Veteran NFL writer and Pat McAfee Show correspondent Mark Kaboly gives his Survivor Series: WarGames predictions for Saturday’s PLE (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT) event at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.
World Heavyweight Champion Gunther vs. Damian Priest
This could go either one of two ways (duh). Either Gunther is destined to lose and do something else that doesn’t include a championship around his waist, or The Ring General will brush off his sudden lack of confidence and remain one of the more dominant forces in the WWE. With WrestleMania rapidly approaching, Gunther has been tied to several different Superstars, with Bill Goldberg near the top of that list, so there’s that hanging over this match. Still, you cannot discount that Priest has been one move ahead of Gunther leading up to Survivor Series: WarGames. Gunther knows that he did lose to Cody Rhodes and should’ve lost to Priest at SummerSlam so that’s surely in the back of his mind. Gunther is rattled more than anybody would ever expect, which is interesting since he has been either the Intercontinental Champion or World Heavyweight Champion 81% of the days (all but 187 days) since joining the WWE. With potentially only ‘Dirty’ Dom Mysterio being a guy who can alter the outcome, I anticipate a decisive winner … unless Goldberg shows up, right? Nothing indicates to me that Gunther is all of a sudden turning back into the old Gunther, which is disappointing to me. I love dominant, arrogant and confident Gunther.
Prediction: Priest pins Gunther to become the World Heavyweight Champion
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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 anything to take advantage of this once-in-a-career chance. The biggest question will be can he physically hold up to two of the toughest SOBs in the business? There is no doubt that this will be a brutal match based on the lead-up alone, but brutal is also the only way Breakker and Sheamus know how to compete. Breakker’s first title run came to an abrupt and surprising halt when he lost to Jey Uso but that lasted than a month before he reclaimed the title. Sheamus has never won the Intercontinental Title even though he’s been eyeing it for. Some time so when you peel through the layers, there is plenty of motivation for all three involved. A Breakker win would propel him to the next level, a Sheamus win would give him the elusive Intercontinental Title, and a Kaiser win would skyrocket him past mid-card status. Regardless of who wins, this one will easily be the most physical match of the PLE.
Prediction: Breakker pins Sheamus to retain the Intercontinental Championship
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United States Champion LA Knight vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
This has to be the most surprising matchup of Survivor Series: WarGames considering Nakamura was missing in action for four months and arrived just two weeks ago with a new look and a new sense of darkness with his aura. Even though his time back has been brief, it was interesting to find out that Nakamura has been studying Knight and his “insecurities” presumably for the duration he’s been gone. Nakamura had a good five-month U.S. Title run in 2018 so it does make sense of why he targeted Knight for this specific title. That should definitely help him in this match. Now, whether he overcome the ring rust to beat a fighting champion like Knight is questionable. To me, it seems like this is the beginning and not the end of a feud that has plenty of potential.
Prediction: Knight beats Nakamura by disqualification to retain the United States 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 Champion Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Candice LeRae (Women’s WarGames Match)
There wasn’t much of a buildup to the Women’s WarGames Match, or at least when you compare it to the Men’s version. But the one thing that this match provides is a whole lot of people sore at each other. You have Ripley hating Liv Morgan and her heavy Raquel Rodriguez. If you weren’t sure how deep the cuts are with those players, their social media squabble on Wednesday night made it crystal clear. They aren’t the only ones. Belair and Bayley aren’t fond of each other, SKY (a veteran of a record six consecutive WarGames matches) wanted partner Kairi Sane to replace Cargill and Belair quickly dismissed that notion that created friction. Then there is always the threat of Stratton cashing in her Money in the Bank Briefcase against Jax, which has been teased for months but just not recently. There is a lot of individual hate, but which team can cobble together the most cohesion surely has the upper hand. If there is any match that’s going to have some sort of backstabbing or surprise return, it would be this one (ahem, Charlotte Flair?) I do expect plenty of chaos.
Prediction: Morgan, Jax, Rodriguez, Stratton, LeRae win then Tiffy cashes in the MIB contract on Jax
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Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, CM Punk with 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 lead-up to the Men’s WarGames Match, I can’t help but be reminded of the critically acclaimed 1995 movie ‘Seven’ when Morgan Freeman’s character told partner Brad Pitt as they were preparing to transport serial killer “John Doe” to a remote location: “If John Doe’s head splits open and a UFO should fly out, I want you to have expected it.” Whatever happens with The OG Bloodline and The Bloodline, 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 everybody, Punk backstabs Reigns, Sikoa takes out Reigns, Seth Rollins gets involved, Jey Uso or Sami Zayn has ulterior motives, or even The Rock being revealed as the one pulling the strings behind Sikoa’s version of The Bloodline, you shouldn’t be shocked if any of that happened. How well this match has been put together and the slow burn of months takes your attention away from the talent that will be in the ring at once. The storyline outweighs the in-ring expectations, in my opinion. Something big is going to happen and we all know it will. The question is who and what?
Prediction: Sikoa, Fatu, Tonga, Loa, Reed win because many, if not all, turn on Reigns at some point in the match – even his teammates and Heyman/Punk
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