WWE’s final major premium live event of 2025 takes place this weekend as WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2025 descends on Petco Park in San Diego.
Continuing in the recent trend of ditching the traditional five-on-five Survivor Series match in favor of the double-ring, double-cage WarGames contests, we’ll see both the men and women battle in "The Match Beyond” this weekend.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHow will all of this play out? Well, thankfully the Uncrowned Horsemen — Anthony Sulla-Heffinger, Robert Jackman, Drake Riggs and Kel Dansby — took a break from Black Friday shopping to preview the event and answer several key questions.
Let’s ride!
1. Assuming one HAS to win, which heel team should emerge victorious in their respective WarGames match?
Sulla-Heffinger: Looking at the overall composition of both matches, the heel men feel like they need this win more than anyone as we slowly build toward WrestleMania 42 next April. To get even more specific, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed’s momentum NEEDS to keep moving forward and a victory in WarGames is the perfect way to do that. It sets up immediate challengers for CM Punk, advances the rift with Seth Rollins even as he recovers from injury, and makes either Vision member (read: Breakker) a threat to win the Royal Rumble in January.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA heel victory on the men’s side could also set up Brock Lesnar as Cody Rhodes’ next feud and potentially creates more tension between the OG Bloodline members, Roman Reigns and the Usos.
Semi-related, I think we all want the payoff of Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley burying the hatchet so the faces should win that one.
Jackman: Good question! If you were looking at the recent run of WarGames matches, you might assume it was a law of nature that the bad guys have to lose. I think the only heel team to win one of those matches in modern WWE was the old Roman Reigns Bloodline, back when they were at the very height of their power. So, yeah, I agree it’s about time another heel team joined them on that pedestal.
To be honest, I think the heel team on the men’s side is a strong favorite, and probably with good reason. Given how much WWE has invested in building up The Vision, it would be a massive step backward if they ended up on the losing side. I mean, it’s bad enough they’ve already been overshadowed by Brock Lesnar in what was meant to be their big match.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSpeaking of Lesnar, does anyone honestly think WWE is going to let his side lose, given what transpired at Wrestlepalooza? They had him make mincemeat out of John Cena in 10 minutes for goodness’ sake — they’re not going to let him lose now.
Riggs: WWE has set up the dysfunction angle on the face side significantly more than anything it's done for the heels — even though Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar have proven continuously untrustworthy throughout their histories. But WWE having respect for its in-storyline history? Who am I kidding?
As I typed that, it also made me think about how hilariously dumb it is that McIntyre and Lesnar are randomly cool and fine teaming together — as if McIntyre joining Paul Heyman alone wasn't enough.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnyway, more seeds have been planted for the face squad to implode, and I echo Anthony's sentiment that The Vision, in particular, needs to stay strong the most. With that said, it's not like they can't be protected by Logan Paul taking the pin, which is a very real possibility.
Dansby: The answer is The Vision. They need to stand strong in this match. It’s their first major showcase since Seth Rollins’ injury and his removal from the group, and the ongoing story with Jey Uso practically begs for another setback. Jey losing because he still isn’t fully committed to doing things the right way continues the arc they’ve been telling for more than a year.
Let Bron Breakker score the pin. WWE has been positioning him as a future main-eventer on "Raw," and a WarGames breakthrough would be the perfect way to rocket him toward something meaningful heading into 2026 Royal Rumble season.
2. Who will be the MVPs of each WarGames match?
Jackman: I’m going to get in first with a mention of Lash Legend. She made one hell of an impact in that Battle Royal back at Evolution, and I'm certain she can do the same thing again this time around. The way WWE has been presenting her on “SmackDown” makes me think she’s going to get one of those Gunther/Bron Breakker–style pushes, where a former NXT star starts beating main roster stars straight away.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn the men’s side, I’m going to go with Cody Rhodes. Judging by his excellent battle speech when he was standing on the table on “SmackDown,” I think he’s genuinely fired up for this one. It’s also going to be one of those big stadium shows that tend to bring out the best in “The American Nightmare.” His relationship with Roman Reigns remains one of the more intriguing slow-burn storylines in modern WWE.
Riggs: It's annoying to say it, but I'm sure Lesnar will deliver some ridiculous spots, tossing people around and looking like a madman beast. You know, the usual. He'll enter last and have as little time as possible in this match, making him seem more significant than he'll actually be.
Although "Rhiyo" doesn't miss in this environment, this is designed to be — or should be — Lash Legend's coming-out party. We've already seen glimpses of her brilliance, like in the Battle Royal at Evolution. WWE desperately needs to push her directly to the world title picture, not the tag scene. Jade Cargill and everyone around her title needs freshening up. You're telling me WWE can't easily book that feud? If not, all hope really is lost.
Dansby: WarGames MVPs are usually the high-flyers, the ones who take the craziest bump or hit the biggest spot. This year’s lineups, though, don’t have the same amount of daredevils as past matches. Iyo Sky almost certainly climbs the cage with a trash can again — it’s become her signature — but I’ll go in a different direction.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn the women’s side, Rhea Ripley feels like the obvious MVP. Her power spots in a double-ring environment will create the biggest moments, and WWE loves giving her dominant showcases before major title programs.
On the men’s side, Brock Lesnar locked inside WarGames speaks for itself. He’s going to maul everyone in reach, toss bodies into steel and create instant GIFs. Whether fans like it or not, Brock will walk out as the match’s MVP simply due to pure destruction.
Sulla-Heffinger: For the men, Rhodes immediately comes to mind considering his body of work since his return to WWE. Don’t sleep on Logan Paul in this match though.
On the women’s side, Iyo Sky will be a star in any WarGames match she participates in, but I’m expecting big things from Lash Legend. This is her biggest moment in her WWE career thus far and a strong performance here could catapult her to newfound heights.
3. We’ve already seen a surprise women’s championship change this month with Maxxine Dupri dethroning Becky Lynch. Is there any chance Nikki Bella takes out Stephanie Vaquer? If Vaquer retains, who should be her next challenger?
Riggs: No, no, no, no and no some more. That would be one of the dumbest booking decisions imaginable. Making this match, and how it came together, is already dumb enough. Bella can be a heel champion, that's not the problem. It's the timing of her doing nothing — including not winning — since she turned. Build it.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementI'm still waiting on the trigger to be pulled on Vaquer vs. Ripley, but that seems fated for WrestleMania 42. So what do we do next? I dare say move over Tiffany Stratton to "Raw" and properly ignite something there. Or the real answer? Do it with Giulia. Hell, bring them both over to "Raw." Give me that triple-threat feud yesterday and three times on Saturday.
WWE clearly needs to shuffle the deck despite its constant refusal to do so. You're welcome, HHH.
Sulla-Heffinger: Is there a chance? Sure, you could have Bella cheat to win and extend this program a little longer and I don’t think it would do any real damage to Vaquer’s trajectory.
Will it happen? I would be legitimately stunned if it did.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen you look at the women’s WarGames match, you could make a compelling case for just about half of them when it comes to challenging Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship. There’s also the return of Liv Morgan to factor in at some point down the line and a wealth of other talent in the "Raw" women’s division. It’s a stark contrast to what we’ve seen at the top of the card on the men’s side. This is a good problem to have if you’re WWE.
Jackman: Not a chance. How many weeks has it been since they had Stephanie go over clean against Tiffany Stratton in Australia? It was only about six weeks ago — I think I still have a couple of unopened beers in my fridge that I bought for that event. There’s no way they’re having her lose to a part-timer, even a popular one like Nikki Bella, less than two months after becoming their double champion.
Once this feud has been put to bed, I think "La Primera" needs some real turmoil — an opponent who can actually give her the runaround a bit on “Raw” and maybe come close to scoring an underhanded victory at a big PLE. Her match against Iyo Sky was a genuine Match of the Year contender, but there was no build or feud to speak of, so now she needs something with some grit.
Why not have Asuka and Kairi Sane prey on Vaquer, using some of the dastardly tactics they’ve been mastering on “Raw” recently? Seeing the champion in a bit of peril for once would be a nice change.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDansby: Nikki Bella is absolutely getting her big entrance and nostalgia pop, but she isn’t dethroning Vaquer. WWE clearly views Stephanie Vaquer as a long-term project, and she’s been protected like one of the company’s most important international signings. She’s headed into WrestleMania 42 as champion, almost certainly for a first-time main roster dream match against Giulia.
Until then, she’ll keep racking up quiet but convincing wins over whoever WWE lines up in front of her. If she retains here, someone like Roxanne Perez or Lyra Valkyria makes the most sense as her next challenger — young, credible and capable of delivering a strong match without threatening the WrestleMania plan.
4. Is there a case to be made for John Cena to retain over Dominik Mysterio? If not, what’s better for Dom's character development, winning clean or channeling his “Dirty Dom”-ness?
Jackman: I think there’s absolutely a case for it — not least because this is the last opportunity to give Cena a big stadium win. Can you imagine the sound of 36,000 fans cheering him to the rafters? That would be a great way to mark his final-ever PLE match.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementObviously, it then creates questions about what you do with the Intercontinental title afterward. Having Gunther win it at next month’s SNME would feel like a big step backward for “The Ring General.” You could have Cena just vacate the belt, I suppose, but I feel like we’ve seen too much of that recently.(Obviously I don’t blame either Seth Rollins or Naomi on that front, but you can’t deny it feels like a bit of a downer when it happens!)
Given the Intercontinental is on the line, I do think the most likely option is Dominik winning, probably with some trickery along the way. WWE has been dialing up the “Dirty Dom” stuff again in recent weeks after downplaying it earlier in the year. Now’s the time to put it to good use and get the crowd booing like there’s no tomorrow.
Sulla-Heffinger: He’s John Cena, that’s the only case that would need to be made!
All kidding aside, the Petco Park crowd will be cheering at the end of this match no matter what outcome transpires. Along those lines, a Mysterio victory — which I think will happen — does wonders for the young star’s career, regardless of whether it’s clean or not. Considering how close we are to Cena’s farewell and the fact that we know Mysterio will not be his final opponent, I think Mysterio can be sufficiently insufferable without the added heat from cheating to win and get a victory affirming him as one of the pillars of WWE’s future.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEven in defeat, this has the potential to be an underrated special moment in Cena’s farewell.
Dansby: Let’s shake it up. Dom should win “kind of” clean. Cena’s final match cannot be squeaky-clean or flat — it needs heat, drama and a sense that the future is barging through the door. A flash Mysterio roll-up or opportunistic cradle is enough to annoy fans without making Dom look like a coward.
Then have Gunther appear and completely dismantle the worn-down Cena after the bell. It sets up a farewell with real emotion, and it lets Dom walk out with a rare, career-defining win while still keeping him firmly in the “Dirty Dom” lane.
Riggs: It really depends on who goes on to finish Cena's career, because that person should be put over — and then potentially dethrone Cena. So you know it won't be my guy LA Knight.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIf Cena loses, you can practically assure Gunther will be his final opponent, as has been often rumored. The longest reigning Intercontinental champ of all time doesn't need another run, but Cena losing to Dom builds the narrative of, "Can Cena really still overcome someone like Gunther?"
All of that said, I do lean toward it playing out that way.
5. Iyo Sky is going to jump off the cage in a trash can — you can book it. What is your favorite signature spot or move in pro wrestling, past or present?
Sulla-Heffinger: The Spinebuster. So many people have done it so well — Arn Anderson, Ron Simmons, The Rock, Triple H — and it’s a simple yet impactful move. If I have to pick just one, it’s going to be The Rock’s for me. The crouch, the jump out of it into the People’s Elbow. 😚🤌
Dansby: The single greatest spot ever is still Mick Foley being thrown off the Hell in a Cell by The Undertaker. It’s the moment I show any noob who says they don’t understand pro wrestling, because in one clip you get spectacle, chaos, storytelling and absolute madness.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFor recurring spots, Darby Allin’s coffin drop tops the list. It never gets old. Every time he hits it, it feels reckless, borderline dangerous, and perfectly in line with who Darby is as a character — someone more than willing to destroy himself just to take you down.
Jackman: I’m a child of the Attitude Era, so I’ll always be partial to some of the daredevil ladder spots we saw over the years. I remember watching Edge’s aerial assault on Jeff Hardy so many times on VHS that the tape started to go grainy. What a joy it was to witness that kind of madness for the first time.
Riggs: What kind of fan would I be if I said anything other than a Jeff Hardy Swanton Bomb off of something concerningly tall? It never gets old.
Predictions
Men’s WarGames match: Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. Brock Lesnar, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)
Women’ WarGames match: AJ Lee, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Asuka, Becky Lynch, Kairi Sane, Lash Legend and Nia Jax
Women’s World Championship match: Stephanie Vaquer (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Nikki Bella
Intercontinental Championship Match: John Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)
2025 standings
Robert Jackman: 67-33
Kel Dansby: 63-37
Drake Riggs: 61-39
Anthony Sulla-Heffinger: 61-39
