{"id":149975,"date":"2022-11-27T09:48:46","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T15:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=149975"},"modified":"2022-11-27T09:48:46","modified_gmt":"2022-11-27T15:48:46","slug":"wwe-survivor-series-wargames-2022-hits-misses-bloodline-vs-mcintyre-owens-brawling-brutes-belair-becky-asuka-bliss-yim-vs-bayley-damage-ctrl-r","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2022\/11\/27\/wwe-survivor-series-wargames-2022-hits-misses-bloodline-vs-mcintyre-owens-brawling-brutes-belair-becky-asuka-bliss-yim-vs-bayley-damage-ctrl-r\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SURVIVOR SERIES WARGAMES 2022 HITS &amp; MISSES: Bloodline vs. McIntyre &amp; Owens &amp; Brawling Brutes, Belair &amp; Becky &amp; Asuka &amp; Bliss &amp; Yim vs. Bayley &amp; Damage Ctrl &amp; Ripley &amp; Cross, US Championship Triple Threat, Ronda vs. Shotzi, Styles vs. Balor"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-158235280\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>WWE SURVIVOR SERIES WARGAMES 2022 HITS AND MISSES<br \/>\nNOVEMBER 26, 2022<br \/>\nBOSTON, MA. AT THE TD GARDEN<br \/>\nAIRED ON PEACOCK, 8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 a.m. CST<br \/>\nBY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH.COM CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<p><em>Announcers: Michael Cole and Corey Graves<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Before we get started, I want to say it was a nice \u201cold school\u201d touch to have Cole and Graves standing by the ring to introduce the show rather than sitting at the commentary table.<\/p>\n<h4>Women\u2019s WarGames Match; Raw Women\u2019s Champion Bianca Belair &amp; Alexa Bliss &amp; Asuka &amp; Mia Yim vs. Damage Ctrl (Bayley &amp; Dakota Kai &amp; Iyo Sky) &amp; Rhea Ripley &amp; Nikki Cross<br \/>\nWinner: Bianca Belair &amp; Co. via pinfall when Becky pinned Dakota Kai<\/h4>\n<p>The crowd wasn\u2019t hot for the introductions. They were scorching, wow! You can tell there was excitement on the fan\u2019s behalf coming into the show. I\u2019ll have to admit, I\u2019m more for the old school NWA and WCW WarGames matches, but I can enjoy the modern version on a certain level. Action was good to start but did anybody notice Bianca out and out waving on Iyo to come at her on the turnbuckle? I don\u2019t really care as that stuff happens, but it was funny to see although maybe I\u2019m misinterpreting that.<\/p>\n<p>I know the crowd lit up when Nikki threw the garbage can lids and kendo sticks in the ring, and I get why, but can we leave the weapons out of a match that already has a weapon. You know, the double cage? Things got interesting though when she went to the top of the cage. The dive was cool although EVERYONE WAS LOOKING UP TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE IN PLACE. Leave that garbage to the other promotion, please. Back to the weapons I get that everyone gets excited for tables, garbage cans, and ladders. If that\u2019s the case book a TLC match or Extreme Rules or whatever you want to call it. We see so many matches throughout the year with weapons I get numb to them.<\/p>\n<p>On the good side they booked wisely to let Asuka &amp; Iyo have some one-on-one time, so you wonder if there\u2019s a higher-profile singles match in their future. Becky as the final entrant was the way to go. I liked Cole talking about Becky and Bayley\u2019s history in NXT and not just the fact that Damage Ctrl came at her at SummerSlam when they made their \u201cdebut\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Again, why are we standing in place to let Iyo nail her moonsault Bianca &amp; Mia? C\u2019mon!<\/p>\n<p>This wasn\u2019t the smoothest of matches but for some this is their first WarGames, so I\u2019m not going to nit-pick. I&#8217;ll be nice.\u00a0 Becky getting the win in her comeback was the correct call. Dakota did have to lay on the table for an extended time to allow Becky to get to the top for the leg drop but, so that goes. I thought Ripley would be featured a little bit more, but she did have a moment with Becky. I expect them to do business down the line. I can get past my frustrations.<\/p>\n<h4>Hit or Miss: Hit<\/h4>\n<h4>A.J. Styles (of The O.C.) vs. Finn Balor (of Judgment Day)<br \/>\nWinner: Styles via pinfall with the Phenomenal Forearm<\/h4>\n<p>Michael Cole is talking about the history of Styles and Balor in Japan. He\u2019s mentioning the Bullet Club? IWGP Champion? Kushida? NXT history? WWE has a long way to go but they are off to a great start with Triple H allowing the commentators to discuss history outside of the WWE bubble. I hated that Vince McMahon would not allow it, and I never understood why he thought it made any sense. It was stupid. STUPID. Ok, my chest is clear now.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-236058112\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>It was a little odd to me this match was set up as a one-on-one. I\u2019m not saying they should have done a six-man or even a Survivor Series elimination match, but the latter wouldn\u2019t have been the worst thing in the world, and you can save the singles match for a bigger episode of Raw in December (they\u2019re not doing a PLE so why not). Back in the day we watched multiple elimination matches on one card so, don\u2019t complain to me \u201cc\u2019mon Frank there\u2019s two WarGames matches on this card. We don\u2019t need an elimination match.\u201d I know what I watched back in the day, and many people enjoyed it, so it would have been fine. The show is called Survivor Series. Anyway, the match had a blend of good wrestling as you would expect between these long-time greats. Let us not forget they had a big one-on-one five years ago at (I think it was) TLC in October. It was the show where multiple people got sick including Bray Wyatt who was supposed to face Balor.<\/p>\n<p>I know people probably liked the spot where Balor tried the Styles Clash, and I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t like it, but I feel like there are a lot of matches in WWE lately where people are using their opponents\u2019 finishing moves. I could be wrong. I could be thinking of the cult promotion everyone loves mid-week.<\/p>\n<p>I must admit I expect more shenanigans in this match with the O.C. and Judgment Day. They all got involved at ringside but then left. I liked how this was a clean win. Not everything has to be an angle, or a screw finish to set something up. You can have you know, a wrestling match with a clear winner and loser. The loser isn\u2019t buried. It means they lost a match. Balor can come back. It happens. Except for the 1972 Miami Dolphins don\u2019t the eventual Super Bowl Champions lose a few games during the regular season. (Actually, there was one team that was undefeated during the regular season but lost the Super Bowl. That would be the 2007 New England Patriots that lost to the New York Giants baby!)<\/p>\n<h4>Hit or Miss: Hit<\/h4>\n<h4>Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship: Ronda Rousey (champ)(w\/Shayna Baszler) vs. Shotzi<br \/>\nWinner: Rousey via submission.\u00a0 She hit Piper&#8217;s Pit and then applied the armbar.<\/h4>\n<p>This match was doomed from the start for me. I understand the focus of the show is on the WarGames matches. You don\u2019t want a big title match to get lost in the shuffle, so this is the card where \u201clower-end\u201d challengers for lack of a better term get title matches. The crowd felt dead even when Shotzi turned things in her favor.<\/p>\n<p>There were multiple rough spots and they just looked like they had no chemistry. Ronda needs a good worker in her matches and Shotzi is just not that worker. It\u2019s nice that she got a title match and I think it\u2019s unfair to give up on her, but she has a way to go. She didn\u2019t gain anything here in my opinion.<\/p>\n<h4>Hit or Miss: Miss<\/h4>\n<h4>Multiple Backstage Segments: Sami Zayn talks to Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Roman<\/h4>\n<p>There are no better people in the WWE than the Bloodline. What was very underrated was Paul Heyman\u2019s facial expressions in the background when Roman and Sami were talking. Go watch it again if you missed it.<\/p>\n<h4>Hit or Miss: Grand Slam HR.<\/h4>\n<h4>U.S. Championship: Seth Rollins (champ) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory<br \/>\nWinner: Theory via pinfall when Lashley speared Rollins as he was giving Theory the Falcon Arrow.<\/h4>\n<p>First, what\u2019s the deal with Franklin Roberto Lashley coming out in Hulk Hogan colors, brother? C\u2019mon man!<\/p>\n<p>This started out as your typical triple threat with one guy selling for a while (Lashley) while Rollins and Theory went at it. Their work was fine, and they worked towards Rollins doing the dive on both guys on the outside. It looked like he missed it, but stuff happens. Him getting the crowd to sing along with his theme is annoying, but this is the modern WWE, and the fans eat that stuff up. Serve them the dish they want, right? The rolling blockbuster on Theory\u2019s part was a cool move, but how many people are going to try the finish from Hart vs. Piper from WrestleMania 8 this year?<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1864047336\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>The action got good after that, but I don\u2019t like the booking of the finish. If you want a champion to win, put him over by beating the champion it\u2019s that simple. That\u2019s now two straight times the U.S. Championship has changed hands via some type of gimmick or nefarious means. I thought we were trying to build up the title. When Rollins beat Lashley, Lashley was attacked before the match. Here it was clean and by the rules of a triple threat match, but that\u2019s not really the point. They\u2019ve been trying to build Theory up as a more aggressive competitor lately, and technically he did pin the champion, but it was thanks to Lashley hitting the spear. Yes, I get that \u201cit counts\u201d and trust me, my favorite football team has a lot of cheap wins this year, but you can control the outcome in wrestling.<\/p>\n<h4>Hit or Miss: Miss<\/h4>\n<h4>Men\u2019s WarGames Match: Drew McIntyre &amp; Kevin Owens &amp; The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus &amp; Butch &amp; Ridge Holland) vs. The Bloodline (Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns &amp; Undisputed Tag Team Champions The Usos &amp; Solo Sikoa &amp; Sami Zayn)<br \/>\nWinner: The Bloodline<\/h4>\n<p>Right off the bat I was put in a good mood when Michael Cole talked about the WarGames match from 1992 when Sting\u2019s Squadron took on Paul E\u2019s (Heyman) Dangerous Alliance. On a personal level I was excited because I reviewed that for Pro Wrestling Then and Now for the Torch over the summer. In addition, it\u2019s huge and really cool that Cole is allowed to say Sting\u2019s name even though he\u2019s working for AEW right now. If you haven\u2019t seen that match, go watch WrestleWar \u201992.<\/p>\n<p>This match got very interesting when Roman sent Sami to pair up with Jey Usos to work with Holland and Butch, and more so when Jimmy came out. They started with the weapons as well, which I already complained about with the women\u2019s match. Eventually when Sikoa came in, I like the old school \u201cdon\u2019t ram a Samoan\u2019s head because it doesn\u2019t hurt them\u201d from back in the day when Owens rammed him into the cage. They then tied in history with Sikoa and McIntyre, going back to when Sikoa cost him the undisputed championship back at Clash at the Castle.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s be honest we all waited for Roman to get into the ring. Anything that happened before that was just filling time. Now when they did the West Side Story standoff, it felt a little contrived. Everyone is knocked out but suddenly alive on cue. I gotta admit, it\u2019s still a cool spot, so I\u2019ll forgive. You then waited for two things. What would happen between Jey Uso and Sami Zayn, and would Sami cost the Bloodline the match? In addition, does Owens factor in? Well, we got our answer when Sami prevented the referee from counting to three after Owens hit Roman with the Stunner. Later Sami gives him a ball shot and sets up Jey for the splash from the top rope. What\u2019s more is Sami\u2019s acting when he looked conflicted and sad after what he did to his long-time friend Owens, but then celebrates like it\u2019s 1999 with his bloodline \u201cbrothers.\u201d That was absolutely tremendous.<\/p>\n<p>I have something to say about the Bloodline being more over than the babyfaces in my closing thoughts. That said, there are still A LOT of stories to be told here Uce. Acknowledge them!<\/p>\n<h4>Hit or Miss: Hit<\/h4>\n<h4>Final Score<\/h4>\n<h4>Hits 4<br \/>\nMisses 2<\/h4>\n<h4>Closing Thoughts<\/h4>\n<p>I thought Samantha Irvin\u2019s ring announcing was atrocious. She\u2019s over the top, corny, and does nothing to get me excited about the matches. I feel like I\u2019m hearing nails on a chalkboard. Lilian Garcia was never this over the top. Heck I\u2019d bring back Eden Stiles (no don\u2019t bring her back we all know she\u2019s Brandi Rhodes). All the great ring announcers of the past never sounded over the top.<\/p>\n<p>What babyfaces were over to you? To me it was Becky Lynch and that\u2019s it. In the main event it was all about the Bloodline. The crowd was cheering Sami being accepted. Nobody wanted the babyface team to win. Call me old school or a \u201cget off my lawn\u201d guy, but promotions were always at their strongest when there were babyfaces about which the crowd cared. It doesn\u2019t matter now because WWE is a money-making machine, so they don\u2019t care what you and I think, but think back when you were truly excited about watching WWE or any promotion for that matter. The women babyfaces are over (Becky and Bianca for the most part), so maybe that\u2019s what they count on. Maybe I\u2019m reading too much into it, but I thought about it, so there.<\/p>\n<p>With all of that said the hits have it, this report is adjourned. I guess you won\u2019t be hearing from me until the Royal Rumble for what that\u2019s worth to you. Next week I look back on Survivor Series 1997 for Pro Wrestling Then and Now, so you\u2019ll hear me on the audio side. Until then \u2026 keep your head in the clouds \u2026 your hands to yourself \u2026 and if she says you don\u2019t listen, she\u2019s probably right.<\/p>\n<p><em>Follow Frank on Twitter @FrankPeteani. Thank you for reading!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-212702318\"><div id=\"pwtor-2416833645\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>WWE SURVIVOR SERIES WARGAMES 2022 HITS AND MISSES NOVEMBER 26, 2022 BOSTON, MA. AT THE TD GARDEN AIRED ON PEACOCK, 8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 a.m. CST BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH.COM CONTRIBUTOR Announcers: Michael Cole <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2022\/11\/27\/wwe-survivor-series-wargames-2022-hits-misses-bloodline-vs-mcintyre-owens-brawling-brutes-belair-becky-asuka-bliss-yim-vs-bayley-damage-ctrl-r\/\" title=\"WWE SURVIVOR SERIES WARGAMES 2022 HITS &amp; MISSES: Bloodline vs. McIntyre &amp; Owens &amp; Brawling Brutes, Belair &amp; Becky &amp; Asuka &amp; Bliss &amp; Yim vs. Bayley &amp; Damage Ctrl &amp; Ripley &amp; Cross, US Championship Triple Threat, Ronda vs. Shotzi, Styles vs. Balor\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":146901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,52,28,27,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prowrestlingnews","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses","category-specialists","category-news_wwe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2022\/09\/Fc5KbOAaIAAQX6y.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149975"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149976,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149975\/revisions\/149976"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}