Updated WWE Survivor Series WarGames 2022 Match Card Picks

WWE presents its final pay-per-view of 2022 Saturday night at TD Garden in Boston with Survivor Series WarGames.

The annual event will integrate the popular double-cage match into this year's broadcast, eliminating the traditional tag team bouts and shaking up the inter-brand gimmick that had grown stale in recent years.

Two WarGames matches are scheduled for Saturday night, featuring top names from the men's and women's rosters, setting the stage for a potentially significant show that should propel storylines forward and lay the foundation for The Road to WrestleMania 39.

Who can fans expect to emerge victorious from the advertised bouts and why? Find out with this preview of the November 26 broadcast.

SmackDown Women's Championship: Shotzi vs. Ronda Rousey

It's nice to see Shotzi in a main roster title program with a star the caliber of Ronda Rousey.

Is she the most polished in-ring competitor on Raw or SmackDown? No, but her personality is enormous and she stands out more than some of the more one-dimensional competitors on the roster.

The 30-year-old is also super-marketable, with her tank and horned helmet being favorites on the WWE Shop website.

With that said, her placement in this match against Rousey is merely to accomplish two things: To get the SmackDown women's champion on television and to further build her partnership with Shayna Baszler.

Shotzi will put up a solid fight and be protected throughout, but she will tap out as Rousey and Baszler establish dominance as the top heel act on Friday nights.

Don't be surprised if Raquel Rodriguez gets involved, either, to set up a Royal Rumble opponent for The Baddest Woman on the Planet.

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Prediction: Rousey retains

Finn Bálor vs. AJ Styles

If their previous encounter in October 2018 is any indication, AJ Styles and Finn Bálor have the potential to deliver a show-stealing match Saturday night.

For that to happen, the match must be allowed to happen without interference from The Judgment Day or The O.C.

Unfortunately, the program has been built on the involvement of those two groups, and to eliminate them from the picture would make little sense.

Even with minimal interference, Styles and Bálor are two of the most celebrated in-ring performers of their generation, and fans can expect to see why this weekend.

However, the question here is what Triple H and the creative team are attempting to achieve.

Do we see a return from Edge to set up one last go-round with The Judgment Day? Does the head of WWE Creative dare put the Irishman over The Phenomenal One just three weeks after booking the heels to beat the babyfaces at Crown Jewel?

Or does Styles win to settle this portion of the feud and open the heel faction up to move on to The Rated-R Superstar? It feels more like the latter.

It is uncommon for an act to be so dominantly booked that it would win in Riyadh and then go over Styles in the followup a few weeks later.

The Phenomenal One has lost more than he has won this year, and it does feel like it's time to change that, even if Bálor should not be losing matches on PPVs at this point.

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Prediction: Styles defeats Balor

WarGames: Team Bianca vs. Team Damage CTRL

There is much intrigue as to who the fifth participant on Team Bianca will be come Saturday night.

If it remains a secret after Monday's WWE Raw, expect a major star's return. We are talking about someone in the realm of Becky Lynch or Sasha Banks. Maybe even a Charlotte Flair.

As big a pop as that would command, the outcome of the contest is nowhere near as dramatic.

Entering Saturday's event, WWE has already taken the steps to tease Rhea Ripley as the next contender to Bianca Belair's Raw Women's Championship and that setup starts inside WarGames.

Ripley will partner with Damage CTRL's Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky plus Nikki Cross to defeat Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim and whoever fills that last spot. The Nightmare will be destructive, overpowering opponents and establishing dominance en route to a pinfall victory over The EST of WWE that leaves no doubt as to who her next challenger will be.

The returning star, especially in the case of Lynch, can then break off into a program with Damage CTRL on the flagship show.

Two feuds for the price of one WarGames match? That's not a bad return.

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Prediction: Ripley, Cross and Damage CTRL defeat Team Bianca

WarGames: Brawling Brutes, Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline

Kevin Owens raised hell and joined The Brawling Brutes and Drew McIntyre on Friday's SmackDown, completing a babyface team that will step inside WarGames for a showdown with Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn and The Usos.

A match featuring four world champions and some of the best wrestlers in the world today, it is sure to live up to the lofty expectations that come along with one of the most beloved gimmick bouts in wrestling history.

The character work alone should be fun, with The Bloodline looking to stunt the momentum of their opponents while also attempting to ease the tension between Jey Uso and Zayn.

Look for that story to rear its head at some point and for the babyfaces to kick copious amounts of ass in front of a red-hot Boston crowd.

It would make sense for the Sheamus-led team to score the win and set up a new No. 1 contender to Reigns' title, but WWE knows who butters its bread right now and how important The Bloodline is to the overall health of its two main shows.

The Tribal Chief will be protected, but this feels like a scenario in which Zayn scores the win to strengthen the relationship between him and Reigns while also throwing gasoline onto his simmering feud with Jey.

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Prediction: The Bloodline win