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. NO ONE does it alone. Your professionalism, passion, presentation and overall love of the business lay the… https://t.co/NEvWbZKbQc
“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.
There is reportedly “no real heat” on Paul Heyman for a fan incident he was involved in at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames.
Following Saturday’s PLE, a video has gone viral on social media showing Heyman shoving a young fan out of the way at Petco Park in San Diego. Heyman and Logan Paul are surrounded by security in the video, but the fan is able to get through them and reach Heyman before Heyman shoves him out of the way. Fightful Select reports that, within WWE, there is no real heat on Heyman over what happened — with security considered more at fault for letting the fan get to Heyman in the first place.
“I’m told by WWE sources there was no real heat on Paul Heyman pushing a child out of his way at Survivor Series,” the report said. “There was more heat on security for allowing anyone to get to him.”
Heyman was the manager of the winning team in the men’s WarGames match at Survivor Series. The heel group of Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre & Brock Lesnar defeated CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns & The Usos in the main event of the show. A hooded figure — who appears to be the returning Austin Theory — helped the heel side get the win.
Before Survivor Series, Heyman stated that the PLE would be an “infomercial” for WrestleMania season. Rhodes vs. Reigns and Punk vs. Breakker appear to be the WrestleMania directions going forward.
"Cody and Roman for the 3rd time in 4 years? Why? I thought it'd be Roman and Punk. At least that's a new match"
Breakker landed right on his neck after a CM Punk/Cody Rhodes Doomsday Device. He wasn’t involved for several minutes and then got back in it, eventually getting the final pinfall after hitting Punk with a running spear.
Our Bryan Alvarez is reporting that Breakker was being checked out in medical after the match and was then cleared. Breakker appeared on the post-show without looking worse for wear.
Survivor Series attendance
WWE announced a record Survivor Series attendance of 46,016 for Petco Park in San Diego, California.
Stephanie Vaquer
There were just two title defense on the show with WWE Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer leaving San Diego with her title reign intact after defeating Nikki Bella. The other match saw Dominik Mysterio regain his Intercontinental title from John Cena thanks to Liv Morgan’s surprise return.
Celebrities
Musicians Lil Yachty, Adriel Favela, Cassie B & Jesus Ortiz Paz, boxer Andy Ruiz, San Diego Padres pitcher Jeremiah Estrada, and actors Gabriel Luna and Danielle Fishel (Topanga from Boy Meets World) were all shown on screen.
A mystery man pantomiming Seth Rollins’ moves helped The Vision-led team to victory in the men’s WarGames match at Saturday’s WWE Survivor Series.
CM Punk had hit a GTS on Logan Paul for a nearfall when a masked man completely clad in black scaled the cage and stared at Punk before hitting a superkick and a stomp before escaping. Bron Breakker then hit his running spear on Punk to get the pin and win.
The commentary team speculated it looked like Rollins with Wade Barrett noting Rollins just had shoulder surgery but that Paul Heyman always has a plan.
Punk teamed with Roman Reigns, Jey & Jimmy Uso, Cody Rhodes against Paul, Breakker, Bronson Reed, Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre.
The PLE ended with an annoyed looking Reigns walking away from a Rhodes handshake attempt and a half-hearted fist bump with Punk. Reigns has made it clear recently he wants another World title reign.
WarGames match highlights:
The match featured blood as Punk was busted open by McIntyre and Breakker after being thrown into the cage with Rhodes later bleeding as well.
Breakker landed right on the top of his head off a Doomsday Device by Punk and Rhodes. He was out of action for several minutes until getting back in the mix.
There was some Punk/Rhodes tension after an accidental back elbow early in the match. The duo smoothed things over later with some Dusty Rhodes-inspired combo offense.
Heyman gave Paul some brass knucks which Reigns eventually got ahold of to knockout McIntyre and Reed before he went heads-up against Breakker.
In what will be a talked about spot, Jey Uso temporarily halted proceedings during the match to “run it back” and do his Yeet entrance. That was stopped shortly after when Lesnar made his entrance.
Lesnar came out of the cage as Reigns made his entrance. Reigns landed three Superman punches but on his fourth, Lesnar caught him and put him through an announce table with an F5. Lesnar rammed him into the cage and threw him in to officially start the match.
23 years after making his pay-per-view debut, John Cena’s run on WWE PPVs and premium live events came to an end at Saturday’s Survivor Series.
Cena was unsuccessful in his attempt to defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship, losing to Dominik Mysterio thanks to the surprise return of Liv Morgan. Morgan initially slapped Mysterio and hugged Cena, but then gave him a low blow to everyone’s surprise. The challenger then hit a 619 and frog splash to regain the title he lost to Cena earlier this month.
Afterward, Cena got a “Thank You Cena” chant from the San Diego, California, crowd before his music hit and he departed, giving one last wave before heading to the back.
Cena now has one final match remaining: that being in two weeks at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, DC. His opponent will be determined before then as The Last Time Is Now tournament comes to a conclusion.
Cena made his PPV debut at July 2022’s Vengeance, defeating Chris Jericho.
WWE could run another stadium for next year’s Survivor Series.
Tonight’s show from Petco Park in San Diego is set to be the biggest gate and attendance for any Survivor Series in history. Our own Bryan Alvarez wrote to his subscribers on X that there is already talk of WWE running a stadium again for next year’s event.
“Around 40,000 for today’s show. Already talk of running another stadium for 2026 Survivor Series.”
Ticket sales for the event were discussed in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, with Dave Meltzer writing that just under 43,000 tickets are out.
Meltzer wrote:
“At press time Survivor Series has 42,750 tickets out with about 1,200 left, which is by far the biggest Survivor Series ever for tickets and even more for gate. The secondary market get-in price is $113.“
He also mentioned there is expected to be at least one major tease of a WrestleMania 42 match on tonight’s show.
“The belief is that a major tease of the top WrestleMania match or even matches will be this weekend at Survivor Series on 11/29 at Petco Park in San Diego.”
Reported by PWInsider on Saturday afternoon, it will go as follows:
Women’s WarGames match
John Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio WWE Intercontinental title match
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Nikki Bella WWE Women’s World title match
Men’s WarGames match
The event kicks off at 7 PM Eastern from Petco Park in San Diego, California. Follow along with all of our live coverage tonight and join Dave Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez later tonight for a subscriber-only edition of Wrestling Observer Radio — either in podcast form or our YouTube channel. Take advantage of our Black Friday special now and be ready for tonight.
WWE Survivor Series | Saturday, November 29 | San Diego, CA
Women’s WarGames match: AJ Lee, Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka, Becky Lynch and Kairi Sane
WWE Intercontinental Champion John Cena defends against Dominik Mysterio
WWE Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against Nikki Bella
Men’s WarGames match: CM Punk, The Usos, Roman Reigns & Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Drew McIntyre & Brock Lesnar
According to the oddsmakers, Dominik Mysterio is the favorite heading into his Intercontinental title match with John Cena at Survivor Series.
The original booking for Cena’s retirement, going back months, had him going into next month’s Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington as champion. However, Dominik is listed at -350 to Cena’s +200 for Saturday’s PLE in San Diego. His odds have been as high as -500 in some books as well.
There is nothing too surprising or controversial concerning betting odds for the rest of the Survivor Series matches, other than the women’s babyface WarGames team being heavier favorites than I would have expected.
Below are predictions, previews, and betting odds for all four matches at Survivor Series.
Intercontinental Champion John Cena defends against Dominik Mysterio
To some fans, Dominik being listed as a -350 favorite in his hometown of San Diego makes perfect sense. He’s positioned to be a major player for WWE for a long time, while Cena (+200) only has two matches left. But other fans have complained about the losses Cena has taken throughout his final year, especially to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza.
Plans have changed regarding Cena’s title reign all year, so it’s possible that the idea of him being champion going into his final match has shifted too, but I’m not convinced. Next month’s Saturday Night’s Main Event is a big deal for the company. I’m not sure WWE wants Cena limping into his final night after a loss two weeks prior.
It wouldn’t hurt Dominik to lose to Cena again, especially if his father Rey Mysterio factors into the finish.
Prediction: John Cena
Women’s WarGames match: AJ Lee, Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Alexa Bliss, and Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka, Becky Lynch and Kairi Sane
The babyface women’s team is listed as -800 favorites, which seems a little high.
One reason the babyfaces are heavy favorites might be that WWE isn’t quick to beat anyone on that team. They definitely aren’t beating AJ Lee or Ripley here, and probably not Iyo Sky either. The only way I see the babyfaces losing is if one of Bliss or Flair turns on the other, which is entirely possible.
The heel side also has a looming tag team breakup. Fans have been waiting for Kairi Sane to stand up for herself against Asuka, and if she does so in San Diego, it will likely cost her team the match.
Easy booking is giving the star-studded babyface team the win, and that’s probably what WWE will do. But I don’t know if I have confidence in a -800 line.
Prediction: Bliss, Flair, Lee, Ripley, and Sky
Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer defends against Nikki Bella
Stephanie Vaquer was a -1600 favorite to beat Nikki Bella earlier this week, but those odds have dipped to -1000 in the last couple of days.
I don’t believe too many fans are giving Nikki Bella much of a chance here. With Vaquer having just won the title in September and with WWE clearly positioning her as one of the division’s top stars moving forward, I don’t see anything other than a clean Vaquer win.
Prediction: Stephanie Vaquer
Men’s WarGames match: CM Punk, The Usos, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar
The men’s babyface team is listed as -200 favorites heading into this bout, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the heel team win.
First, both world champions are on the babyface side, so if WWE wants to use this match to set up a title program, the heels winning makes more sense. There also aren’t many heels expected to win elsewhere on this show.
Each team has beatable people who can take the pin or submission. Jimmy Uso seems the most likely candidate to take the fall for the babyfaces, possibly after more family dissension. On the heel side, WWE doesn’t mind beating Drew McIntyre, but no one else there is taking a fall in this match.
Despite what the betting odds suggest, the heel team feels more likely to win the men’s WarGames match this year.
Prediction: Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar
CM Punk believes the Women’s WarGames match should headline WWE Survivor Series.
The World Heavyweight Champion appeared on Up & Adams on Wednesday and told host Kay Adams that while he believes the men’s match will ultimately go on last in San Diego, he feels the star power in both is off the charts.
Punk said:
“I’m a little biased. My wife is obviously in that match and I’m excited to watch it. I think the women should be the main event, selfishly. I do probably think us guys will main event. There’s two titles involved in there, they’re not on the line, but star power is off the charts. But I also think the star power is off the charts when it comes to the women.”
“AJ Lee coming back to wrestling and being in a cage match is a big deal. She gets to punch Becky Lynch in the face, I can only imagine how good that is going to feel. IYO Sky, Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, just a huge all-star, blue-eyed, babyface dream team.”
Punk also compared the babyface team in the women’s WarGames match to the cast from the 1985 high school comedy film The Breakfast Club.
“It’s almost like The Breakfast Club. They have their Bender, they have their princess, they have their nerd, they have their jock, and they have their crazy goth, Rhea Ripley. I don’t know, it’s just something about that team.”
Ripley, Bliss, Sky, Flair, and Lee will face Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka, Kairi Sane, and Becky Lynch in the women’s WarGames match on the November 29 PLE. Punk will be in the men’s match teaming with Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Cody Rhodes against Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Brock Lesnar, and Drew McIntyre.
Punk’s appearance on the Up & Adams show is available below:
We now know which team will have the order of entry advantage in Saturday’s WWE Survivor Series men’s WarGames match.
In a bout to determine which team will have the advantage at Survivor Series, Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre defeated Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso on Monday’s Raw to earn the edge for their team in the episode’s main event.
Paul, McIntyre, Brock Lesnar, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed will face Jimmy, Jey, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns in the men’s WarGames match on Saturday at Petco Park in San Diego at Survivor Series.
Both teams brawled in the aftermath of Monday’s main event to build anticipation for Saturday’s WarGames battle.
Friday’s SmackDown episode will feature another advantage match, this one to determine the order of entry edge for the women’s WarGames matchup.
Men’s WarGames match: Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso vs. Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed
Women’s WarGames match: AJ Lee, Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Alexa Bliss, and Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka, and Kairi Sane
Intercontinental Champion John Cena defends against Dominik Mysterio
Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against Nikki Bella
Three matches are set for next week’s WWE Raw, including a bout to decide the advantage for the men’s WarGames match set for Survivor Series.
One member of the team featuring Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed will take on either Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, or Jimmy Uso in a match that will determine the order of entry advantage for the Survivor Series WarGames battle.
Reigns and Lesnar returned on Monday’s Raw from Madison Square Garden to join their respective sides ahead of WarGames.
The first quarterfinals bouts in The Last Time is Now tournament deciding John Cena’s final opponent will also take place on the Monday, November 24 Raw.
After advancing past the first round on this week’s show, Gunther will take on either Bronson Reed or Carmelo Hayes on next week’s Raw. Solo Sikoa will face either Penta or Finn Balor in another quarterfinals matchup on November 24. Reed vs. Hayes and Penta vs. Balor will take place this Friday, November 21 on SmackDown.
The announced Raw lineup for next week:
WWE Raw, Monday, November 24 —
Men’s WarGames advantage match: Participants TBA
The Last Time is Now quarterfinals: Gunther vs. Reed/Hayes winner
The Last Time is Now quarterfinals: Solo Sikoa vs. Penta/Balor winner
Multiple changes to the Survivor Series WarGames matches were revealed during Friday’s WWE SmackDown episode.
Men’s Survivor Series WarGames changes —
In the show-closing angle on SmackDown, Drew McIntyre aligned with The Vision team by attacking Rhodes and signed an agreement to team with the Paul Heyman-led group in WarGames.
Earlier on SmackDown, Jimmy Uso was officially added to the babyface side. That team is currently comprised of WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso.
Each team now has one open spot ahead of the match set for Saturday, November 29, unless the plan is to do a four-on-four, which would mean the teams are now set. Each main roster men’s WarGames match in WWE to this point has been five-on-five.
Women’s Survivor Series WarGames changes —
In SmackDown’s opening segment on Friday, Charlotte Flair withdrew from the babyface team in the women’s WarGames match, stating that she could not put aside her storyline differences with Rhea Ripley in order to team with her.
The women’s babyface team currently consists of Ripley, Alexa Bliss, and IYO SKY. The heel side is made up of Lash Legend, Nia Jax, Asuka, and Kairi Sane.
Survivor Series takes place at Petco Park in San Diego on Saturday, November 29.
