Summary of the WWE Survivor Series WarGames 2023 event, featuring CM Punk's return and notable moments from the show in
The WarGames continued, but it didn't come to a conclusion quietly.
The last main roster pay-per-view of 2023 for WWE took place on Saturday, featuring a unique twist on one of its most iconic events, Survivor Series: WarGames.
Five wrestling matches were held at the Allstate Arena, which is located just outside of Chicago and known as the home of WrestleMania 22, on Saturday night. The main attractions of the evening were the WarGames matches for both men and women.
The matches were thrilling, especially the WarGames matches for both men and women. Fans of WWE were excited to witness Randy Orton's return after being sidelined due to injury for a year and a half. But the surprises didn't stop there, as a major return occurred after the event concluded, promising to shake things up in 2024.
Below is a summary of what happened during the events on Saturday night:
CM Punk has made a comeback and is ready to take on his opponents.
After weeks of speculation, CM Punk surprised fans by making his return to WWE, marking his first appearance in the company since 2014.
The crowd at Allstate Arena erupted with excitement when their local celebrity returned to the company and celebrated with them as the show came to an end.
In a men's war games match called The Judgment Day, the team consisting of Damian Priest, Finn Bálor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, and Drew McIntyre emerged victorious over the team of Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, and Randy Orton. The main event started with Finn Bálor and Seth Rollins, but Randy Orton was noticeably absent from the cage with the rest of his teammates.
The match began with a strong showing from the two rivals, but The Judgment Day gained an early lead when JD McDonagh introduced kendo sticks into the ring. The dynamics of the match changed with each new participant, with the crowd showing excitement for Jey Uso and Sami Zayn with chants like "yeet" and "ucey."
However, when it was Orton's turn to show up and assist his team that was struggling, there was no prominent figure available to help team Rhodes.
During the Judgment Day event, Priest aggressively attacked Rollins by throwing him into a table. Unexpectedly, Rhea Ripley showed up and handed over the money in the bank contract. Orton then made his entrance, causing the Allstate Arena crowd to go wild.
The "Apex Predator" systematically defeated each member of The Judgment Day with his signature moves before the group retaliated. Chaos ensued as Uso and Orton faced off, as Uso was responsible for Orton's previous injury.
Uso landed a super kick on Priest, while each member of team Rhodes executed their own finishing move on their opponents. Orton then sealed the win by hitting an RKO on McDonagh from the top of the cage, and Rhodes finished off Priest with a cross Rhodes to secure the victory in Orton's comeback.
In the Women's World Championship match, Rhea Ripley faced off against Zoey Stark. Zoey Stark quickly showed that she was not going to back down easily in this important match early on in her career. Ripley also brought intensity to the match from the very beginning.
During the fight, Ripley showed her impressive power and strength against Stark, who tried to defend herself against each attack. Despite Stark managing to land a few hits, Ripley continued to push forward without losing her momentum. Stark's most effective move seemed to be the sliding knee, but Ripley ultimately proved to be too strong and skilled for her to overcome.
After getting out of the Z-60, Ripley used her signature move, the Rip Tide, to secure the victory and maintain her strong position in the women's division.
Dragon Lee and Santos Escobar faced off in a fast-paced match that saw Lee stepping in for Carlito at the last minute. Despite the sudden change, the match was filled with quick twists and turns.
Lee has been a standout performer on the team, showcasing his skills in a match against Santos Escobar that captivated the audience. Despite looking like he had the upper hand with a powerbomb, Escobar managed to turn the tables with a destroyer move and secure the victory. While the win may not have had significant consequences, it has set the stage for potential conflict between Escobar and Rey Mysterio within LWO.
In the Intercontinental Championship match, Gunther defended his title against The Miz. The Miz attempted to psychologically manipulate Gunther by targeting his left knee, but Gunther quickly fought back and landed strong hits on his opponent.
Gunther embraced his role as the villain and engaged the crowd, dominating most of the match. The Miz targeted Gunther's knee to try and gain the advantage, but failed to hit his finishing move. Gunther attempted his powerbomb move, but The Miz was able to kick out, which is a rare occurrence. The Miz then successfully hit his own finishing move, but even the champion was able to kick out.
The two wrestlers took turns exchanging moves quickly. Gunther attempted a frog splash, but didn't execute it perfectly. However, he managed to make The Miz submit with a sharpshooter-like hold, successfully defending his title in an unexpectedly exciting match.
In the Women's WarGames match, Damage CTRL (Bayley, Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane, and Asuka) faced off against Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Shotzi. The match began with Bayley and Becky Lynch in the ring, exchanging blows. However, Dakota Kai interfered from outside the cage by attacking Lynch with a kendo stick and passing it to Bayley. Shotzi then entered the match, introducing chaos by using chairs and a steel trashcan in the ring.
Iyo Sky was the initial addition to Damage CTRL and managed to level the playing field by moving swiftly around the ring. The lead in the match kept shifting as new participants joined, one of them being Kairi Sane who pulled off an impressive elbow drop with the assistance of Sky. Sky's standout moment in the match was when she climbed to the top of the cage, placed a trash can on herself, and fearlessly leaped onto the other wrestlers, taking them out.
Damage CTRL attempted to use all objects to attack their opponents, but the tables turned when Flair jumped off the top of the cage to take them out instead. Lynch and Flair then teamed up to perform a power bomb on Sane, giving team Belair the advantage. Belair then used a fire extinguisher to counter Asuka's mist, and Lynch finished off Bayley to secure the victory for team Belair against the women's group.
Do you know when Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 will take place? Survivor Series is scheduled for Saturday, November 25th at 8 p.m. ET, with the kickoff show starting at 7 p.m. ET.
If you want to watch Survivor Series: WarGames 2023, you can stream it on Peacock, but you'll need a premium or premium-plus subscription. For international viewers, the event will be on WWE Network.
Upcoming Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 event lineup
Matches listed are not in chronological order.
Predictions for the 2023 Survivor Series: WarGames event are being discussed. WarGames is a unique match created by Dusty Rhodes in 1987 that features two rings positioned next to each other. This match has become a regular part of WWE programming since it was introduced in NXT in 2017.
In this setup, there are two rings enclosed by a steel cage without a roof, where two or three teams compete against each other. The match starts with one participant from each team inside the ring. Every five minutes, a new competitor from one team joins the match, creating a temporary 2-on-1 advantage. After three minutes, a competitor from the other team enters to level the playing field. This process continues, with teams taking turns sending in their competitors, until all participants are in the match.
A team can achieve victory by either pinning or submitting any member of the opposing team.
Randy Orton is making a comeback after being away for 18 months.
Randy Orton is set to make a comeback to WWE at Survivor Series, where he will be part of the team facing off against The Judgment Day in the men's WarGames match. Cody Rhodes revealed Orton's return during this week's episode of "Monday Night Raw."
In May 2022, a well-known wrestler was put on the sidelines due to a genuine back injury sustained during a WWE Tag Team Championship match against The Usos on "Smackdown." As a result, he was unable to compete at SummerSlam 2022, and this Saturday will mark his first appearance for WWE in the current year.
Gunther explains why he believes his rule was important. In the world of WWE, Gunther believes that the wrestling ring holds a special significance and he aims to demonstrate this at Survivor Series: WarGames.
The wrestler who held the Intercontinental Championship title for the longest period in WWE history will defend his title against eight-time champion The Miz in Chicago on Saturday.
Gunther has been vocal about his lack of respect for The Miz on screen, claiming that he is more of an entertainer than a wrestler. Gunther believes that the focus on entertainment over wrestling skills in WWE is becoming an issue, as he sees many individuals on the roster falling into this category.
One concern that has developed over time is that people have started to take themselves too seriously in the sport, which goes against the idea of prioritizing the health of the sport itself over individual egos. The speaker feels that they may be the only one who cares about maintaining these values, so they feel responsible for defending them against others, like The Miz, who prioritize self-promotion.
"That is why I needed to rule, in order to make some corrections and set things right."
Learn more about Gunther's opinions on The Miz, Roman Reigns, and his famous coat grab by reading further.
There is speculation among fans about whether CM Punk will make a return to WWE, especially with the upcoming pay-per-view event taking place in Chicago.
In 2021, All Elite Wrestling made a significant acquisition by signing the former WWE Champion. However, the company decided to terminate his contract on September 2 due to an incident that occurred backstage after the "All In" pay-per-view event in London.
After 2014, there has been a lot of talk and guessing about Punk coming back to WWE. Fans have been eagerly searching for any clues hinting at his potential return. Some thought Punk might join Rhodes' team for the WarGames match, but Orton ended up being the final member instead.
Many sources have mentioned that it is unlikely for Punk to appear at Survivor Series or join WWE soon, but the company has had unexpected surprises in the past, such as Rhodes' comeback in 2022. Therefore, we cannot completely rule out the possibility until Survivor Series has concluded.
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