WWE Adds Rhea Ripley And Another Name To Women's WarGames Match
The field is nearly set for the Women's WarGames Match at the upcoming Survivor Series premium live event – Team Damage CTRL (Bayley, IYO SKY, Dakota Kai, Nikki Cross & Rhea Ripley) vs. Team Bianca (Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim & an unnamed partner).
Ripley and Yim were added to their respective teams on the 11/14 "WWE Raw," after being offered spots in the historic match. Initially, Yim turned down a spot in Team Damage CTRL after being approached by Bayley & Co. in a backstage segment. Yim pointed out that she had no beef with any of the women on Team Bianca, and made that abundantly clear after IYO SKY's victory over Dana Brooke. Yim stepped out and said she thought about Damage CTRL's offer, but WarGames is a time when one has to pick a side, and she had picked hers. This led to Team Bianca stepping out and embracing Yim, causing Bayley to grow furious.
Later in the show, Ripley approached Damage CTRL in the backstage area, offering her services to join their squad for WarGames. With Yim being introduced by The O.C. as the solution to the "Rhea Problem," the story here is that Ripley wants to be on the opposing team. "Let's go to war," Ripley told Damage CTRL while announcing her entry into the match. The segment ended with Damage CTRL celebrating Ripley's acquisition.
The match at Survivor Series will mark Ripley's third WarGames bout; she was the captain of her team at "WWE NXT" WarGames 2019 and was part of Team Shotzi the following year. As for the other women in the match, while Belair, Kai, and SKY have previously been involved in multiple WarGames matches, the likes of Cross, Bliss, Yim, and Asuka have never entered the dual steel cage structure.
As for the final member of Team Bianca, fans on social media have floated names such as Candice LeRae, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Naomi, and even Charlotte Flair. It appears WWE will unveil the final member by next week's "WWE Raw," which would be the penultimate episode of the show before Survivor Series.
On a related note, WWE has announced a "WarGames Advantage Match" for next week's show, with the winner earning the entrance order advantage for their team in the WarGames match.