved his cousins. It’s everyone across from them who had to worry. Punk was a dangerous man inside a cage. Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar already knew that, and the others would find out tonight.
Roman Reigns interview
Redmond interviewed Reigns (pre-taped). Reigns said he was the young guy ten years ago trying to knock Lesnar off the top, but now the young guys were coming for what he had.
Reigns said his place at the head of the table was cemented, so if Rhodes and Punk wanted to win, they would listen to him. There was a role for everyone on his team, and they should all play it.
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Tessitore explained the rules of WarGames. Somebody needs to tell Tessitore he doesn’t need to yell into his microphone.
SD Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove, who happens to be from the town, spoke to Redmond. He put over Rey Mysterio and John Cena, but intimated that he would be cheering for Dom tonight.
Tessitore loudly introduced Rey Mysterio, who put over Cena, too.
They ran down the top ten Survivor Series moments:
10) End of the Alliance
9) Rhea Ripley getting revenge on Liv Morgan
8) Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles
7) Debuts over the years of Undertaker, The Rock, Kurt Angle, and The Shield (they did their best not to show Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley)
6) Randy Orton returns in 2023
5) Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair title vs. title
4) Mega Powers unite
3) Iyo Sky diving off the top of the cage
2) John Cena & The Rock team vs. R-Truth & The Miz
1) CM Punk returns in 2023
San Diego’s Cassie B sang God Bless America as the pre-show concluded.
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SURVIVOR SERIES 2025 MAIN SHOW
Michael Cole welcomed us to Petco Park in San Diego, with an expected sold-out crowd of over 45,000. Cole and Wade Barrett are tonight’s announcers.
The “superstar arrivals” segment had a sponsor attached to it. Show arriving at Petco: Team Asuka, Team Rhea, Nikki Bella, Stephanie Vaquer, and Dominik Mysterio (wearing a suit).
The intro aired, fireworks went off, and a siren rang as the WarGames cage lowered.
For the fourth year in a row, the women’s WarGames match opens Survivor Series.
Women’s WarGames match: Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, AJ Lee, Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka, Kairi Sane, Nix Jax, Lash Legend & Becky Lynch
There’s a small stage where wrestlers will enter. Levesque said earlier that they would enter through the dugout, so if it is the dugout, you can’t really see it because screens cover it.
There are no shark cages at the stage to house the wrestlers, unlike in past years. I’m guessing there’s a story there.
Charlotte wore colourful gear inspired by a 7-year-old fan battling DMG, a form of brain cancer. Charlotte greeted the young fan at ringside before heading to the ring.
Charlotte and Asuka started. They wrestled normally for five minutes until Iyo Sky entered to join Charlotte.
Sky entered with a trash can lid with her name on it. Asuka avoided a lid shot, but Sky hit a dropkick anyway. Sky tried a double jump springboard move (off the two ropes closest to each other), but she slipped off the rope, so she hit a shoulder tackle instead. The fans didn’t care and were super into Sky, who nailed Asuka with the lid.
Becky Lynch entered next with a kendo stick and immediately attacked Sky with it. Charlotte got in Lynch’s face, and Lynch tried to play friendly, but they wound up exchanging right hands.
Alexa Bliss joined to give her team the advantage again, and she worked as a team with Charlotte to take down Lynch and Asuka.
The babyfaces stood tall, waiting as Kairi Sane entered next with a metal chain. The heel Sane beat up Charlotte and Bliss by herself while Sky was busy with Asuka.
Sane saved Asuka by hitting Sky in the midsection with the trash can lid. Cole said Sky was almost decapitated from that shot to the midsection.
AJ Lee stormed out next as Lynch tried to keep the door shut to block her from entering. Lee climbed the cage to enter the ring instead. The crowd chanted for her as she wiped out Asuka and Sane with a flying crossbody off the top rope.
Lee tossed Lynch around the ring and into the cage. Lee also fended off Sane until facing off with Asuka. They circled each other as Barrett called it a dream match. We didn’t get to see it because Lynch attacked Lee from behind.
The babyfaces took control again, thanks to having the advantage, as Nia Jax entered next to even the odds. The heel Jax beat up Charlotte and Bliss by herself. She also fended off Sky and Lee. Sky was making her way to the top of the cage, but Jax grabbed her and hit a powerbomb.
The heels stomped the babyfaces until Rhea Ripley entered. Ripley wore a Terrifier-inspired mask (to protect her injured nose) and gear, and she entered with kendo sticks and trash cans. Ripley also got fireworks.
Ripley beat up the heels alone before helping Sky to her feet. Ripley placed Sane in a standing Cloverleaf while Sane was trapped inside a trash can. Sky ran the ropes repeatedly before hitting a running dropkick into the trash can. Jax knocked down Ripley and Sky, but Bliss took down Jax with a DDT.
Lash Legend entered last to even the odds for the heels. The match ‘officially’ began about 32:30 into it. The heel Lash beat up Charlotte and Bliss by herself.
Ripley faced off with Lash, and they exchanged strikes. Lash eventually got the better of their exchange, hitting a powerbomb and big boot for two. Ripley tried a Rip-tide, but Jax intervened.
Lynch gave Lee a Man-handle Slam, but Sky broke up the cover by crunching her with a moonsault. Lash and Jax press-slammed Sky and launched her into her teammates. Sane gave Sky an Asuka-assisted Insane Elbow (called “the Kabuki special”), but Ripley broke up the cover.
Asuka tried misting Ripley, but Charlotte saved Ripley (her old rival), and Lash got misted instead. Ripley and Charlotte gave Jax a double vertical suplex, and Bliss followed with Twisted Bliss. (She did not go for a cover because this was not the planned finish.)
Sky went to the top of the cage and wanted a trash can. Lee was too short to hand it to her, so Ripley hoisted her up, and Sky was able to grab it.
Sky placed the trash can over her body and hit a spectacular senton bomb onto her opponents. (Sky could’ve injured her leg the way she landed, but she appeared fine.)
Lynch was the only heel who avoided the move, but was now alone against the babyfaces. Charlotte brought Lynch down from the cage, Bliss punched her, Ripley hit Rip-tide, and Lee applied Black Widow for the submission win.
Fireworks went off as the babyfaces celebrated together.
Match result: AJ Lee, Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair defeated Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka & Kairi Sane (40:51)
This was a pretty ordinary match, WarGames or not. The first 30+ minutes were dull, and it didn’t pick up that match once everyone was in. Sky did some cool stuff as usual, but that was about it.
It really didn’t help that the babyfaces had the advantage all match. I know it’s predictable and maybe tiresome to have the heels with the advantage every single time, but that’s the bed you make when you feel the need to have two of these matches every year.
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The sun has set in San Diego, so we’re under the lights now at Petco.
Lil Yachty, Adriel Favela, Andy Ruiz, and Jeremiah Estrada (Padres pitcher) were in the crowd.
John Cena’s final PPV match is up next.
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Cena’s second-last match will be against Dominik Mysterio. Cena first wrestled Rey Mysterio 23 years ago on SmackDown in 2002, when Dom was five years old.
Intercontinental Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Dominik Mysterio (w/ Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez)
Dom entered first with Rodriguez and Perez. They cut his music so the fans could chant for Cena. (The fans chanted at first, got quiet, then realized they should be chanting still, so they started again before Cena’s music hit.)
Cena entered and embraced fans along the length of the stage before sprinting to the ring. The chants chanted “Thank you, Cena.” Alicia Taylor introduced Cena as the greatest of all time. Chad Patton is the referee.
Very early in the match, Dom distracted Patton while Perez tripped Cena as he came off the ropes. Dom booted Cena in the corner before pulling Patton aside again for Rodriguez to give Cena a cheap shot. Dom hit three amigos for two.
Cena recovered, so Dom scampered outside the ring. Cena went after him, but Dom hid behind Rodriguez and Perez. Dom used their distraction to jump Cena and take over again. Dom bounced Cena’s face off the announce table and the side of the ring.
Dom tried a hurricanrana off the barricade, but like Penta on Raw, Dom landed awkwardly on his shoulder. (Although, unlike Penta, Dom did not successfully hit the move, so it looked like a botch.)
It was all part of the plan, and it led to a great spot. Dom sold his shoulder as medical staff checked on him. With the referee distracted, Rodriguez hit Cena in the ring with a Tejana Bomb, and Perez hit Pop Rox. (Great spot for those two.)
Dom suddenly recovered and bounced in the ring. He hit Cena with a 619 and a frog splash, but Patton refused to count the pin because he figured out what happened. Patton tossed Rodriguez and Perez from ringside.
Cena hit Dom with shoulder tackles, a side slam, and five knuckle shuffle. Dom avoided an AA, but Cena applied an STFU until Dom got a rope break.
Dom unzipped his boot. Cena grabbed him by the boot, but it slipped off, so Dom was able to drop him onto the middle rope to hit a 619 and a frog splash for a nearfall.
Dom took too long to follow up, so Cena planted him with an AA for a nearfall. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome.”
Cena went for shoulder tackles again, but Dom ducked, and Cena knocked down Patton. Cena applied an STFU, but Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh ran out to attack Cena.
McDonagh went for a moonsault, but Cena got his knees up and dodged Bálor’s Coup de Grace. Cena then hoisted both men on his shoulders and hit an impressive double AA.
Dom grabbed the IC title belt and tried using it as a weapon, but Cena ducked it and hit another AA.
Cena called for a referee, but the returning Liv Morgan ran out instead. Morgan acted happy to see Dom, but then slapped him across the head.
It was another swerve. Morgan hugged Cena before kicking him in the nuts. Morgan hit Cena with the title belt, and Dom hit a 619 and a frog splash for the pinfall win.
Dom and Morgan celebrated together.
Fireworks went off as Dom held Morgan up in one arm, and both his title belts (IC title and AAA Mega title) in the other. That was a great visual.
— Cena soaked in the crowd reaction before leaving up the aisle. He saluted the camera and said, “Thank you so much. That’s all.”
Match result: Dominik Mysterio defeated John Cena to win the Intercontinental Championship (16:49)
This wasn’t exactly a classic match, but it was a fun spectacle and the crowd was into it. At least until Cena lost. Dom is an emerging star, so it was more productive that he won, and he used every trick in the book to do so. I think people will feel better about this result if Cena goes on to win his final match (which he should).
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Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Nikki Bella
Vaquer wore black and silver and was all business. Bella tried a cheap shot as the bell rang, but Vaquer came right back with a dropkick and proceeded to beat her up. However, Vaquer missed a knee drop on the apron, and Bella took over.
Bella had control as the crowd watched silently, but they woke up momentarily when Bella set up for Devil’s Kiss. Vaquer countered and hit a back suplex. Vaquer went for Devil’s Kiss, but Bella rolled to the apron to the crowd’s dismay.
Vaquer hit headbutts, strikes and a snap suplex for two, and an SVB (backbreaker) for two. Vaquer avoided Bella’s “Rack Attack 2.0” and hit a corner meteora. Bella pulled her down from the ropes and hit a Disaster Kick, followed by the “Rack Attack 2.0” for two after Vaquer got her foot on the rope.
With Bella leaning against the apron, Vaquer hit a knee drop (the one she missed earlier) and hit Devil’s Kiss on top of the reinforced announce table.
(Barrett stated, “You had the best view in the house, Michael Cole,” and Cole responded, “I’m not saying anything.”)
Vaquer slid Bella back in the ring, hit Devil’s Kiss again, and followed with an impressive corkscrew splash for the pinfall win.
Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Nikki Bella to retain the Women’s World Championship (12:23)
A standard match with very little heat. Their positioning on the card didn’t help, but Bella also hasn’t won a match since July. She has one singles win since returning, and that was against Chelsea Green.
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Gabriel Luna (wearing a Bret Hart t-shirt), Cassie B, Jesús Ortiz Paz, and Danielle Fishel (wearing a Vader t-shirt) were in the crowd. Fishel got the biggest pop of any celebrity.
They announced a crowd of 46,016, a record for Survivor Series.
(If you watch these PLEs on the Netflix international feed, there are long stretches of what seems like awkward silence. It’s happening because on the international feed, the announcers are muted while they do ad reads, and because there are so many damn ads, there is a lot of random silence.)
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About 20 minutes elapsed between the end of the last match and the start of this one. Almost 25 minutes if you go bell to bell.
Men’s WarGames match: WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso vs. Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
CM Punk and Bron Breakker started. As AJ Lee did earlier, Punk entered by climbing the cage.
They wrestled back and forth for five minutes until Drew McIntyre entered. (Breakker had the early edge, but Punk took over in time for McIntyre to enter.)
Punk and McIntyre traded fists before Punk fought off both men, but McIntyre dropped him with a Claymore Kick. A handful of fans gasped when McIntyre rubbed Punk’s face against the steel cage (as if he was getting jabbed by a fork).
Punk emerged bleeding from the forehead moments later, and Cole said he wasn’t sure how that happened. It was obviously his face being rubbed against metal.
The crowd was quiet as the heels worked over Punk until Cody Rhodes entered. They literally repeated a spot from the women’s match. McIntyre held the door shut so Rhodes couldn’t enter, so Rhodes climbed the cage and hit McIntyre with a flying crossbody. (Off the top of the cage, instead of the top rope.) The crowd got more into it after that.
Punk walked up behind Rhodes, but Rhodes clocked him with a back elbow, not realizing who it was. Punk and Rhodes got on the same page and gave McIntyre a Hart Attack.
They also gave Breakker a Doomsday Device, and he landed right on the back of his head and neck. That looked brutal, and Barrett freaked out. (The camera didn’t focus on it, but doctors checked on Breakker and he continued the match.)
Logan Paul entered next and brought steel chairs into the ring. He helped his team gain the advantage until Jimmy Uso entered next, bringing a table into the ring with him. Jimmy shined for a moment until McIntyre cut him off with a Claymore.
The heels maintained control as Bronson Reed entered next. Reed planted Punk, Jimmy, and Rhodes with Tsunamis. Jimmy fired back later with superkicks, but Reed dropped him with a body block.
The babyfaces still have two guys left, but everyone knew it was Jey Uso’s turn next. They Yeeted as the timer counted down, and Jey entered. Jey handed out superkicks, helped Jimmy to his feet, and they handed out superkicks before giving Logan a 1-D.
Jey called for an encore, so they played his music again mid-match as he posed atop the cage. (This felt out of place for a match that’s meant to have a lot of heat.)
Jey’s music was cut off by Brock Lesnar’s. He entered with Paul Heyman. Cole said this was the first time since 2004 that Lesnar wrestled in a match with any teammates.
Lesnar handed out suplexes and F5s to Punk, Rhodes, Jimmy and Jey.
Roman Reigns entered last. He took his time getting to the ring as fireworks went off. Lesnar was anxious, so he left the ring to greet Reigns in the aisle. (They said you would forfeit the match if someone leaves the ring, but that didn’t count here because it hadn’t officially started.)
Reigns attacked Lesnar with Superman punches, but Lesnar ducked one and put him through the announce table with an F5.
Lesnar brought Reigns into the ring and hit another F5, but Rhodes broke up the cover. Punk gave Lesnar a GTS, and Rhodes hit a Cross Rhodes, but Logan broke up the cover with a frog splash.
Heyman handed Logan brass knuckles (which he could’ve just brought in himself if he wanted). Logan knocked out Punk and Jimmy, but Reigns dropped him with a spear.
Reigns put on the brass knuckles and used them on Reed and McIntyre. Breakker faced off with Reigns, but Reigns speared him.
Lesnar got Jey up in F5 position, but Reigns speared him, sending both men through a corner table. Breakker speared Jey and Rhodes. Punk fended off Breakker and gave Logan a GTS, but Breakker broke up the cover.
A mystery man wearing all black (including a black hood and face mask) climbed the cage and attacked Punk with a superkick. The masked man also hit a curb stomp, and the crowd popped. Barrett said it couldn’t have been Seth Rollins, given his recent shoulder injury.
The masked man quickly left, and Breakker speared Punk for the pinfall win.
The heels posed together in the aisle as fireworks went off. (Lesnar had a huge smile on his face.)
— The camera focused on the dejected babyfaces in the ring. Reigns saw Punk and Rhodes on the mat, so he helped Punk to his feet. Punk was on the same page as Reigns, and they bumped fists.
It seemed like Reigns considered helping Rhodes, but Rhodes got to his feet on his own. They got into each other’s faces, and Reigns walked away without a peace offering.
Reigns looked back at Rhodes and told him this was the last time they would team together, and that was that. (Punk began to leave, too, and the final shot was of him looking back at Rhodes. They didn’t show it, but that left Rhodes in the other ring alone.)
Match result: Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre & Brock Lesnar defeated CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso (39:24)
While it was a bit more entertaining than the women’s one, this was still a fairly standard match, and it felt pretty pointless inside WarGames. There’s a certain routine with these matches that’s difficult to shake, especially when it’s a lot of the same talent every year (for the women and men). They may want to bench this concept for a while until they have a good reason to use it.
It’s telling that a show with two WarGames matches (and John Cena’s second-last match) wound up being quite dull. They’ve long been resting on their hot streak when putting these shows together, and it’s about time they snap out of it.
WOR: Cena’s final RAW, War Games, Dynamite, more!
With Dave Meltzer on vacation, Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez returns with tons to talk about including a very newsworthy RAW, the final-ever appearance on RAW by John Cena, all the angles setting up War Games matches, several big name returns, and more, plus the tournament update, WWE ID program news, AEW files new trademarks, the Dynamite line-up for this week, all the rest of the news and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
WOL: Skye Blue’s Clues
It’s the Saturday Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.
- We had a fun WWE SmackDown on Friday focused on the build to WarGames.
- TNA tried to work the marks but ended up working itself.
- We’ll parse the words of Chris Jericho – what he said, what he didn’t say, and why.
- It’s days later and many fans are still talking about AEW Blood and Guts for good reason.
- We’ll play a round of “Do You Funk With It?” with Mel from Power Bombshells of Fight Game Media.
It’s a packed show, so check it out.
Click Here To Listen (sub needed)
Filthy Four Daily: WWE SmackDown, WarGames, WWE Speed!
FILTHY FOUR DAILY with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including the go-home Smackdown for War Games, the WWE Speed tournament with Andrade and Pete Dunne in the finals, War Games notes and more! THIS SHOW IS FREE, and if you love it, you can get 84 SHOWS PER MONTH plus 15,000 ARCHIVED SHOWS for HALF OFF right now! Use promo code F4W50 at wrestlingobserver.com and don’t miss out!
Bryan & Vinny: WAR GAMES, Collision and Rampage
THE BRYAN & VINNY SHOW IS BACK WITH A FREE PROGRAM! FREE! We are here to talk WWE War Games from Vancouver, which Bryan and Vinny attended live, AEW Collision from Saturday night, plus Rampage and more! Best of all it’s FREE, and if you love it, sign up today at wrestlingobserver.com using the promo code F4W50 and get half off. TODAY ONLY! Get 84 new monthly shows and 15,000 archived programs! A fun time as always so check it out~!
WOR: WWE Survivor Series WarGames recap, AEW Collision, weekend news
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including War Games, which Bryan attended live, all the matches, angles and injury updates, Collision with more Continental Classic matches, line-ups, New Japan notes and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Survivor Series 2024 recap
35:16; Shota Umino suffers ankle injury, DOUKI’s open challenge for Wrestle Dynasty, NJPW World Tag League updates
40:43: AEW Collision & Rampage recap
Wrestling Observer Live: RAW report, War Games, Randy Orton, ratings and more
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including RAW from Monday night with the return of Randy Orton and the final RAW build for Survivor Series, tons of ratings notes from a weird weekend, all the news and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Wrestling Observer Radio: WWE Raw report, WarGames, MJF & Juice, PFL buys Bellator
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including RAW from Monday with the return of Randy Orton, War Games line-up, MJF and Juice Robinson injuries plus Full Gear fallout, ratings, Promotion of the Year, PFL and Bellator and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: PFL acquires Bellator, Cung Le lawsuit update
13:15: MJF & Juice Robinson injury update
16:20: Dynamite this Wednesday, feedback from Full Gear, NXT lineup
30:00: Seven Bucks Productions working on “mysterious demise” of WCW series
34:22: Ratings
40:19: Promotion of the year discussion, Bushiroad president out
46:01: WWE Raw report
Wrestling Observer Live: WWE War Games fallout, WrestleMania, news, injury updates
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including a full review and fallout from Survivor Series War Games, the idea of having two War Games matches every November, who is next for Roman Reigns, WrestleMania suggestions, NXT notes, injury updates on Randy Orton and Logan Paul, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Bryan & Vinny & Craig Show: WWE Survivor Series War Games 2022!
The Bryan & Vinny & Craig Show is back with tons to talk about in our full recap of the WWE Survivor Series War Games show. A lot happened. There were long matches. There were short matches. There were good matches and bad matches and a great main event angle. WHAT DID WE ALL THINK? TUNE IN TO FIND OUT!
Wrestling Observer Radio: War Games 2022, news, Rampage, Smackdown, more!
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including WWE Survivor Series 2022 with two War Games matches! Full results, thoughts on War Games today versus the past, what is better and what is not, and more, plus the news of the week, Smackdown and Rampage, Q&As from the chatroom, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: WarGames today vs. the past
15:32: Survivor Series WarGames recap
42:50: Survivor Series press conference notes
48:06: PFL notes, the Sasha Banks chants during Survivor Series
51:25: Rampage and SmackDown notes
1:04:20: Mailbag
Wrestling Observer Radio: MJF, War Games, ratings, RAW report, mailbag and more
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including MJF on Ariel Helwani’s show, Survivor Series and War Games, ratings, White Rabbit teases, CMLL Anniversary show thoughts, RAW report, tons of mailbag questions and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: “White Rabbit” tease
4:32: MJF on Ariel Helwani
7:40: Ratings
14:21: Survivor Series to have WarGames
18:35: CMLL Anniversary show review
34:02: Kurt Angle says he has memory issues
39:48: Raw report
1:00:12: Mailbag
Previewing NXT TakeOver: WarGames II
It has been a long time since I got the chance to wax rhapsodic (shoutout two years of AP English) about NXT, and man does it feel good to be home. It’s nice to know that no matter how laughably bad a majority of WWE is, NXT keeps churning out quality, ever improving content.
Most of the players from TakeOver: Brooklyn appear on this card, but in dramatically different situations. NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa has moved past Johnny Gargano (for now) and on to Velveteen Dream. Dream himself has done, well, done nothing dramatically different and is now a pure face. Gargano is a complete lunatic now, and his run in NXT is unlike anything we have ever seen. Shayna Baszler is still there and still the scariest person in NXT regardless of gender. We also get to welcome back Aleister Black and Bobby Fish between the yellow ropes. What a time to be alive!
A lot has been going in WWE lately with most of it being less than great. There’s no need to dive into something that has been talked about constantly over the past few weeks and I’m not going to rehash it. But, I do want to share some great advice I got some months back. I was meeting with a professor of mine from grad school and I was talking about how I was incredibly unhappy in my job. She listened to me complain about how awful my direct report was, how bored I was, and how I could feel the unhappiness I felt at work bleed into my personal life. When I finished, she simply said, “If you don’t like your job, get a new job.”
It was a statement so small in length, but it carried so much weight. And that’s what I want to say about WWE. If you don’t like WWE, dont watch WWE. If you don’t like Raw, there’s always NXT. If you want your wrestling to be full of long-term nuanced stories, watch New Japan. If you want your wrestling to be full of insane matches and moves, watch PWG or any of the other incredible indie promotions across the world.
I’m not someone that has an emotional relationship with wrestling. Wrestling was never there for me when I was going through hard times, Daddy. That’s not to say that my fandom, or how I came into my fandom, is better or worse than anyone else’s. It’s just there; it just is. There is a lot, a lot, of crappy things happening in the world right now, and we should really embrace each other now more than ever. Just because someone likes wrestling in a different way than you doesn’t make you right and them wrong. It just is. Embrace those people and each other. Open yourselves up to accept and enjoy other ways of thinking. Yes, I know this kind of meandered off but I felt the need to get those thoughts out somewhere, and this seemed like as a good a place as any.
ANYWAY, Saturday’s card only offers us four matches, but all four would be the main event of any TakeOver. With the report that the fifth match was cut so these could get the necessary time, there is the possibility we are in for one of the best TakeOvers of all time with each match getting 20-30 minutes to really put on a show.
Now like we always do at this time, let’s run down this card match by match and see what NXT has for us on Saturday — this time with no Liv Morgan jokes! She’s actually okay now!
NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane: 2-out-of-3 falls
Who says WWE can’t tell long term stories? This story started during the summer of 2017 and will, in theory, end a good year later. They have told the story in so many ways, which is a huge credit to the performers. Baszler has come so far in such a short time it’s incredible, and a true testament to the quality of the developmental system.
Sane deserves credit for her part in the story as well. Her gimmick is, in a vacuum, outrageous even for wrestling standards. She is a yachting enthusiast, who is also a pirate, who is also a princess, who comes to the ring with the wheel of a ship. In what world does that ever work? It’s like when you ask a 4-year-old what they want to be when they grow up and they say a pilot, a firefighter, a baseball player, and a strawberry. It doesn’t make any sense, but it makes all the sense in the world.
The reason it works is because the character fits the performer. Think of Randy Orton. Orton as a face is the dirt worst, just awful. That’s because it doesn’t fit with who he is as a person. Let’s be real, he is not the nicest dude around and it shows. So when he leans into his arrogant and cocky side, it works. It’s the same thing with Kairi. She’s a bubbly, effervescent person and it totally makes sense that she would like the ocean, pirates, and princesses. And I think that’s really makes this feud so compelling: the authenticity. Both Kairi and Shayna are staying true to who they are as people. Shayna is an IRL badass who can hurt someone bad, and I’ve already gone over Kairi. They aren’t being forced into a box that is uncomfortable, bu are given the room to let their characters breathe and succeed because of it.
NXT doesn’t usually mess around with 2-out-of-3 falls matches. They are saved for special occasions, and usually blow off a feud. The rub is that the feud needs to deserve the stipulation. It isn’t just thrown around to blow off TM61 and Heavy Machinery. The matches mean something and are usually incredibly well received. People still talk about Sami Zayn and Cesaro’s match from 2013. That was five years ago and GIFs of it still regularly circle the internet wrestling hive.
All of their matches to this point have been good to very good, but this has the potential to be better. All of their history means there is so much for them to draw on and call back to. It makes all the sense in the world for Shayna to lose the belt and move on to something involving Ronda Rousey and the Horsewomen, so let’s say Kairi takes this one. The next group of NXT women seem to be heels like Lacey Evans – who might be the new Liv Morgan of this column because she just doesn’t do it for me, and Bianca Belair who is a star waiting to happen. Let them come at the royal pirate and see what happens.
Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black
Hot take: Black was the worst NXT champion not named Bobby Roode. Follow up take: the, umm, ‘groin injury’ was best thing that ever happened to him. It’s weird that a character as objectively interesting as Black was so…boring? I think he just became what every standard WWE face is ‘supposed to be’. He made corny jokes about people’s height, mailed in a few matches, and everyone called it a title reign. He is capable of so much more, and what better opponent to bring it out of him than the 5-Star Lord himself?
Remember how I asked earlier about WWE being able to tell long term stories? So, about that, apparently this TakeOver is just all about proving that idea wrong. This Gargano rise and fall story started in 2016 in the second Dusty Rhodes Classic which started his ride in NXT. There is an argument, and it is the correct one, that he is the best performer in the history of NXT. When I say that, I mean just what he’s done in NXT, not other performers who have done big things elsewhere (Nakamura, Balor, etc).
Just look at what Johnny has done without a belt:
- NXT tag team champion
- Has the most Paramore theme song in WWE
- Gone from the most popular babyface in the company to maybe the most hated
- Got a haircut that defies physics and description
- Had 4 of the best 10 matches in the history of the company
I’d say that’s a fairly exhaustive and impressive list of accomplishments, one that no one that can touch. This seems like the start of the last chapter in his story. He went from being the beacon of light and hope to someone lost in the darkness of their own heart. It’s appropriate that his first match as a fully recognized heel is against someone whose very character alignment is chaotic neutral. It’s actually a cool and fairly layered character matchup: someone who has just embraced their inner darkness against someone who is wholly unafraid of the dark.
It feels repetitive to say ‘This match is gonna be great’ at the end of all of these write ups, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. It will be, it’s going to be, and I can’t wait. If it was up to me, I’d have Johnny lean into his newfound wicked nature and steal a victory here. I can see this being the beginning of a run that ultimately ends up with him main eventing the TakeOver before Wrestlemania and having a sendoff fitting of the best performer ever to wrestle in the yellow ropes.
WarGames: The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Pete Dunne, Ricochet & War Raiders (Hanson & Rowe)
Before I get into how much this match is going to rule, let’s talk about the War Raiders. Are they really doing it for anyone, anywhere? Even when they were with Ring of Honor, or wrestling as singles, they never really set my world on fire. The best thing I could say about them is that they were always fine. Their matches were always solid, but very rarely approached spectacular.
There is nothing wrong with that! Wrestling needs plenty of solid workers who can wrestle different styles. But with NXT essentially being an all star team of pro wrestlers, is that enough to matter? They don’t have the magnetic personalities to make up for that. I couldn’t tell you one ‘classic’ EC3 match, but that doesn’t matter. His personality is so spectacular that he can get by on less in the ring. But if you aren’t spectacular in the ring, or on the mic, or with your character, there’s a better than average chance you’ll get overlooked. And yes, I realize I just wrote like 150 words about an average tag team but whatever, it’s my column.
Four guys who emphatically do not have the problems that plague the War Raiders are the Undisputed Era. With Bobby Fish returning, the Era’s final form can truly take shape. The most unintentionally (or intentionally?) GIF-able group in wrestling heads back to WarGames looking for a repeat of last year’s result. The match fits their strengths perfectly, allowing them to run around stringing moves together and slapping their legs as hard as they possibly can. The only drawback to a WarGames match is that there are no stakes. Similar to how Survivor Series is for bragging rights, WarGames effectively means nothing but at least it’s an exciting nothing.
Last year’s WarGames match was absolutely fantastic and the competitors in this are even better. Any match is going to be massively improved when Ricochet and Pete Dunne are added to it, but still. A match like this is made for highlight packages, and really made for dudes like Ricochet. He’s going to jump off everything, onto everyone, and do a bunch of outrageous flips. It’s going to be great. There’s also like a 95% change he does some huge moonsault off the top of the cage onto the other seven dudes in the match. Let’s just say Undisputed Era wins for the second year in a row, but it really doesn’t matter as this is just fodder for spots and to set up the next tag team feud.
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream
*Exhales slowly* Wooooo boy, is this gonna be good. I started and stopped this section at least three times and then decided to save it for last, mostly because I needed to compose myself before I just babbled for paragraphs on end.
If there was a phrase that summed up everything about this match — the characters, the stakes, the stage — it would be, ‘Who saw this coming’? Who saw Ciampa becoming goddamn Tommy Sports Entertainment aka The Greatest Sports Entertainer of All Time ™? His evolution from a decent worker to this supernova is beyond incredible. I’d say he has a unique type of charisma, but that description better fits his opponent in this match.
What he is, above all else, is convincing. The conviction in which he speaks, and the deliberate nature of his matches, makes you believe. He believes what he’s saying, so we believe it. He commands the ring every time he’s in it, and brings a kind of desperation to his matches. He was overlooked and underappreciated for such a long time, he doesn’t know how to feel any other way. Even at the top of his company, he carries that chip on his shoulder. He remembers that everyone thought he would never get here. He remembers that everyone said Gargano would be the Shawn Michaels of #DIY. He remembers everything and forgets nothing…plus he’s pretty good at this whole wrestling thing.
Do you remember where you were the first time you heard of Velveteen Dream? I don’t recall exactly, but I do remember my reaction. I have a running Gchat with some of my wrestling bros and vividly remember saying “How is this anything but an NXT gimmick?” It reeked of Tyler Breeze, it stank of Adam Rose. It had all the makings of something that might be popular in NXT, but would shrivel up and die on the main roster. I was wrong. I was wrong in every way. And you know what? I don’t feel bad about it.
I’m not mad that I missed this, because again, who saw this coming? Who saw a dude who had good mic skills on Tough Enough – heck who even watchedTough Enough? – and said “This guy is going to be the best thing in pro wrestling.” Patrick Clark has transcended what it means to be a superstar. It has been years since there has been anyone like him and years since there has been anyone with his talent, his skillset, and his unique gimmick. But there he is and here we are. We are living in the Dream’s experience; let the purple smoke envelop you and take you away.
The build has been as standard as can be, and honestly, even a bit lackluster. Heel champ comes out to cut a promo, and the other guy comes out and challenges him. It’s been done for years and will be done for years after I’m done getting column space on the world wide web. But they put their own spin on things, they gave it their individual accents and made it into something special and into something I can’t wait to watch. It still seems too early for Ciampa to lose the belt and for Dream to ascend to his rightful place as the King of everything the light touches, so look for the belt to stay where it is…unless Johnny Wrestling gets involved and costs Tomasso the belt, setting us on a course for the last chapter in their rivalry, one that ends WrestleMania weekend.