WWE Rumors on 'Original' WarGames Plan, Jacob Fatu and AJ Lee's Future

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

WWE's Reported Original Plans for Men's WarGames

The men's WarGames match at Survivor Series saw Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre defeat Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso, but some changes reportedly occurred compared to the original plans for the match.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), original plans called for Austin Theory to be on the heel team and Jacob Fatu to be on the babyface team rather than McIntyre and Rhodes.

However, with Fatu being out due to injury, WWE reportedly moved the Rhodes vs. McIntyre feud up by one month, which allowed for both of them to be placed in the WarGames match to continue their rivalry.

The finish of the WarGames match occurred when a masked person entered the cage and hit Punk with Seth Rollins' signature Curb Stomp. Breakker followed up with a spear to pin Punk for the victory.

While the masked assailant was discussed on Raw, his identity was not revealed, leaving fans to speculate on who it could have been.

PWInsider.com (h/t WrestleTalk) reported after Survivor Series that Theory was the masked man who attacked Punk.

Of course, WWE could always pivot and reveal someone else as the masked man even if it actually was Theory at Survivor Series, but Theory perhaps makes the most sense.

If Theory was originally supposed to be on the heel team, it suggests that he was likely going to join The Vision anyway. Having him help The Vision win WarGames would be a sensible way to make him part of the group.

The time between Survivor Series and Royal Rumble is often fairly uneventful, but with a mystery storyline potentially playing out over the next several weeks, it could help ensure that fans remain engaged with the product throughout the holidays.

Jacob Fatu Reportedly Expected to Return Soon

Jacob Fatu has been out of action since October, but his absence from WWE programming may soon come to an end.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Mukherjee), there was discussion backstage at Survivor Series that Fatu is "close to returning" after recovering from a dental procedure.

Fatu has not had a match since August, but he entered into a rivalry with Drew McIntyre in October and seemed to be building toward a potential WWE Championship match against Cody Rhodes.

In fact, Fatu and McIntyre were advertised to face each other in a No. 1 contender's match on the Oct. 17 episode of SmackDown, only for Fatu to get attacked backstage before the match.

Fatu was shown on the floor next to a pool of his own blood and teeth, prompting Rhodes to confront McIntyre, accuse him and have an impromptu match against him.

While there were some conflicting reports about the nature and severity of Fatu's injury at the time, PWInsider Elite's Mike Johnson (h/t WrestlePurists) reported that Fatu underwent a dental procedure and would be back "very soon."

Fatu has not been seen on WWE TV for about a month and a half, but it would be ideal for him to return in the next month in order to build toward the 2026 Royal Rumble on Jan. 31.

Since Fatu figures to be among the top contenders in the men's Rumble match, he could be a big part of WWE programming and storylines leading up to the event.

Updates on AJ Lee's Schedule

AJ Lee did not appear on Monday night's episode of Raw after leading her team to a WarGames win at Survivor Series, but that reportedly wasn't unexpected.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Mukherjee), Lee is on a part-time schedule that will see her "come and go."

AJ retired from pro wrestling in 2015 at the age of just 28 years old to pursue other interests, but she returned in September, more than a decade after her retirement.

Along with her husband, CM Punk, Lee instantly entered into a rivalry with Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. AJ and Punk beat Becky and Seth in a mixed tag team match at Wrestlepalooza in what was the longest match of AJ's career to that point.

After that, Lee was off WWE programming for several weeks before returning to cost Lynch the Women's Intercontinental Championship in a match against Maxxine Dupri.

On that same episode of Raw, Rhea Ripley recruited Lee onto her WarGames team, and Lynch ended up joining the heel team, continuing their rivalry.

At Survivor Series, AJ's team was victorious when she made Lynch tap out, which suggests their feud is far from over.

Lee figures to be heavily involved with Royal Rumble and the build toward WrestleMania 42, so if time off is built into her contract, it makes sense for her to take it now.