The 2022 version of WWE’s Survivor Series shook things up massively by bringing the War Games stipulation to the main roster for the first time in history, which was a great call. It led to the event feeling like a true ‘big four’ show once again, and the wrestlers on the card didn’t let people down.
With tons of great storytelling, dangerous wrestling, and engaging matches, it was a great way of wrapping up 2022 for WWE’s premium live events. With a mixture of title matches and grudge encounters, there was something for everyone on the card with several impressive individual performances coming through this one.
5/5 Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Shotzi Blackheart (SmackDown Women’s Championship Match)
This was always going to be a tough match to engage the crowd as nobody believed that Shotzi Blackheart could take the title away from Ronda Rousey here. It led to quite a quiet crowd at various points, but they worked hard to try to get them involved with Rousey’s trash-talking and Blackheart taking her offense out of the ring.
However, there were slightly too many clunky moments throughout this match that stopped it from ever kicking into another gear to feel like a worthy premium live event match. The story wasn’t there, and the lack of time that they got prohibited them from putting on a memorable encounter.
4/5 AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor
Likely to the surprise of nobody this match was fantastic, with two of WWE’s most experienced stars putting on a clinic inside the ring. It was a very well-worked match, with the two going back and forth throughout. The four men at ringside fought to the back so it allowed them to be the focus as AJ Styles and Finn Balor brought into plenty of reversals.
There could have been a couple more believable near falls, but the story was Styles working the leg for a submission win, but eventually catching him with the Phenomenal Forearm. Balor may not have won, but he was equally as impressive with these two having clear chemistry inside the squared circle.
3/5 Seth Rollins (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory (United States Championship Match)
This type of match could easily have gone wrong, but all three men were highly motivated and brought their best. Bobby Lashley got to dominate with his strength, Austin Theory took charge using weapons and being extra aggressive, while Seth Rollins busted out a lot more high-flying moments to showcase his recent babyface turn.
They did a great job of building this match-up with several very clever back-and-forth moves that involved all three men. There were some great near falls involved in this one which made everyone look good. Plus, the finish of Lashley accidentally helping Theory win with his Spear was a great storytelling tool.
2/5 Damage CTRL, Nikki Cross, & Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Asuka, & Mia Yim (Women’s WarGames Match)
The women kicked off the premium live event in a crazy fashion inside WarGames in a match filled with weapons and crazy spots. Nikki Cross, IYO SKY, and Becky Lynch all took huge bumps from the top of the structure while everyone was impressed inside it. There were callbacks to old rivalries like Cross and Alexa Bliss, and everyone got a chance to shine.
Several future matches got to be teased throughout this one while seeing Lynch come out with the win after a huge Leg Drop from the top of the structure was an impressive spot. Fans want to see carnage from these types of matches, and that is exactly what they delivered, entertaining everyone with their efforts.
1/5 The Bloodline vs. Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, & The Brawling Brutes (Men’s WarGames Match)
While the women’s match was certainly more chaotic out of the two, there’s no doubt that the levels of story inside the men’s match made this the strongest encounter of the night. Everything built up perfectly with tensions between Sami Zayn and Jey Uso throughout the match, including Jey accidentally taking down his teammate.
Of course, everyone else in this match was excellent, and they all fulfilled their roles. Solo Sikoa and Drew McIntyre were able to interact, while The Brawling Brutes looked aggressive. But it all built to Zayn’s big decision, which was to turn on his former friend Kevin Owens, stopping him from winning the match.
It was shot perfectly, as he grabbed the officials hand after KO seemingly had the match won. That then led to him choosing The Bloodline, hitting a low blow as he offered up Owens to Jey for them to win. Seeing them embrace after the match and bury the hatchet was a special moment, with this being a very detailed main event match that felt like a unique WarGames encounter, and that is always a good thing.
