The end of an era: how one wrestling event broke 36 years of tradition
In short: For over three decades, the Survivor Series followed a rigid formula of brand supremacy and elimination matches. In 2022, that tradition was dismantled to make room for a high-stakes evolution. This wasn't just a change in rules; it was a fundamental shift in how professional wrestling tells its biggest stories.
The 2022 Survivor Series: WarGames marked a definitive pivot for WWE. Since 1987, the annual event had been a cornerstone of the promotion's 'Big Four' (later 'Big Five') pay-per-view lineup. From 2016 to 2021, it centered on 'brand supremacy,' where wrestlers from Raw and SmackDown competed for dominance. However, the 2022 event abandoned this theme in favor of a narrative-driven approach dictated by long-term booking rather than corporate rivalry.
The most significant structural change was the retirement of the traditional Survivor Series match—a tag team elimination format that had defined the event since its inception. In its place, WWE introduced the 'WarGames' match to the main roster for the first time. This specific match type features two teams of five wrestlers competing in a roofless steel cage surrounding two side-by-side rings. Unlike standard elimination matches, it is decided by a single pinfall or submission; escaping the cage results in an immediate forfeit.
This transition also signaled the end of WWE's developmental brand, NXT, hosting its own annual WarGames event, which ran from 2017 to 2021. By moving the match to the main roster, WWE effectively 'upped the ante,' as executive Paul "Triple H" Levesque described it. The result was a record-breaking night: the event became the highest-grossing Survivor Series of all time and the most-viewed in history, drawing a sold-out crowd of approximately 15,609 to Boston's TD Garden.
The shift toward 'storyline-driven' content was exemplified by the main events. The women’s WarGames match featured Team Belair defeating Team Damage CTRL, built on months of feuds involving various stable members and returns. Similarly, the men’s match saw The Bloodline defeat Team Brawling Brutes. These matches were praised by critics for their storytelling depth, moving away from the 'brand vs. brand' tropes toward complex, multi-layered character arcs.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Survivor Series: WarGames (2022)
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