5 Potential Surprises And Returns

WWE Survivor Series 2025 has all the makings of a classic PLE, including two WarGames matches, plenty of star power and a pair of championship bouts.

Many of WWE’s top men’s stars will be wrestling in PetCo Park in San Diego, including the likes of Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. The women’s side of the card is loaded too, featuring a world title match between Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella as well as a women’s WarGames match stacked with stars like AJ Lee, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley.

As of late, WWE’s PLEs have been very hit-or-miss, but with the right booking, WWE Survivor Series 2025 should be a successful show. Here are five potential surprises and returns that could make this year’s Survivor Series a night to remember.

ForbesWWE Saturday Night’s Main Event Results As Cody Rhodes Cheats, Defeats Drew McIntyreBy Blake Oestriecher

Nikki Bella Wins WWE Women’s World Championship

Nikki Bella has expressed that part of the reason why she’s returned to WWE is that she wants to prove that she’s capable of hanging with the top stars in WWE’s loaded women’s division. Has she accomplished that thus far? Meh.

WWE’s women’s division has improved exponentially since Bella’s last full-time run in 2018, and at Survivor Series, she’ll get her best chance yet at seeing if she can perform at the same elite level as the division’s top stars. There are currently very few who are as good (or as over) as Stephanie Vaquer, a wildly charismatic star who’s also fantastic in the ring.

Vaquer ideally will hold the Women’s World Championship until WrestleMania 42, and in fact, WWE is reportedly considering Vaquer vs. either Rhea Ripley or Becky Lynch at its flagship event. Thus, if it’s anything other than a Vaquer win at Survivor Series, it would be a downright shocker.

Still, Bella has been pushed stronger than most women in WWE history, making a surprising title win at WWE Survivor Series a legitimate possibility.

Charlotte Flair Turns Heel, Betrays Team in Women’s WarGames

One of the main storyline arcs heading into WWE Survivor Series WarGames is the tension between longtime rivals Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley.

For now, Ripley and Flair are on the same page as members of the babyface WarGames team, and in what is a rarity, Flair has actually settled in nicely to a fan favorite role. Still, Flair and her foe-turned-friend Alexa Bliss did just recently lose the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship while Flair is notorious for turning heel.

Flair can be a beloved face alongside Bliss, but can she be one as a singles star? That’s not as clear. Perhaps Flair will get a shot at proving it. Then again, maybe not.

WWE Survivor Series WarGames presents WWE with the perfect opportunity to have someone turn heel in the women’s match, and of all the candidates here, Flair is clearly the favorite, no matter how obvious it may seem.

John Cena Loses to Dominik Mysterio at WWE Survivor Series

WWE’’s original creative plans reportedly called for John Cena to face and defeat Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series. Of course, that didn’t happen.

Instead, Cena beat Mysterio for the title on Raw in Boston, giving Cena the first IC title win of his legendary career and officially making him a Grand Slam champion. Now, the question is this: Was Cena’s win about simply giving him his moment in his home state of Massachusetts, or was it to set up Gunther vs. Cena for the Intercontinental Championship in Cena’s retirement match next month?

The latter was also originally part of WWE’s creative plan for Cena, with Gunther winning the “Last Time is Now” tournament to earn the right to face Cena in Cena’s final match. But there is and should be a debate about whether Gunther, who’s virtually a lock to beat Cena, is needed more in the IC title picture or the main event scene.

Because Gunther doesn’t necessarily need to hold the Intercontinental Championship again, perhaps WWE finds a clever way to have Mysterio beat Cena at WWE Survivor Series while ensuring that Cena looks strong in defeat.

Jey Uso Turns Heel in Men’s WarGames Match

The sudden fan backlash to Jey Uso is probably overstated, but what is clear is that WWE has been toeing the line with a heel turn for Uso for at least a couple of months now.

Whether WWE will actually move forward with a heel turn for one of its most popular stars is certainly up for debate, but that question is obviously one of the best storyline hooks for the men’s WarGames match at Survivor Series. Uso has a history with literal every single one his teammates, especially his brother Jimmy and his cousin Roman Reigns, but do those issues run deep enough for him to betray his team in the WarGames match?

Maybe, maybe not. With the way things currently stand, however, the heel team in the men’s match appears to be on the same page while the babyface squad is likely going to have a very difficult time getting along. The man stuck in the middle of it all is Jey, and if there’s a time and place to turn him heel, then WWE Survivor Series 2025 is certainly it.

Randy Orton Returns at WWE Survivor Series 2025

Randy Orton is advertised to appear on SmackDown on Dec. 5, which is just the latest sign that his WWE return is right around the corner.

Almost two years to the day after his triumphant return at Survivor Series 2023, “The Viper” is poised to come back once against WWE’s November PLE, and if he does, he could make a splash in a variety of ways. Orton, of course, is the perfect candidate for a blockbuster heel turn on someone like Cody Rhodes, who badly needs a marquee rivalry heading into 2026.

It would also make sense for Orton to interfere in the men’s WarGames match and attack Drew McIntyre, a longtime rival of his. Another possibility is that someone on the babyface squad, likely Jimmy Uso, is attacked pre-match and removed from the bout, with Orton sliding in as the surprise last-second replacement.

Regardless of the specifics, though, Orton’s WWE return is all but guaranteed to take place ASAP, and WWE Survivor Series 2025 is as good of a time as any for it to happen.