Every WWE War Games Match, Ranked (2024)

In 2017, WWE finally introduced the WarGames match concept to the company, using one of WCW’s most iconic and legendary gimmicks, bringing it to NXT. It became a yearly staple of the developmental brand before it was then inherited by the main roster in 2022 as the key theme of the Survivor Series PLE.

TheSportster’s rating system will take a look at every WarGames match since WWE first used it to determine which was the best, the worst, and everything else in between. These ratings will be compared to those from Cagematch.Net and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

12 Team Raquel Vs. Team Mandy (NXT WarGames 2021)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 6.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 2 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 6.31

The very worst WarGames match in WWE history came at the 2021 NXT event which saw the team of Raquel Gonzalez, Cora Jade, Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray take on Toxic Attraction and Dakota Kai. The match was very soppy, disjointed, and had no real structure. Cora Jade’s injury spot was appallingly done, making some of this match laughable.

There were admittedly some good spots thanks to Io Shirai, who has really been one of the highlights of WWE’s WarGames matches over the years. The crowd was invested, elevating a disappointing matchup.

11 Alexa Bliss, Bianca Belair, Asuka, Becky Lynch, & Mia Yim Vs. Damage CTRL, Rhea Ripley, & Nikki Cross (WWE Survivor Series 2022)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 7.18

The very first main roster WarGames match took place at Survivor Series 2022, and although it was far from the best WarGames matches in WWE history, it was still a solid effort from those involved.

This match leaned very heavily on spots and the use of weapons rather than any semblance of a storyline, though the chaotic nature did keep the crowd invested.

10 Team Raquel Vs. Team Ripley (NXT TakeOver WarGames 2020)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 3.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.02

This match unfortunately suffered a little due to the lack of a proper crowd thanks to the pandemic, but all the smoke and mirrors such as screens, piped in noise, and the chaos of a WarGames match managed to make up for it in a lot of ways.

Io Shirai’s leap from the top with a trash can was a good spot, but there weren’t a whole load of memorable moments to take away from the bout. Raquel Gonzalez looked quite strong during this, so that was one other particular highlight.

9 The Bloodline Vs. Brawling Brutes, Drew McIntyre & Kevin Owens (WWE Survivor Series 2022)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.24

The men’s 2022 WarGames match leaned heavily on the storytelling aspect, and it succeeded in this way. The Bloodline storyline was in full force during this timeframe, so the dynamic between Sami Zayn and his various stablemates, in addition to his former friend Kevin Owens, was thrilling.

The in-ring work itself was quite slow at times, and it led to a surprisingly mute crowd for large portions of the match, despite the quality of the storytelling.

8 Damage CTRL Vs. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair & Shotzi (WWE Survivor Series 2023)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 7.99

The storytelling involving Bayley’s allegiance with Damage CTRL was a good driving force in this bout, in addition to the rebuilt friendship between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair (though this was admittedly a little forced).

Furthermore, the in-ring work was very smooth for much of this match, thanks to the high quality of workers. The psychology wasn’t perfect, with inconsistent selling and a spree of spots that negated in impact the more they occurred.

7 Undisputed Era Vs. Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (NXT TakeOver WarGames 2020)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.60

The in-ring work was great in this match, with Pat McAfee in particular impressing given his non-wrestling background, in addition to an authentic sense of hate between the two sides and the interesting dynamic of Undisputed Era being babyfaces.

The biggest downside to this match was the fact that there was not a real crowd. NXT did their best with piped-in noise and screens around the arena, but it did take away from what was a very strong match.

6 Undisputed Era Vs. War Raiders, Pete Dunne & Ricochet (NXT TakeOver WarGames 2018)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.59

The second NXT WarGames event saw the Undisputed Era once again headline the show, taking on the team of War Raiders, Pete Dunne & Ricochet in an exciting showcase which had a red hot crowd. There were a mix of different styles in this match that all meshed well, but there the sense of storytelling and psychology wasn’t always perfect due to the spotfest nature of the match.

This bout did run very long too, with some periods of wrestlers lying around doing nothing, but the crowd did not stop going wild for everything.

5 Team Cody vs. Judgment Day (WWE Survivor Series 2023)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.19

The level of wild spots in this match wasn’t as much as other WWE WarGames matches, but everything the wrestlers did in this bout was smoothly executed with very few errors or mishaps, and this is testament to the high quality of the ten men involved.

The storytelling highlights involved Drew McIntyre’s hatred for Jey Uso and Sami Zayn, the loose respect between Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, and the thundering return of Randy Orton, all of which added a whole lot to the match.

4 Team 2.0 Vs. Team Black & Gold (NXT WarGames 2021)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.68

Upon the dawn of NXT 2.0, two different eras of NXT clashed inside WarGames as the new breed of Bron Breakker, Tony D’Angelo, Carmelo Hayes and Grayson Waller battled the faces of the black & gold era in Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Kyle O’Reilly and Pete Dunne.

The new stars showcased their talents in a brilliant way, and this clash of eras ensured a very enthralling story being told throughout. In the end, the newer stars reigned supreme, ushering in a different era for the developmental brand.

3 Undisputed Era Vs. Kevin Owens, Keith Lee, Tommaso Ciampa & Dominik Dijakovic (NXT TakeOver WarGames 2019)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.67

The Undisputed Era battled another squad of NXT’s top babyfaces in 2019, who were also joined by the main roster’s Kevin Owens in a huge surprise and unbelievably massive pop from the fans.

The technical aspect of this match was very good and solid, the character work was great, and the audience was super hot as they often were at NXT TakeOver events. The final stretch of this match was fantastic, and it ended with a satisfying babyface victory.

2 Team Ripley vs. Team Baszler (NXT TakeOver WarGames 2019)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.52

From a storytelling standpoint, this was one of the most captivating WarGames matches in WWE history. Dakota Kai’s heel turn was a major moment, attacking Tegan Nox and leaving Rhea Ripley and Candice LeRae at a 4-on-2 disadvantage, bringing about a great underdog story.

The pair put in a very strong performance to sell this convincingly despite being outnumbered by the team of Shayna Baszler, Kay Lee Ray, Io Shirai, and Bianca Belair.

1 Undisputed Era Vs. Roderick Strong & AOP Vs. SAnitY (NXT TakeOver WarGames 2017)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.86

The best WarGames match in WWE history is still the very first one at the inaugural NXT TakeOver WarGames show. Undisputed Era took on two teams in SAnitY and Roderick & Authors Of Pain. The dynamic of three different teams was one which actually worked wonders.

The strong personalities, the loose alliances, and the range of styles all came together perfectly to create a chaotic, violent spectacle that was the best example of how a WWE-style WarGames match can work.

There were countless great spots, strong stories told, and a wild NXT crowd ate it all up.