‘WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2025’ PPV Review
Welcome to this review of 2025’s Survivor Series, which delivers yet another WarGames pay-per-view rather than the traditional show of yesteryear. Hopefully, this year’s PPV lives up to the standard set by the previous Survivor Series: WarGames! Let’s see, shall we…
Match #1: Women’s WarGames Match – Rhea Ripley, AJ Lee, Charlotte Flair, IYO SKY & Alexa Bliss def. Becky Lynch, Asuka, Kairi Sane, Nia Jax & Lash Legend
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After Charlotte Flair defeated Asuka to gain the WarGames advantage for her team on SmackDown, The Queen and The Empress of Tomorrow began the barbaric WarGames Match. As the bout progressed, Kairi Sane entered with a chain, and she, Asuka and Becky Lynch used it to tie up Flair, IYO SKY and Alexa Bliss before The Pirate Princess executed a huge dropkick. When AJ Lee made her entrance, The Man tried to prevent The Black Widow from entering, which forced Lee to climb up and over the cage to get inside the structure. Rhea Ripley entered in terrifying fashion, wearing a mask inspired by the film series “Terrifier” and brandishing a black Kendo stick. Once Lash Legend arrived, the match officially began, as The Bougee Bully dominated the field. As Asuka was about to mist Ripley, Flair pushed The Eradicator out of the way, and The Empress accidently misted Legend in a major miscue. With Flair’s team back in control, SKY covered herself with a trash can and launched herself head-over-heels off the top of the cage with a huge Swanton Bomb onto the competitors below. SKY’s jaw-dropping attack left Lynch as the only member of her team standing. After Lynch seemingly tried to escape WarGames, Ripley nailed the Riptide before Lee locked in the Black Widow, forcing The Man to submit and giving the victory to her team.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Intercontinental Championship – Dominik Mysterio def. John Cena
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Flanked by Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez, Dominik Mysterio challenged Intercontinental Champion John Cena in the penultimate match of Cena’s career. Rodriguez and Perez struck Cena behind the referee’s back on several occasions to help Mysterio. Mysterio went for a hurricanrana off the barricade, but he landed awkwardly and appeared to injure his shoulder. As Mysterio was checked by the referee and medics, Rodriguez and Perez suddenly ambushed Cena with a Tejana Bomb and Pop Rox. Suddenly, Mysterio revealed his ruse and sprung up to get back inside the ring and nail a 619 on Cena. The referee was upset at the deception, and he ejected Rodriguez and Perez from ringside. Cena locked Mysterio in the STFU, but Mysterio made it to the ropes before loosening his boot. Cena pulled off Mysterio’s boot, which allowed Mysterio to hit the 619 and a Frog Splash for a two-count. Cena clobbered Mysterio with a shoulder block but nailed the referee with a shoulder block as well after Mysterio leaped out of the way. The Judgment Day came to ringside to attack Cena, but The Greatest of All Time thwarted the ambush by hitting a double Attitude Adjustment on Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh. In shocking fashion, Liv Morgan made her return and slapped Mysterio. The former Women’s World Champion then leapt into the arms of Cena, but she revealed her true colors by booting Cena below the belt. Moments later, Mysterio executed a 619, Morgan blasted Cena in the face with the championship, and Mysterio landed a Frog Splash to win his second Intercontinental Title.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Women’s World Championship – Stephanie Vaquer def. Nikki Bella
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Nikki Bella struck early by clobbering Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer from behind as the bell rang. Bella tried to hit Vaquer’s move, the Devil’s Kiss, but Vaquer evaded. The leader of the Bella Army nailed the Rack Attack 2.0, but La Primera got her foot on the ropes. Vaquer drove the wind out of Bella and delivered a huge knee strike on the ring apron. Vaquer then connected with the Devil’s Kiss on top of the announce table and repeatedly slammed Bella’s face into the desk. Back in the ring, The Dark Angel hit another Devil’s Kiss followed by a Corkscrew Splash to defeat the WWE Hall of Famer and retain her title.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Men’s WarGames Match – Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed def. Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk & The Usos
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In one of the most star-studded WarGames Matches of all time, Roman Reigns, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and The Usos battled Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. Punk and Breakker were the first two competitors to step into the structure in a battle of now versus future. The American Nightmare arrived in emphatic fashion, diving onto McIntyre from the top of the cage. Rhodes was a little overzealous, however, and accidentally elbowed Punk in the face. The competitors piled up until Lesnar arrived and delivered multiple F5s to his opponents. Reigns then arrived as The Beast met him in the aisle, and the two titans brawled outside the WarGames structure until Lesnar dropped his longtime rival through a table with an F5. The Beast dragged Reigns back in the ring and nailed another F5, but Rhodes and Punk broke up the pinfall and leveled Lesnar with a GTS and Cross Rhodes. Paul Heyman gifted brass knuckles to The Maverick, who struck the jaws of Rhodes and Jimmy Uso. Out of nowhere, Reigns Speared Paul while simultaneously taking the brass knuckles off the hand of Paul. Reigns then struck Reed and McIntyre with the weapon before turning his attention to Breakker and blasting him with a Spear. As Lesnar was about to F5 Jey, Reigns Speared Lesnar through the table with Jey still on The Beast’s shoulders. Moments after Punk struck Paul with the GTS, a hooded individual entered the ring, kicked Punk in the face and stomped him before leaving the structure. Breakker destroyed Punk with a devastating Spear to win the match.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
This year’s Survivor Series had all the star power in the world, but very little of it translated into a truly satisfying show. Big moments? Sure. Coherent pacing and consistent excitement? Not so much. The women’s WarGames match delivered early creativity with IYO SKY’s trademark insanity, AJ Lee’s explosive aggression, and Rhea Ripley bulldozing anything that moved. But once all ten competitors were inside the cage, the rhythm stalled. Long stretches felt directionless until the genuinely sharp finish, with Becky Lynch eventually tapping out to a brutal Rip Tide/Black Widow combo. Strong ending, messy middle. The men’s WarGames bout boasted a stacked lineup — CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns and the Usos vs. Brock Lesnar, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre — and while the chaos was entertaining, the match leaned heavily on overbooking. The late interference spot that set up Breakker pinning Punk generated plenty of noise, but also undercut the actual story the match was trying to tell. Outside the cages, the show was equally uneven. Dominik Mysterio cheating John Cena out of the Intercontinental Title had all the hallmarks of WWE melodrama, elevated by Cena making the most of what felt like a career-closing PLE effort. Stephanie Vaquer retaining against Nikki Bella was tidy but flat — more like a solid TV defence than a PPV highlight. Overall, this PPV/PLE offered spectacle without much staying power. A few memorable beats, some fun chaos, but not a show you’ll be itching to revisit anytime soon.
