Getting to Grips with Survivor Series: WarGames
WarGames was a concept for a brawl-type match drawn up in the National Wrestling Alliance. The idea is now owned by WWE, which will launch another Wargames event this November.
This year's Survivor Series will take place in San Diego, California. Traditionally, the Survivor Series event has involved teams of four factions who battle it out in large-scale tag team style matches. However, for the past four years, it has employed a forgotten match concept from the nineties: War Games. Utilising two rings, it is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated events on the calendar.
What Matches Will Take Place At WarGames?
The card for WarGames has not yet been announced. However, judging by current storylines, it is possible to predict some of the matches. This will be coming to the end of John Cena’s long career, and his recent interaction with Brock Lesnar suggests that some kind of altercation will take place here.
Paul Levesque has also been giving a push to some classic wrestlers still on the roster, such as Seamus. Missouri-born boy Randy Orton has also been at recent events, though only in a few main card matches. Orton has been in 16 Survivor Series matches in the past, with some of his greatest bouts there.
In the run-up to the major events, you can always find betting for WWE and other combat sports like MMA on the biggest and best platforms like Betway. These will offer free bets and offers on many of the biggest markets, like football and basketball. However, they always have other entertainment options like elections, who will win awards like Oscars, and the bigger matches at WWE pay-per-views. You may have already placed bets on WWE and been one of the lucky people who bet on the end of Undertaker's streak or Jey Uso's surprise Royal Rumble win.
Another option would be a team of CM Punk against Rollins. With Rollins already having a faction in place, a team led by Punk would allow them to continue the rivalry in a new and interesting way without a straight one-on-one title match. The seeds of this may have been sown with Rollins' recent spats with LA Knight.
What is a WarGames Match?
Dusty Rhodes was the brainchild behind the WarGames match. He came up with the idea after watching the movie Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, and saw it as a way to showcase the ever-popular Four Horsemen. The match consists of two side-by-side rings, which are covered by a steel cage.
Wargames matches involve two teams, and sometimes even three. One by one, team members enter the cage at intervals, usually around three minutes. This means that the advantage can swing drastically in a game, almost like an elimination chamber, but with teams. Once all team members are in, the match begins properly, and people can be pinned, knocked out, or disqualified should they leave the cage.
The statistics for WarGames matches are a little crazy. In WWE, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly have all made the most appearances at four and won 2. Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong have also been in four and won one. However, the best record must go to Sami Zayn and Jey Uso, who have been in three and won them all. In the women's division, Bianca Belair holds the most wins at three with four appearances. Iyo Sky has had six appearances, but only one win.
When it comes to WCW, the legend Sting holds the most victories and the most for any wrestler to date. He had eight wins and 12 appearances. In NWA, both the Road Warriors hold the record for most wins at 13, being undefeated in each appearance.
The Most Famous Wargames Matches
Noone will forget Wargames in 2023. After Seth Rollin team won the match, arguably the most famous entrance music in modern wrestling hit: CM Punk had returned to in ring action and was making his mark. What made it so remarkable was the reaction of those in the ring. Many of them had genuine grievances with CM Punk and had not been told he was returning.
From the WCW days, one of the most exciting matchups was the team of the Road Warriors vs the Four Horsemen. It is hard to think of a better face team at the time than the Road Warriors, who were joined by Nikita Koloff, Dusty Rhodes, and Paul Ellering. The Horsemen's team contained Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Tully Blanchard, and J.J. Dillon.
It took place at the Great American Bash in 1987. What made it really pop was the run-up: The Horsemen had been reaping havoc, breaking legs and injuring necks, allowing the faces some real payback.
Wargames will be a fun event. In the past, it may have been better to see some of the bigger card stars in Wargames matches. Hopefully, WWE will see the potential of that this year and plan accordingly.