WWE Survivor Series: WARGAMES takes place Saturday, November 29, and has the honor of being the first major event (one of ‘The Big Four’) streamed on the ESPN app since the exclusive deal to platform all WWE PLEs was struck—a deal announced on August 6. The first show, Wrestlepalooza, was done in celebration of the app’s official launch and will forever be remembered for AJ Lee’s return to the ring, but this weekend’s show in San Diego at Petco Park (home of the Padres) could have dueling moments of epic proportion.
With just four matches confirmed (as of writing), there are heavy ‘rumors’ that a fifth match will be added to the card at the last minute. It could be argued that it is already a five-match fight card, with the Sami Zayn-led team of five faces taking on MFTs led by Solo Sikoa, under traditional SS elimination rules. That match is scheduled for this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, a pre-taped show, but the hope is that a potential MFT V Wyatt Sicks 5V5 match will manifest by fight night.
MEN’S WARGAMES: AN AVENGER TURNING THANOS?!
ROMAN REIGNS, CODY RHODES, CM PUNK, THE USOs (JEY & JIMMY) VS THE VISION (BRON BREAKKER, BRONSON REED, LOGAN PAUL) & BROCK LESNAR—WARGAMES
Prediction: The Vision w/Lesnar DEF Reigns, Punk, Rhodes, and The USOs; MAJOR Heel Turn Incoming
The All-Star assemblies of leagues past, like MLB’s 1999 AL team, the Jordan-led ‘Dream Team’ of the ’92 Olympics, or the Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl squad anchored by the Aikman-Smith-Irving trio of the same year. These teams are considered the greatest compilations in sports history, and if sports are not your thing, consider Marvel’s The Avengers or DC’s Justice League of notoriety. There is something special about bringing together the strongest forces in sport to unify in the name of greatness.
This weekend’s main event features a program that honors such narratives as the face team of Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and The USOs (Jey and Jimmy) step into the Wargames arena to face off against a majority young gun squad of Bronn Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Logan Paul paired with the veteran heels Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar. The 5V5 affair came to a head on Monday Night RAW, a week prior to the go-home show, and on that episode, both Reigns and Lesnar were revealed as the fifth and final members, respectively.
On this week’s episode of RAW, however, the plot thickened as the face team bickered over their team’s namesake — the three biggest egos arguing on their own behalf — before it ultimately cost them the ‘advantage’ in the Wargames match. The entire vibe changed following this show, and the narrative now has fans questioning whether a major/minor heel turn could be in store for the face team, potentially aligning with ‘The Vision.’
Aside from major turns, the main event could potentially give us a glimpse into the tight-lipped plans concerning WrestleMania in Vegas 2026. Whether that means Jey Yeeting over Roman’s limp body or CM Punk joining Brock Lesnar under the guidance of Paul Heyman, whatever the finale, it is safe to say that the finish that sends the show to black will offer a significant next direction in the ‘Road to WrestleMania.’
SIDE NOTE: The face team is absolutely stacked, and that is without mentioning they have both world and heavyweight titlists on the squad. The heel team represents a younger force in the company, leveraged by Brock Lesnar. If WWE wants to go as big as they can, The Vision should take out Jimmy on the show, leading to John Cena joining the face team. Huge pop, forever moment, Mount Rushmore team.
WOMEN’S WARGAMES: STEAL THE SHOW TERRITORY
RHEA RIPLEY, AJ LEE, CHARLOTTE FLAIR, ALEXA BLISS, IYO SKY VS BECKY LYNCH, AUSKA, KAIRI SANE, NIA JAXX, LASH LEGEND
Prediction: Face squad wins, AJ Lee gets the final pin over Becky; match is better than Men’s.
It is unfortunate for everyone outside of the star-studded main event, as the headlines continue to be hogged by the massive main event. For the women’s side of WARGAMES, it could be an advantage with the talent stacked in the match far exceeding the narrative expectations. Aside from AJ Lee and Becky, the rest of the lineup has feuded for some time, and the quick-natured mashing of these superstars in separate feuds has led to a convoluted program with alliances made in haste.
That said, the women’s division has been here before, and aside from past WARGAMES PLEs, this past year’s Royal Rumble is an example of a star-studded Men’s event—in this case also featuring ‘Cena’s final Rumble’—that overshadowed everything else on the card. However, the women have also stolen the show in many more examples, and this PLE, more than most, offers the ability for a group dynamic effort that ends up making for a better match.
The men’s WARGAMES match is stacked with future Hall of Famers and the future of the company alike, but expecting a high-quality affair might be asking too much from a group with that much liability in it—WWE lost Bronson Reed in this same spot before and they cannot afford to lose anyone to the IR list in a match that features everyone from the Mania commercial.
This is where the women like Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane, and Rhea Ripley can raise the physical bar, while AJ Lee and Flair-Bliss pairings can offer the emotional element needed to produce a memorable match. If the men’s match is stacked with the company’s top stars, then the women’s match offers the same in their division, plus the ability to outperform.
IT’S A DIRTY JOB… BUT CENA WILL DO IT
JOHN CENA(c) VS ‘DIRTY’ DOMINIK MYSTERIO: Intercontinental Title
Prediction: Dom wins the title back and becomes ‘DOS DIRTY DOM.’
It was a monumental moment when John Cena completed his ‘Grand Slam’ journey by becoming the Intercontinental Champion for the first time in his career. He defeated Dom, who at the time held two titles in two different promotions, on his final appearance in front of his hometown Bostonians. Nobody knew what it meant at the time, as it related to the ‘Last Time Is Now’ tournament—would the IC title be on the line, or would there be a second tourney held after his final match on December 13?
We found out on the go-home episode that Dom would receive his rematch with Cena for the title at this weekend’s PLE, and that will be the moment when Cena ‘does the job’ by putting over Dom in the match. Dom will win, but just how creative his cheating efforts will get remains unclear because it cannot go down clean. Dom is the guy to put over, and Cena knows this will be the biggest opportunity to do so, especially if he is winning the final match.
Cena losing his final match seems unfathomable with all of the hoopla behind the event that feels more like a ‘Cena PLE’ as opposed to a Saturday Night’s Main Event. So, if he is getting over on his final match, then this is the moment to give someone incredible heat by being the ‘last guy’ to beat Cena. It could increase Dom’s already very high profile just in time for him to pull double duty next year for both WWE and Triple A.
STEPHANIE VAQUER(c) VS NIKKI BELLA—WWE Women’s World Championship
Prediction: Vaquer retains
It is fitting that Nikki Bella, someone so important to the lore of John Cena, makes an appearance on the final PLE of John’s career. That said, this program has never really stood a chance, even before the rest of the card was stacked with ‘one night only’ affairs. The feud between these two really started for fans the night that Nikki butchered Stephanie’s last name while attempting to put her over in the same returning promo.
Since then, Nikki has been booked as a loser, losing nearly every match including back-to-back pinfall losses to Roxanne Perez, but now is supposed to feel like a real threat to the world champ. That is difficult for fans to believe, which is why Steph is a heavy favorite.
Vaquer is more than talented enough to show out on Saturday, but with such a huge Mania season ahead of her, this match is likely positioned in the ‘break in action’ spot. Steph will win but it is anyone’s guess if the Nikki feud continues after this match. If it does, even for the little left in 2025, then she needs serious reinforcements to be believed as a credible threat.
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