WWE War Games and the Most Controversial Stories This Week

WWE is moving forward this fall by going back, with familiar stables and match types set to hopefully rejuvenate business during what has become a seasonal swoon in the fall, per a recent article I penned for Forbes.

From War Games to The Shield, WWE is beginning to rely on nostalgia almost as much as it has relied on real-life drama to promote its otherwise scripted storylines. Almost. 

And with a classic WCW pay-per-view franchise set to debut in NXT, could this be part of an ongoing trend to gentrify WWE with WCW paraphernalia? 

WWE Announces War Games at NXT TakeOver

At a recent NXT taping, per JJ Williams of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc), WWE will be bringing back War Games—the once popular WCW pay-per-view—at the next NXT TakeOver event ahead of Survivor Series. 

The news was confirmed by Triple H, as the upcoming show will be named after the classic franchise. 

War Games will create a stark contrast with the comparatively dull traditional Survivor Series match, especially in a climate of Pavlovian tweets from hipster wrestling fans that any given NXT TakeOver was "so much better" than any given WWE pay-per-view. 

With the Undisputed Era running roughshod through the NXT roster, and SAnitY a well-established trio, War Games makes plenty of sense and will be a welcomed sight to WWE's nostalgic fanbase. 

With Starrcade also set to return under the WWE umbrella, it's fair to ponder what other WCW franchise the world wide leader might revive. I may be in the minority on this one, but I vote World War 3. 

The Shield vs. the Miz, Sheamus and Cesaro Is Now a Formality

WWE has spent weeks teasing an all-out Shield reunion. Following the well-done reconciliation between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns now finds himself in need of backup after being laid out by The Miz and Co. over the past two weeks. 

I say The Miz and Co., because after being wiped out by Reigns on Raw, The Miztourage was seemingly replaced by top-contending tag team The Bar in Sheamus and Cesaro. 

The Shield reunion reeks of panic as WWE struggles to compete against fall programming, not to mention the best month live sports has to offer, during a time where top stars John Cena and Brock Lesnar are unavailable.

WWE did little to establish Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas as serious threats to The Shield, which is another indicator that the Shield Reunion Tour may not have been a long-term plan.

Still, fans were excited to see the three tease working together as Raw went off the air, and it'll be fun to see them together again, even if temporarily. 

Bray Wyatt to Debut Sister Abigail at WWE TLC

In what appears to be a payoff to a character we've been hearing about for four years, Bray Wyatt teased that "Abigail is alive and she is dying to meet you," with the "you" in this feud being Finn Balor. 

Though it feels like Wyatt and Balor have been feuding since Sister Abigail was first referenced, her reveal is a much-needed plot twist in what has quickly become a stale feud. 

Wyatt's tease set the dirtsheets ablaze with rumors that the Sister Abigail character could be anyone from Sage Beckett, who added fuel to these rumors through cryptic tweets, to Wyatt himself, per Ryan Satin of the Pro Wrestling Sheet.

With Wyatt challenging Balor to once again become The Demon, it's possible that Wyatt could show up dressed as Sister Abigail in what could either be awesome or a hot mess. 

Enzo Amore Is (Still) on Fire, and Kalisto Is Not

This week's episode of Raw built to the underwhelming cruiserweight debut of Kalisto, who let the air out of an otherwise tremendous segment featuring Enzo Amore, who is using his own real-life adversity against WWE pettiness to become one of the biggest stars in the promotion. 

Enzo carried a near-20 minute final segment by insulting the entire cruiserweight division in ways that 95 percent of the WWE roster could not. 

Enzo's star power has shone through in what initially seemed to be a sentencing as punishment for breaking WWE's silly unwritten locker-room rules, per Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Wresting Inc's Raj Giri). 

Enzo vs. Kalisto may not be the feud wrestling nerds were hoping for, but who cares, Enzo vs. any cruiserweight is a must-watch for me at this point. The man is a star and, like most of the wrestling word, he has my attention. 

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.