Survivor Series WarGames

Survivor Series: WarGames was the 36th annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on Saturday, November 26, 2022, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the fourth Survivor Series to be held in Boston after the 1993 (at the original Boston Garden), 2008, and 2013 events. It was also the first Survivor Series to take place on a Saturday and the first since the 1994 event to not take place on a Sunday. This was also the last WWE PPV to take place before Stephanie McMahon announced her resignation as co-CEO and Chairwoman of WWE and Vince McMahon was voted as Executive Chairman.

Unlike the Survivor Series events from 2016 to 2021, the 2022 event was not themed around Raw versus SmackDown for brand supremacy. Instead, it was based around the WarGames match, a gimmick match first used in Jim Crockett Promotions and then World Championship Wrestling, the assets of which WWE acquired in 2001. From 2017 to 2021, it was used by WWE's developmental brand, NXT, and held at the brand's annual WarGames event. Survivor Series was in turn branded as "Survivor Series: WarGames", marking WWE's first main roster event to feature the match, as well as ending NXT's WarGames event. Due to hosting the WarGames matches, this was the first Survivor Series since the 2002 event to not feature a traditional Survivor Series match, or any type of elimination match, and only the third event to not include one, after the 1998 and 2002 events.

Five matches were contested at the event, including two WarGames matches. In the main event, which was the main match from SmackDown, The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn, and The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso)) defeated The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch), Drew McIntyre, and Kevin Owens in the men's WarGames match, while in the women's WarGames match, which was the opening bout and was the main match from Raw, Team Belair (Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim, and Becky Lynch) defeated Team Bayley (Damage CTRL ( Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky), Nikki Cross, and Rhea Ripley).

Survivor Series: WarGames was the highest-grossing Survivor Series of all time, as well as the highest-grossing gate for WWE in Boston. It was also the most-viewed Survivor Series. WWE reported that the event was a complete sellout, with a disputed attendance of 15,609. The event also received critical acclaim, with high praise directed towards the WarGames matches for their storytelling and long-term booking, while also praising AJ Styles vs. Finn Bálor, and the United States Championship triple threat match. Dave Meltzer of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' would go on to rate a majority of the matches three-and-three-quarters stars or higher, with only the SmackDown Women's Championship match receiving a negative response.

Production

Background

Survivor Series is an annual gimmick event, produced every November by WWE since 1987. The second longest running pay-per-view (PPV) event in history (behind WWE's WrestleMania), it is one of the promotion's five biggest events of the year, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, and Money in the Bank, referred to as the "Big Five". Announced on October 25, 2021, the 36th Survivor Series was scheduled to occur on Saturday, November 26, 2022, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, marking the first Survivor Series to be held on a Saturday. In addition to airing on traditional PPV, it was available to livestream on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network in international markets. Tickets went on sale on August 26, 2022, with premium hospitality packages also available.

The event is traditionally characterized by having Survivor Series matches, which are tag team elimination matches that typically features teams of four or five wrestlers against each other. On September 19, 2022, however, WWE executive Triple H announced that instead of Survivor Series matches, the 2022 event would feature two WarGames matches, one each for the men and women that would be 5-versus-5, marking the first time for a main roster WWE event to feature the match. The 2022 event was in turn renamed as Survivor Series: WarGames. WWE's developmental brand NXT previously held an annual WarGames event from 2017 to 2021. With the WarGames match moving to the main roster for Survivor Series, this subsequently ended NXT's WarGames event, which was replaced by Deadline.

After WWE reintroduced the brand split in July 2016, Survivor Series centered around competition between wrestlers from Raw and SmackDown for brand supremacy (NXT was also involved in 2019 but removed in 2020). In addition to traditional Survivor Series matches between the brands, the champions of each brand faced off in non-title matches. Along with the announcement that the 2022 event would feature the WarGames match, Triple H also confirmed that the 2022 event would not be based on the brand supremacy concept.

In an interview with ''The Ringer'' in regard to the changes for the 2022 Survivor Series, Triple H stated:

Storylines

The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, ''Monday Night Raw'' and ''Friday Night SmackDown.''

After Bianca Belair retained the Raw Women's Championship against Becky Lynch at SummerSlam, Belair was confronted by a returning Bayley, accompanied by Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky, with Lynch standing with Belair. Lynch then took time off due to an injury, while Bayley's team would dub themselves as Damage CTRL and began feuding with the trio of Belair, Alexa Bliss, and Asuka. While Belair and Bayley fought over the Raw Women's Championship with Belair retaining in both encounters, Bliss and Asuka traded the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Kai and Sky, with Nikki Cross costing Bliss and Asuka the titles. On the November 7 episode of ''Raw'', Belair, Bliss, and Asuka challenged Damage CTRL to a WarGames match at Survivor Series: WarGames, which was accepted. Damage CTRL subsequently recruited Cross to their team. The following week, Mia Yim, who had returned to WWE the previous week, joined Belair's team, while Rhea Ripley joined Bayley's team. On the November 21 episode of ''Raw'', Ripley defeated Asuka to give Bayley's team the advantage in the WarGames match, and on the November 25 episode of ''SmackDown'', a returning Lynch was revealed as the fifth member of Belair's team.

In mid-October, The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch) began feuding with members of The Bloodline (The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso), Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn), including an unsuccessful attempt at The Usos' Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. On the November 11 episode of ''SmackDown'', the two teams brawled, which also involved Bloodline leader, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns; Drew McIntyre also joined the fray, siding with The Brawling Brutes. The following week, it was confirmed that The Brawling Brutes would face The Bloodline in a WarGames match at Survivor Series: WarGames. Despite McIntyre's past issues with Sheamus, they made amends and he joined Sheamus' team as he had his own issues with The Bloodline. Later that night, the two teams brawled, after which, Kevin Owens made his return from injury and revealed himself as the fifth member of Sheamus' team with Owens also having previous issues with The Bloodline. On the November 25 episode of ''SmackDown'', McIntyre and Sheamus defeated The Usos to get the advantage in the WarGames match.

On the November 11 episode of ''SmackDown'', Shotzi won a six-pack challenge to earn a SmackDown Women's Championship match against Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series: WarGames.

In early October, The O.C. (AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson) began a rivalry with The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, and Rhea Ripley), but The O.C. were always at a disadvantage due to Ripley, who cost The O.C. their six-man tag team match against her stablemates at Crown Jewel. On the November 7 episode of ''Raw'', The O.C. confronted The Judgment Day and introduced the returning Mia Yim as their solution to deal with Ripley. The following week, a singles match between Styles and Bálor was scheduled for Survivor Series: WarGames, with their respective stablemates in their corners.

On the November 7 episode of ''Raw'', Seth "Freakin" Rollins held an open challenge for the United States Championship, which was answered by Bobby Lashley, who Rollins controversially won the title from a few weeks prior. The match, however, never commenced as Lashley instead attacked Rollins before the match could begin. After the beat down, Austin Theory ran out and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on a weakened Rollins; however, Rollins retained the title thanks to interference from Lashley. The following week, Lashley said he would continue to target Rollins until he won back the championship, and later that night, Theory attacked Rollins after the latter's title defense. On the November 21 episode, it was announced that Rollins would defend the United States Championship against Lashley and Theory in a triple threat match at Survivor Series: WarGames.

Event

Preliminary matches

The women's WarGames match opened the show, which saw Team Belair (Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim, and Becky Lynch) facing Team Bayley (Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky), Nikki Cross, and Rhea Ripley). Belair and Kai started the match. As Team Bayley had the WarGames advantage, Sky entered next, followed by Asuka, Cross, and Bliss. Cross performed a Cross Body off the cage onto everyone else. The rest of the entry order went Bayley, Yim, Ripley, then finally Lynch. After WarGames officially began, Lynch performed a Diving Lep Drop on Sky, who was stuck in a trash can. Ripley performed Riptide on Lynch for a nearfall. Asuka spat green mist in Ripley's face. Bayley performed the Rose Plant on Lynch onto the metal plate connecting the two rings. Sky performed a Moonsault off the top of the cage onto everyone. In the end, Belair performed the Kiss of Death on Bayley into the cage and moments later, Lynch performed a Double Diving Leg Drop from the top of the cage on Kai and Sky through a table and pinned Kai to win the match for Team Belair.

Backstage, Jey Uso, who had never trusted or liked Sami Zayn, spoke with Roman Reigns regarding Zayn's loyalty to The Bloodline, as Jey overheard Zayn conversing with Kevin Owens on ''SmackDown'' the night before where Owens told Zayn to turn on The Bloodline; however, Zayn seemingly feigned ignorance and lied about the encounter when Jey confronted Zayn. Reigns then stated that he would take care of it and then instructed Paul Heyman to call Zayn to meet with Reigns.

Next, AJ Styles (accompanied by The O.C. (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson)) faced Finn Bálor (accompanied The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio)). A brawl ensued at ringside between Gallows, Anderson, Mysterio, and Priest and the four fought into the crowd. In the closing moments, Styles performed a Phenomenal Forearm on Bálor to win the match.

After that, Ronda Rousey (accompanied by Shayna Baszler) defended the SmackDown Women's Championship against Shotzi. During the match, Shotzi performed a crossbody onto Rousey and Baszler into the crowd. Back in the ring, Rousey performed Piper's Pit on Shotzi and forced Shotzi to tap out to a cross armbar to retain the title.

In another backstage segment, Sami Zayn met with Roman Reigns, who questioned why Zayn lied to Jey Uso about conversing with Kevin Owens. Zayn claimed that he did not want to put too much pressure on Jey as Jey had a match on ''SmackDown'' that night and maintained that his loyalty was with The Bloodline. Reigns seemingly accepted that Zayn was telling the truth.

In the penultimate match, Seth "Freakin" Rollins defended the United States Championship against Bobby Lashley and Austin Theory in a triple threat match. Rollins performed a Pedigree on Lashley for a nearfall. Lashley applied the Hurt Lock on both Rollins and Theory simultaneously, however, Rollins and Theory escaped. With Theory in position for a Curb Stomp, Rollins stepped over Theory for leverage and performed a Curb Stomp on Lashley instead. In the end, as Rollins attempted a Falcon Arrow on Theory, Lashley performed a Spear on Rollins, and Theory fell into a pin onto Rollins to win the title for a second time.

Before the main event in a final backstage segment, Jey Uso asked Roman Reigns if Sami Zayn had lied to Reigns as well. Reigns claimed that he looked Zayn in the eyes and saw what he needed to see.

Main event

The main event was the men's WarGames match, which saw The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso), Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn) (accompanied by Paul Heyman) facing The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch), Drew McIntyre, and Kevin Owens. Butch and Jey started the match. The Brutes had the WarGames advantage as Holland entered next. As Jimmy attempted to enter, Reigns stopped him and picked Zayn to enter instead to test his loyalty to The Bloodline. The remainder of the entry order went McIntyre, Jimmy, Owens, Sikoa, Sheamus, and finally Reigns. All of The Brutes hit The Bloodline with ten Beats of the Bodhran. As Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick, Reigns performed a Spear on Shemaus, but Butch broke the pin. Jey missed Butch with a superkick and accidentally hit Zayn instead. The Usos performed a 1D off the top rope on Butch, but Holland broke the pin. Reigns drove Holland through a cornered table with a spear. Sikoa put McIntyre through a table with a Spinning Solo. In the climax, Owens performed a pop-up powerbomb and a stunner on Reigns, but Zayn stopped the referee from counting the three. A conflicted Zayn then performed a low blow on Owens followed by a Helluva Kick before catching Owens and shoving him to the mat. Zayn then allowed Jey to perform a Flying Uce on Owens to win the match for The Bloodline. Jey finally accepted Zayn as part of The Bloodline and the team celebrated as Reigns looked pleased with Zayn's actions.

Reception

Commercial

During the Survivor Series: WarGames post-event press conference, Triple H revealed that the event was the highest-grossing Survivor Series of all time and was the most viewed. He also said the event was a complete sellout, and was the highest-grossing gate for WWE in Boston. According to WWE, the event sold 15,609 tickets. However, the company have often been reported to inflate their attendance figures; for example, they include WWE personnel in their numbers. The event's set up was for 13,042 paid seats, with 40 tickets still available just hours before the event. According to Triple H, they kept opening up more seats until they reached max capacity with the staging configuration.

Critical

The event received critical acclaim. Praise was directed to the WarGames matches for their storytelling and long-term booking, Styles vs. Balor, and the US Title Triple Threat match, while Rousey vs. Shotzi received a mixed-to-negative response. Dave Meltzer of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' would rate the WarGames matches 4 stars (women's) and 4-and-a-quarter stars (men's), the US Title match 4-and-a-quarter stars, Styles vs. Balor three-and-three-quarters stars, and Rousey vs. Shotzi one star.

Aftermath

Survivor Series: WarGames would be the final WWE PPV in which Stephanie McMahon served as Chairwoman of WWE, as she announced her resignation as co-CEO and Chairwoman on January 10, 2023. Nick Khan was still named as CEO, and Vince McMahon, who announced his retirement on July 22, was voted as Executive Chairman of the board.

Raw

On the following episode of ''Raw'', The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso), Sami Zayn, and Solo Sikoa celebrated The Bloodline's victory, but Kevin Owens interrupted and told Zayn that their friendship was done. Owens then challenged Jey to a match for the main event, which Jey accepted and Owens won. The following week, The Usos were originally scheduled to defend the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship against Matt Riddle and Elias, but Elias was attacked by Sikoa before the show, and was replaced by Owens. The Usos won, but after the match, a brawl between Riddle, Owens, and The Bloodline broke out, which ended when Owens ran off The Usos and Zayn. However, Sikoa viciously attacked Riddle, who left the arena on a stretcher. This was done to write Riddle off television, as he failed another drug test.

Also on ''Raw'', Becky Lynch celebrated her team's victory and cut a promo from the crowd. Bayley distracted Lynch, which led to Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky brawling with Lynch, which spilled out throughout the arena. The following week, two triple threat matches with Raw Women's Championship implications took place. Bayley won the first, while Alexa Bliss won the second after interference from Sky and Kai. On the December 12 episode, Bliss defeated Bayley to become the number one contender for Bianca Belair's Raw Women's Championship. The match was scheduled for the January 2, 2023 episode, where Bliss lost via disqualification when she attacked the referee after being possessed by Bray Wyatt, allowing Belair to retain. After the match, Bliss viciously attacked Belair, ending with Bliss performing two DDTs on Belair onto the steel steps, turning heel in the process. A rematch between the two for the title was later scheduled for the Royal Rumble.

Mia Yim faced Rhea Ripley, but the match ended in a no-contest when The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, and Dominik Mysterio) and The O.C. (AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson) interfered. This led to an eight-person mixed tag team match where Judgment Day defeated The O.C. when Ripley pinned Yim. This ultimately ended the rivalry between the two teams. However, on the January 9, 2023 episode of ''Raw'', The Judgment Day (Bálor and Priest) eliminated The O.C. (Gallows and Anderson) en route to winning a gauntlet match to become the number one contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championship. The title match was later scheduled for "Raw is XXX" on January 23.

New United States Champion Austin Theory came out to address his win. Seth "Freakin" Rollins interrupted to congratulate Theory and challenged him to a rematch for the title, but Theory refused, stating he would fight on his own time. The following week, after Rollins and Bobby Lashley brawled, a match between Lashley and Rollins to determine the number one contender for the U.S. title was scheduled for the December 12 episode, where Rollins won. Following the match, Lashley attacked a referee, resulting in him being fired by WWE official Adam Pearce; however, Pearce later took to social media to reverse his decision but said there would be ramifications for Lashley's actions. Rollins' United States Championship match was also confirmed for the January 2, 2023 episode, but Rollins failed to win the title. After returning on the January 9 episode, Lashley won a six-man elimination match to become the new number one contender for the U.S. title. The match was also scheduled for "Raw is XXX".

SmackDown

On the following episode of ''SmackDown'', Sami Zayn credited The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) for securing their team's win; however, The Usos said it was because of Zayn. Sheamus interrupted, leading to a match between Zayn and Sheamus. During the match, a brawl between The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland and Butch) and The Bloodline (The Usos and Solo Sikoa) occurred at ringside, which allowed Jey to interfere in the match and give Zayn the win. The following week, The Usos successfully retained the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship against Sheamus and Butch after interference from Zayn and Sikoa. Afterwards, it was announced that Roman Reigns would return on the December 16 episode of ''SmackDown''. There, it was revealed that Reigns and Zayn would face Kevin Owens and a partner of his choosing on the December 30 episode of ''SmackDown'' with Owens choosing John Cena as his partner, marking Cena's first televised match since SummerSlam in 2021, as well as his only match in 2022. On the December 30 episode, Owens and Cena defeated Reigns and Zayn when Owens pinned Zayn. The following week, Owens challenged Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble, which was made official.

On the December 9 episode of ''SmackDown'', Shayna Baszler and SmackDown Women's Champion Ronda Rousey attacked Shotzi in the parking lot. It was then reported that Shotzi suffered a broken hand, and would be out of action for six weeks.

Results

References

External links

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{{WWEPPV, Survivor Series

2022
2022 WWE Network events
2022 WWE pay-per-view events
Events in Boston
Professional wrestling in Boston
2022 in Boston
November 2022 events in the United States