Drew McIntyre and 7 WWE Stars Who Could Make a Shocking Return at Survivor Series: WarGames

Although WWE premium live events in 2026 have largely lacked must-see moments, Survivor Series: WarGames has a chance to break the trend.

The men's WarGames match alone, which will see The Bloodline battle The 946, has the potential to be the best one since WWE brought the concept to the main roster in 2022. The expected women's WarGames bout has less of a reason to exist but could still have a surprise in store.

The card has barely begun to take shape in the wake of Crown Jewel 2026, but Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan for the Women's World Championship has already been announced. It's entirely possible a familiar face in the title scene resurfaces to factor into the finish.

The November classic has been known to feature its fair share of iconic debuts throughout its illustrious history, with The Undertaker, The Rock, The Shield and Sting all making their first-ever WWE appearances at the event.

A slew of shocking returns could transpire at this year's installment of Survivor Series: WarGames, and these seven Superstars lead the list of being the most likely.

Drew McIntyre

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Drew McIntyre was a pretty important fixture on SmackDown in the first few months of the year, first as Undisputed WWE champion and then as Jacob Fatu's archrival. The two settled their score in an Unsanctioned match at WrestleMania 42 where Fatu won decisively.

The Scottish Warrior hasn't been seen since, at least not on WWE TV.

He's been busy making a name for himself in Hollywood and honing his craft as an actor. However, a return to the squared circle is inevitable, and there's no better time for him to pop up again than at Survivor Series.

Although McIntyre was a member of the blue brand up until his hiatus, it'd make more sense for him to make the move over to Monday nights upon his return. He has unfinished business with The Bloodline, and thus it'd make sense for him to attempt to cost them a win in WarGames at Survivor Series.

From there, he can firmly set his sights on Reigns' World Heavyweight Championship.

Rhea Ripley

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Despite the abundance of female talent on SmackDown currently, Rhea Ripley's absence has certainly been felt the last six months.

She walked out of WrestleMania 42 the new WWE Women's champion and even successfully defended the title in a rematch against Jade Cargill at Clash in Italy, but a torn meniscus in her right knee has kept her out of action ever since.

Initially, an interim champion was set to be crowned at SummerSlam, but once it became clear that Ripley wouldn't be back for the foreseeable future, Chelsea Green (by virtue of her victory at the event) would be declared the actual champ instead.

If for some reason her road to recovery has been accelerated and she's secretly been cleared to compete, then she'd be a logical addition to the babyface team for women's WarGames at Survivor Series. She's no stranger to competing inside the double cage and of course has history with Cargill as well as Fatal Influence.

Following her win in WarGames, she can gradually transition back into the championship picture.

AJ Lee

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Rhea Ripley being back for WarGames is far from a guarantee, so with babyfaces needing at least one or two women to fill out their team against Jade Cargill, her "baddies" and Fatal Influence, they may need to look to other options.

There aren't a ton of women on SmackDown or Raw right now that would make sense for the spot. Most people would be considered underwhelming, but not if they call upon AJ Lee for some assistance.

Lee last competed at WrestleMania 42, where she lost the Women's Intercontinental Championship back to Becky Lynch. She ended her post-WrestleMania 42 social media address with "see you soon," implying that the audience hasn't seen the last of her on WWE TV.

Needless to say, she has no existing issue with either of the heel factions, but neither did Bayley prior to last week. Lee being recruited can easily be explained as Bayley bringing in an old friend to help her even the odds.

WWE did something similar with Lee last year in WarGames and she ultimately emerged victorious by tapping out Lynch. This could be how her next run begins, and perhaps she'll make some new enemies along the way.

LA Knight

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In classic LA Knight fashion, he narrowly fell short of winning the World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank despite having the entire New Orleans crowd that night and all of the momentum in the world on his side.

Regardless of whether he will ultimately win "the big one" or not, fans were left with the question of what's next for him in WWE coming off his latest loss. His appearance on the subsequent Raw was kept brief, as he was confronted backstage by Solo Sikoa and mentioned Sikoa being back in the good graces of The Bloodline.

Knight assured Sikoa that they were still on the same page, but his tone and mannerisms indicated the exact opposite. There was a possibility of WWE adding Knight to The 946's WarGames team (not necessarily to the faction itself), but Cruz Montana has since joined the heel stable and will fill out their five-man squad.

Much like Drew McIntyre, Knight has a bone to pick with The Bloodline (specifically Sikoa) and could be the reason why they lose at Survivor Series. It'd not only give Knight some direction coming out of the show but would also effectively turn him heel for the first time in over three years.

If Knight won't be winning a world title anytime soon (if ever), he should at least be kept in the main event mix and this would accomplish that.

Stephanie Vaquer

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Stephanie Vaquer having to take time off at various points throughout 2026 has prevented her from reaching the level of stardom she found herself at a year ago when she first won the Women's World Championship.

It was a breath of fresh air to have her back in the title hunt post-SummerSlam and then for her to regain the gold in her home country of Chile at a non-televised event in September, but her reign was sadly short-lived. She lost the belt back to Liv Morgan mere weeks later at Money in the Bank, and was deemed unable to compete a few weeks later ahead of a scheduled match with Becky Lynch on Raw.

There's no exact timetable for her return, but it could be as soon as Survivor Series if what she's currently dealing with isn't too serious.

As opposed to putting her in the women's WarGames match a la Rhea Ripley or AJ Lee, it'd be best for her to make her presence felt either during or after the Women's World title bout between Morgan and Lynch.

Vaquer vs. Morgan has been done to death, but there is a story worth telling with her and Lynch, so Vaquer getting into it with The Man whether she wins the title or not would reignite their rivalry and keep the both of them busy through the end of the year and beyond.

Naomi

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The rise of The 946 on Raw and specifically the introduction of Jaida Parker has led to rumblings in recent months of Naomi returning imminently and siding with The Bloodline to counteract her involvement.

Naomi has long been married to Jimmy Uso, though the two haven't been an on-screen unit in over a decade. Embarking on separate paths has allowed them to find their own success, but in light of the current circumstances, she should be backing up The Bloodline in WarGames.

She won't be in WarGames itself this year as the match is already confirmed to be five-on-five with the men, but she could simply show up and ensure Parker does lend a helping hand to 946. A program with Naomi would put Parker in a prime position to shine as a singles star.

Naomi was in the midst of her best run ever when she was forced to relinquish the Women's World Championship upon announcing she was pregnant in the summer of 2025. Having given birth earlier in the year, she should be back sooner rather than later, and Survivor Series would be a significant enough stage for her to make her grand return at.

The time will come for her to chase after the championship she never lost, but first, she can add to the excitement surrounding the men's WarGames match this year by resurfacing at Survivor Series and give Parker her comeuppance.

Seth Rollins

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Seth Rollins has been radio silent on WWE TV since suffering defeat at the hands of Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, culminating a 14-year story between the two. It was an ideal time for Rollins to disappear for a bit and freshen up his character, but he should be due back any day now.

It seems to be more of a creative call to keep him off television than it is anything injury-related. There's no shortage of fresh faces for him to work with on Raw, so WWE should be looking to get him in the fold again by the end of the year.

Since it was at Survivor Series where he debuted alongside the rest of The Shield in 2012, it'd be fitting for him to make his highly-anticipated return at this year's installment, potentially as the final member of Team USA.

The team currently consists of Cody Rhodes, CM Punk and Je'Von Evans, and adding another A-lister in Rollins would make them virtually unstoppable. They can set up his next storyline with whoever is responsible for eliminating him as well.

While it wouldn't be as shocking as some of the aforementioned names, the return of Rollins would be a welcome boost to Survivor Series and the Raw roster in general.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.