By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Survivor Series WarGames
Chicago, Illinois at Allstate Arena
Aired live November 25, 2023 on Peacock, WWE Network, and pay-per-view
Kickoff Show notes: There were no matches. Santos Escobar delivered a good backstage promo. In a shocking development, the result of the potato chip company sponsored poll gave the advantage to the babyface team in the women’s WarGames match. The rest of the show featured a lot of video packages and chatter from the pre-show hosts. There will be a post show press conference with Triple H…
The main card opened with a video package that focused on the WarGames matches. Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” played and they showed Bayley when the “witches” line came up and included sound of her cackling laugh. They also focused on Judgment Day when the “wait till their judgement day comes” line came up and followed that up with Damian Priest saying, “All rise for The Judgment Day.” Nice touches…
Michael Cole welcomed viewers to the 37th Survivor Series. Cole was joined at the ringside broadcast table by Corey Graves and two bags of potato chips that Graves brought along for the party (or they were placed their for the sponsorship money)…
The WarGames cage was lowered around the two rings while a sired blared out and some pyro shot off. Cole ran through the rules of the WarGames match…
Entrances for the women’s WarGames match took place while the introductions were handled by ring announcer Samantha Irvin. Bianca Belair came out first and waited next to the two shark cages that were set up on the stage. Shotzi was out next followed by Charlotte Flair, and then Becky Lynch. Lynch bumped firsts with Belair and Shotzi, then looked at Flair and nodded before heading to the ring to start the match while the others entered their shark cage.
Iyo Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane, and Bayley all came out together wearing Asuka style masks, which Cole said was a sign of solidarity. Bayley headed to the ring while the others entered their shark cage…
1. “Damage CTRL” Iyo Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane, and Bayley (w/Dakota Kai) vs. Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Shotzi in a WarGames match. The babyface team had the WarGames advantage due to the results of a fan poll sponsored by a potato chip company (no, really). Bayley and Lynch started the match for their respective teams.
Bayley slammed Lynch onto the steel plates that cover the opening between the two rings. Lynch came back by running Bayley into the cage and then performed a couple of sliding kicks to send her crash into the cage. Lynch applied a Disarmer, which Cole noted could not result in a submission at this stage of the match. Kai slipped Bayley a kendo stick from the floor, which she ended up beating Lynch with.
Shotzi was the second entrant for the babyface team. Bayley tried to hold the cage door shut, but Shotzi ended up slamming it onto Bayley’s head. Shotzi went under the ring and pulled out chairs and a trashcan that she tossed inside the ring. The fans chanted for “tables” and booed when she did not comply. Bayley grabbed a chair and charged Shotzi, who kicked the chair at Bayley’s face.
Shotzi went for a suicide dives through the ropes from both rings, but Bayley saw her coming and spiked her head onto the mat. Lynch got the kendo stick and hit Bayley with it. Shotzi picked up a chair and Bayley was surrounded while standing between the two rings.
Bayley tried to escape over the top of the cage while the broadcast team noted that it would result in a forfeit for the team, but Lynch and Shotzi caught her. Lynch slammed Bayley’s head on the cage, causing Bayley to fall back into the ring. Lynch and Shotzi stood on the top rope and then jumped off and hit Bayley once she was back on her feet.
Iyo Sky was the second entrant for Damage CTRL. Cole said it was Sky’s fifth WarGames match, which is the most of anyone in WWE history. Sky brought a chain inside the ring and used it on Lynch and Shotzi. Sky jumped from the top rope in one ring to the other and then hit both opponents with a springboard missile dropkick.
Iyo Sky was the second entrant for Damage CTRL. Cole said it was Sky’s fifth WarGames match, which is the most of anyone in WWE history. Sky brought a chain inside the ring and used it on Lynch and Shotzi. Sky jumped from the top rope in one ring to the other and then hit both opponents with a springboard missile dropkick. Bayley and Sky worked over Shotzi while Lynch was down.
The third entrant for the babyface team was Bianca Belair. She entered the ring and used the two braids she wore to whip both opponents. Belair picked up Sky in powerbomb position and tossed her over her head and into a trashcan that was wedged in the ropes. Belair put Bayley down with a spinebuster.
Belair mounted Sky in the corner and threw punches until Bayley broke it up. The heel duo tried to pull Belair off the ropes by her braids, but she backflipped onto her feet. Shotzi splashed one opponent while Lynch executed a leg drop on the other.
The third entrant for Damage CTRL was Kairi Sane, who marched to the ring. Once she arrived at the cage door, she stopped and then went underneath the ring and pulled out a trashcan lid. The table loving fans booed. Sane brought the lid in the ring with her and hit Shotzi with it. Sane hit a sliding forearm on Belair, who was against the cage wall.
The Damage CTRL trio stacked chairs on top of Shotzi. Sane ran the ropes and then was popped into the air by Sky, and then Sane dropped an elbow onto the chairs and Shotzi. Belair rallied and pressed Sane over her head and then tossed her from one ring to the other and onto Bayley and Sky.
The final entrant for Damage CTRL was Asuka, who went under the ring and pulled out kendo sticks. The table loving nitwits booed. Asuka pulled out two more kendo sticks and threw them inside the ring, which drew more boos. Asuka pulled out a table and was cheered as it was slid inside the ring. Asuka also brought a fire extinguisher into the ring.
Once Asuka was inside the ring around 24:20, the bell rang while Samantha Irvin said, “Let the WarGames begin.” The Damage CTRL crew used the chain to tie Lynch and Belair together while they were seated on the canvas. The Damage CTRL members threw simultaneous dropkicks at Lynch and Belair.
Asuka and Shotzi ended up on the ropes together. Asuka sprayed mist at Shotzi. Bayley and Sane put a trashcan over Lynch and then Asuka hit it with a missile dropkick. Asuka covered Lynch for a two count. Bayley, Sky, and Asuka set up a table in one of the rings while Sane hit her opponents with a kendo stick.
Bayley and Sky fought Flair on the ropes until they were powerbombed by Belair and Lynch. Flair climbed to the top of the cage and performed a moonsault onto all four opponents. Sky appeared to take the worst of the fall and came up holding her head, but she got back to her feet and continued the match.
Flair and Lynch worked together and played to the crowd before coming together for a hug. Asuka and Sane went after them, but Flair put Sky in the Figure Eight while Lynch put Asuka in a Disarmer. Bayley jumped from the top rope to break up the Figure Eight. Sane tried to do the same, but Lynch put her knees up and put her in a submission hold that was also broken up by Bayley. Bayley broke up another pin and was declared the MVP of her team by Graves.
Lynch put Sane down with an inverted DDT. Bayley took out Lynch with a Roseplant. Shotzi took out Bayley. Asuka set up to use the mist, but Belair sprayed the fire extinguisher at Asuka. Sane blasted Shotzi with a trashcan lid. Flair put Sane down with a big boot. Flair went for a spear, but Bayley shoved her partner out of the way and took the move instead.
Shotzi hit Bayley with a top rope move. Belair hit Bayley with the KOD. Belair handed Bayley to Lynch, who was on the ropes. Lynch performed a Manhandle Slam through the table and pinned her to win the match…
Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Shotzi defeated Iyo Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane, and Bayley in 33:35 in a WarGames match.
After the match, Belair, Lynch, Flair, and Shotzi sat on top of one the cage and played to the crowd…
Powell’s POV: Hard work from everyone involved. The match was laid out to make Bayley look strong, so I assume her teammates will blame her and turn on her soon, which will lead to a babyface run for Bayley. Even as someone who prefers a roof on the WarGames structure, I must admit that they made pretty good use of being able to leap from the top of the cage.
Backstage, Otis, Akira Tozawa, Maxxine Dupri, Piper Niven, and Chelsea Green at on a couch eating potato chips. Pretty Deadly showed up and tried to pull the chips away from Otis, but they went flying. R-Truth popped up from behind the couch with a bowl of chips and called for everyone to get along. He plugged the sponsor, as did Tozawa, and then Tozawa did his silly dance…
An ad aired for the Royal Rumble event that will be held on Saturday, January 27 in Tampa Bay, Florida…
Backstage, Sami Zayn informed Jey Uso that Randy Orton had yet to arrive. Jey asked why Orton would show up and then recalled being the person who put Orton on the shelf in the first place. Zayn fired up and said that he would have Jey’s back and they would handle it together no matter what happened…
A video package set up the Intercontinental Title match while ads were shown to viewers on Peacock’s ad-based tier… Entrances for the match took place…
2. Gunther vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship. Cole noted that this was day 533 of Gunther’s reign as Intercontinental Champion, while all eight of Miz’s reigns added up to 532 days. Graves said that Gunther was a -5000 favorite to win the match. The match was held in the ring furthest away from the stage.
Early in the match, Miz wrapped Gunther’s knee around the ring post. Miz followed up with a figure four around the ring post and released it before the referee could count to five. Graves pointed out that Miz was taking a page out of Bret Hart’s playbook. Miz returned to the apron and went for a springboard move, but Gunther dropped him with a big boot to the face.
Gunther took offensive control and dominated Miz and put him down with another big boot to the face. Gunther played to the crowd and received a mixed reaction. Miz used the ropes to pull himself up. Gunther jawed at Miz and then set up for a powerbomb, but Miz threw punches at him and took him down with a huracanrana. Miz went back to targeting Gunther’s knee.
Miz threw kicks at Gunther and backed him into a corner. Miz threw additional kicks and then a knee strike. Gunther fired back with a chop. Miz executed a satellite DDT and covered Gunther for a two count. Miz set up for a Skull Crushing Finale. Gunther avoided it and ended up powerbombing Miz for a two count. Graves acted surprised by Miz kicking out.
Gunther put Miz in a sleeper hold. Miz reached the corner and pulled the turnbuckle pad off. Gunther didn’t break the hold until Miz kicked his way free and then caught him with a low blow kick. Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale and covered Gunther for a near fall that got a rise out of the crowd.
Miz set up for another Skull Crushing Finale, but Gunther countered into a sleeper. Miz pulled Gunther into the corner and ducked, causing Gunther to hit the exposed turnbuckle. Miz rolled onto Gunther and got a two count that fans cheered. Gunther cut off Miz with a clothesline.
Gunther went up top and performed a splash onto the back of Miz. Cole said Gunther didn’t get all of it. Gunther put Miz in a Boston Crab. Miz reached for the ropes, but Gunther pulled him to the middle of the ring and turned it into a Liontamer by driving his knee into Miz’s back, which forced Miz to tap out.
Gunther defeated The Miz in 12:20 to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
Cole played up the idea that Gunther overlooked Miz and didn’t expect him to put up that much of a fight. Graves said he didn’t think Gunther would ever make the same mistake again…
Powell’s POV: This went as expected in terms of Miz showing heart and coming up short. The crowd had fun with the match and bought into a couple of Miz’s near falls.
After some ads, they went to the Judgment Day clubhouse. Damian Priest, Finn Balor, and JD McDonagh were talking. Balor played up McDonagh being in his first PLE main event. Priest said he was proud of McDonagh. Dominik Mysterio arrived and said a dirty birdie told him that Randy Orton would not be there. Balor said it would either be five-on-four or Orton would show up and poison the other team from the inside…
A video package set up the Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee match while ads aired for Peacock’s ad-based subscribers… Ring announcer Mike Rome handled the introductions for the match…
3. Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee. They worked the match in the ring closest to the stage. Escobar took offensive control early and ran Lee into the ring steps. Escobar placed Lee’s right leg in the steps and said he would break his leg while Cole recalled Escobar injuring Rey Mysterio in the same fashion.
Lee fought back and escaped, then performed a huracanrana that pulled Escobar off the apron to the floor. Lee followed up with a flip dive. A “Dragon Lee” chant broke out. Back in the ring, Lee picked up a two count on Escobar. Lee picked up Escobar and dumped him on the mat.
Lee went to the ropes. Escobar got up and cut him off, but Lee fought him off. Escobar went after him again, but Lee threw punches. Escobar caught Lee with a kick and then joined him on the ropes and executed a huracanrana that led to a two count. Escobar protested the referee’s count.
Escobar made a play for Lee’s mask, but Lee was able to keep it on. A loud “asshole” chant broke out. Escobar brought Lee to the ropes and set up for a superplex. Lee fought back and got Escobar in the tree of woe before double stomping him and covering him for a two count. Lee charged Escobar, who dropped him with a superkick.
Cole said there were 17,138 fans in the building while the wrestlers traded strikes in mid-ring. Both men traded knee strikes. Lee powered up Escobar and hit a sit-out powerbomb for a two count. Lee went for a move that Escobar countered into a Destroyer. Escobar followed with a Phantom Driver and scored the clean pin…
Santos Escobar defeated Dragon Lee in 7:40.
Powell’s POV: Fun while it lasted. I think these two could have torn the house down with a longer and more competitive match, but the approach they took made sense given that they are giving Escobar a big heel push.
An ad aired for NXT Deadline for December 9 in what is expected to be the final WWE PLE of 2023…
New Day drove a Slim Jim car into the underground parking area and then got out and pimped the product…
A video package set up the Women’s World Championship match while ad-based subscribers watched advertising…
Zoey Stark was introduced by Samantha Irvin and came out wearing a few lines of face paint. Rhea Ripley made her entrance while Cole hyped her homecoming for Elimination Chamber in Australia…
4. Rhea Ripley vs. Zoey Stark for the Women’s World Championship. The match was held in the ring furthest away from the stage. Stark dropkicked Ripley to ringside. Stark sent Ripley back inside the ring and hit her with a missile dropkick that led to a two count. Stark set up for a springboard move and was hit by a Ripley headbutt, which led to a loud “Mami” chant.
Ripley set up for a move on the apron, but Stark fought back and ended up putting Ripley down with a DDT. Back in the ring, Stark performed a twisting senton for a two count. Ripley went to the floor. Stark caught her with a kick from the apron. Ripley avoided the next move that Stark went for and ended up running her into the ring post.
Back in the ring, Ripley dominated the offense and pulled Stark’s arms behind her before booting her face into the mat. Ripley placed Stark in a seated position on the top rope. Ripley went to the middle rope and traded strikes with Stark before grabbing her by the throat and going for a move that didn’t go right. Stark got up and dropped Ripley with a kick and covered her for a two count.
Stark rolled Ripley into a pin and got a two count. Ripley came right back and performed a series of moves that she capped off with a suplex into a bridge for a two count. Ripley pie-faced Stark, who smiled and asked if that’s all she had. Ripley went for her finisher, but Stark countered into a suplex. Stark followed with a kick and then covered Ripley for a near fall. Stark went for her Z360 finisher, but Ripley stuffed it. Ripley elbowed Stark a few times, avoided a kick, and put away with the Riptide…
Rhea Ripley defeated Zoey Stark in 9:15 to retain the Women’s World Championship.
Powell’s POV: This was good, but I honestly expected better. I’m not sure what they were going for on the ropes that didn’t pan out, but they got back on track quickly. The goal was clearly to make Stark look good in defeat and the broadcast team tried to tell that story. The match was solid, but I just don’t think they made the masses see Stark in a new light.
After some ads, the broadcast team hyped the Royal Rumble, as well as this event’s post show press conference…
Seth Rollins was stressed in his locker room when Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, and Cody Rhodes arrived. Rollins said Orton had yet to arrive. Jey said it was his fault. Cody told his teammates that he would be there and asked them to trust him…
A video package set up the main event while some Peacock users saw ads… The cage lowered around the ring and pyro went off. Cole read through the rules of the match while a graphic also displayed them…
Drew McIntyre was introduced by Mike Rome. McIntyre had his sword with him and stood on the stage while The Judgment Day foursome’s entrance followed. Damian Priest and McIntyre had a staredown. Priest gave fist bumps to the other Judgment Day members. Balor headed to the ring while the staredown continued. Dom and McDonagh entered the shark cage while Priest and McIntyre continued to lock eyes. Balor was shown entering the cage and then they cut back to McIntyre and Priest entering the shark cage without showing who won the staring contest.
Cody Rhodes made his entrance. Cole gave a shout-out to Cody’s father-in-law Otis and said he’s a fighter like Cody is. Jey Uso’s entrance followed and he stood on top of the shark cage and played to the crowd. Cole noted that Jey represented The Bloodline in WarGames last year and scored the winning pinfall. Sami Zayn made his entrance and played to the crowd before jawing at the heel team members. Seth Rollins was out last and wore a wild robe. Rollins hugged Jey and Sami, then looked at Cody and told him that he’s trusting him. Rollins headed to the ring while the other three entered the shark cage. Cole assumed this meant that Randy Orton had yet to arrive…
5. Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre and “The Judgment Day” Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh in a WarGames match. Seth Rollins and Finn Balor started the match. The heel team had the advantage due to earning it when McIntyre beat Jey in a singles match on Raw. Rollins ran the ropes and dove over the ropes of both rings while performing a suicide dive onto Balor to start the match.
Balor took offensive control and put Rollins down with a sling blade clothesline. Balor played to the crowd before running into a superkick. Rollins grabbed Balor in the area between the two rings and set up for a Pedigree, but Balor backdropped him onto the steel covering. Rollins sold back pain and rolled into one of the rings. Rollins rolled out of the way to avoid Balor’s Coup de Grace attempt and then put him down with a sling blade of his own.
The second entrant for Judgment Day team was JD McDonagh, who ran to the ring and was hit with a boot from Rollins when he tried to enter the cage. McDonagh grabbed a kendo stick and hit Rollins with it. McDonagh grabbed a second kendo stick and brought them both inside the cage where he gave one to Balor. The heels worked over Rollins with the kendo sticks. Rollins fought back and got one of the kendo sticks, but McDonagh hit him with a moonsault. Balor and McDonagh used the kendo sticks on Rollins again.
The second entrant for the babyface team was Jey Uso, who rought a chair inside the cage with him. The fans yelled “yeet” while Uso threw punches at both opponents. McIntyre was shown seething inside the heel shark cage. McDonagh put Jey down with a running Spanish Fly. The heels went for a double team move on Jey, but Rollins caught him and set him on his feet. Rollins and Jey threw simultaneous superkicks at their opponents. Rollins walked from the top rope in one ring to the other before jumping off and hitting Balor.
The third entrant for the Judgment Day team was Damian Priest. McIntyre wanted to go after Jey, but Priest told him to stick to the plan. Priest entered the cage despite Rollins and Jey waiting for him. Rollins caught Priest with a chair to the side. Priest pulled out a baton and beat the babyfaces with it. Cody was shown in his shark cage asking where the weapon came from. McDonagh and Balor held Rollins and Uso while Priest hit them with a move from the ropes.
The third entrant from the babyface team was Sami Zayn, who shook hands with Cody before exiting the shark cage. Zayn slammed the cage door on Balor. Zayn teased entering the cage and then stopped and pulled out a table, which drew a big pop and an “Ucey” chant from the crowd. Zayn slid the table inside the cage. Zayn got Priest down in between the rings and stomped his feet on him repeatedly. Zayn put Balor down with a Blue Thunder Bomb and then went to the ropes. Zayn tried to go to the top of the cage, but McDonagh joined him on the top rope. Zayn slammed McDonagh’s head into the cage to knock him down. Zayn pulled a steel pipe out of the cage and then jumped down and used it as a weapon.
The fourth entrant for the Judgment Day team was Drew McIntyre (Judgment Day saved their heavy hitter for last!). McIntyre suplexed Zayn and then performed an Alabama Slam on Rollins that sent him crashing onto Zayn. McIntyre slowly went from one ring to the other while staring down Jey, who was down on the mat. McIntyre opened his arms while Jey got to his feet, which led to both men throwing punches. McIntyre caught Jey with a kick and went for a Future Shock DDT, but Jey stuffed it and superkicked him. McIntyre put Jey down with a neckbreaker. McIntyre picked him up Jey and then ran him into the cage wall. McIntyre picked up Jey and told him to “acknowledge what you did” and ran him into the cage again.
The fourth member of the babyface team was Cody Rhodes. Cole recalled Dusty Rhodes creating the WarGames match and noted that he never lost the match. Cody entered the cage and cleaned house on the heels. Cody pulled a bull rope out from an area in between the ring and cage. Rollins grabbed the other side and stared at Cody, but then they worked together and ended up crotching Balor with it. The fans started booing in anticipation.
The final entrant for the Judgment Day team was Dominik Mysterio. Dom started doing his Eddie Guerrero tribute spots until he was surrounded by Rollins, Zayn, and Jey. Dom released Cody and was then attacked by all four opponents. Cody ran Dom into the cage while Rollins and Zayn set the table up in the corner of one of the rings. Zayn passed Dom to Rollins, who set him up for a powerbomb, but Dom’s teammates intervened. While the heels took control, a “Randy” chant started. A CM Punk chant followed and there were some boos in response (I believe that’s happened a few times tonight). McDonagh performed a top rope moonsault onto Zayn, and then Dom hit Cody with a frog splash. The heels set up the table in the ring and then Priest put Rollins through it with a Razor’s Edge.
The fans counted down along with the timer, but Randy Orton didn’t come out. Rather, the Judgment Day theme played. Rhea Ripley ran out holding the Money in the Bank briefcase and a referee. Cole yelled that Damian Priest was going to cash-in, but Ripley was stopped in her tracks by entrance music.
The final entrant for the babyface team was Randy Orton, who came out to a big pop. Orton closed the cage door behind him. “And now let the WarGames begin,” Mike Rome announced around 29:50. Cole acknowledged that Orton was returning from double fusion back surgery. Orton put one of his opponents down with a Draping DDT. McIntyre glared at Orton from the other ring, and then Orton spotted him. McIntyre entered Orton’s ring and squared off with him, but Priest hit Orton from behind. The heels put the boots to Orton.
The babyfaces regrouped and they all hit simultaneous Draping DDT’s on the heels for a big pop. Orton’s struck the Viper’s Pose and then turned and looked at Jey. “You and your boys, you did that,” Orton told Jey. Priest tried to hit Orton from behind, but Jey intervened with a superkick. The babyfaces hit their big moves on the heels and had them down. McDonagh got to his feet and was surrounded by the babyfaces. McDonagh tried to escape over the top of the cage, but Zayn stopped him and then Rollins joined them both on top of the cage.
Orton stood in the middle of the ring and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Rollins and Zayn tossed McDonagh off the cage and into an RKO from Orton, who shot up and slapped hands with Cody. Orton told Cody to take it, and then Cody hit Priest with CrossRhodes and pinned him to win the match.
Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn defeated Drew McIntyre and “The Judgment Day” Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh in 34:50 in a WarGames match.
After the match, Rollins and Zayn hugged Orton. The bayfaces lined up and raised their arms together.
Just as it appeared the show was ending, “Cult of Personality” played and the fans popped huge. CM Punk walked out wearing a white t-shirt and jeans and stood on the stage area in front of the shark cages. Punk looked around the building and a massive “CM Punk” chant broke out. Punk dropped down to one knee, patted his hand on the ground, looked at his watch, and said, “It’s…” and let the fans fill in the “Clobberin’ time.”
Punk looked to the ring and smiled. Punk celebrated with a fan along the barricade while the “CM Punk” chants continued. “Whose town is this?” Punk asked. The fan said “Chicago” repeatedly. Punk walked over and hugged other fans. Punk went back to the stage and yelled, “Oooooooohhhhhhhhh!” before they cut to a video package that recapped the event…
Powell’s POV: A hot main event with great return for Orton… that was completely upstaged by Punk’s surprise return to WWE in his hometown. If there were any boos for Punk, they were completely drowned out by the fans cheering like crazy. They went absolutely nuts for Punk’s return. What a cool moment. The actual match was a lot of fun and was capped off with the crowd pleasing sequence that saw the babyfaces all hit their finishers before McDonagh took that great RKO. The babyfaces celebrating their win would have been a great close to the show, but Punk’s return really put an exclamation point on the night.
I will have a lot more to say about Survivor Series when Jake Barnett and I team up for our same night audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below and by voting for the best match.
As one team has Charlotte and Shotzi on it, and the other has Asuka and Kairi, which is the babyface team with the advantage?
5 minutes in and I’m already tired of Shitzi being on my screen. And now we’ve got the stupid chairs and shit in the ring with another 5 people/15 minutes before the real match actually starts.
At least this is being done at the beginning so we can have the 4 potentially good matches afterwards.
Oh good. The dumbest thing in WWE, Bianca’s braids. Now there are 2 of them. Ugh.
If Zoey Stark ever becomes even an average promo she’s going to have a chance to be a star.
One of your top insights for all of 2023! Completely agree
I still don’t understand the negative criticisms in Zoey’s promos. I just don’t get it at all, but if I did agree with your statement it comes to the fact that Zoey still has room for improvement in that area and she could become a star because she’s becoming one of the best women in all of pro wrestling in the ring.
I will have nightmares after hearing Cole say “meatstick” twice
Both WarGames matches had the first two people battle between the rings and do a bump on the metal. Who the fuck booked that?
Good show. The opener wasn’t particularly good, or interesting, but it did have two big spots that helped it not be a complete waste.
Miz and Gunther was better than it should have been.
Escobar and Definitely Not Rey was just there.
Rhea and Zoey put on a good, physical match. I’d like to see more of them as opponents.
The cash in tease plus the Orton appearance helped make the men’s WarGames probably the second best match of the night.
They always come back. All of them
I thought this was a great show. The women’s war games match was the weaker of the two, but I thought it was a good effort.
The men’s match was just about near perfect. I only have only one major complaint. Priest is the MITB holder and a possible future world champion. He should not have been the one taking the pin. It makes him look week and if he does win the title, he will be seen as a week champion. McDonough should have been the one to take the pin.
As a long time CM Punk fan and a big critic of the way AEW handled his time there (not that CM was innocent of course) I can tell you that I must have looked like Wile E Coyote with my jaw on the floor when Cult of Personality hit! And I don’t think it’s back in place now! AEW fucked up and the blame lies with that coward Khan and those Chiefs who should learn to be Indians (speaking colloquially I should point out) – yeah I’m looking at you, Jack Perry! Massive set back for AEW and it serves them right!
Jungle Jackoff and his coked up socially incompetent boss really let WWE bring back Randy Orton and CM Punk on the same night. Good lord, I think it’s time to start the countdown to TNT cutting ties with the company that does moronic shit like blackface singers and Butterfly Cowboys drinking other people’s blood.
So glad Punk is back!
I never liked the War Games concept. Too much stalling. Then, ten people in the ring, but only 1 pinfall? They should start with ten, then eliminate. And 2 rings for the rest of the card just looks strange.
Priest took the pin because he’s probably getting booted from Judgement Day
that’s my thought as well
This buggy, maddening website moved my post to be a reply.
While I’m here, though, AEW didn’t learn a thing from the pizza cutter bloodletting. More blood does not make it grown up. Drinking the blood was approved, I read. Idiotic segment that had no context in regard to character or story. Also, gross.
Was at this event and have been to several other ple and raw/smackdown shows. When punks music hit the place just absolutely lost it. Tv sounded good after I was able to watch it but live was freaking awesome. The only big four ppv I’ve been to but that was the greatest experience me and the boy ever had. Place was packed and the energy was hot from well before the show began.
Having been to the arena several times over the years (back when it was the Horizon, like 1983, even) i know what that room sounds like. How were the boos for Dom Dom?
It was as expected; tv didn’t do it justice but it was loud. The funny thing is that during both shows CM Punk chants would start and you could a good sound of booing as well. That obviously wasn’t the case when he came out lol.
Great insight as it’s great to hear from someone who was actually at the show. I used to live in Chicago so I’ve been to both venues. I visited Chicago back in the summer to go to All Out at the United Center and between both arenas, AllState always felt louder. The only negatives on AllState is that the building is bland and location is terrible, but other than that it tends to be the louder venue.
Punk and Orton pops came off super loud on TV. Chicago is one of the best places to bring people back. I think you had to do it in Chicago to get the best pop possible for Punk because people always lose their shit for Punk in Chicago.
Overall this was a very strong crowd as they seemed to really be into that women’s WarGames match at the beginning of the show which to me was the best match of the night in my opinion.
The pyro seemed louder than usual too, so I know in person that had to have quite the feel to it.
Women’s match was the best of the night. Rest of the show’s matches were let downs, esp the men’s War Games match.
Punk has now shown he’s the biggest hypocrite in pro wrestling.
I was gonna say, now that Punk is back with WWE, those on here yapping about him and AEW are now gonna jump on here to now profess their love for him now and say how glad he’s back, but it’s already started. Some people can’t pick a lane when they think they’re so objective in these comments.
The copium from you AEW donks is hilarious.
Look at you use a thesaurus. Case in point right here, ladies and gentlemen.
Stone, he’s not wrong. You were bashing Punk being in AEW and now suddenly you and the other “OMG NO MATTER WHAT AEW SUCKS!” WWE marks are jumping for joy. Also, making idiotic commments like “AEW LET” WWE do anything reveals, again, your ignorance in favor of saying something negative about AEW. However, it IS funny to see that AEW lives in your head rent-free. Enjoy!
Yeah man, one thing that a lot of us in the pro wrestling community have been complaining about since Punk showed up in the WWE the other night is the hypocrisy from AEW haters. I don’t respect dudes that dissed Punk while he was in AEW and saluting him now. That’s not only just plain wrong, but it’s seriously weird as well. I can’t support or respect anybody who changes their tune like that based on somebody’s who’s in a company they don’t respect.
It is funny to see that AEW lives in his head rent free though. LOL!
I agree as the women’s match was clearly the best of the night and the energy of the Chicago crowd was so awesome during this match. Lots of great spots in there as Damage CTRL were great heels during this match. They went a lot harder than the men’s match.
The other four matches were solid, but still left me disappointed. The championship women’s match left me feeling like they could’ve done more. They will need to run that one back because Zoey Stark is so great in the ring. This felt more like a wide sampling of what she could do and what she’s capable of as she should main event WrestleMania.
Well I was pissed they got CM Puke back on the same show as Randy Ortons return. Yes I know its his hometown but they could have saved him until the Rumble to make Randys return seem more of a big deal. Which one of them becomes the back seat passenger whilst the other gets the big push? Please just dont let it already be the predictable last 2 men in the Rumble,
I see what you mean, but Punk had to return in Chicago though to get the best pop possible. That means that Orton’s return should’ve been on a different show. Maybe put him as the final entry of the Royal Rumble, so that his return would’ve been the story of the night heading into the official start of WrestleMania season.
I am so happy to see my prediction come true. I said the same peope who bashed CM Punk when he showed up in AEW would be cheering the decision if WWE brought him back, and SHOCKINGLY, I was 100% right. WWE marks are at least consistent.
I know everybody has their criticisms of CM Punk and I do as well as I hate how he left AEW in the dust, but I have a bigger problem with AEW haters who were bashing Punk when he was there and praising him now that he’s in the WWE. I can’t respect those fans at all. With that being said, no matter what you think of Punk or how he’s going to run into trouble again in the WWE, it’s always so cool to see Chicago go apeshit for him.
Chicago is the best pro wrestling crowd in the country bar none although New York can get up there with Chicago. This crowd tonight was the best the WWE stateside all year. I remember how great the London and Puerto Rico crowds were at those PLE events. They were into every match and giving loud pops to really good spots, so shoutout to Chicago. A lot of these Raw crowds are too quiet, so it was great to see a great changeup from that here.
I thought the Women’s WarGames match was the best of the night as Damage CTRL did a great job of being heels and the babyfaces were booked solidly here. Kairi Sane is a beast and so is Iyo Sky. That spot Iyo did with the trash can was the moment of the match. Dakota Kai should get her flowers for how she instigated things ringside outside of the cage as well. Damage CTRL has been fully turned around since moving over to SmackDown and getting Iyo the title. This was such an exciting match and the crowd was going hard all during the match. I point that out because we know sometimes wrestling crowds are too quiet during some women’s matches. This might be the most energized one I’ve heard since MITB in London.
I thought the ladies sent the bar so high that everything else was meh.
I think the Rhea vs. Zoey match was solid, but it left some to be desired because I know Zoey is capable of putting together a top 5 women’s match of the year. She showed us a large sample size here as she hung in there with Rhea very well. I just can’t ever agree on the negative criticisms about Zoey’s charisma, she has it to me, it can be a little better which would make her a star, but I think she’s gonna become that anyways over time because this woman can go in that ring. They definitely will have to run this back and give both ladies 20 minutes like we saw from Rhea and Charlotte earlier this year at Mania. The crowd loves Rhea too, but I think if Zoey faced Charlotte or Bianca she gets pops from the crowd and they root for her.
The men’s match was a 10/10, but not better than the women’s to me. Judgment Day have done a great job of becoming the main villains in the company outside of The Bloodline. The moment Damian finally beats Seth to cash in the MITB will be a great moment. Orton got a large pop which was great, I know some people had an issue with him returning on the same show with Punk, but he still got his due though.
Overall, much better show than I expected, but I think the Chicago crowd added to it because of the energy. I still think Bound For Glory which was also in the same city the month before was better and Full Gear was probably the best PPV of the year in my opinion.