WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2025 Retro Review: Every Match Rated and Revisited
WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2025 took place on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at Petco Park in San Diego, California. The announced crowd was 46,016. It was the first Survivor Series held outdoors and the first in a stadium, and the first WarGames match in a stadium since WCW in 1988. It was also the first Survivor Series on Netflix outside the United States and on ESPN's service in the U.S. Michael Cole and Wade Barrett called it.
It was a different kind of Survivor Series: only four matches, two of them WarGames, and a huge crowd. It was also John Cena's last match on a premium live event before his retirement at the end of 2025, defending the Intercontinental Championship against Dominik Mysterio in Dominik's hometown. Here is how it holds up.
The build
- Men's WarGames: CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns against The Vision (Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed), Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar, with Paul Heyman. Punk, the World Heavyweight Champion, had been fighting The Vision for months. Lesnar returned on Raw and attacked Punk and Rhodes, and Reigns came back to go after Lesnar, which put both men on opposite teams. McIntyre and Paul beat The Usos to win the advantage.
- Women's WarGames: AJ Lee, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley against Becky Lynch, Lash Legend, Nia Jax, Asuka and Kairi Sane. The Kabuki Warriors had turned on SKY, and AJ Lee, back in WWE for the first time since 2015, had been feuding with Lynch.
- Intercontinental Championship: John Cena had beaten Dominik Mysterio for the title on Raw on November 10. Dominik asked for a rematch in San Diego, and Cena said yes.
- Women's World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer against Nikki Bella. The two had been friends since September, until Bella attacked Vaquer with the title and asked for a match.
Match by match
Women's WarGames: Team Lee vs. Team Lynch
Flair and Asuka started, and the rest came in at set times. SKY entered with a trash can lid, Lynch came in with a kendo stick, then Bliss and Sane. When it was Lee's turn, Lynch shut the door on her, so Lee climbed over the cage. Jax came next, then Ripley with a trash can and kendo sticks to clear the ring, and finally Legend.
Legend hit a punt kick on Ripley for a near fall. Lynch hit the Manhandle Slam on Lee, and SKY broke up the pin with a moonsault. In the pile-up, Asuka misted Legend by mistake. Then SKY did her trademark dive from the top of the cage onto everyone except Lynch, who was left alone in the ring. Flair, Bliss and Ripley hit their finishers on her, and Lee put on the Black Widow. Lynch tapped at 41:10.
What worked: the ending was very well done. Getting Lynch alone, the three finishers and then Lee making her tap with the Black Widow was the right payoff for the Lynch and Lee feud. Lee climbing over the cage was a nice moment, and Lash Legend held her own with the bigger names. There were also fewer weapons than in past years.
What didn't: it was over 41 minutes, and it felt it. Once all ten women were in, a lot of the middle had no direction, and Team Lynch never looked like they could win.
Our rating: ★★¾
Intercontinental Championship: John Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio
Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez were at ringside and got involved early. Then Dominik did a hurricanrana off the barricade and seemed to hurt his shoulder. While doctors checked him, Rodriguez and Perez attacked Cena, and Dominik suddenly jumped up and hit a frog splash. The referee saw it was a trick and threw Rodriguez and Perez out.
From there it was a back-and-forth match with a lot going on. Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle and the STF, and Dominik made the ropes. Dominik hit 619s and a frog splash for a near fall, Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment for one too, and then Cena knocked the referee down by accident. Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh ran in, and Cena gave both of them an Attitude Adjustment at the same time. He hit another one on Dominik, but there was no referee to count. Then Liv Morgan came back from injury. She slapped Dominik, hugged Cena, then hit Cena with a low blow and the title belt, and Dominik hit a frog splash to win at 16:40. Cena got a standing ovation afterward.
What worked: Cena was very good in his last premium live event match, and the crowd was with him the whole way. The fake injury was a smart, heel way to start, and Morgan's return got a big reaction.
What didn't: it was overbooked. The fake injury, the ref bump, the run-ins and Morgan's double-cross were a lot for one match, and some fans did not like Cena's last PLE match ending that way.
Our rating: ★★★¼
Women's World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Nikki Bella
Bella tried a cheap shot early and Vaquer turned it around. Bella took over after Vaquer missed a knee drop on the apron. Vaquer stopped a Devil's Kiss attempt with a back suplex, and Bella hit a Disaster Kick and the Rack Attack 2.0, but Vaquer made the ropes. Vaquer then hit a knee drop on the apron, a Devil's Kiss onto the announce table and another in the ring, and finished with a corkscrew splash at 12:20.
What worked: Vaquer looked good, and the finish, with the Devil's Kiss on the table, gave her a strong win as champion. Bella did her part and the match had no big mistakes.
What didn't: the crowd was quiet. It came right after the emotional Cena match, the feud was not very hot, and it felt more like a TV title defense than a premium match.
Our rating: ★★¼
Men's WarGames: Team Punk vs. The Vision, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar
Punk and Breakker started, then McIntyre came in, and Punk was cut open on the cage. McIntyre blocked the door on Rhodes, so Rhodes climbed in over the top. Punk lifted Breakker on his shoulders and Rhodes came off the corner for a Doomsday Device. Paul came in with two chairs and fought Rhodes on top of the cage, and Breakker hit Rhodes with a chair. Jimmy came in with a table. Reed came in next and hit Tsunamis on Punk, Jimmy and Rhodes. Jey came in with superkicks, and the Usos hit the 1D on Paul. Then Lesnar entered with Heyman and threw everyone around with suplexes and F-5s.
Reigns was last. Lesnar met him outside the cage, and Reigns hit three Superman Punches before Lesnar caught the fourth and put him through an announce table with an F-5. Lesnar then threw Reigns into the cage. Near the end, a masked man appeared on top of the structure, superkicked Punk and hit him with a Curb Stomp, and Breakker speared Punk for the pin at 40:30. After the match, Reigns helped Punk up and they bumped fists, then Reigns told Rhodes they would not team again.
What worked: this felt like a real fight between ten big names, and Lesnar was excellent as the monster who came in and wrecked everyone. The Doomsday Device on Breakker, the Lesnar and Reigns brawl outside and Breakker pinning the world champion all gave it big moments, and it set up Breakker vs. Punk for the title.
What didn't: Lesnar leaving the cage to fight Reigns outside bent the WarGames rules, and the commentary could not really explain it. The masked man was a cheap way to finish it, and his identity was not revealed until December 15. A few more near falls before the end would have helped.
Our rating: ★★★¾
Beyond the matches
- The setting: 46,016 people in a baseball stadium made it look and sound different from any Survivor Series before it.
- Cena's goodbye: the standing ovation after the Intercontinental match was a big moment for Cena's last year, whatever people thought of the finish.
- Only four matches: the show was about three hours. That kept it moving, but with two long WarGames matches, it felt thin in the middle.
The verdict: does it hold up today?
It is a fine show, not a great one. The men's WarGames is a good main event with a lot of star power, and Cena's match has its moments. The women's WarGames ran too long for what it had, and the Women's World title match did not connect with the crowd. With only four matches, there is not much to fall back on when one of them misses.
- Best match: Men's WarGames
- Worst match: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Nikki Bella
- Overall: 3 out of 5
Full results and our ratings
| Match | Result | Time | Our rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's WarGames | AJ Lee, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley def. Becky Lynch, Lash Legend, Nia Jax, Asuka and Kairi Sane by submission | 41:10 | ★★¾ |
| Intercontinental Championship | Dominik Mysterio def. John Cena (c) | 16:40 | ★★★¼ |
| Women's World Championship | Stephanie Vaquer (c) def. Nikki Bella | 12:20 | ★★¼ |
| Men's WarGames | Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar def. CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns | 40:30 | ★★★¾ |
What happened next
- The masked man was revealed as Austin Theory on Raw on December 15, and he officially joined The Vision two weeks later.
- Heyman announced Breakker vs. Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw on January 5, 2026.
- Rhodes and McIntyre were booked in a Three Stages of Hell match for the Undisputed WWE Championship on SmackDown on January 9, 2026.
- Dominik thanked The Judgment Day on Raw, and Liv Morgan said The Judgment Day runs Raw.
- Vaquer and Bella's feud went on: Bella interfered in Vaquer's title defense on Raw on December 15, which ended in a no contest.
More retro reviews
Other Survivor Series: WarGames shows we have revisited, rated out of 5:
- Survivor Series: WarGames 2023: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Randy Orton's return and CM Punk's comeback in Chicago
- Survivor Series: WarGames 2022: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Sami Zayn and The Bloodline's biggest cage fight
- Survivor Series: WarGames 2024: ★★★½ (3.5 out of 5), Reigns and CM Punk on the same side in Vancouver
And a few more of our retro reviews:
- 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
- SummerSlam 2025: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), the first two-night SummerSlam and John Cena's last one
- Crown Jewel 2025: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Cena vs. AJ Styles in Perth
- 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
See them all on our Retro Reviews page, and read our Survivor Series: WarGames 2026 guide.
