Roman Reigns is officially advertised for WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2024.
Survivor Series takes place from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on Saturday, November 30. Today, a ticket pre-sale for the PLE began. WWE now has a graphic up advertising Reigns for the show. Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Solo Sikoa, and Kevin Owens are also featured.
WarGames is returning as the theme of Survivor Series for the third straight year. While no match announcements have been made for this year’s event yet, it’s been heavily speculated that the men’s WarGames match will be a Bloodline civil war with Reigns and Sikoa leading their own teams.
During the period that Reigns took time off from WWE programming between WrestleMania and SummerSlam, Sikoa named himself the new Tribal Chief and reshaped The Bloodline by bringing in Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu.
Reigns made his return by confronting Sikoa at SummerSlam, but he’s been off TV again for the past four weeks. There was an angle on the August 16 episode of SmackDown where Reigns was put through the announce table by Sikoa’s Bloodline.
This Friday night, SmackDown returns to USA Network for the first time since 2019. Rhodes defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against Sikoa in a steel cage match will kick off the episode.
WWE is bringing Survivor Series: WarGames to western Canada this November.
The company announced today that Survivor Series 2024 will be held at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The date for the PLE is Saturday, November 30. WWE is partnering with the Destination Vancouver tourist board to bring Survivor Series to the city.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque posted a video today saying that he just got off the phone with Destination Vancouver, and the deal for Vancouver to host Survivor Series was now official.
Los Angeles had been a rumored location for Survivor Series after it was reported last month that WWE was having significant discussions about the show taking place from Intuit Dome in Inglewood. If that came to fruition, it would have been the first WWE event to be held at the new venue.
This is the first time Vancouver has ever hosted Survivor Series and the third time the event has been held in Canada. It took place from Montreal in 1997 and Toronto in 2016.
WarGames has now been the theme of Survivor Series for three straight years. The PLE will air live on Peacock/WWE Network on November 30. It’s the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend in the United States.
Here’s a look at the updated WWE main roster PLE schedule through Survivor Series:
SummerSlam: Saturday, August 3 at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio
Bash in Berlin: Saturday, August 31 at Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany
Bad Blood: Saturday, October 5 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
Crown Jewel: Saturday, November 2 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Survivor Series: WarGames: Saturday, November 30 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
WWE could be bringing Survivor Series to the Los Angeles area this November.
The location for Survivor Series 2024 has yet to be announced, but WrestleVotes reports that WWE has had “significant discussions” regarding the show being held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. It’s a new arena that is opening next month and will be the home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.
WrestleVotes writes that the date for the show would be Saturday, November 30, which is the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
“Source: WWE has had significant discussions about bringing the 2024 Survivor Series to Los Angeles at the brand new Intuit Dome on Saturday, November 30th,” WrestleVotes tweeted on Friday. “The Intuit Dome, located across from SoFi Stadium, will officially open on August 15th with a Bruno Mars concert.”
The Intuit Dome will have a capacity of nearly 18,000 seats.
Since Paul “Triple H” Levesque took control of creative, WarGames has been the theme of Survivor Series.
There are four WWE main roster PLEs set to take place before Survivor Series. The dates and locations for those events are listed below:
SummerSlam: Saturday, August 3 at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio
Bash in Berlin: Saturday, August 31 at Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany
Bad Blood: Saturday, October 5 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
Crown Jewel: Saturday, November 2 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
In a lengthy interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that got social media buzzing due to his comments about AEW, CM Punk also talked about the lead-up to his WWE return at Survivor Series, when he could return from a triceps injury he suffered in January, Vince McMahon, and more.
Punk said the ruptured right triceps tendon injury he sustained early in the men’s Royal Rumble match in January is healing better than the left triceps injury he suffered while in AEW as the process is “night and day” due to the company having more structure and more protocols in place.
He said WWE is protecting him against himself from potentially returning too early which he considers “a welcome change.”
“I’m the one that’s trying to push everything based on protocols for a ruptured triceps tendon but they’re telling me to pump the brakes. I’m just sitting back listening to them as best I can,” he said.
Punk said his eventual return is a “business decision” but that it could be in half the time as compared to his other triceps injury.
He verified there was no audible called during the men’s Rumble match in terms of who was supposed to win. He said it was “real bad” on him after the injury and that while there was an idea for what he should do afterward, he pitched the promo he did instead.
Asked about the plan for himself for WrestleMania, Punk said it changed a lot but he thinks it was going to be himself vs. Seth Rollins on night one in the main event spot which he was 100% fine with.
The return
Punk said talks with WWE started on the Monday of Survivor Series week after Nick Khan gave him a call. They were initially interested in bringing him in for the Royal Rumble, but thought he had a non-compete. The ball really got rolling after he met with Paul Levesque on FaceTime that week to hash out any past issues and then to talk business.
Punk said very few people knew about his return (his wife, Levesque, Nick Khan, and his lawyers) and that he told his family on his way to the Allstate Arena. He said he had no idea about any of the “clues” people thought they saw on TV in weeks leading up (people using a GTS and saying ‘best in the world’) and was curious himself about why that was happening.
He also said he was “real close” to returning before, even before his tenure on WWE Backstage, and that Nick Khan was a driving force behind it.
He said WWE doesn’t feel the same as it did 10 years ago, and that someone told him they were glad he was back to experience what he helped start when he was first there. He said it’s “friendlier” now and a more laid back, relaxed atmosphere.
On “the visit”
Punk said his invite to come visit WWE Raw while under AEW contract came from Bayley who DM’d him after Liv Morgan helped him find his earbuds on a plane from Florida. He said AEW personnel weren’t happy about the visit and used the word “betrayed” to him.
“I think the word betrayed was used and I was just like, ‘Alright, man.’ As a company, you are allowing guys to go on their television to do things. I went backstage to say hi to friends: two totally different things. If you’re going to be mad about it, okay,” he said.
The Vince McMahon allegations
He has interacted with McMahon just once since he returned, seeing the former WWE/TKO executive chairman by chance at the gym at the new WWE offices in Stamford, Connecticut, shortly after Punk returned. He said McMahon hugged him, welcomed him “home” and that they should connect at some point. They never did.
On the allegations against McMahon, Punk said they are indefensible and “horrific” and was surprised McMahon left such a paper trial. He hasn’t read through the lawsuit, getting his information via various text messages. His biggest concern is for the victims. He had no idea any of this was happening during his time there and equates coming to terms with the situation as similar to when he had to come to terms with the Chris Benoit double murder/suicide.
He said he feels the business is better now without McMahon in it.
On a new Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, the run toward the end of my pro wrestling year in review series continues with a stop in November.
Joining me for the first time is special guest Scott Edwards of Fightful, Voices of Wrestling and a slew of other outlets.
We lead off with the surprise return of CM Punk to WWE at the end of Survivor Series, giving our thoughts on his first month back and our hopes & hesitations for the future. Of course, Survivor Series also saw the return of Randy Orton. We look back at the highlights for both that PLE and Crown Jewel from Saudi Arabia.
The company also scored a nice financial win with a new TV rights deal for NXT and The CW.
AEW continued their post-Punk run with Full Gear from Los Angeles, a show that saw the announcement of Will Ospreay signing a Khantract and a controversial show-long storyline between MJF, Adam Cole and Jay White.
There was also the announcement of the Continental Classic and the madman known as Bryan Danielson as the first entrant despite being fresh off orbital bone surgery.
Scott and I also talk about the month in Impact, Japan, and the rest of the wrestling world.
I promise this is unlike any other year-end series you’ll hear or read, so catch up on the rest of the series in the archive and my MMA year in review series as well.
Survivor Series 2023 was a record-breaking success for WWE.
The event took place from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on Saturday night and featured two WarGames matches. The show ended with CM Punk making his surprise return to WWE after nearly a decade away.
On Tuesday, WWE issued a press release announcing that this was the highest viewership, largest gate, and best merchandise sales in the history of Survivor Series.
“Viewership for Survivor Series was up 44 percent versus the previous record set in 2022. With 17,138 in attendance, the event broke the previous Survivor Series gate record set in Brooklyn in 2021,” WWE wrote.
“In partnership with Fanatics, Survivor Series broke the premium live event’s all-time merchandise record. Sponsorship revenue was up 24 percent versus 2022.”
WWE also stated that Punk’s return was the most social post in company history, generating more than 71 million views across all of WWE’s social media platforms.
This was the second straight year that WarGames was the theme of Survivor Series. The men’s WarGames match saw Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn & the returning Randy Orton defeat Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh & Drew McIntyre.
In the women’s WarGames match, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Shotzi & Becky Lynch defeated Bayley, IYO SKY, Kairi Sane & Asuka.
The Bryan & Vinny & Craig Show is back with tons to talk about including full reviews of Survivor Series with two War Games matches and the return of CM Punk, AEW Rampage and Collision from Saturday night, and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
I am back with another Sunday edition of Wrestling Observer Live, talking about the biggest stories this week — headlined by CM Punk’s surprise return to WWE at the end of Saturday’s Survivor Series.
Punk came out right as the show was going off the air. I break down how this came together, who knew about it, and how the talent reacted. What’s next for Punk and who might he feud with upon his return?
I recap the entire Survivor Series card including both the men’s and women’s WarGames matches. Randy Orton returned and looked to be in great shape, and there were some wild high spots in the women’s match.
Plus, I review Saturday’s AEW Collision and Rampage and the updated Continental Classic standings. Also, how will the Punk news affect AEW?
Subscribers can click below to listen or watch about on YouTube.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressed the status of Jade Cargill during the WWE Survivor Series 2023 post-event press conference.
Upon signing with the company, Cargill was shown on-screen during episodes of Raw, SmackDown, and NXT but has been absent from WWE programming in recent weeks. Levesque told the media on Saturday that he wants to make sure Cargill is adequately prepared for whatever could be thrown at her before she officially begins her WWE career.
“I have no less belief in her now than I did then. It’s interesting, when she came in we talked about her development and where she would land,” Levesque responded to Steve Fall.
“I want to make sure that no matter what is thrown at Jade Cargill, she’s ready,” Levesque continued. “And at no fault of her own, I think she was limited in that. So, the idea is we exposed her, we made her be seen, people are understanding and they are waiting and they are excited for her to come and when she does, it will be massive.”
“I don’t want a pitch to get thrown at her that she’s never seen before. I want no matter what that pitch is she’s going to crack that thing out of the park. You can just see it in her, that’s the presence she has, that’s the star she is.”
“I’m in no rush. When she says, ‘I’m ready,’ I’m ready,” Levesque concluded.
Our own Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez addressed Levesque’s comments regarding Cargill on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio.
“He kind of made a knock about her training,” Meltzer said of Levesque’s comments.
“She was limited in her development prior to coming to WWE is what he said,” Alvarez added.
“(WWE) gave her the big build-up, they brought her in and they don’t want her to sink. They want her to be ready for all things when they debut her,” Meltzer added.
The 45-year-old made a surprise appearance at the end of WWE Survivor Series in his hometown of Chicago on Saturday. Our own Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed all the details regarding Punk’s return on last night’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.
“The deal came together about 10 days ago. Obviously, (it) was kept secret from almost everyone,” Meltzer said. He also noted that Punk has signed a multi-year agreement.
TKO executives were also kept in the dark regarding Punk’s return, something Meltzer said he was surprised to learn.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them knew but I was told basically that it’s not their gig. They’re there to do business deals and make money and the creative is in the hands of WWE.”
“It was Nick Khan who made the call,” Meltzer continued. “Vince McMahon had nothing to do with it. Paul Levesque had, obviously, a lot to do with it.”
In this week’s edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer wrote that WWE was “not completely opposed to (Punk returning) if the idea is it’s something they have to do in regard to fan response.” He added that the current WWE management team does not want to be combative with the fanbase in the same way Vince McMahon often was.
After Survivor Series went off the air, an angry Seth Rollins was seen being held back and flipping off Punk on the stage. However, Meltzer says everyone working the main event on Saturday was informed ahead of time that Punk returning would close the show.
“As far as the Seth thing goes, that was all an angle,” Meltzer said. The idea was to play off an interview Rollins gave in January where he referred to Punk as a “cancer.”
It has also been reported that Drew McIntyre was upset at the end of the PLE. He is said to have “stormed to the back” and left the arena quickly. It’s not clear what McIntyre was upset about but Meltzer addressed what he has been told about the situation.
“He was very upset. As the night went on, he was less upset. As far as the reason he left – I don’t want to give any wrong information – I will say that within the company, people in the company have told me (they) thought it had to do with Punk. I cannot confirm that, only that’s what people in the company thought but he was legitimately upset about something.”
McIntyre’s WWE contract is believed to expire around WrestleMania 40 after having time tacked onto it due to injury. A recent report from PWInsider stated McIntyre has not signed a new deal and is open to taking a break from wrestling after his current contract expires.
Punk is scheduled to be in Nashville on Monday for Raw, PWInsider and Fightful have reported.
Just months after he was fired from AEW, CM Punk made his surprise return at the end of Saturday’s WWE Survivor Series.
Following the conclusion of the men’s WarGames main event as the show was about to go off the air, the familiar strains of “Cult of Personality” hit as Punk, dressed in a plain white t-shirt with jeans, came out as Chicago’s Allstate Arena gave him an incredible ovation.
Punk took in the cheers, stared down the men in the ring, and did his “It’s clobberin’ time!” gesture as the show went off the air.
Punk famously exited WWE in 2014 and was not shy in airing his displeasure with Vince McMahon, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and other members of the company including now-former WWE doctor Chris Amann. Amann sued Punk and Colt Cabana for defamation following a podcast Punk and Cabana did that same year where Punk took issue with Amann’s medical treatment. Punk also said on that podcast he was officially fired by WWE via FedEx on his wedding day.
After leaving the business for nearly seven years, Punk returned to AEW in August 2021 on an edition of Rampage from Chicago’s United Center. He won the AEW World title twice during his time there.
Following an altercation with Jack Perry at August’s All In at London’s Wembley Stadium, Punk was fired by AEW for cause on September 2nd. That ended a tumultuous year after he was involved in a backstage fight that included the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega following September 2022’s All Out.
After recovering from a torn left triceps suffered at All Out, Punk returned to anchor the new AEW Collision show in June, taking lead both on-screen and behind the scenes as well.
With the returning Randy Orton on their side, the babyfaces were victorious in the men’s WarGames match at Survivor Series.
Orton, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Seth Rollins & Sami Zayn defeated Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh) & Drew McIntyre in the main event of Saturday night’s show. Rhodes scored the pinfall on Priest after hitting Cross Rhodes.
There was a show-long storyline where the WarGames participants questioned whether Orton would show up. He didn’t arrive until it was his turn to enter WarGames as the final participant. When Orton finally appeared, he thwarted a potential Money in the Bank cash-in by Priest. Priest still holds the briefcase since he never officially cashed in on Rollins.
This was Orton’s first time wrestling since May 2022. He underwent double fusion surgery last year as he battled a career-threatening back injury.
Orton was feuding with The Usos prior to being forced out of action. There was some dissension between him and Jey teased in the WarGames match, but they ultimately worked together to get the win.
Before the finish of the match, Orton delivered a super RKO to McDonagh after Rollins and Zayn threw McDonagh off the top of the cage. Orton then handed Priest to Rhodes so that Rhodes could hit Cross Rhodes.
Team Bianca claimed victory inside WarGames at Saturday’s WWE Survivor Series event.
The team of Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Shotzi defeated the Damage CTRL foursome of IYO SKY, Asuka, Kairi Sane, and Bayley to win the women’s WarGames match to kick off Survivor Series after Lynch pinned Bayley after a Manhandle Slam off the ropes through a table.
Belair’s team began the bout with the order of entry advantage following a fan vote in a poll sponsored by Ruffles decided that factor. The match featured many of the expected weapons spots, including IYO SKY reprising her trademark blind crossbody off the top of the cage with a trashcan placed over her body.
Other key moments in the bout included Belair hitting a double superplex on SKY and Bayley as the Damage CTRL duo tried to hold her by her braided hair, Sane hitting her Insane Elbow, Lynch hitting a legdrop off the top through a table, plus Belair spraying Asuka with a fire extinguisher.
Flair and Lynch also embraced in the ring to a big crowd reaction, settling their years-long storyline beef that hit its apex at Survivor Series two years ago with a singles match.
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.
Former WWE co-CEO and chairwoman Stephanie McMahon is reportedly backstage at Survivor Series.
Fightful reports that Stephanie is backstage at Saturday night’s premium live event, but she isn’t working at the show. Fightful notes that Stephanie is “said to be hanging out and visiting, as opposed to being there in a work capacity.”
Survivor Series is being held at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
This January, Stephanie resigned from her position with WWE. Stephanie’s decision to resign from the company coincided with her father Vince McMahon forcing himself back into power as WWE’s executive chairman.
Stephanie had shared the CEO role with Nick Khan following Vince McMahon’s retirement in July 2022. Khan’s current job title is president of WWE.
“I look forward to cheering on WWE from the other side of the business, where I started when I was a little kid, as a pure fan,” Stephanie said when she resigned. “I will always remain dedicated to WWE. I truly love our company, our Superstars, our fans, and our employees.”
Stephanie was also backstage at WrestleMania 39 earlier this year.
