WWE Survivor Series: WarGames Review - November 26, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Mia Yim and Becky Lynch def. Rhea Ripley, Nikki Cross and Damage CTRL (Bayley and WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai and IYO SKY) in a WarGames Match

This followed the same formula as most WarGames matches we've seen in recent years (specifically the women's ones) where they rely a little too heavily on the weapons. A few chairs and tables here and there is fine, but when they start bringing ladders and kendo sticks into the mix, it gets a bit ridiculous. All in all, this was entertaining, though the crowd didn't really come alive until Lynch entered the fray at the end. I thought the heels had to win in order for Damage CTRL to salvage some of their credibility, but alas, they lost again. I'm not sure how Damage CTRL can possibly be taken seriously coming out of this.

AJ Styles def. Finn Balor

As most people are aware, the only other singles match these two have ever had took place at the TLC event five years ago. I applaud WWE's resistance to do it a million times since then because this felt special as a result. It took time for the crowd to get into the action, but once they picked up the pace, this turned into an excellent wrestling match as you'd expect from them. I also appreciated that the outside interference from The O.C. and The Judgment Day was eliminated halfway through so Styles and Balor could do their thing without any distractions. This was a must-win match for Styles, who hadn't won a singles match on pay-per-view prior to this point since October 2019, believe it or not.

SmackDown Women's Champion Ronda Rousey def. Shotzi

This isn't exactly a bold opinion, but this wasn't very good, at all. Granted, the build to this match wasn't the most enthralling, but I hoped they'd be able to put together a fun little match with Shotzi scoring some offense before eating defeat. Even with Rousey retaining never being in doubt, this should have been better than it was. Instead, what was got was a jumbled mess. Both women had poor performances, the crowd sat on their hands for a majority of it, and they never once clicked. This was a waste of time, and to make matters worse, fans chanted for Sasha Banks afterward and didn't get her (presumably because she isn't ready to return). There wasn't anything redeeming about this whatsoever.

Austin Theory def. Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Bobby Lashley in a Triple Threat Match to Win the United States Championship

Bell to bell, this was the best bout on the show. Then again, that shouldn't come as much of a surprise given the level of talent involved. All three guys worked wonderfully together and kept the crowd engaged throughout. It helped that the outcome was unpredictable as well, but ultimately, Theory regaining the gold (specifically in the clever fashion he did) was the right call. I realize Rollins' reign was brief, but Theory is on the rebound right now and Rollins can afford to chase him for a bit. Lashley was wisely left out of the equation, which is fine because he's just killing time until he resumes his rivalry with Brock Lesnar.

The Bloodline (Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn) def. Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre and The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch) in a WarGames Match

Of the two WarGames matches, I found this one to be slightly stronger on the whole. It dragged at certain points as most recent WarGames matches have, but the second half was perfectly paced and I loved the layout. The attention to detail with Zayn, Jey Uso and Owens in particular was phenomenal and were what made this match for me. There were a ton of different directions they could have gone in with the finish, and as much as I would've liked to see the babyfaces finally get one over on Bloodline, Zayn showing unity with the rest of the group by "betraying" Owens was a compelling route to take. The countdown begins for when Bloodline inevitably exile Zayn, and it will mean more now that they're all on the same page for the first time.

Overall Show

This won't go down as the greatest Survivor Series of all-time by any means, but the WarGames matches lived up to the hype, the U.S. title Triple Threat delivered and Styles vs. Balor was a treat. Above all else, it was refreshing to not have to deal with the brand supremacy nonsense for a change. Survivor Series feels important for the first time in quite a while, and regardless of whether WarGames stays exclusive to the event or not, I hope Triple H can continue that in the years to come.

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