What is WarGames? WWE Survivor Series Match Explained

What is War Games?

Born from the mind of the late Dusty Rhodes, the WarGames match is a team-based steel cage match, except the cage encompasses two wrestling rings. The match can be an 8-man or 10-man tag affair (on two occasions, it has been a 9-man 3-way) where participants enter in intervals, and the match can only conclude after all participants enter WarGames. The match ends when a participant suffers a pinfall or submission.

The original concept of the match was slightly different from its WWE incarnation. Pinfalls were not added until the match was under the WCW banner. There was an emphasis to make the opponent give up, as submission, knockout, or surrender were the primary ways to win. The original cage also had a roof; however, this has been abandoned for practical reasons.

The History of WarGames

The inaugural WarGames match debuted in Jim Crockett Promotions at the Great American Bash tour on July 4, 1987. The match was a five vs. five affair and featured Rhodes teaming with the Road Warriors as well as Paul Ellering and Nikita Koloff. Their opponents were none other than the legendary heel faction, the Four Horsemen.

Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, and Lex Luger would team with manager JJ Dillon, who ultimately surrendered.

The match would be a staple for WCW during the 90s and would be held regularly at the WrestleWar and Fall Brawl pay-per-views. Legends such as Sting, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Bret Hart, and more have all entered WarGames. Flair has an abysmal record in WarGames across WCW and JCP, winning one match in 17 attempts. His sole win was untelevised. On the other hand, The Icon Sting holds the record for most victories with 15.

The last WCW WarGames match took place on the September 4 episode of Nitro and was an unfaithful monstrosity. The structure was the infamous triple cage, which resembled Hell in a Cell with two smaller cages on top. The cage was first seen in the 1999 movie “Ready to Rumble” and debuted at the Slamboree 2000 PPV.

WCW would run into financial issues at the turn of the century and would eventually be bought by Vince McMahon in March 2001. Assets, including the WarGames IP, were included in the sale. Despite this, it would be almost two decades since Fall Brawl ’98 before fans would see the caged double ring once again.

WarGames in WWE

One night on NXT programming in 2017, then General Manager William Regal shouted “War Games” to revive the concept. The match returned at NXT Takeover in Houston primarily because Paul “Triple H” Levesque was an admirer of the structure.

In fact, The Game actively petitioned for WarGames to return at Survivor Series in 2002. McMahon would reject the idea when it was pitched; however, the idea instead sparked the creation of the Elimination Chamber.

Since taking over creative in 2022, Levesque’s fascination with the match stipulation has altered WWE’s Fall tradition. Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” has become the soundtrack for WWE during Thanksgiving season. The traditional Survivor Series 5 vs 5 Elimination matches have effectively been ousted by WarGames.

The return of WarGames also coincided with the Women’s Revolution in WWE, and since 2019, the women have also competed in Dusty’s creation. Iyo Sky is the only woman to have competed in every Women’s WarGames match so far. No other WWE superstar has competed in more with Sky, entering WarGames for the seventh time on Saturday.

Whilst some fans may yearn for a return to tradition, TKO’s financially orientated business practices would heavily oppose this. The match was added to the WWE 2K series, and Mattel has released a WarGames playset. From a marketing perspective, it would be silly for WWE to abandon the match type.

What to Expect at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames

The match has ideally been implemented for faction-based rivalries. Across the NWA and WCW, those factions would primarily be the Four Horsemen or the nWo. In NXT, WarGames was built for the Undisputed Era. On the main roster, the Bloodline has been almost omnipresent.

Although the Judgement Day was spotlighted in 2023, and The Vision has been the center of attention this year, The Bloodline owns WarGames. They were the main focus in 2022 and 2024, and had a hand in the story of the 2023 contest.

This year, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk align with the Bloodline’s Roman Reigns and the Usos to create an All-Star lineup. They will battle The Vision’s Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker as well as Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, and Brock Lesnar. Paul Heyman feels it has the potential to be “the greatest WarGames of all time.”

The match should have huge long-term ramifications, as should the Paul Heyman-endorsed line-up win, then championship opportunities should be given to the victors. Paul and Breakker have already put their names in the hat for a World Heavyweight title shot. Roman Reigns and Jey Uso have also made clear their championship aspirations. Brock Lesnar’s direction may also be clear after Saturday.

On the Women’s side, the stakes are unfortunately lower. An Iyo Sky trashcan moonsault can be expected from the Genius of the Sky. A returning AJ Lee will be worth the price of admission, and a PLE debut for powerhouse Lash Legend should be spectacular. Regardless of the outcome, fans should expect nothing less than carnage and mayhem.

According to Dustin Rhodes: “A team doesn’t win WarGames, they survive WarGames.” Five men and five women will be looking to survive on Saturday night.