WWE Survivor Series WarGames 2023 Predictions: Wrestling Inc. Picks The Winners
This Saturday, WWE will roll into the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, for Survivor Series: WarGames 2023. On paper, the card looks quite light compared to past events, with only five matches set to take place at the time of this writing. However, two of those bouts will be WarGames matches, and the WWE Intercontinental and Women's World Championships will also be on the line.
The men's WarGames match will see Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Seth "Freakin'" Rollins, Sami Zayn, and a returning Randy Orton join forces to face Judgment Day and Drew McIntyre. Meanwhile, the women's cage match unites the team of Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Shotzi, and Becky Lynch against Damage CTRL. Elsewhere, The Miz will have the opportunity to end GUNTHER's historic I.C. Title reign, Zoey Starks will try to take Rhea Ripley's gold, and Santos Escobar will face Carlito.
Of course, some of the biggest questions heading into the show don't pertain to the match card. Earlier this year, CM Punk was fired by AEW and is now a free agent. And with Survivor Series set to emanate from his neck of the woods, many fans will be tuning in hoping to see the "Straight Edge Superstar" return to the company he walked out on in 2014. Survivor Series 2023 will undoubtedly be packed with drama and surprises. With that in mind, please join the staff of Wrestling Inc. as we predict all of the match winners.
Carlito vs. Santos Escobar: Santos Escobar (94%)
Santos Escobar recently turned on Rey Mysterio and left the Latino World Order (LWO). Understandably, Carlito wants to avenge his fallen friend, who looks set to be out for several weeks following the beatdown at the hands of Escobar. However, most of the Wrestling Inc.'s believe that Escobar will have the last laugh at the Allstate Arena on Saturday night.
Carlito's WWE return has been fun, but no one expects the veteran to become a main-event player. Meanwhile, Escobar is a future star positioned for a notable heel run, but he needs wins to be taken seriously. A victory over Carlito gives him a credible win and continues his momentum. Besides, Escobar's villainy means that he can apply dirty tactics to go over "Caribbean Cool," ensuring that Carlito looks strong in defeat.
Of course, Carlito will have the LWO on his side, and the numbers game might be too much for Escobar. Then again, the heel might have some surprises in store to ensure that his old stablemates can't distract him.
Women's WarGames: Damage CTRL (65%)
Damage CTRL — Bayley, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY, Kairi Sane, and Asuka — has yet to establish itself as a dominant faction in WWE. However, with Sane and Asuka recently joining the ranks, the group has a renewed sense of momentum, and what better way to solidify the faction as a threat than by having four of its members overcome Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Shotzi, and Becky Lynch?
Flair, Belair, and Lynch have more than positioned themselves as main event draws in WWE. While a Survivor Series victory could certainly elevate Shotzi, there's no shame in losing to a unified group that could theoretically go on to dominate the division. WWE needs more women's factions that actually feel like a cohesive unit, and as it stands, Damage CTRL has the most potential.
Furthermore, Kairi Sane recently returned to WWE after a spell in Japan. While WWE has made some questionable booking decisions in the past, it makes sense to keep Sane's momentum going for the foreseeable future. Damage CTRL will win this one, and if they don't, there's probably no hope for the group moving forward.
Intercontinental Title Match: Gunther (82%)
The Miz has been on a tear recently, bringing a fighting spirit to his matches that has people looking differently at the 15-year veteran. Over the past few weeks, he has been desperate to prove that he is on the level of the hard-hitting WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER and has definitely turned some heads. However, 82% of the Wrestling Inc. staff don't think it will be enough to stop GUNTHER's historic reign.
GUNTHER became the longest-reigning champion in the history of the Intercontinental Title in September, and nothing has been able to stop the Austrian grappler. The run is becoming increasingly similar to his reign as WWE NXT UK Champion, which saw him dominate the division for over 800 days. The Miz might be operating at a higher level than before, but his opponent is meaner and leaner than he's ever been — and also has the added benefit of Imperium always being nearby. While Miz might put up a blistering, passionate fight in Rosemont, it is more than likely that GUNTHER leaves Survivor Series 2023 the way he entered: as champion.
Women's World Championship: Rhea Ripley (100%)
The only match the entire WINC staff completely agrees on is the Women's World Championship match. Rhea Ripley is walking out of the Chicago suburb of Rosemont with her title intact. While Zoey Stark is great in the ring and one of Ripley's best challengers to date, the champ is just too red-hot right now to take the belt off her. We don't see her losing it before WWE WrestleMania 40, at the earliest.
The build to the match has been good, but not great, with Stark earning her shot at the title with a win in a battle royal on the November 6 episode of "WWE Raw." The promos leading up to the match have also been okay, but Stark isn't as strong on the mic as her opponent. It all feels redundant, especially after Ripley overcame Stark and three other opponents in the women's fatal five-way match at WWE Crown Jewel.
Stark's time just isn't right now. Mami is coming out of Survivor Series still on top, and she's headed right to the main event of WrestleMania. This will be a good match, but on a card with not one but two WarGames matches, it could very likely get lost in the shuffle.
Men's WarGames: Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso & Seth Rollins (71%)
My goodness, is there a lot going on in this one? But with 71% of the WINC staff reporting a victory for the good guys, at least we think we know where the match is headed. See, but that's where things get complicated.
The pseudo-announcement of Randy Orton's return and inclusion in this mix is what muddies things up in general, with a receipt-as-yet-unpaid to Jey Uso and The Bloodline from so much time ago. That payoff seems inevitable and from there, one would think, we go full bore into Orton vs. Cody Rhodes as the last "Hard Times" hurdle for "The American Nightmare" until a WrestleMania 40 return tilt with Roman Reigns.
The positive out of all of this could surely be that we're at least done with the Judgment Day vs. the old familiar faces moving forward — and maybe that means we start trudging toward the heel faction dissolving. After all, Damian Priest has to do something with that briefcase at some point. Does that happen here? It's not a stretch, by any means, to think that he assaults a beaten-down Seth Rollins at the end of WarGames, and if he does, such a move might irk his stablemates. Drew McIntyre's inclusion in the match also makes things a bit hazy. We know his motivation, which is eerily similar to Orton's presumed beef, but what's the long game for what seems to be a renewed "Scottish Psychopath?" A return bout with Rollins, perhaps? No matter what, this match will produce some fireworks, but the consensus here says the babyfaces bring home the W.
Stay tuned to Wrestling Inc. all weekend for all your WWE Survivor Series news, including live coverage of the event.