Survivor Series: WarGames
Promotional poster featuringThe Bloodline (Solo Sikoa,Paul Heyman,Roman Reigns,Sami Zayn,Jey Uso, andJimmy Uso)
Promotion	WWE
Brand(s)	Raw SmackDown
Date	November 26, 2022
City	Boston,Massachusetts
Venue	TD Garden
Attendance	15,609[1]
WWE event chronology
← Previous Crown Jewel Next → NXT Deadline
Survivor Series chronology
← Previous 2021 Next → 2023

The 2022Survivor Series: WarGames was aprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) andlivestreamingevent produced byWWE. It was the 36th annualSurvivor Series and took place on Saturday, November 26, 2022, atTD Garden inBoston,Massachusetts, held for wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw andSmackDownbrand divisions. It was the fourth Survivor Series to be held in Boston after the1993 (at the originalBoston Garden),2008, and2013 events. It was also the first Survivor Series to take place on a Saturday and the first since the1994 event to not take place on a Sunday. This was also the last WWE pay-per-view event to take place beforeStephanie McMahon announced her resignation as co-CEO and Chairwoman of WWE, withVince McMahon subsequently returning as Executive Chairman. It was also WWE's final pay-per-view to be available to livestream on the standalone version of the Australian WWE Network before the launch ofBinge's WWE Network channel in Australia on January 23, 2023. Additionally, this was WWE's first pay-per-view to be livestreamed onDisney+ in thePhilippines.

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 theWarGames match, agimmick match first used inJim Crockett Promotions and thenWorld Championship Wrestling, the assets of which WWE acquired in 2001. From 2017 to 2021, it was used by WWE'sdevelopmental brand,NXT, and held at the brand's annualWarGames 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 the2002 event to not feature a traditionalSurvivor Series match, or any type of elimination match, and only the third event to not include one, after the1998 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,Jey Uso,Jimmy Uso,Solo Sikoa, andSami Zayn) defeated TeamBrawling Brutes (Sheamus,Ridge Holland,Butch,Drew McIntyre, andKevin 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, andBecky Lynch) defeated TeamDamage CTRL (Bayley,Dakota Kai,Iyo Sky,Nikki Cross, andRhea 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 praisingAJ Styles vs.Finn Bálor, and theUnited States Championshiptriple threat match.Dave Meltzer of theWrestling Observer Newsletter would go on to rate a majority of the matches three-and-three-quarters stars or higher, with only theSmackDown Women's Championship match receiving a negative response.

Survivor Series is an annualprofessional wrestlingevent produced every November byWWE since 1987. The second longest runningpay-per-view (PPV) event in history (behind WWE'sWrestleMania), it is one of the promotion's five biggest events of the year, along with WrestleMania,SummerSlam,Royal Rumble, andMoney in the Bank, referred to as the "Big Five".^[2][3] Announced on October 25, 2021, the 36th Survivor Series was scheduled to occur on Saturday, November 26, 2022, at theTD Garden inBoston,Massachusetts, marking the first Survivor Series to be held on a Saturday. In addition to airing on traditional pay-per-view, it was available tolivestream onPeacock in the United States and theWWE Network in international markets.^[4] This was also the first WWE pay-per-view event to livestream onDisney+ in thePhilippines after it was announced thatThe Walt Disney Company and WWE inked a deal to make Disney+ as its exclusive home for WWE Network in the Philippines on October 21.^[5][6][4] Tickets went on sale on August 26, 2022, with premium hospitality packages also available.^[7]

From 1987 to 2021, the event was traditionallycharacterized by havingSurvivor Series matches, which weretag team elimination matches that typically featured teams of four or five wrestlers against each other.^[8] On September 19, 2022, however, WWE executiveTriple H announced that instead of Survivor Series matches, the 2022 event would feature twoWarGames 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. WarGames is a type ofsteel cage match where the two teams face each other in a roofless cage that surrounds two rings placed side by side but is decided by one fall instead of eliminating all opponents.^[9] The 2022 event was in turn renamed as Survivor Series: WarGames, and was subsequently the third Survivor Series to not feature any Survivor Series matches, after1998 and2002.^[10] WWE'sdevelopmental brandNXT previously held an annualWarGames 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 byDeadline.^[11]

After WWE reintroduced thebrand split in July 2016, Survivor Series centered around competition between wrestlers fromRaw andSmackDown for brand supremacy (NXT was also involved in 2019 but removed in 2020).^[8] In addition to traditional Survivor Series matches between the brands, the champions of each brand faced off in non-title matches.^[12] Along with the announcement that the 2022 event would feature WarGames matches, Triple H also confirmed that the 2022 event would not be based on the brand supremacy concept.^[9]

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

The tradition of the Survivor Series has ebbed and flowed and changed slightly over time, but this will be similar to that. This will not be Raw versus SmackDown. It will be much more story-line driven. I still look at it as a traditional component to Survivor Series in there because it's large teams of people competing. We just upped the ante a little bit with WarGames and made it evolve. Survivor Series has been an amazing event for 36 years. And it needs to evolve a little bit and this year seemed like the right time to do it.^[9]

The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,^[13][14] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Monday Night Raw andFriday Night SmackDown.^[15]

AfterBianca Belair retained theRaw Women's Championship againstBecky Lynch atSummerSlam, Belair was confronted by a returningBayley, accompanied byDakota Kai andIyo Sky, with Lynch standing with Belair.^[16] Lynch then took time off due to an injury, while Bayley's team would dub themselves asDamage CTRL and began feuding with the trio of Belair,Alexa Bliss, andAsuka.^[17] While Belair and Bayley fought over the Raw Women's Championship with Belair retaining in both encounters,^[18][19] Bliss and Asuka traded theWWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Kai and Sky,^[20] withNikki Cross costing Bliss and Asuka the titles.^[19] On the November 7 episode ofRaw, Belair, Bliss, and Asuka challenged Damage CTRL to a WarGames match at Survivor Series: WarGames. Damage CTRL accepted the challenge and subsequently recruited Cross to their team.^[21] The following week,Mia Yim, who had returned to WWE the previous week, joined Belair's team, whileRhea Ripley joined Bayley's team.^[22] On the November 21 episode ofRaw, Ripley defeated Asuka to give Bayley's team the advantage in the WarGames match,^[23] and on the November 25 episode ofSmackDown, a returning Lynch was revealed as the fifth member of Belair's team.^[24]

In mid-October,The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus,Ridge Holland, andButch) began feuding withThe Usos (Jey Uso andJimmy Uso),Solo Sikoa, andSami Zayn ofThe Bloodline,^[25][26][27] including an unsuccessful attempt at The Usos'Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.^[19] On the November 11 episode ofSmackDown, the two teams brawled, which also involved Bloodline leader,Undisputed WWE Universal ChampionRoman Reigns;Drew McIntyre also joined the fray, siding with The Brawling Brutes.^[28] 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, following Butch's win over Zayn, 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.^[29] On the November 25 episode ofSmackDown, McIntyre and Sheamus defeated The Usos to get the advantage in the WarGames match.^[24]

On the November 11 episode ofSmackDown,Shotzi won asix-pack challenge to earn aSmackDown Women's Championship match againstRonda Rousey at Survivor Series: WarGames.^[28]

In early October,The O.C. (AJ Styles,Luke Gallows, andKarl Anderson) began a rivalry withThe 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. theirsix-man tag team match against her stablemates at Crown Jewel.^[19] On the November 7 episode ofRaw, The O.C. confronted The Judgment Day and introduced the returning Mia Yim as their solution to deal with Ripley.^[21] The following week, asingles match between Styles and Bálor was scheduled for Survivor Series: WarGames, with their respective stablemates in their corners.^[22]

On the November 7 episode ofRaw,Seth "Freakin" Rollins held an open challenge for theUnited States Championship, which was answered byBobby 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 hisMoney in the Bank contract on a weakened Rollins; however, Rollins retained the title thanks to interference from Lashley.^[21] 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.^[22] On the November 21 episode, it was announced that Rollins would defend the United States Championship against Lashley and Theory in atriple threat match at Survivor Series: WarGames.^[23]

The pay-per-view began with the women's WarGames match, which saw Team Belair (Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim, and Becky Lynch) facing Team Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky, Nikki Cross, and Rhea Ripley). Belair and Kai started the match. As Damage CTRL 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 Leg 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 aMoonsault off the top of the cage onto everyone. In the end, Belair performed theKiss 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.^[30]

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 onSmackDown 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.^[30]

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). During the match, a brawl ensued at ringside between Gallows, Anderson, Mysterio, and Priest and the four fought into the crowd. In the closing moments, after the two traded counters in between the two rings, Styles performed a Phenomenal Forearm on Bálor to win the match.^[30]

After that, Ronda Rousey (accompanied byShayna Baszler) defended the SmackDown Women's Championship against Shotzi. During the match, Shotzi performed a springboard DDT on Rousey and followed up with a crossbody onto Rousey and Baszler into the crowd. Back in the ring, Rousey performed Piper's Pit on Shotzi and forced Shotzi to submit to anarmbar to retain the title.^[30]

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 onSmackDown that night and maintained that his loyalty was with The Bloodline. Reigns seemingly accepted that Zayn was telling the truth.^[30]

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 aPedigree on Lashley for a nearfall. Lashley applied theHurt Lock on both Rollins and Theory simultaneously, however, Rollins and Theory escaped. With Theory in position for aCurb 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 aSpear on Rollins, and Theory fell into a pin onto Rollins to win the title for a second time.^[30]

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.^[30]

The main event was the men's WarGames match, which saw The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn) (accompanied by Paul Heyman) facing Team Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, 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 performed ten Beats of the Bodhran on The Bloodline. As Sheamus went for theBrogue Kick, Reigns performed a Spear on Sheamus, but Butch broke the pin. Jey missed Butch with asuperkick and accidentally hit Zayn instead. The Usos performed a1D 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 astunner on Reigns, but Zayn stopped the referee from counting the three. A conflicted Zayn then performed alow blow on Owens followed by a Helluva Kick before catching Owens and shoving him to the mat. Zayn then allowed Jey to perform theUso splash 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.^[30]

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,^[31] and was the highest-grossing gate for WWE in Boston.^[1] 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.^[1] According to Triple H, they kept opening up more seats until they reached max capacity with the staging configuration.^[31]

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 theWrestling 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.^[32]

Subhojeet Mukherjee ofRingside News stated that fans were not at all interested in the SmackDown Women's Championship match, as while the match was underway, they chanted "We want Sasha" (referencingSasha Banks, who walked out in the middle ofRaw in May along withNaomi^[33]), so they "have clearly not stopped wanting her to come back to the company", but WWE "muted the Sasha Banks chants".^[34] Shakiel Mahjouri ofCBS Sports stated that the only bad match at the event was the SmackDown Women's Championship match, which he gave a grade of D. He said that the match was "a touch rough", stating that "Shotzi got way too much offense in considering her recent booking", and that "both superstars had disjointed moments". He also stated that fans weren't interested in that match at all, and they "broke into chants of "We Want Sasha [Banks]" at one point".^[35]

Survivor Series: WarGames would be the final WWE pay-per-view in whichStephanie McMahon served as Chairwoman of WWE, as she announced her resignation as co-CEO and Chairwoman on January 10, 2023. Nick Khan became the sole CEO, andVince McMahon, who had announced his retirement as CEO and Chairman in July, returned as Executive Chairman. Triple H maintained creative control.^[36]

On September 28, 2022, WWE announced an agreement with its Australian rightsholderFoxtel, which saw WWE Network merged into its streaming serviceBinge beginning in January 2023, with a launch set for January 23, 2023.^[37] As part of the agreement, Foxtel's channelFox8 continued to carry WWE programming, and Foxtel also introduced a new, WWE-branded linear channel. As a result, Survivor Series: WarGames was the final pay-per-view to air on the Australian version of the WWE Network.^[38][39]

On the following episode ofRaw, 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.^[40] Over the coming weeks, The Usos, Zayn, and Sikoa continued invadingRaw, with Owens trying to stop their attacks.^{[41][42][43][44]} The invasion persisted up until the January 9, 2023, episode, which led to WWE officialAdam Pearce ordering The Usos to defend theRaw Tag Team Championship against the winner of that night's tag teamgauntlet match, which was won by The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio).^[45] The match was subsequently scheduled forRaw Is XXX on January 23,^[46] and that was the first instance of The Usos defending the Raw andSmackDown Tag Team Championships separately.^[47]

Also onRaw, 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.^[40] 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.^[41] On the December 12 episode, Bliss defeated Bayley to become the number one contender for Bianca Belair's Raw Women's Championship,^[42] and the match was later scheduled for the January 2, 2023, episode.^[43] During the match, Bliss was distracted by people wearing Uncle Howdy masks (due to Bliss' past association withBray Wyatt), and the Wyatt moth logo flashed on the TitanTron. The content caused Bliss to snap and attack the referee, causing Belair to win viadisqualification and retain the title. After the match, Bliss viciously attacked Belair, performing two DDTs onto the steel steps.^[44] A rematch between the two for the title was later scheduled for theRoyal Rumble.^[46]

Before the aforementioned number one contender's match on the December 12 episode ofRaw, Becky Lynch sent Bayley's Damage CTRL members, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky, retreating with a chair.^[42] A match between Bayley and Lynch took place the following week, where Bayley won with the distraction of Kai and Sky.^[43] On the January 2, 2023, episode, Bayley distracted Lynch, causing her to lose in tag team action.^[44] Two weeks later, Lynch claimed Bayley always had to hide behind Kai and Sky and goaded Bayley into accepting aSteel Cage match against her at Raw Is XXX.^[46]

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.^[40]

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.^[40] 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,^[41] where Rollins won. Following the match, Lashley attacked a referee, resulting in him being fired by WWE official Adam Pearce;^[42] however, Pearce later took to social media to reverse his decision but said there would be ramifications for Lashley's actions.^[48] Rollins' United States Championship match was also confirmed for the January 2, 2023, episode,^[43] but Rollins failed to win the title.^[44] After returning on the January 9 episode,^[45] Lashley won a six-manelimination match the following week to become the new number one contender for the U.S. title. The match was also scheduled for Raw Is XXX,^[46] and was later stipulated as aNo Disqualification match.^[49]

On the following episode ofSmackDown, 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.^[50] 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 ofSmackDown.^[51] There, it was revealed that Reigns and Zayn would face Kevin Owens and a partner of his choosing on the December 30 episode ofSmackDown with Owens choosingJohn Cena as his partner, marking Cena's first televised match sinceSummerSlam in 2021, as well as his only match in 2022.^[52] On the December 30 episode, Owens and Cena defeated Reigns and Zayn when Owens pinned Zayn.^[53] The following week, Owens challenged Reigns for the UndisputedWWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble, which was made official. Also on that same episode, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus unsuccessfully challenged The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship after interference from Sikoa.^[54]

On the December 9 episode ofSmackDown, Shayna Baszler and SmackDown Women's Champion Ronda Rousey attacked Shotzi in the parking lot.^[51] It was then reported that Shotzi suffered a broken hand, and would be out of action for six weeks.^[55]

At the Royal Rumble, after Roman Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) and Solo Sikoa attacked Owens while Sami Zayn watched on in uncertainty. Reigns instructed Zayn to attack Owens with a chair to prove his loyalty, however, Zayn turned on and attacked Reigns with the chair instead. Zayn then apologized to Jey, who he had become friends with, only for Jimmy, Sikoa, and Reigns to attack Zayn as an emotionally distraught Jey left the ring as the rest of The Bloodline continued the assault.^[56] This would lead to a title match between Zayn and Reigns atElimination Chamber^[57] where Reigns retained. After the match, Owens prevented The Bloodline (except Jey) from doing further damage to Zayn.^[58] After several more weeks of feuding on the following episodes ofRaw andSmackDown,^[59][60][61] including Jey turning on Zayn,^[62] on the March 17 episode ofSmackDown, Owens saved Zayn from an attack by The Usos, and the two embraced.^[63] It was then confirmed thatZayn and Owens would face The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship atWrestleMania 39.^[64]

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