Match Point is an ongoing series at Last Word on Pro Wrestling, where we look at intriguing matchups in indie wrestling and beyond. They may be dream matches, first-time matchups, or hotly anticipated rematches. This edition will focus on the Men’s WarGames match happening at the 2023 edition of WWE Survivor Series.
The marquee match for Survivor Series in Chicago is locked in with Monday’s Raw in the books. The men’s WWE WarGames match has got its final participants. The Judgment Day, with its newest member, JD McDonagh, is allied with Rhea Ripley’s recruit, Drew McIntyre.
On the other side of the cage is Team Cody Rhodes. Cody, his rival Seth Rollins, and his friends Jey Uso and Sami Zayn are united, and they have a ringer in “The Viper” Randy Orton to take on Judgment Day.
The match is billed as the biggest match on the card and has the most hype surrounding it. Survivor Series has been consistently improving on the back of the WarGames match. This year will be no exception, and it offers WWE’s new stars a chance to steal the show without The Bloodline.
Journey to The Men’s WWE WarGames Match
Judgment Day has been at the top of Raw for months, in addition to featuring heavily on SmackDown and NXT. Their top-tier reign has come thanks to victories and losses against Cody, Seth, Jey, and Sami, among others. Since July, at least one Team Judgment Day member has faced off with one of Raw’s Team Rhodes members.
Title matches for the World Heavyweight and Tag Team titles and exhibitions around the globe accentuate the feud. The constant feuding has finally hit a boiling point that can only be solved by a WarGames match.
The inclusion of Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre adds to the intrigue. Both are only partially committed to their teams and have goals or issues that put them at odds with some of their teammates.
After the two teams engaged in weeks of pull-apart brawls, eight-man promo battles, and the elevated blood pressure of Adam Pearce, war games were announced. The final two inclusions were added on back-to-back weeks. First, a distraught Drew McIntyre decided that Rhea Ripley was his greatest hope for recapturing the world title.
Drew sealed the deal and managed a bit of revenge on the former Bloodline lieutenant Jey Uso. The following week, Cody and his team made good on their promise to even the odds. They announced a return for Randy Orton to much adulation. This decision, though, ignores his possible misgivings and past alliances to really even the odds.
His return to eliminate the numbers advantage and pop the crowd gives Raw its final lasting image heading into the event.
A “Cody Rhodes” Gallery of Rivals
Cody never said his name; he let the fans on Raw do it for him. Now that it is all but set in stone, the rumors can be put to bed on a surprise from outside the company. What team Cody lacks in sensible cohesion, they make up for in pure star power. Apart from being baby faces, the group has very little commonality.
Jey and Cody are tight, but Sami and Jey have a complicated history. Seth has feuded with Cody in the past and recently had some great matches against Zayn. The returning Orton has had beef with every single team member, as well as been allied with Seth and Cody in years past.
The team burns bright from all its star power, but it also has the potential to burn a little hot with unresolved grievances.
Master & Apprentice
One more time https://t.co/fYACUClQ70
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) November 21, 2023
The heroes of this story have a lot of redeeming qualities. The WWE Universe beloves all of them. Each has some faults, though, and those will be the story of this match. While Judgment Day also has some growing pains to address, they are a far more unified force. Watching Cody and his alliance work to compete with a polished stable will be the central selling point.
In between some undoubtedly incredible moments in the ring.
Damian Priest’s Judgment Day
Damian Priest has been the rising star of Judgment Day. For a long while, Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio sucked all of the heat in for the team. However, since Edge started the faction, it has been clear that Damian Priest was meant to be the breakout star. Once the group got into a natural groove, he began to fill that role.
While not eclipsing Ripley, he is emerging as an exciting part of the team. WWE has adjusted, giving Rhea the top spot, which makes Damian’s claim that he leads the group crucial heading into the match. He has been successful as a tag team champion and 2023’s Money in the Bank winner. He might be the leader in any other group, but Judgment Day and the fans know that isn’t the case.
After getting Ripley’s blessing to lead them into Chicago, Priest has the most to lose and nothing to gain. Apart from a surprise cash-in that may come at the end, he has embarrassment to look forward to, provided his team can’t get it done. JD and Finn Balor are finally on a proper team together, and Dominik is always great for getting the crowd to jeer.
Those are bit parts, though, and the only member of the heel alliance with a proper role apart from Priest is Drew. Why he would work with Rhea Ripley has been hinted at only. His loyalty to the team if the win is in question. If Priest can’t get a victory for Judgment Day, the alliance could fall apart quickly.
Predicting The Men’s WWE WarGames Match
With every significant challenger, the world heavyweight champion, and a returning future Hall of Famer on the same team, the only sane prediction is that Cody Rhodes wins. It helps advance the Judgment Day power struggle. Rhea’s man likely eats the pin. It could honestly be from anyone on the team, but probably Orton.
The match will likely have less high-flying than the women’s match, but twice as much old-fashioned in-ring storytelling. It is also important not to discount the possibility of a post-match breakdown or even a cash-in in the face of defeat. The best WWE shows of the past year or two have included a massive (typically Bloodline-related) angle to entice viewers to watch weekly TV.
With the cast of characters and the way WWE Creative has kept continuity clean this year, we have a lot of options to anticipate as the credits roll on Survivor Series.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
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