Let’s face it: For one of the traditional big WWE events, Survivor Series needed a refresh. Triple H and company have given it exactly that by folding in a fan favorite match from NXT — but whose roots go back much further to when it was originally invented by Dusty Rhodes during his Jim Crockett Promotions days — to create the first ever Survivor Series WarGames.
For those who have never seen the namesake match, it involves two teams doing battle within a steel cage large enough to contain two wrestling rings side by side. While one competitor from each team starts out the match, another enters every few minutes. That means the team that sends someone in first will always have an edge for a bit (two-on-one, three-on-two, etc.), which is why that advantage is valuable enough to compete for in matches leading up to the event.
The match doesn’t even officially get underway until everyone on both teams has entered, so the goal is to simply do as much damage as possible before that. To that end, all weapons are legal, and the only way to win this WWE version of WarGames is by pinfall or submission.
It’s a logical fit for Survivor Series, which has long been the domain of team vs. team matches, though traditionally they have been elimination affairs. Still, if there was any gimmick match that contained some of the event’s historical DNA, this is it.
Along with both men’s and women’s WarGames matches, there have been a handful of other matches announced, including two title bouts. While more could still be added, the WarGames matches figure to both go pretty long, so don’t expect this to end up with a dozen matches on the card when it’s all said and done.
WWE Survivor Series WarGames
- When: Saturday, November 26
- Where: TD Garden, Boston
- Start time: 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT
- How to watch: On Peacock in the U.S., or on WWE Network internationally
- Matches announced: 5
Keep scrolling for our complete WWE Survivor Series WarGames preview, including the stories behind every match and what to expect.