WarGames Sets Stage For WrestleMania 42 As Masked Superstar Attacks CM Punk

It may not have been a match-filled card as some fans are used to, but Survivor Series: WarGames didn’t lack in highlights or cinematic moments.

There were only four matches on the card, but the big ones – the WarGames matches and John Cena’s last ever at a PLE – delivered in a major way.

As WWE gears up for WrestleMania season, Survivor Series: WarGames laid the foundation for Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to add another chapter to his rivalry with Roman Reigns, picking up where it left off at Wrestlemania XL. Secondly, it added the potential for a major feud with World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk after Bron Breakker pinned Punk to win the main event after a mysterious masked assailant interfered to cost his team the match.

That basically lays the foundation for a major feud with Punk moving forward, rather that be with the unnamed assailant, Brock Lesnar – who last feuded with Punk in 2013 – or Breakker.

In what has become a common theme in WWE’s PLE’s under the TKO banner – TKO became the parent company of WWE – and since it debuted on ESPN, the few matches that are on the card feel a whole lot bigger due to the lower number. Furthermore, there are usually more highlights and surprises compared to before.

In Cena’s last-ever PLE, Liv Morgan made her return since being sidelined since June, teasing a turn on her partner Dominik Mysterio, before costing Cena the Intercontinental Title.

Meanwhile, in the opening match of the night, the team of AJ Lee, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley emerged victorious after Becky Lynch took a parade of finishers from the baby faces, including a Black Widow from Charlotte Flair.

Here are the top moments from Survivor Series: WarGames, WWE’s last PLE of 2025 and their first in San Diego since One Night Stand in 2008.

Liv Morgan Interferes To Cost John Cena In Rematch Against Dominik Mysterio In Final Feud Of Legendary Career

Ever since Cena unexpectedly won the Intercontinental Title three weeks ago on Monday Night Raw to become a grand slam champion, we all knew he would drop the title back to Mysterio before his final match.

Mysterio is the hottest act in the company right now and it’s only a matter of time before he starts becoming involved in main event feuds. This was his stepping stone before he does so and he’ll always go down as Cena’s final major feud and his last opponent on a PLE. That’s a very big deal as he said leading into Survivor Series.

“It’s a huge deal, especially the fact that it’s his retirement tour,” said Mysterio. “He’s never coming back after this. I’m getting three out of his last four. I got him in Boston, TD Garden. I got him in Madison Square Garden, and I’m gonna have to finish it off in Survivor Series at Petco Park. It’s a huge honor, and I’m happy to be part of that journey. Because at the end of the day, if nothing ever gets done by John Cena again – his last feud ever – and three out of his last four matches were against me. It’s a little clear that he needed me more than I needed him.”

While the result was expected as Cena shifts his attention to his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event on Dec. 13, what led to the outcome was not as expected. Morgan – who had been sidelined for five months after dislocating her shoulder – reformed her on-screen romance with Mysterio after attacking Cena.

Mysterio can now continue to build his resume with a second IC title reign and Morgan by his side as he continues his ascent up WWE’s ranks while Cena doesn’t lose an ounce of credibility in losing.

This wasn’t a five-star classic match wise, but it was never meant to be – it accomplished what it needed to and it featured a surprise return that has people excited.

Masked Assailant Interferes, Attacks CM Punk And Costs Team WarGames Match

As mentioned before, modern WWE PLE’s like to swerve and create intrigue through surprise returns and moments. That’s exactly what Survivor Series: WarGames accomplished with Morgan’s return and what they did in the main event.

With fans buzzing leading into the event that Jey Uso could potentially be replaced in the match by a returning wrestler or that Chris Jericho could return to the WWE, we had a surprise in the men’s WarGames match when a masked superstar came in to attack Punk, with a super kick and a curb stomp.

When the curb stomp move is mentioned, people immediately think of Seth Rollins. However, Rollins is recovering from a shoulder injury suffered in October. While it would be a nice injury swerve for a second time from “The Architect” – he did it at SummerSlam 2025 – this one appears to be a legit injury, making it unlikely that it is Rollins.

However, that won’t stop people from speculating that it’s Rollins due to the finishing move, which is exactly what WWE wants – to get people talking on social media.

Other names have been mentioned as possibilities for the masked superstar, including Randy Orton, a main event player who hasn’t been involved in any major storylines in months or Austin Theory, who was removed from the active roster on the company’s website months ago.

Regardless of who it ends up being, WWE is creating intrigue with this move, which is ultimately what these PLE’s have become and are all about.

WWE Survivor Series: WarGames Lays Foundation For WrestleMania 42

As WWE prepares for its second consecutive WrestleMania in Las Vegas, they accomplished what Paul Heyman basically said was Survivor Series’ purpose – to be an infomercial for WrestleMania 42.

The frequently advertised spot sees Rhodes, Punk, Lesnar and Roman Reigns all together at a poker table. During a recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Heyman was blunt in his description of Survivor Series and its grand purpose – setting the stage for the next WrestleMania.

“This is really an infomercial for WrestleMania [42],” Heyman said. “Because, as you must know by now, there’s such a huge publicity push out there that the individual tickets for WrestleMania Saturday and WrestleMania Sunday go on sale on Black Friday. So we are out there just showing the world, ‘Hey, check out this spectacle. Check out what WWE is about, and our biggest show of the year, WrestleMania, individual tickets going on sale.’ This is our audition for the world to come to Vegas for WrestleMania, at the same time, giving the most bang for the buck and the greatest WarGames of all time.”

WarGames set those pieces in motion, with the expected result being Rhodes against Reigns for the third time at WrestleMania. Rhodes of course beat Reigns at Wrestlemania XL to win his first world championship and Reigns had beat Rhodes at the previous WrestleMania.

The post-match interaction saw Reigns fist bump Punk and show unity with his cousins, the Uso’s, while refusing to do the same with Rhodes.

Meanwhile, Punk’s opponent for WrestleMania 42 has been rumored to be Lesnar, but could go in a few different directions considering the sequence with the masked superstar attacking him.

WWE could do Punk-Lesnar for the second time and for one of Lesnar’s first major feuds since making his return at SummerSlam. Or they could go the route of him against Breakker – one of the fastest rising superstars in the company – or against the mysterious masked assailant.

Either way, Survivor Series: WarGames created intrigue and speculation as WWE prepares for its biggest stretch of the season leading into WrestleMania.

In other words, it accomplished exactly what it laid out to do.