Slimmer’s WWE Survivor Series 2022 WarGames Review

Welcome to 411’s WWE Survivor Series 2022 WarGames Report. We are LIVE in my adopted hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. Tonight’s Kickoff Show panelists are Kayla Braxton, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Booker T, Kevin Patrick, and Peter Rosenberg. We start with a video package for the men’s and women’s WarGames matches followed by a video package for Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory. Next up is a video package for Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi followed by a video package for AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor. The Kickoff Show finishes up with another video package for the men’s WarGames match.

Women’s WarGames Match
Team Belair vs. Team Bayley

Bianca Belair and Dakota Kai start the match, and Belair immediately levels Kai with a drop kick. Kai snaps Belair’s neck off the top rope, but Belair pulls Kai through the ropes and slams her to the mat. Belair levels Kai with a shoulder block and tries to lawn-dart her into the cage, but Kai gets her hands up to grab the cage and block. Kai charges at Belair, but Belair catches her with a backbreaker. Belair charges at Kai in the corner, but Kai sidesteps her, and Belair posts herself in the corner. Kai connects with a running boot in the corner and then tosses Belair back into the other ring. Belair fights back with a back elbow shot followed by a vertical suplex. Kai lands a scorpion kick and goes for a hurricanrana, but Belair blocks and dumps Kai face-first to the mat. Belair whips Kai into the cage and then powerbombs her into the cage. Iyo Sky enters the match. Sky levels Belair with a drop kick and connects with a diving hurricanrana from the middle rope. Sky and Kai double-team Belair and work her over in the corner. Belair fights back with a double suplex, but Sky regains control with a springboard drop kick. Asuka enters the match Asuka catches Kai with a German suplex and then squares off with Sky. Sky catches Asuka with an arm drag, but Asuka fights back with a hip attack. Asuka hits a sliding knee shot and heads up top. Kai joins Asuka up top, but Belair presses Kai off the top and slams her into the cage. Asuka and Sky slug it out as Belair works over Kai. Nikki Cross enters the match. Cross tosses kendo sticks and trash can lids into the ring before entering the cage. Cross goes after Belair with a trash can lid and then chokes her with a kendo stick. Sky works over Asuka in the corner and then locks in a modified camel clutch. Alexa Bliss enters the match. Bliss goes right after Cross and levels her with a drop kick. Bliss stuns Sky with a forearm shot to the jaw, and then Asuka bulldogs Sky into a trash can lid. Cross grabs a kendo stick and sets her sights on Bliss, but Belair grabs the kendo stick and tears it in half. Kai and Sky land kendo stick shots to Belair as Cross climbs to the top of the cage. Belair whips her opponents with a braid, but Cross dives off the top of the cage and takes out everyone else in the match! Bayley enters the match. Bayley slides two ladders and a table into the ring before finally entering the cage. Bayley sunset flips Belair into the corner and then uses the table to slam Belair into the cage between the two rings. Cross slams Belair’s face onto the table, and then Sky hits an assisted standing moonsault onto Bliss. Kai hits an assisted double stomp onto Asuka. Mia Yim enters the match. Yim tosses two trash cans into the ring and then enters the cage. Yim launches a trash can into Kai and then guillotines Sky onto a trash can lid. Yim dumps Kai face-first onto a trash can lid, but Cross leaps onto Yim’s back and locks in a sleeper. All eight competitors head to the top in various corners. Superplexes all around! Rhea Ripley enters the match. Ripley charges straight into the cage and dropkicks Asuka into the corner and tosses Belair into Asuka into the corner. Bliss dives off the top rope at Ripley, but Ripley catches Bliss and counters into a suplex. Ripley locks in the Prism Trap on Asuka, and Sky lands a basement dropkick to Asuka while she’s in the hold. Becky Lynch enters the match. The WarGames match officially begins! The Man cleans house, drapes Sky over the second rope, puts a trash can over her, and lands a leg drop from the second rope. Lynch sets her sights on Bayley and demands that Bayley fight her. Lynch pounds on Bayley in the middle of the ring and stomps a mudhole in her against the cage. Ripley gets in Lynch’s face, blocks two punches, and head-butts her. Ripley hits Lynch with Riptide, but Asuka makes the save. Asuka hits Ripley with the poison mist, and Lynch follows up with a DDT. Bayley dumps Asuka face-first onto the top turnbuckle and then ties up Lynch in the tree of woe. Bayley stomps on Lynch’s chest and follows up with the Rose Plant on the steel between the rings. Bayley makes the cover, but Asuka again makes the save. Sky tries to climb the cage, but Asuka climbs behind her. Kai and Bayley climb next to Asuka, but then Yim and Bliss climb next to them. Belair slides under Asuka and goes for a Tower of Doom, but Cross breaks it up with a kendo stick shot to the gut. Belair pulls Bayley off the cage and hits a scary-looking powerbomb. Damn, Bayley landed at a nasty angle there. Sky climbs all the way to the top and takes out Bliss and Yim with a moonsault from the top of the cage. Cross grabs handcuffs and puts one end on Bliss, but Bliss grabs the other end and handcuffs herself to Cross. Bliss drops Cross onto a trash can as Asuka connects with a hip attack to Ripley in the corner. Ripley goes for Riptide on Yim, but Ripley throws herself and Yim through a ladder in the corner to break the hold. Belair and Lynch square off with Bayley, Sky, and Kai, and all five women start brawling. Belair goes for the K.O.D. on Kai, but Kai flips over and lands on her feet. Lynch catches Kai with the Manhandle Slam and then tells Belair to put Sky and Kai on the table. Lynch climbs to the top of the cage as Belair delivers a K.O.D. to Bayley into the cage. Lynch dives off the top of the cage and puts both Sky and Kai through the table with a leg drop. Lynch covers Kai and gets the three count.

Match Result: Becky Lynch defeats Dakota Kai with a diving drop from the top of the cage through a table.
Match Length: 39:45
Slimmer’s Rating: ****¼

AJ Styles w/ The O.C. vs. Finn Balor w/ The Judgment Day

Styles goes after Balor and focuses on his leg early. Styles lands a kick to the back of the leg and then head butts Balor across the ring. Styles slams Balor’s head into the top turnbuckle, but Balor fights back with a volley of springboard knee drops to the chest. Balor slams Styles’ face into the top turnbuckle and then whips him to the opposite corner. Balor delivers a backbreaker and gets a one-count. Styles goes for a sunset flip, but Balor rolls through and connects with a basement drop kick to the face. Balor locks in an abdominal stretch and then delivers two forearm shots to the lower back. Styles fights back a forearm shot to the jaw, but Balor goes right back to the abdominal stretch. Styles regains control with a sliding forearm and follows up with the Ushigoroshi for a two-count. Priest distracts the referee while Mysterio cheapshots Styles. Anderson and Gallows beat Priest and Mysterio into the crowd, and now Styles and Balor are alone in the ring. Styles suplexes Balor into the corner and makes the cover for a two-count. Styles tries to roll Balor into the Calf Crusher, but Balor rolls through and counters with a double stomp to the chest. Balor repeatedly kicks Styles in the face, but Styles defiantly gets back to his feet. Balor goes for the Styles Clash, but Styles blocks and tries to counter into the Calf Crusher, but Balor blocks. Styles hits a Pelé kick, but Balor hits an Ushigoroshi of his own. Styles heads up top and goes for a 450 splash, but Balor rolls out of the way. Balor heads up top and goes for the Coup de Grâce, but Styles rolls out of the way. Styles locks in the Calf Crusher, but Balor eventually breaks free. Balor gets back to his feet and works over Styles in the corner. Balor and Styles trade chops in the middle of the ring. Styles hits the Phenomenal Forearm and finally gets the three count.

Match Result: AJ Styles defeats Finn Balor with the Phenomenal Forearm.
Match Length: 18:29
Slimmer’s Rating: ****

SmackDown Women’s Championship
Ronda Rousey (Champion) w/ Shayna Baszler vs. Shotzi

Shotzi takes the fights to Rousey as soon as the bell rights, but Rousey easily judo tosses Shotzi to the mat. Rousey locks in an ankle lock, but Shotzi dumps Rousey to the outside. Shotzi goes for a suicide dive, but Baszler shoves Rousey out of the way and takes Shotzi’s full impact. Shotzi whips Rousey into the ring steps and then rolls her back into the ring. Shotzi heads up top and dives at Rousey, but Rousey catches Shotzi and counters into a judo throw to the mat. Rousey locks up both of Shotzi’s legs and then goes back to the ankle lock. Shotzi counters into an enzuigiri, but Rousey kicks Shotzi to the ropes and chokes her across the middle rope. Rousey heads to the apron, but Shotzi catches her with a quick right that drops her cold. Shotzi goes for a DDT on the apron, but she doesn’t get much of it. Shotzi takes out Baszler on the outside and then flips Rousey into the front row. Shotzi dumps Baszler onto Rousey and then dives off the barricade, driving both Rousey and Baszler through the first row of seats. Shotzi tosses Rousey back over the barricade and rolls her back into the ring. Rousey takes Shotzi up top and hits a judo throw off the top for a two-count. Rousey hits Piper’s Pit and then locks in the arm bar for the submission.

Match Result: Ronda Rousey defeats Shotzi with the arm bar.
Match Length: 7:21
Slimmer’s Rating: **¾

Triple Threat Match for the United States Championship
Seth “Freakin” Rollins (Champion) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory

Lashley clotheslines Theory to the outside as soon as the bell rings. Theory climbs back up onto the apron, so Rollins clotheslines him back down to the floor. Lashley goes for a vertical suplex, but Rollins shifts his weight and lands on his feet. Rollins heads to the apron, but Theory pulls his legs out from under him and whips him into the barricade. Theory charges back into the ring and beats Lashley down to the mat. Lashley fights back to his feet and delivers a vertical suplex to Theory. Rollins heads back into the ring and eats a shoulder to the gut from Lashley in the corner. Lashley catches Rollins and Theory with a Flatliner / DDT combo and follows up with the Big Ending to Rollins, but Theory pulls the referee out of the ring before he can make the three count. Lashley chases Theory around ringside and tries to slam him into the ring post, but Theory slides out the back and instead shoves Lashley into the ring post. Rollins heads to the outside and whips Lashley into the ring steps. Theory slams the steps into Lashley’s face and then does the same to Rollins. Theory rolls Rollins back into the ring and connects with a rolling dropkick for a two-count. Rollins catches Theory with a quick rollup but only gets a two-count. Rollins pounds on Theory in the middle of the ring and traps him against the ropes. Rollins drops Theory with the Sling Blade. Rollins hits a suicide dive to Lashley on the outside, heads back into the ring, and then dives back out of the ring onto both Lashley and Theory. Rollins heads back into the ring and Theory goes for another rolling dropkick, but Rollins catches him and counters into a sit-out powerbomb. Rollins goes for the Stomp on Theory, but Theory rolls out of the way, and Lashley locks in the Hurt Lock on Rollins. Theory locks in a sleeper on Lashley while Lashley still has the Hurt Lock on Rollins. Rollins eventually breaks free as Lashley starts to fade, and then Lashley dumps Theory back to the outside. Rollins hits Lashley with the Pedigree but only gets a two-count. Rollins heads up top and goes for the Phoenix Splash, but Lashley rolls out of the way. Rollins lands a kick to the side of Theory’s head but eats a stiff forearm shot to the jaw. Theory goes for the Pedigree, but Rollins tries to counter into A-Town Down, but Lashley breaks it up and locks in the Hurt Lock on both Rollins and Theory. Rollins and Theory back Lashley into the corner to break the hold. Rollins leaps off Theory’s back and hits Lashley with the Stomp. Rollins takes Theory up top and hits a superplex. Rollins rolls through and goes for the Falcon Arrow, but Lashley spears Rollins while he has Theory above his head. Rollins falls to the mat, and Theory falls on top of him for the three count.

Match Result: Austin Theory defeats Seth “Freakin” Rollins after Bobby Lashley speared Rollins in the middle of a Falcon Arrow.
Match Length: 14:48
Slimmer’s Rating: ***¾

Men’s WarGames Match
The Bloodline vs. The Brawling Brutes, Drew McIntyre, and Kevin Owens

Butch and Jey Uso start the match. Butch levels Jey with a clothesline and goes to the small joint manipulation. Butch stomps on Jey’s fingers and wrenches Jey’s fingers through the cage. Butch wraps Jey’s arm around the top rope, but Jey fights back and whips Butch face-first into the cage. Jey hits a neck breaker and follows up with an arm breaker. Jey tosses Butch onto the steel between the rings, but Butch traps Jey’s arm against the steel and stomps on it. Butch goes for a modified kimura as he waits for another member of his team to enter the match. Ridge Holland enters the match. Holland takes control of Jey as soon as he enters the ring and lands a volley of running splashes in the corner. Holland and Butch hit Jey with the high/low, and then Butch goes back to the small joint manipulation. Holland and Butch both stomp on Jey’s arms, but the odds are about to be evened. Sami Zayn enters the match. The Bloodline’s cage opens and Jimmy Uso begins to exit, but Roman Reigns pulls him back into the cage and tells Zayn to enter the match. Zayn reluctantly enters the match and takes the fight to Holland. Jey gets in Zayn’s face, and that gives Butch enough time to climb up the side of the cage and moonsault onto Jey and Zayn. Holland levels both of his opponents and tries to spear Jey into the cage, but Zayn pulls Jey out of the way, and Holland slams into the cage. Drew McIntyre enters the match. McIntyre levels Zayn with a clothesline and slams Jey into the cage. McIntyre belly-to-belly suplexes Zayn across the ring and takes Jey up top, but Zayn makes the save for Jey. McIntyre catches Zayn with the Future Shock DDT. Jimmy Uso enters the match. Jimmy slides three tables into the ring before climbing into the cage himself. Jey won’t let Zayn set up one of the tables, and Jey and Zayn start to shove each other. Jimmy breaks up the skirmish and teams up with Jey to slam McIntyre into the cage. Jimmy and Zayn prop up a table in the corner, and then Zayn stands on McIntyre’s neck in the corner. Kevin Owens enters the match. Owens brings two chairs into the ring with him and takes out both Usos. Owens DDTs Jimmy onto a chair and follows up with a cannonball to Jey in the corner. Owens hits a diving senton onto Jey and then stares down Zayn. Butch stomps on Jimmy’s fingers on a chair, and then Owens slams Jimmy through a table. Solo Sikoa enters the match. Sikoa charges into the ring and brawls with Butch. Sikoa turns Butch inside out with a running clothesline and then whips him into the cage. Sikoa whips Hollan into the corner and follows up with a Samoan Drop. Sikoa stares down Owens and then brawls on the steel between the rings. Owens whips Sikoa into the cage, but Sikoa back body drops Owens onto the steel between the rings. Sikoa brawls with McIntyre in the middle of the ring, and Sikoa gets the best of the exchange. Sikoa charges at McIntyre in the corner, but McIntyre catches him with a head butt. Sheamus enters the match. Zayn holds the door shut to try to prevent Sheamus from entering the cage, but Sheamus powers through him and charges into the cage. Sheamus catches Jey with a backbreaker, heads up top, and levels Jimmy and Sikoa with a diving double clothesline. Sheamus drives Jimmy into the cage and then does the same to Sikoa. Sheamus, Butch, and Holland splash Jey, Sikoa, and Jimmy against the cage. Sheamus lifts Sikoa, climbs up to the second rope, and hits White Noise from the second rope. Roman Reigns enters the match. The WarGames match officially begins! Reigns rallies the Bloodline, and they level their opponents. The Brawling Brutes regain control, stretch all five members of the Bloodline around the top rope, and hit Fifty Beats of the Bodhrán. Sheamus levels Reigns with a knee shot and takes out Sikoa with a Brogue Kick. Reigns catches Sheamus with the spear and makes the cover, but Butch makes the save. Zayn beats down Butch and Jey goes for a super kick, but Butch ducks, and Jey super kicks Zayn by mistake. The Usos take Butch up top for a 1D from the top. Jimmy goes for the pin, but Holland makes the save. Reigns spears Holland through a table in the corner. Reigns lands a Superman Punch to Owens and goes for the spear, but Owens counters with a super kick. Owens hits the pop-up powerbomb on Reigns and follows up with the stunner. Owens covers Reigns, but Zayn prevents the referee from making the three count. Owens stares down Zayn. Jimmy goes for a super kick to Owens, but Owens catches the leg, so Zayn low blows Owens. Zayn appears to be second-guessing his decision but still delivers a Helluva Kick to Owens in the corner. Zayn positions Owens on the mat and calls for Jey to hit the diving splash from the top for the three count. After the match, Zayn seems uncomfortable with his decisions, but he still gets a hug from Reigns. Jey hugs Zayn, and it appears that Zayn is still firmly a member of the Bloodline.

Match Result: Jey Uso defeats Kevin Owens with a diving splash from the top.
Match Length: 38:32
Slimmer’s Rating: ****½

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Five matches that ranged from good to great. No filler. No nonsense. Survivor Series WarGames was a very good show, but perhaps most importantly, this was a very NXT PPV… and I mean that as the highest compliment possible. This show felt like one of the classic NXT TakeOver shows, but that really shouldn’t be a surprise. We’ve had NXT talent getting called up to the main roster for ten years now, and coupled with Triple H now being in control, we’re seeing the culmination of plans that Triple H put in place a decade ago. The glory days of the Black & Gold Brand may have seemed like validation of everything that NXT had accomplished, but the true validation of the NXT experiment are main roster shows like we saw tonight.