Powell’s WWE Survivor Series Hit List: WarGames matches, John Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio for the IC Title, Stephanie Vaquer vs. Nikki Bella for the Women’s World Championship

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

WWE Survivor Series WarGames Hits

John Cena vs. AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship: I can’t think of another match that had this much outside interference, yet was actually fun as opposed to coming off as an unsatisfying, overbooked mess. The huracanrana injury tease by Dom was tremendous. It looked like Dom land harder on his shoulder than Penta did on Raw, and he sold it so effectively that I feared he was injured, and the penultimate match of Cena’s career would have to be waved off prematurely. After interference from Raquel Rodrigeuz, Roxanne Perez, Finn Balor, and JD McDonagh, it was Liv Morgan, who mimicked Cena’s own heel turn at Elimination Chamber, and delivered the low blow that set up Dom for the win. There was a real sense of mystery regarding where Morgan stood when she came out. Now that she’s rejoined Dom, I’m curious to see how she interacts with Perez and the other members of her potentially fractured faction. Speaking of which, it’s crazy to think of how many times I was ready to write off the Judgment Day since it started, and yet it’s still going strong heading into another new year. The only surprising omission from the match was Rey Mysterio. I thought the hometown hero would come out to counter Balor and McDonagh, but he never appeared in front of the San Diego fans in a meaningful role during the big stadium show.

Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, and Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso in a WarGames match: The man widely regarded as the future of the company took such a nasty landing that Wade Barrett stated later on commentary that he feared Breakker was paralyzed. I don’t know what went wrong or who is to blame, but I hope to never see someone Breakker’s size take another Doomsday Device. Putting that aside, this was a WarGames match built on star power. Cody caught Punk with an elbow, but I expected more in-match drama involving other teammates. Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable WarGames match, and I like that it concluded with Breakker pinning Punk. Sure, we had the mystery person interfere, but it was still a big feather in Breakker’s cap that puts him in line for a title shot. I won’t ruin it here for fans who like to avoid spoilers, but the person under the hood isn’t someone who will wow the fans if he is revealed as the mystery attacker. Although I suspect they will go with that person, it would be a great twist if creative had him play the part because it plays into past reports about him aligning with some of the wrestlers in the match, yet they actually swerve the fans by having someone else under the hood when it comes time for the big reveal. The post-match angle with Reigns telling Cody they would never team together again points to them meeting for a third WrestleMania singles match. Meanwhile, Punk vs. Breakker vs. Seth Rollins would be great, and that’s coming from someone who typically scoffs at having Triple Threats rather than singles matches on the biggest show of the year. Lesnar is featured in the WrestleMania ad with Punk, Cody, and Reigns, and therefore might be Punk’s opponent, but I would prefer to see Lesnar vs. Gunther.

Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, and AJ Lee vs. Asuka, Kairi Sane, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, and Becky Lynch in a WarGames match: A soft Hit for a decent WarGames match. This match had the awkwardness of the babyfaces having the advantage, and they didn’t do anything creatively to erase it like they did when Dakota Kai turned on Tegan Nox during an NXT WarGames match in 2019. Am I alone in thinking that Iyo Sky’s annual dive from the top of the cage with a trash can over her has run its course? It’s similar to how Kofi Kingston avoided elimination from Royal Rumble matches. It was fun, but it’s time to move on rather than run it into the ground. It didn’t help that they got too cute with it by painting Sky’s name on a trash can. I hope Asuka accidentally spraying mist at Legend isn’t leading to an awkward heel team vs. heel team feud over the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. Did the producers fail to communicate? First, Lee climbed over the cage to enter this match, and then Cody did the same thing later during the men’s match. Both instances served as reminders of how much I dislike that the modern WarGames structure doesn’t have a roof. I’m not big on having a lot of weapons in WarGames matches either, but they actually went lighter on those than I anticipated. The honeymoon for the returning Lee is still in full effect, based on the strong reactions she received here and on the television shows that led up to it. Lynch was at making the fans want to see her character get her comeuppance. But once the match was over, it didn’t feel like anything had been resolved. Granted, the men’s match was no different in that regard, but the mystery attacker, Breakker pinning the World Heavyweight Champion, and the post-match angle made that match feel more important.

WWE Survivor Series WarGames Misses

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Nikki Bella for the Women’s World Championship: The live crowd’s apathetic reaction during Nikki’s entrance told the story. I actually felt bad for her. Nikki did a lot for the women’s division and truly did help bring in new fans via Total Divas, but the fans were flat for her. They just didn’t view her character as a threat to beat Vaquer. As such, it felt like it took 12 minutes to get to the inevitable outcome without even a single convincing near fall for Nikki. At most, I’d get a quick TV rematch out of this and move on. But if the creative team really wants to extend this program for some reason, they should bring in Brie Bella and hope that stacking the deck against Vaquer via the threat of Twin Magic and other outside interference would be enough to make fans care.

(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)