WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2022 Retro Review: Every Match Rated and Revisited

WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2022 took place on Saturday, November 26, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. WWE announced a crowd of 15,609 and called it a sellout. It streamed on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network everywhere else.

It was a turning point for the event. For years Survivor Series had been built around Raw vs. SmackDown, and by 2021 that idea felt tired. Under Triple H, who had taken over WWE creative that summer, the brand battles were dropped and WarGames, the double-ring, double-cage match from NXT, was moved to the main roster for the first time. It was also the first Survivor Series held on a Saturday. With Survivor Series: WarGames 2026 coming up in Houston, we went back to the one that started this format.

The build

• Men's WarGames: The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn) against The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch and Ridge Holland), Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens. The bigger story was Sami Zayn. Owens, his best friend, had been telling him to turn on The Bloodline, and Jey Uso, who never trusted Sami, overheard it on SmackDown.
• Women's WarGames: Team Belair (Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim and Becky Lynch) against Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY) with Nikki Cross and Rhea Ripley. Damage CTRL had been running wild since Bayley's return at SummerSlam. Becky Lynch had just come back from a shoulder injury, and Mia Yim had just returned to WWE.
• United States Championship: Seth Rollins had taken the title from Bobby Lashley in October after Brock Lesnar attacked Lashley before their match. Austin Theory then tried to cash in Money in the Bank on Rollins, but Lashley attacked Theory and the cash-in failed. That left all three with a reason to want the title.
• AJ Styles vs. Finn Bálor: the singles match at the center of The O.C. vs. The Judgment Day.
• SmackDown Women's Championship: Ronda Rousey against Shotzi, who had won a six-woman match to earn the shot.

Match by match

Women's WarGames: Team Belair vs. Damage CTRL

Bianca Belair, the Raw Women's Champion, and Dakota Kai started the match. Kai knew the structure well from her WarGames matches in NXT, and she used the cage to take control in the opening minutes. Damage CTRL had won the advantage, so IYO SKY came in next and the two tag champions worked Belair over. Then the match settled into the WarGames pattern, with one wrestler from each team coming in on a timer: Asuka, then Nikki Cross with kendo sticks and trash can lids, then Alexa Bliss, then Bayley with ladders and a table, then Mia Yim, then Rhea Ripley, and finally Becky Lynch.

The best parts came from the two smaller wrestlers who were willing to fly. Cross climbed to the top of the cage and dived onto everyone, and later IYO SKY hit a moonsault from the top of the cage onto Belair and Asuka. Asuka blinded Ripley with the mist, Ripley put Yim through a ladder, and Lynch and Belair ended up standing alone against Bayley, Kai and SKY. Lynch hit the Manhandle Slam on Kai, Belair hit the KOD on SKY, and they laid Kai and SKY on a table. Lynch climbed the cage while Belair threw Bayley into the cage wall with another KOD, and Lynch dropped a leg from the very top of the cage through the table onto both of them. She pinned Kai at 39:40.

What worked: the finish is a real WarGames moment. Lynch's leg drop is the image people remember from this show, and it was the right person doing it, since she was the returning star. Cross and SKY gave the match its two other big highlights, and Ripley looked like the strongest wrestler on either team.

What didn't: at almost 40 minutes, it was too long for what it had. A lot of the middle was women lying on the mat waiting for the next entrant, with weapons brought in and not used much. Mia Yim, back in WWE only a few weeks earlier, felt like a name added to fill a slot. And because the Bianca and Bayley rivalry had already been fought over and over on TV, this felt more like an ending than a big step forward.

Our rating: ★★★½

AJ Styles vs. Finn Bálor

Both factions were at ringside, which usually means a messy finish. Instead, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson started fighting Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio, and all four brawled through the crowd and out of sight. That left Styles and Bálor alone, and the match got better from there.

Bálor started fast with his quick strikes, and Styles turned it by trapping Bálor's leg in the ropes and going after it for the rest of the match. That gave everything a clear purpose. Bálor kept fighting on one leg, Styles went for the Calf Crusher, and Bálor only escaped by slamming Styles' head into the mat over and over. After they traded strikes, Styles hit a step-up enzuigiri to stagger Bálor and then the Phenomenal Forearm for the win at 18:25.

What worked: this was smart, simple wrestling. Sending the other members away let the match breathe, the leg work had a payoff in the Calf Crusher, and both men are very good at making near falls feel real. It was a nice change of pace after a 40-minute cage match.

What didn't: the story was bigger than this match. The O.C. vs. The Judgment Day went on long after Survivor Series, so this felt like one chapter rather than a big blow-off, and the crowd was still recovering from the opener for the first few minutes.

Our rating: ★★★½

SmackDown Women's Championship: Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi

Rousey came out with Shayna Baszler, and the match was mostly what you would expect. Rousey controlled it with ankle locks and stomps. Shotzi had her moments: a senton, a dive that Baszler got in the way of, and a crossbody over the barricade that took out both Rousey and Baszler. Rousey answered with a judo throw from the top rope and the armbar, and Shotzi tapped at 7:15.

What worked: Shotzi's dives. She did everything she could to make the crowd believe in her, and her highest-risk spots got the only real reactions of the match.

What didn't: nearly everything else. No one believed Shotzi would win, the match was short, and the crowd, coming off two long matches, was quiet for most of it. Parts of the crowd were chanting for Sasha Banks, which tells you how invested they were. It also exposed a wider problem with Rousey's title run in 2022: there were not many challengers anyone saw as a real threat.

Our rating: ★½

United States Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory

This was the surprise of the night. Theory opened by trying to use a chair, Lashley took it off him, and from there it never slowed down. Rollins was the star, with several dives to the floor, a frog splash and a Pedigree on Lashley for a near fall. Lashley put the Hurt Lock on both of his opponents at the same time, which was a great moment, and both escaped. Rollins used Theory as a step to hit a Curb Stomp on Lashley, and the near falls kept getting closer.

The finish was clever. Rollins lifted Theory for a Falcon Arrow, Lashley speared Rollins in the middle of it, and Theory, who had done the least work of the three, pinned Rollins and stole the title at 14:50. It was Theory's second run with the United States Championship.

What worked: pace and story. Triple threats can feel like three people taking turns, but this one used all three men at once, and the finish made sense: Lashley did the damage and Theory took the reward. It also rebuilt Theory after the failed cash-in that had made him look foolish only weeks earlier. Rollins, as he often was in 2022, was the best worker on the show.

What didn't: very little. If anything, Lashley came out of it looking unlucky again, and his long chase for the title kept getting longer.

Our rating: ★★★★

Men's WarGames: The Bloodline vs. The Brawling Brutes, Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens

Before the match, the show built the Sami Zayn story backstage. Jey Uso told Reigns he did not trust Zayn after hearing Owens try to recruit him. Zayn admitted to Reigns that he had talked to Owens, but said he had not told Jey because he did not want to add pressure. Reigns appeared to accept it. By the time the cage came down, everyone was watching Zayn.

Butch and Jey started, and Butch went straight after Jey's hand, bending his fingers and stomping on his arm. Ridge Holland came in for the Brutes. Then came the moment that set the tone: Reigns held Jimmy back and sent Zayn in instead, as a test of loyalty. Zayn went right after the Brutes and fought alongside Jey. Drew McIntyre entered and threw Jey and Zayn around the cage. Jimmy finally came in with three tables, and Zayn and Jey argued over who would set one up. Kevin Owens arrived with chairs and put Jimmy through a table. Solo Sikoa dumped Owens on the steel between the rings. Sheamus came in last for his team, and Reigns entered last of all.

Once all ten were in, it got wild. The Brutes trapped a Bloodline member between the rings for the Beats of the Bodhran. Reigns speared Sheamus and needed Butch to break up the pin. The Usos superkicked Holland, and Reigns speared him through a table. Sikoa put McIntyre through a table with the Spinning Solo. Then Owens hit Reigns with the pop-up powerbomb and the Stunner, and it looked over, until Zayn grabbed the referee's arm to stop the count.

That was the moment. Zayn and Owens argued, and Zayn hit his best friend with a low blow and the Helluva Kick, then set him up for Jey's splash from the top. Jey pinned Owens at 38:30. After the match, Reigns hugged Zayn, and then Jey, who had doubted him for months, finally hugged him too.

What worked: this match is the best example of the Bloodline story, the most popular thing WWE did in those years. Every big moment was about trust: Reigns testing Zayn, Jey arguing with him over a table, Zayn saving Reigns, Zayn turning on Owens, Jey finally accepting him. The action was strong too, with McIntyre, Sheamus and the Brutes hitting hard, and the crowd was hot from start to finish.

What didn't: some of the entry period felt long, and the Brutes and McIntyre were mostly there to be the obstacle in someone else's story. If you were not following the Zayn angle on TV, a lot of the drama would have gone over your head.

Our rating: ★★★★½

Beyond the matches

• The new format: this was the first Survivor Series without Raw vs. SmackDown at its center since the brand split returned in 2016. WarGames gave the show a clear identity and has been part of it ever since.
• Sami Zayn's backstage segments: the short scenes with Jey, Reigns and Paul Heyman between matches were among the best parts of the show and made the main event feel like a story, not just a cage match.
• The crowd: Boston was loud for both WarGames matches and the triple threat, and quiet for Rousey vs. Shotzi.
• The team: Michael Cole and Corey Graves called the show.

The verdict: does it hold up today?

Yes, for the most part. The men's WarGames is one of the best matches of the whole Bloodline era, and the US Title triple threat is better than people remember. The women's WarGames ran long, and the SmackDown Women's Championship match was weak, but this show did what it needed to: it gave Survivor Series a new identity, and it has kept that identity for four years.

• Best match: Men's WarGames
• Worst match: Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi
• Overall: 4 out of 5

Full results and our ratings

What happened next

• Owens ended his friendship with Zayn on Raw two nights later.
• At the Royal Rumble in January 2023, Reigns beat Owens, and Zayn turned on Reigns with a chair, one of the loudest moments of that year. Reigns then beat Zayn in Montreal at Elimination Chamber.
• Owens and Zayn reunited and beat The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship in the main event of the first night of WrestleMania 39. Read our WrestleMania 39 retro review.
• Bianca Belair and Alexa Bliss went on to face each other for the Raw Women's Championship at the 2023 Royal Rumble.
• Austin Theory kept the United States Championship into 2023 and beat John Cena at WrestleMania 39.

More retro reviews

Other classic shows we have revisited, rated out of 5:

• WrestleMania XL: ★★★★½ (4.5 out of 5), two nights in Philadelphia, The Rock and the end of the Bloodline story
• WrestleMania 39: ★★★★½ (4.5 out of 5), two nights in Hollywood and Reigns vs. Rhodes, part one
• Crown Jewel 2025: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Cena vs. AJ Styles in Perth
• SummerSlam 2025: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), the first two-night SummerSlam and John Cena's last one
• Money in the Bank 2016: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Cena vs. AJ, a great ladder match and Reigns vs. Rollins
• Crown Jewel 2021: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Hell in a Cell and a loaded card
• WrestleMania 41: ★★★½ (3.5 out of 5), Cena's farewell year and a Heyman story in Las Vegas
• WrestlePalooza 2025: ★★★½ (3.5 out of 5), the first WWE show on ESPN, with Lesnar vs. Cena
• Crown Jewel 2022: ★★★½ (3.5 out of 5), Reigns vs. Logan Paul and a Last Woman Standing match
• Crown Jewel 2024: ★★½ (2.5 out of 5), the first Crown Jewel Championships
• Crown Jewel 2023: ★★½ (2.5 out of 5), Rollins vs. McIntyre and Reigns vs. LA Knight
• Crown Jewel 2019: ★★ (2 out of 5), celebrities and the first women's match in Saudi Arabia
• Crown Jewel 2018: ★½ (1.5 out of 5), the first one, and the World Cup

See them all on our Retro Reviews page, and read our Survivor Series: WarGames 2026 guide.