Ronda Rousey has commented on the DDT to the ring apron she took in her match against Shotzi at WWE Survivor Series.
Rousey spent some time talking about the match during a recent video game stream on YouTube. During the bout, Shotzi gave Rousey a DDT on the ring apron but the timing between the two was off.
“Well, guys. Do you ever wake up from a deep sleep and think of a cringe moment in your life? Then you lay awake in bed? Well, I had one of those this morning. I woke up at 630 this morning and was like, ‘Oh god, that DDT on the apron! Ahhh!”
“So, let me explain what happened,” Rousey continued. “I actually pitched that spot because I love that she does that but we couldn’t practice it in my ring because the ropes were too loose and then we couldn’t practice it when we got to the arena because there were these big cages.”
“Everyone was so focused on ‘you got to guide her over, you got to guide her to the floor,’ that it was literally all that was on my mind when it happened. So, she went over, I was like, ‘guide her’ and when she was down, I was like, ‘oh f**k. Ahhh, just go to where you’re supposed to go.'”
“I f***ed it up because I was so concerned with keeping somebody safe and a lot of times when you see me do something for the first time, it’s the first time I ever did it. It’s the first time I ever did it, I was really concerned with keeping Shotzi safe and I made it look bad and you know what? Sorry. Apparently, I deserve to be fired or burned.”
Rousey would continue to say that just as they were turning the match around, they got the call from the back to go to the finish early.
“I guess the match before us went over by like six minutes and they were really concerned about going over on time and the match after us was a three-way so they wouldn’t be able to communicate with each other to be able to make the match shorter. The match after that was WarGames, they couldn’t cut that out so it was the only place where they could get that time back. So, I was kind of bummed though because we worked on that match for two weeks and we were really excited about it and I feel like I really kind of failed Shotzi. I really wanted to showcase her s**t and make all of her s**t look great and show everybody how great she is.”
“But that wasn’t the match, that was like the beginning of the match and I’m kind of bummed that we’re getting judged from not really what we put together.”
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~!
Roman Reigns was reportedly not happy following the Survivor Series main event.
According to a report from Fightful Select, Reigns was said to be visibly upset backstage regarding what he perceived as an “unplanned spot” that involved him and Kevin Owens. Reigns was overheard saying he may have a ruptured ear drum and it was clear to those who witnessed the scene that he was not happy with what happened.
Reigns did not take part in the post-event press conference as he was originally scheduled to.
Talent spoken with by Fightful indicated they did not believe there would be any extended heat from what happened and that Reigns’ reaction was likely due to the heat of the moment.
It is not clear what spot was the catalyst for Reigns becoming upset. The only spots Owens and Reigns worked with each other during the match came close to the end. Owens slapped Reigns and then they exchanged strikes for a period. Roman hit a Superman punch and Owens hit a superkick, a pop-up powerbomb, and a stunner. Sami Zayn then broke up the pin leading to the finish where Zayn hit a low blow and Helluva Kick on Owens.
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!
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.
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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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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.)
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There was a commercial break/Liv Morgan video package.
Ozzy Osbourne told the WWE universe to buy his album.
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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.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
The man advantage has been decided for Saturday’s WWE Survivor Series WarGames.
Drew McIntyre and Sheamus defeated The Usos in a tag match on Friday’s SmackDown to earn the man advantage in Saturday’s men’s WarGames match at Survivor Series.
Playing off a storyline teasing dissension between Sami Zayn and The Bloodline, Zayn inadvertently caused a distraction in Friday’s tag bout allowing Kevin Owens to interfere in the match and leading to Sheamus pinning Jey Uso.
The card for Saturday’s pay-per-view was finalized at the top of Friday’s SmackDown with the return of Becky Lynch, revealed as the final member of Bianca Belair’s WarGames team.
Here is the lineup for Saturday’s Survivor Series:
The following is an opinion-based preview and doesn’t reflect the views of the website.
Nothing has cemented that we are now in Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s WWE more than when he announced WarGames was coming to Survivor Series.
In the months since he was named Chief Content Officer, we have learned a lot about his booking style. In many ways, he’s using Vince McMahon’s playbook but with a few tweaks that are similar to how he booked NXT — tweaks which many will say have improved the quality of WWE’s main roster.
Some of these include, but are not limited to, a bigger roster with fresher match-ups, a greater emphasis on women’s wrestling, and perhaps most notably, a far greater respect for wrestling history that took place outside WWE.
This includes featuring non-McMahon creations such as WarGames.
After having been created four months apart by rival wrestling promotions in 1987, it’s interesting to see Survivor Series and WarGames merge like they will on Saturday. They comprise two of three concept matches/events created within in a six-month period that have stood the test of time.
The first WarGames match took place on July 2, 1987, while the first Survivor Series was on November 26, 1987. Shortly after, the first Royal Rumble was held on January 24, 1988. (Evidently, Jim Crockett Promotions and McMahon’s WWF felt concept matches were what was going to give them an edge at the time.)
The concept behind Survivor Series has evolved over the years but has usually kept similar themes of team vs. team or survival/elimination. After tag team elimination matches were phased out, we saw a single elimination tournament at the 1998 Survivor Series, the debut of the Elimination Chamber in 2002, and then the Raw vs. SmackDown battle for brand supremacy era which is thankfully over.
The team vs. team WarGames fits right in as the latest incarnation of Survivor Series. Levesque likely knew long ago that this is a move he would make if given the opportunity. It just, kind of, makes sense.
Here’s a look at the event:
Men’s WarGames match: The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa & Sami Zayn) vs. The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch, Ridge Holland), Drew McIntyre & Kevin Owens
The finish will set the stage for months worth of storylines and will likely determine who Roman Reigns defends his Universal title against next. It will also further the story of Sami Zayn as the Honorary Uce.
The longtime friendship/rivalry between Zayn and Owens is likely to play a factor here. Owens is being positioned to get a shot at Reigns, but it’s not clear if that would come at the Royal Rumble or perhaps Elimination Chamber in Owens’ hometown of Montreal. Of course, WWE could have other plans entirely for that show.
That the Road to WrestleMania passes through Montreal with Zayn and Owens as hot as they both are right now is notable. Reigns’ path to WrestleMania seems as though it will definitely include a match against Owens, but it will be interesting to see how Zayn factors into the story. Sheamus could possibly end up with a match against the champion between now and WrestleMania as well.
This match will also see The Bloodline join the ranks of the Four Horseman, Dangerous Alliance, Dungeon of Doom, NWO, and Undisputed Era as heel factions to take part in WarGames. Heel groups didn’t fare too well in the early days of WarGames with Flair and the Horsemen only ever picking up one victory. The NWO changed that in the 90s, picking up two straight wins in 1996 and 1997. The Undisputed Era then went 2-2 in the NXT WarGames era. A heel team led by Vince Russo picked up a win on Nitro in 2000 as well but we don’t need to talk about that.
I’m expecting the babyfaces to win here, however. It seems needed as a way to create a new challenger for Reigns.
At the time of this writing, WWE has not announced who the fifth member of Bianca Belair’s WarGames team will be. There are several possible suspects, so let us review.
Becky Lynch: A report from Fightful stated that Lynch is near a return and was planned for the spot. If WWE still plans on Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania, that build will likely start as soon as Lynch returns. She could also potentially move into a program with Bayley, however.
Sasha Banks: There is no shortage of fans who want Banks to be revealed as the mystery partner. Survivor Series will be in her hometown of Boston and while her return here is possible, it’s perhaps not as likely as Lynch’s.
Candace LeRae: LeRae has been in two WarGames matches and has won both of those, so in storyline, she would be a good pick.
Tegan Nox: Nox and Dakota Kai were involved in arguably the most shocking moment of NXT WarGames history in 2019. It’s possible Levesque would want to play off that. If Nox is returning to the company, this would be the ideal place for her to do it.
Much like with the men’s WarGames match, we should get months’ worth of storylines coming out of whatever happens here. We’ll also know who is next in line for a title shot against Belair.
Bayley has lost two straight title matches to Belair on pay-per-view. If she’s going to be Raw’s top heel like it looked like she was going to be positioned as, then Damage CTRL needs to come out of this looking strong.
Whether it’s Bayley again or anybody else, someone needs to be built up here to go up against Belair. While Ripley being positioned as a top-tier heel feels inevitable, it’s looking like she’s going to be in a long-term program with Mia “Michin” Yim rather than the title picture. Cross vs. Belair doesn’t seem likely either. Another possibility is that someone on the babyface team turns heel and sets up a program with the champion. That person could be Bliss.
With Bray Wyatt having returned, it’s possible we could see the return of Bliss’ spooky supernatural gimmick. While the character certainly had its critics during its first run, this version would be under Levesque’s management rather than McMahon’s. It could be better, it could be worse, or it could be the same as it was before. Perhaps we will find out.
I’m expecting the heel team to pick up the victory here. If I’m right, then Kai and SKY will have been on the winning team for three of the four women’s WarGames matches in history.
Prediction: Damage CTRL, Ripley & Cross
Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles
This will be just the second time Balor and Styles have faced off in singles competition. Their first meeting took place on a TLC show in 2017 that saw multiple last-minute changes due to a viral infection that swept through the WWE locker room. Balor would pick up the victory that night and I believe it will likely be the same result at Survivor Series.
A report from Wrestling News back in January stated that McMahon was not high on Balor and wanted him in a “Jeff Hardy role” where he would lose to the top heels. Levesque, on the other hand, pushed Balor hard during his first run in NXT and would later put the belt back on him during the Wednesday Night War with AEW.
I imagine Levesque wants to build Balor back up and a Survivor Series victory over Styles would go a long way in achieving that. The Demon returning sometime in the near future wouldn’t hurt either.
Prediction: Balor
WWE US Champion Seth Rollins defends against Bobby Lashley and Austin Theory in a triple threat match
The last three wrestlers to hold the United States Championship are set for a triple-threat match on Saturday.
Another facet of Levesque’s WWE is the rise in prominence of mid-card titles. They are back to being the workhorse belts. Reigns holding both World titles and being primarily on SmackDown means the US title becomes the de facto top belt on Raw as well.
In recent weeks, WWE seems to be in the process of rebuilding Theory after booking him to fail in a MITB cash-in attempt. If Theory was to win the title here, it basically negates the fact that he didn’t succeed in his cash-in attempt for the same belt just weeks ago. Theory walking away from Saturday having regained the US Championship seems a distinct possibility, albeit definitely not a sure thing.
Prediction: Theory wins the title
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey defends against Shotzi
With all due respect to Shotzi, there is not a wrestling fan on the planet who believes she has a chance to beat Ronda here. This match will be all about continuing the story of Rousey’s heel turn and alliance with Shayna Baszler. Shotzi, for as ballsy as she is, is really only a prop in Rousey’s continuing story.
WWE didn’t waste much time after McMahon’s departure to turn Rousey heel. It’s something Vince likely was never going to do. If he had a babyface that he felt could make him money, it would take a lot for him to turn them. That resolve only strengthened after Steve Austin’s failed turn at WrestleMania 17. This is likely why we never saw a bad guy John Cena.
With Rousey, however, I think she has always wanted to play the bad guy and Levesque is simply letting her do just that. Rousey really did develop bitter feelings toward WWE fans who booed her during her first run and I think she wanted to play into that. She seems more comfortable now than at any other time in her wrestling career and having Baszler as her bodyguard is a perfect fit.
She previously mentioned on a video game stream that she wants to be a heel similar to Roddy Piper, one viciously hated by fans and who makes the babyface more popular. She’s getting the chance to do exactly that now and her story continues at Survivor Series.
The return of Becky Lynch to WWE appears to be imminent.
According to Fightful, the former multi-time WWE Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion is planned to be the mystery partner for the women’s WarGames match at Saturday’s Survivor Series.
The match will feature Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair teaming with Michin (Mia Yim), Alexa Bliss, Asuka and the mystery partner against Bayley, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions IYO SKY & Dakota Kai, Nikki Cross & Rhea Ripley.
On Monday’s Raw, Belair said the fifth member would be revealed on this Friday’s SmackDown and that people tuning in “wouldn’t be disappointed.”
Lynch has been out of action since July’s SummerSlam after suffering a separated shoulder in her match with Belair. No surgery was required and she was expected to miss “several months” at the time.
On the Raw following SummerSlam, Lynch revealed the injury and she and Belair put any ill will behind them. That was later followed by Lynch being attacked by Bayley, Kai and SKY backstage to write her off with WWE’s social media crediting the trio with causing more damage.
WWE will be holding a press conference after Survivor Series goes off the air this Saturday night.
It was announced today that a post-Survivor Series press conference will stream live on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok following Saturday’s PPV. It will feature Paul “Triple H” Levesque and a collection of wrestlers breaking down the action from Survivor Series; WarGames.
WWE.com wrote:
A special Survivor Series: WarGames Press Conference will stream live on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok following the conclusion of the Premium Live Event on Saturday, Nov. 26.
WWE Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque and a collection of Superstars will help break down the night in Boston. Two WarGames Matches will be featured on a WWE Premium Live Event for the first time, as The Bloodline take on Team Brawling Brutes and Team Bianca square off with Team Damage CTRL.
Don’t miss a second of a historic Survivor Series: WarGames when it streams live this Saturday at 8 ET/5 PT exclusive on Peacock in the U.S. and WWE Network everywhere else.
Survivor Series is taking place at TD Garden in Boston. It will feature the first-ever WWE main roster WarGames matches. Here’s what’s been announced for the PPV thus far:
WarGames match: The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa & Sammy Zayn) vs. Team Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, Butch, Drew McIntyre & Kevin Owens)
WarGames match: Team Belair (Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim & TBD) vs. Team Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY, Nikki Cross & Rhea Ripley)
SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey defends against Shotzi
AEW and WWE both have major events over the next two weekends, with Full Gear on 11/19 in Newark, NJ, at the Prudential Center and Survivor Series on 11/26 in Boston at the TD Garden.
AEW Full Gear is coming at a time when the promotion’s business indicators have not been good. While ratings have held up decently well when you consider everything the prior several weeks, the 11/16 go-home show did 818,000 viewers and 0.28 in 18-49. It was the lowest number the show has done since 6/15, during the build for the Forbidden Door show. That show ended up beating almost everyone’s expectations for PPV, but the arena business was also a ton stronger at that time.
The November PPV is traditionally the toughest of the year, with the exception of last year. The 2019 version ended up doing about 90,000 buys, the lowest for an AEW-billed show (ROH shows have done much lower as is to be expected). Last year’s show, which featured the culmination of the Kenny Omega vs. Adam Page feud, with Page winning the title, plus Inner Circle vs American Top Team and C.M. Punk vs. Eddie Kingston did 155,000 buys, at the time the second highest number in company history but it was at a hot point, and it is still the fourth highest in history. The 2020 version, headlined by Jon Moxley vs. Kingston for the title, the first-ever Young Bucks vs. FTR match, Omega vs. Page for the top contendership and MJF vs. Jericho did about 100,000 buys.
Damage CTRL’s WWE Survivor Series WarGames team is set following Monday’s Raw episode.
Rhea Ripley will join the team alongside Nikki Cross, and Damage CTRL’s Bayley, IYO SKY, and Dakota Kai in the Survivor Series WarGames match on Saturday, November 26.
Ripley, Cross, Bayley, SKY, and Kai will face a team comprised of Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Mia Yim, and one competitor still yet to be announced.
A match to determine which side will start with the one-person WarGames advantage will be held on next week’s Raw episode.
Here is the current Survivor Series WarGames lineup:
WWE Survivor Series WarGames, Saturday, November 26, 8 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock & WWE Network —
Mia Yim has joined Bianca Belair’s WWE Survivor Series WarGames team.
Yim was officially added to the lineup for the five-on-five WarGames match set for next Saturday’s event during Monday’s Raw episode. After declining an invitation to join Damage CTRL’s team for the match, Yim declared that she had joined Belair’s squad in a promo following an IYO SKY vs. Dana Brooke match on Raw.
Belair’s team still has one open spot. The Damage CTRL team was finalized later on Raw in a backstage segment where Rhea Ripley declared for the match.
Here is the current Survivor Series WarGames lineup:
WWE Survivor Series WarGames, Saturday, November 26, 8 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock & WWE Network —
*Full coverage of WWE Crown Jewel & New Japan Autumn Attack, business notes on both shows, how successful Crown Jewel was on Peacock, PPV, public interest and business notes on Autumn Attack, plus poll results and more. *What’s next for WWE and New Japan *Cain Velasquez granted bond, Daniel Cormier talks, and a look back at the situation *A look back at the 60s and 70s tag team of Kurt & Karl Von Steiger, including unique political moves, the night they won the AWA tag titles and why the team split up *Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show, including the probe on the suspicious gambling patterns on one of the fights *Dragon Gate’s Gate of Destiny coverage *PWG’s show on Sunday honoring Alan Denkenson and featuring one of the best trios matches of the year and in PWG history *The most complete look at the TV ratings for the past week *Streaming numbers *AEW has great success in one international market, not in another *Next Stardom PPV show *Update on the New Japan Tokyo Dome show *Crazy story of a plot to steal the NWA title by one of the biggest stars of all-time *More on Andre the Giant carer losses *A very important note on streaming ratings and what it says for viability of WWE & AEW next deals *The Nick Aldis-Billy Corgan split *The story behind former wrestling sponsor winning $75 million and getting national publicity *Politician wants to honor former national hero wrestler who has been forgotten about since his heyday was 40 yeas ago *Notes on the Teddy Hart documentary *A look at the veracity of stories on the Hawaiian episode of Tales from the Territories *Taryn Terrell career noes *Wrestler and promoter arrested *Movie on Baron Von Raschke *Full Gear notes as well as matches to be added *Notes on MJF’s first major Hollywood role *A look at AEW ratings in 2021 vs. 2022, what is up, what is down *Bandido contract notes *AEW woman star filming a movie *More on skirmish backstage at Anderson Silva vs. Jake Paul fight *Upcoming Raw and Smackdown notes *Sasha Banks training with former WCW star *WWE injury updates *Ticket sales for upcoming AEW and WWE events.
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Sunday News Update
We have two weekend shows up with Garrett Gonzales. The first show covers the news of the week, answering questions, Hall of Fame talk and notes from the new Observer. Last night’s show has the latest wrestling news plus we talk UFC, Smackdown and Rampage. Bryan and I will be back tomorrow talking Raw and the latest news.
Very said to report on the death of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson at the age of 38. Johnson was known for having amazing punching power. He really had the talent and power to be world champion, but when he was younger he was killing himself cutting from 210 to 170 and he was actually more successful at light heavyweight, but while a very good wrestler, wasn’t able to stop Daniel Cormier on the ground when he got his light heavyweight title shot. Johnson had been seriously ill since September 2021 and while he had some good news back in May, he had taken a turn for the worst last month. Johnson had his issues outside the ring, including arrests. He had quit fighting after losing to Cormier in 2017, and then came back in Bellator for their light heavyweight Grand Prix. He was to face Vadim Nemkov last year for the Bellator light heavyweight title when he was diagnosed with a very serious illness and had been battling it ever since.
The main event for Survivor Series as it stands right now is confirmed to be Roman Reigns & Sami Zayn & Usos & Solo Sikoa in a War Games match with Sheamus & Drew McIntyre & Ridge Holland & Butch and a wrestler who will likely be named over the next week.
Rey Mysterio was scheduled for the World Cup but he had either a foot or an ankle injury and was replaced by Mustafa Ali. He was in Indianapolis backstage with a walking boot on. He’s not expected to be out more than a few weeks but wasn’t going to be able to do the tournament.
The Eddie Kingston & Ortiz vs. Jun Akiyama & Konosuke Takeshita match which will take place Friday in Newark, NJ, for Rampage, is something of a dream match for Kingston. Kingston is a huge fan of the Misawa, Kawada, Kobashi era of All Japan Pro Wrestling and Akiyama started there in the 90s and was another of the top stars. Months ago Kingston had mentioned wanting to wrestle Akiyama, who is 53. Akiyama said he was up for it and it was put together in conjunction with Takeshita returning.
For Google searches, the UFC show yesterday did 1.35 million searches which is much lower than one would expect for a show headlined by Israel Adesanya. It was the most searched subject on Google yesterday. They don’t break out the main eventers but of non-main events, the highest were Dustin Poirier at No. 12 with 200,000. Carla Esparza was No. 14 with 100,000 and Frankie Edgar, who retired after his loss to Chris Gutierrez, was No. 19 with 50,000. Anthony Johnson had 100,000 searches today. Floyd Mayweather vs. Deji had 100,000 for their boxing exhibition which Mayweather won via sixth round stoppage. Sammy Guevara announced the show and went to Dubai with Tay Melo. Bobby Fish scored a second round TKO in his boxing debut on the undercard.
We’re looking for reports on these shows: *WWE house show last night in Peoria, IL *NXT last night in Orlando, FL *WWE tonight in Madison WI. We’re looking for results, finishes, highlights and other notes to [email protected]
We’re also looking for your thoughts on UFC 281, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
Last night was a very noteworthy show with two title changes. Dana White indicated running back with Israel Adesanya getting a shot at new champion Alex Pereira next. All three judges gave Adesanya rounds one, three and four and he was up 39-37 going into the final round, meaning Pereira basically needed a finish to win the title, which he got. He is the only person to ever knock out Adesanya in any form of fighting, and he’s done it twice. Adesanya complained of an early stoppage, but it was anything but.
In the Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler fight, all three judges had it 19-19 going into the third round. So nobody gave a 10-8 for Chandler in round two. Judges are pretty much told not to do 10-8s unless the damage is ridiculous, so I’m not surprised, but rounds like that should be 10-8 .
The UFC show last night in Madison Square Garden did more than $11 million at the gate. It was one of the biggest gates in UFC history and was the second biggest for any event ever in MSG, behind only the UFC show headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez.
Yesterday was 29 years since UFC debuted on a show promoted by then-WWF promoter Zane Bresloff in Denver, which was famously an eight-man one-night tournament won by Royce Gracie.
This weekend is also the 17th anniversary of the death of Eddy Guerrero, who was one of the smoothest and best in-ring wrestlers of that generation, who flawlessly blended American, Japanese and Lucha Libre styles.
The 11/25 Rampage show will be airing on TNT at 4 p.m. Eastern time. It will be called a Black Friday special. I don’t know this but presume TNT has major sports that night. (thanks to David Wolf)
Tonight’s WWE show in Madison WI, is advertising a Drew McIntyre vs. Killer Kross street fight as the main event plus New Day & Braun Strowman vs. Usos & Solo Sikoa.
There was an altercation at the show in Peoria, IL last night during the McIntyre vs. Kross match. Scarlett interfered and a female fan threw a drink. Scarlett said it was cheap alcohol but others at ringside said it was water. The woman and the man with her were both kicked out of the building.
Other Notes
International ticket sales are available for the 1/1 NOAH show at Budokan Hall with Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Great Muta and Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Kenoh for the GHC title.
Kevin Kelly has gotten a financial stake in the local American Excellence Wrestling promotion that will be running next on 1/7 at the Hamburg, PA Fieldhouse, the same building that WWF taped television from in the 70s and early 8s. The promotion has been running at the building for a few years but not drawing much in the way of crowds. Kelly wants to concentrate on local marketing and grassroots appeal, working with local charities and civic groups. Brutal Bob Evans and Bob Keller are going to be involved. The first how using the American Excellence Wrestling name will be the 1/7 show and they have events booked regularly into building through 2024.
United Wrestling Coalition as its 26th annual Toys for Tots Toy Drive show on 11/26 at the Bordentown Elks Lodge in Boredentown, NJ. Admission for the 7 pm. show is free if you donate a new unwrapped toy with a suggested minimum value of $15. Toys collected will be distributed by members of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves within Burlington County. There will also be a raffle for prizes.
Pro Wrestling Eve from today in London: Yuu retained the Pure J title and beat Eve International champion Laura Di Matteo with both belts at stake, Rin Kadokura b Maria, Rhia O’Reilly & Skye Smitson b Hyper Misao & Session Moth Martina, Miyu Yamashita b Mille McKenzie in a top contender for the Eve title match, Alex Windsor b Jetta to win the Eve title, Emerson Jayne b Charlie Morgan in a lights out match.
Eve had two shows, the the second show results were: Hyper Misao b Nightshade, McKenzie won five-way over Martina, Afire Reed, Di Matteo and Jayne, Kasey drew Rhio over 15:00, Rhio pinned Kasey in 1:00 when both asked for five more minutes and Rhio asked for an EVe title shot, Yuu b Kadokura to keep the Eve International title, Maria b Rane Leverkusen, Lizzy Evo b Nina Samuels using the ropes, Miyu Yamashita b Windsor to win the Eve title. They seemed to set up Yamashita defending against McKenzie in Japan as McKenzie noted her recent win over Yamashita in Spain., Smitson & Nightshade b Morgan & Jetta to keep the Eve tag titles. Promoter Dan Read announced the next show will be 1/7 and it will be the company’s’ 100th show. Chigusa Nagayo was at the show and mentioned Takumi Iroha broke her collarbone as she was scheduled for both shows. She will be back in action in February. Nagayo said she would be wrestling on 12/8 at Korakuen Hall. They noted Kadokura just got married and postponed her honeymoon to work these shows in place of Iroha. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and No Prima Donna)
Bianca Belair is headed to war with Damage CTRL at Survivor Series.
An angle on Monday night’s Raw set up that it will be Team Belair vs. Damage CTRL in a WarGames match at Survivor Series on Saturday, November 26. The pay-per-view is taking place at TD Garden in Boston.
Belair will be teaming with Alexa Bliss, Asuka, and two partners who have yet to be revealed. Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & IYO SKY) will be teaming with Nikki Cross and one more partner.
Belair retained her Raw Women’s Championship against Bayley in a Last Woman Standing match at Crown Jewel last Saturday. But Alexa Bliss & Asuka lost the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles to Kai & SKY in Saudi Arabia. Cross interfered to cost Bliss & Asuka the titles.
Damage CTRL interrupted Belair, Bliss, and Asuka on Raw tonight, claiming that Belair still hasn’t truly beaten Bayley. The segment led to Belair challenging Damage CTRL to settle their rivalry in WarGames.
Cross then attacked Belair, Bliss, and Asuka from behind. After Damage CTRL and Cross laid Belair, Bliss, and Asuka out, Bayley accepted the WarGames challenge.
Survivor Series will feature two WarGames matches. It’s the first time that WarGames has ever been used on the WWE main roster.
The participants for the men’s WarGames match have yet to be announced.
