Survivor Series: WarGames Predictions | WWE

Veteran NFL writer and Pat McAfee Show correspondent Mark Kaboly gives his Survivor Series: WarGames predictions for Saturday’s PLE event (6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT) at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia .

World heavyweight champion Gunther vs. Damian Priest

This could go in one of two directions (duh). Either Gunther is destined to lose and do something other than strap the championship around his waist, or the ring general will shake off his sudden lack of confidence and remain one of the more dominant forces in WWE. As WrestleMania approaches, Gunther has been linked to several different superstars, with Bill Goldberg at the top of that list. So that hangs over this match. Still, one can’t ignore the fact that Priest was one step ahead of Gunther heading into Survivor Series: WarGames. Gunther knows he lost to Cody Rhodes and should have lost to Priest at SummerSlam, so he certainly has that in the back of his mind. Gunther is more unsettled than anyone would ever expect, which is interesting since he has been either Intercontinental Champion or World Heavyweight Champion 81% of the days (all but 187 days) since joining WWE. Since only “Dirty” Dom Mysterio may be the guy who can change the outcome, I expect a decisive winner…unless Goldberg shows up, right? To me there is nothing to suggest that Gunther suddenly turns back into the old Gunther, which is disappointing for me. I love the dominant, arrogant and confident Gunther.

Forecast: Priest pins Gunther as heavyweight champion of the world

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Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker vs. Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser (Triple Threat Match)

Ludwig Kaiser has the opportunity of a lifetime and will do everything he can to take advantage of this unique opportunity in his career. The biggest question will be: Can he physically withstand two of the toughest whores in the business? There’s no doubt that this will be a brutal fight based on the advantage alone, but brutal is also the only way Breakker and Sheamus can compete. Breakker’s first title run ended abruptly and surprisingly when he lost to Jey Uso, but that lasted more than a month before he regained the title. Sheamus has never won the Intercontinental Title, although he hoped to. So at some point, when you flip through the layers, there’s a lot of motivation for all three people involved. A Breakker win would take him to the next level, a Sheamus win would give him the elusive Intercontinental title, and an Kaiser win would skyrocket him past mid-card status. Regardless of who wins, this game is sure to be the most physical game of the PLE.

Forecast: Breakker pins Sheamus to retain the Intercontinental Championship

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US champion LA Knight against Shinsuke Nakamura

This has to be the most surprising match of Survivor Series: WarGames, considering Nakamura was out of action for four months and only arrived two weeks ago with a new look and a new sense of darkness with his aura. Although his time back was short, it was interesting to find out that Nakamura has probably been preoccupied with Knight and his “insecurities” since his absence. Nakamura had a good five-month US title run in 2018, so it makes sense why he targeted Knight for this particular title. That should definitely help him in this game. Whether he can overcome ring rust and defeat a struggling champion like Knight is questionable. To me, this seems like the beginning, not the end, of a feud that has a lot of potential.

Forecast: Knight beats Nakamura by disqualification and retains the US Championship

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Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Naomi, IYO SKY, Bayley vs. Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, WWE Women’s World Champion Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Candice LeRae (Women’s WarGames Match)

There wasn’t much preparation for the women’s WarGames match, at least when you compare it to the men’s version. But the one thing that comes with this match is a lot of people resenting each other. You have Ripley hating Liv Morgan and her heavy Raquel Rodriguez. If you weren’t sure how deep the cuts are for these players, their social media spat on Wednesday night made it crystal clear. They’re not the only ones. Belair and Bayley dislike each other, SKY (a veteran of a record six consecutive WarGames games) wanted partner Kairi Sane to replace Cargill, and Belair quickly dismissed this notion, which caused tension. Then there’s always the danger of Stratton cashing in her Money in the Bank Briefcase against Jax, which has been teased for months but not recently. There is a lot of individual hatred, but whichever team creates the most cohesion certainly has the upper hand. If there’s a match that features some kind of backstabbing or surprise return, it’s this one (um, Charlotte Flair?). I expect a lot of chaos.

Forecast: Morgan, Jax, Rodriguez, Stratton and LeRae win, then Tiffy collects the MIB contract for Jax

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Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, CM Punk w/Paul Heyman vs. Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, Bronson Reed (Men’s WarGames Match)

When I look at the participants and the preparations for the Men’s WarGames Match, I am reminded of the critically acclaimed 1995 film Seven, in which Morgan Freeman’s character told his partner Brad Pitt as they prepared for the “John Doe” prepared to transport a serial killer to a remote location: “If John Doe’s head split open and a UFO flew out, you would have expected it.” Whatever with The OG Bloodline and The Bloodline happens, you should expect it. It shouldn’t surprise you because you have to expect everything. If that means Heyman turns on Reigns, Reigns turns on everyone, Punk stabs Reigns in the back, Sikoa takes out Reigns, Seth Rollins gets involved, Jey Uso or Sami Zayn have ulterior motives, or even The Rock is exposed as the one Pulling the strings behind Sikoa’s version of The Bloodline, you shouldn’t be shocked if any of this were to happen. How well this match was put together and how the slow burn of months takes your attention away from the talent that will be in the ring immediately. The action, in my opinion, exceeds expectations in the ring. Something big is going to happen and we all know it will happen. The question is who and what?

Forecast: Sikoa, Fatu, Tonga, Loa, Reed win because many, if not all, turn against Reigns at some point in the match – even his teammates and Heyman/Punk