WWE Must Reverse This Survivor Series Trend, Rethinking Go-Home Raws, More Fallout
The go-home Raw for Survivor Series: WarGames at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City set the standard for what fans can expect at Saturday's premium live event.
Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul successfully earned their team the men's WarGames Advantage while Cody Rhodes, CM Punk and Roman Reigns fought over who would lead them into the cage.
Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss and AJ Lee showed their tag team synergy as they embarrassed Becky Lynch, Asuka, Kairi Sane, Nia Jax and Lash Legend ahead of the women's WarGames battle.
Gunther defeated Carmelo Hayes in the match of the night, while Solo Sikoa advanced over Penta in the The Last Time is Now Tournament to face John Cena in December.
Rey Mysterio beat JD McDonagh as he continued to push his way closer to a rematch with son Dominik Mysterio, who used his time to awkwardly taunt The GOAT with an impersonator.
While not the most exciting show, Monday's Raw did establish the importance of Survivor Series: WarGames.
WWE Needs to Think Bigger with Go-Home Shows
1 of 4For the second night of WWE television in a row, a forgettable all-men's card ended with a generic brawl between future WarGames participants.
Almost nothing was accomplished over the night to the point that the entire episode could be boiled down to a five-minute recap video.
WWE rarely does special event shows on Raw or SmackDown, but it used to be a significant promise that the go-home shows would sell the PLE to come.
These days, go-home shows come off more as a formality than a special edition.
Where is the excitement, drama and spectacle in selling a PLE to come as must-watch?
Perhaps WWE has grown lazy with PLE build because there is no pay-per-view buy to sell. It simply expects fans to commit to the subscription service needed for all PLEs, ESPN.
This is no excuse for a lack of interesting creative. Rewarding fans keeps them invested and might draw in uncommitted audience members.
It is time to bring back the feeling of palpable excitement on the week of a PLE. Make it feel like everyone on the show cannot wait to get to the event.
This can mean big names in matches that tease the action to come. It can also mean strong in-ring segments that add new stakes to the show or let the talent sell their personal stories one last time to the audience.
Consider the ending of a go-home show as a teaser for the PLE. It should not just deliver a basic brawl. Leave a cliffhanger or major tease with no clear answer without tuning in for the forthcoming event.
Moreover, with these four-match shows that feature the same stars, let the go-home show feature the talent not on PLE in matches who can steal the show. Let them prove why they deserve a future PLE spot.
Perhaps most importantly, utilize the talent. How does a two-and-a-half-hour show not deliver even one women's match with only one in-ring women's segment ahead of a show where half the card is women's matches?
The lack of interesting creative on these go-home shows is just plain lazy and highlights a stale reliance on fans tuning in only for names rather than the stories.
It's Time for the Heels to Win at WarGames
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WWE has delivered 14 WarGames matches since taking over the concept from WCW in 2017.
In that time, just three heel teams have emerged victorious.
Just one heel team has won since the match moved from TakeOver to Survivor Series, and that was The Bloodline with Sami Zayn, who were beloved despite being villains.
This is a staggering statistic that showcases the creative rut this concept has fallen into, aided by the unnecessary annual tradition behind the event.
In its purest form, WarGames should be the end of a heated rivalry between groups.
In WWE, it is more of a spectacle match, highlighting the top heel and faces of that time. The result is mainly used to fuel future title opportunities for the winners.
With this in mind, WWE should allow the heels to dominate at Survivor Series in order to sell fresh challengers for a variety of babyface champions in WWE.
While an all-star lineup of Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso will not lose often, the opposing team includes multiple heels who have the credibility to win and need the momentum.
In particular, Bron Breakker and Drew McIntyre both could go right after the world champions after a victory, setting the stage for massive showdowns to come.
Meanwhile, in the women's WarGames match, Asuka and Kairi Sane may be the only competitors with gold, but they need momentum more than the all-star babyface team.
This would also be a great time to solidify Lash Legend, who is the freshest competitor in the contest.
If she stand up to Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair confidently rather than taking the fall, Legend could quickly rise up the ranks.
Predictability is one of WWE's biggest issues right now, and a heel streak in WarGames hurts no one while elevating plenty of villains to contest a face-dominated company into 2026.
Booking a Cena vs. Dom Rematch Was a Bad Idea
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John Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio in Boston was a magical night and moment, highlighting The GOAT accomplishing his final career goal of capturing the Intercontinental Championship.
There was no reason to deliver a rematch, especially just weeks later at Survivor Series.
The less said about the embarrassing attempt to call back to Cena's past this week with Dirty Dom, the better.
While both men will do their best to one-up their first effort, the magic is already gone.
Three out of Cena's last four contests will have all featured Dirty Dom in some way despite no buildup of that rivalry before Boston.
It makes little sense, and WWE should have used Cena's last Survivor Series appearance for a bigger moment.
Let him fight a handpicked opponent from NXT such as Je'Von Evans, Oba Femi, Trick Williams, Ricky Saints or Ethan Page.
Let him fight an old rival who has not faced him one-on-one in 2025 like Roman Reigns, Rey Mysterio, The Miz, Rusev, even bringing back Dolph Ziggler or Zack Ryder again.
Let him even choose someone from AAA or TNA to deliver a match no one would have expected to see, including options such as Mr. Iguana, Psycho Clown, El Mesías, Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian or Eric Young.
Dirty Dom is clearly already more invested in feuding with his father, Rey, again than battling Cena, even if he is going to win the IC title back at Survivor Series.
It would have been far more interesting to let Dom and Rey collide again in their hometown of San Diego.
Carmelo Hayes Finally Ready For Big Push
4 of 4It would likely surprise fans who only watch Raw and SmackDown that Carmelo Hayes was once the biggest star on NXT.
While Bron Breakker was the top guy for a while, he was eclipsed by Melo, who became the standard-bearer for the developmental brand.
He came off more poised and ready for the big time than even The Badass, who was still a work-in-progress when he left NXT.
Despite this, Breakker has become the biggest rising star on the main roster while Hayes struggles in his transition on SmackDown.
Luckily, The Last Time is Now Tournament may have its first breakout act as Melo made the most of his time against Bronson Reed and Gunther.
The 31-year-old looked like a star in both matches, just losing out to The Ring General, who is likely to win the whole competition.
This is the time to capitalize on Melo's growing momentum. Let him defeat The Miz definitively. Give him a major spotlight in the men's Royal Rumble match.
Find a path for him toward WrestleMania 42 where he can showcase his talent. For an easy hook, he and Ilja Dragunov have plenty of NXT history, including multiple match-of-the-year contenders.
Wasting talent at Melo's level makes no sense. He does not need the full main event Breakker push, but he would thrive in the midcard title scenes of SmackDown or Raw with regular TV time.
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