Survivor Series: WarGames 2022: Sami Zayn Finally Chooses The Bloodline

The first main-roster Women's WarGames match is almost forty minutes long and never feels like a cautious debut. Bianca Belair and Dakota Kai begin with enough conventional wrestling to establish the rivalry before IYO SKY enters with the advantage. Once the weapons arrive, the match gradually becomes the chaotic spectacle the stipulation promises.

The entry order gives the match several useful chapters. Asuka changes the pace, Nikki Cross immediately treats the cage like playground equipment, and Becky Lynch's final entrance supplies the star reaction the babyface team needs. The format also gives Rhea Ripley and Mia Yim room to contribute without requiring every rivalry to become the central story.

The match occasionally suffers from the traditional WarGames holding pattern. Because no fall can end the match until all ten women enter, some early weapon spots feel like elaborate waiting rather than true near falls. The crowd nevertheless stays invested because each entrance adds a recognizable conflict.

The closing stretch is excellent. IYO SKY's moonsault from the cage, Asuka's mist to Ripley, Belair driving Bayley into the cage and Lynch's leg drop through the table all create distinct peaks rather than one endless weapon sequence. Lynch pinning Dakota Kai gives the returning star a satisfying finish without diminishing Belair's role.

The reported Observer rating was four stars, and contemporary reviews generally place the match among the night's major successes. The first main-roster women's version proves WarGames can carry a long opening slot without exhausting the audience. WrestleFile lands at A- / 8.7.

AJ Styles and Finn Bálor are given the simplest assignment on the card: wrestle a serious singles match between two veterans while their factions orbit ringside. That simplicity is refreshing after forty minutes of WarGames. The match begins deliberately and lets the history between the two men do much of the work.

Bálor targets Styles' body and repeatedly cuts off attempts to accelerate the pace. Styles responds by attacking the leg and creating a path toward the Calf Crusher. The technical focus gives the match an identity distinct from the weapons and multi-person chaos surrounding it.

The O.C. and Judgment Day eventually brawl away from ringside, which is exactly the right use of the seconds. Once Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio disappear into the crowd, Styles and Bálor are allowed to finish the rivalry themselves. The absence of a cheap interference ending is a major positive.

Bálor avoids several of Styles' biggest ideas and nearly steals momentum late, but the Phenomenal Forearm ends the match cleanly. The finish is decisive without pretending the rivalry needs one more layer of complication. It also gives Styles an important singles win after months spent fighting Judgment Day as a group.

The reported Observer rating was 3.75 stars, and WWE's official recap emphasizes the tactical leg work and clean Phenomenal Forearm finish. It is not a classic, but it is polished, disciplined and well placed. WrestleFile lands at B+ / 8.0.

Ronda Rousey and Shotzi have the unenviable job of following Styles and Bálor with a seven-minute title match the crowd never fully accepts. Shotzi works aggressively and gets enough offense to suggest the challenger is trying to make the most of the opportunity. The problem is that the match rarely looks comfortable.

Several sequences are visibly disjointed. Timing issues make transitions feel uncertain, and the crowd drifts into chants unrelated to the championship match. The disconnect is especially noticeable on a show where nearly every other match receives strong investment.

Shotzi's springboard DDT and dive into the crowd provide the most energetic stretch. Rousey quickly regains control once the action returns to the ring and moves toward the armbar. The result never feels seriously endangered.

The submission finish is at least clean. Rousey retains without a prolonged Shayna Baszler interference sequence, which keeps the weak match from becoming an overbooked one. Seven minutes is also short enough that the damage to the full event remains limited.

The reported Observer rating was one star, and contemporary criticism repeatedly singled this out as the only clearly bad match on the card. CBS also characterized the work as rough and noted the audience's lack of interest. WrestleFile lands at D / 4.6.

The United States Championship triple threat is the card's pure wrestling sprint. Seth Rollins brings the crowd connection, Bobby Lashley supplies the power imbalance and Austin Theory spends most of the match looking for ways to survive both men. The three roles are clear enough that the match can move quickly without becoming random.

Lashley's strength creates several of the best ideas. He threatens the Hurt Lock on both opponents, breaks combinations with Spears and forces Rollins and Theory into temporary cooperation without turning them into a permanent alliance. The match constantly resets around the question of how either man can neutralize him.

Rollins is the creative engine. His use of Theory as a launching point for the Curb Stomp on Lashley is exactly the kind of three-person sequence that justifies the stipulation. The Pedigree near fall also gives the champion a credible path to retention before the finish changes direction.

Theory wins through opportunism rather than dominance. Lashley Spears Rollins during a Falcon Arrow attempt, and Theory falls into the pin to regain the championship. The imperfect collision makes the victory look lucky while still giving Theory a result he desperately needs after the failed Money in the Bank cash-in.

The reported Observer rating was 4.25 stars, tying the men's WarGames match for the highest rating on the show. Contemporary reviews consistently praise the pace and the way all three wrestlers retain distinct identities. WrestleFile lands at A- / 8.8.

The men's WarGames match is built around a question more important than which team wins: whether Sami Zayn will finally prove himself to Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. WWE spends the night returning to that uncertainty in backstage segments before the cage ever lowers. The wrestling then uses the stipulation to force Sami into increasingly uncomfortable choices.

Jey Uso and Butch begin, which immediately centers the man who distrusts Sami most. Roman choosing Sami to enter before Jimmy Uso turns the entry order into another loyalty test, while Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Solo Sikoa and Sheamus progressively raise the match's physical intensity. The two rings allow several fights to develop without losing the central Bloodline thread.

The match is long, but the escalation is unusually controlled. The Brutes deliver synchronized Beats of the Bodhrán, Solo drives McIntyre through a table and Roman Spears Ridge Holland through another. Those spectacle spots matter because the match repeatedly returns to relationships rather than merely collecting furniture.

The finish is one of the most important Bloodline sequences of the entire saga. Kevin Owens hits Roman with the Stunner and appears to have the match won until Sami stops the referee's count. Sami then low-blows Owens, delivers the Helluva Kick and deliberately leaves his former best friend for Jey Uso to pin.

The reported Observer rating was 4.25 stars, while Pro Wrestling Dot Net's readers selected the show for an A as the leading overall grade and contemporary reviews repeatedly highlighted the Sami-Jey payoff. Jey finally embracing Sami after months of distrust gives the match an emotional ending that becomes even more meaningful once the relationship fractures at the Royal Rumble. WrestleFile lands at A / 9.2.