One of WWE's biggest events of the year returns on Saturday when Survivor Series: WarGames takes place at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The card features two WarGames matches and three title fights.
Much of the attention on Saturday will be focused on the men's WarGames match, which pits Solo Sikoa's Bloodline team of Bronson Reed against the “Original Bloodline” of Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Sami Zayn, with the team recently adding CM Punk as a fifth member.
This match is just the latest step in the year-long saga of The Bloodline, which has dominated WWE programming since the Thunderdome's empty arena days in 2020.
The women will also compete in a WarGames match pitting Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Naomi, Iyo Sky and Bayley against the team of Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton and Candice LeRae.
The two teams are locked in the violent WarGames structure, a steel cage that encloses two adjacent rings. One participant from each team starts the game, with a new superstar being added at certain intervals. Once all 10 Superstars are in the ring, the winning team will be determined by sudden death pinfall or submission.
In addition to the two headliners, there are three title fights. In the biggest fight, world heavyweight champion Günther tries to defend his crown against Damian Priest. Gunther took the title from Priest at SummerSlam when his former Priest ally and stablemate Finn Balor betrayed him. Now, having worked his way back, Priest gets the chance to right the wrongs in an incredibly physical battle between the best of them.
Additionally, even more physicality should be on display when the Intercontinental Title is on the line in a triple threat match. Champion Bron Breakker takes on Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser. Since his main roster debut, Breakker has been a brutal wrecking ball, and that's what made him a champion. Now he faces Sheamus, who is one of the few wrestlers on the roster who can match his strength. Kaiser also adds an additional element of danger with his tactical attack.
Let's take a look at who the CBS Sports experts are picking in each game on Saturday's card, streaming live on Peacock at 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.
WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2024 predictions
Men's WarGames Match: Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Sami Zayn and CM Punk vs. Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Bronson Reed
I'm not sure how WWE will justify this, but I think Paul Heyman is betraying Reigns. It wouldn't be the first time he's abandoned a customer. I'm probably reading too much into things, but the wink he gave Jimmy Uso and his Sikoa-inspired suit makes me think the solution is found. The bloodline isn't going anywhere any time soon, so it's up to creativity to side with the new, tight-knit unit. Selection: Sikoa's Bloodline wins – Shakiel Mahjouri
The correct story beat here is that Sikoa's team achieves victory. Reigns' team should keep hunting until we finally meet Reigns in full underdog mode as he goes one-on-one with Sikoa. However, a team that includes Reigns, the Usos, Zayn, and Punk is pretty stacked and stacked in such a way that it feels more like a send-the-fans-home-happy situation than simply hitting the right next point in the story . Add to that the fact that Sikoa's team already won the six-man tag match at Crown Jewel and WWE loves 50/50 booking, and we'll come out victorious with the Original Bloodline. Pick: Reigns' Bloodline wins – Brent Brookhouse
Women's WarGames Match: Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Naomi, Iyo Sky and Bayley vs. Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton and Candice LeRae
This women's WarGames match exists for two reasons: to give the women a branded match and to give a number of top performers time at a major pay-per-view. Morgan and Jax have been getting the better of their rivals lately, so this seems like a good way to give the fan favorites a low-stakes win. For this reason, I will side with the heroes. Selection: Ripley, Belair, Naomi, Sky & Bayley — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Damian Priest
WWE told this story really well, with Priest actually appearing to shake Gunther with his quiet confidence. Gunther also seemed to flirt with a turn to the babyface side. As good as Priest's promos were, it's almost inconceivable that WWE would hand the title back from Gunther to Priest so soon. There was a lot of drama leading up to this match, but there is no drama about who will leave Survivor Series with the title. Tip: Günther keeps the title — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser
Breakker should win. Almost certainly him will win. But WWE has a chance to make the idea of Sheamus win the only belt that has eluded him his entire career come to fruition without harming Breakker. Personally, I like the idea of the Intercontinental Title being around a lot for a while, especially after so many long title reigns in recent WWE history. Sheamus was able to pick up the win by pinning Kaiser, which left Breakker in the hunt for the belt again and the reason he wasn't even the man fixated on losing it. For once, we choose what we would like to see rather than what we think we will see. Pick: Sheamus wins the title — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
US Championship: LA Knight (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
It gives me no pleasure to say that Knight's US title reign was mostly filler. There is perhaps no better example than the return of Nakamura after a seven-month absence and immediate inclusion in a title program with a week-long build-up. Knight has been underused as a champion, but that is an issue that management needs to address. Knight should win this game. Pick: LA Knight retains the title — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
