WWE WarGames match: Full rules explained

Let us look at the rules for the WarGames match ahead of Survivor Series 2025.

After a blockbuster year in which WWE introduced two new premium live events and delivered several established ones, the promotion is now gearing up to present the final main roster PLE of 2025: Survivor Series: WarGames.

The 39th edition of Survivor Series will take place on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at Petco Park in San Diego, California. The show will feature stars from the Raw and SmackDown brands, and it will also feature the two WarGames matches.

This edition will mark the fourth consecutive Survivor Series centered around the WarGames match. It will also be the first of its kind to be held in an outdoor venue, the first to take place in a stadium, the first hosted at a Major League Baseball facility, and only the second Survivor Series to occur in California, following the 2018 event in Los Angeles.

WWE has announced multiple matches for the show, including the two marquee WarGames matches in the men’s and women’s divisions. In the men’s WarGames, the team of CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso), and Roman Reigns will take on the team led by Paul Heyman, which consists of Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, and Brock Lesnar.

On the other hand, the team of Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and AJ Lee will battle the team of Nia Jax, Lash Legend, The Kabuki Warriors (Kairi Sane & Asuka), and Becky Lynch in the women’s WarGames match.

Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer is set to defend the World title against Nikki Bella. Additionally, John Cena will put the Intercontinental title against Dominik Mysterio in a rematch. Additionally, this will be his final WWE PLE appearance. 

Also Read: Top seven best WarGames matches in WWE history

Dusty Rhodes was the brains behind WarGames

The match was conceived by the pro wrestling icon, Dusty Rhodes, in 1987. Rhodes is regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation. WarGames was inspired by the post-apocalyptic film ‘Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome’. Originally, it was part of Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

The concept started in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), was later adopted by World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and ultimately transitioned to WWE following its acquisition in 2001.

What are the rules of the WWE WarGames match?

Let us now dive into the rules of the match ahead of the two WarGames matches in the men’s and women’s divisions.

Typically, two teams with an equal number of participants compete against each other, usually consisting of four or five members per team. Each team has a ‘captain’ who chooses their team members leading up to the event.

In a WarGames match, each team kicks off the match with one member entering the steel cage that encompasses not one but two rings at once, a decision typically made by the team’s captain. The opening phase is a one-on-one battle lasting five minutes. At the five-minute mark, a new wrestler from one team enters, determined by which team wins the ‘advantage.’

The advantage can be decided through a coin toss or by a prior match during regular shows between the teams or one member of each team. Belair and Jax will face each other next week on Raw for the advantage match ahead of their WarGames clash.

Once the advantaged team enters, the match becomes two-on-one for two minutes. After that, the opposing team sends in their next member, evening the sides at two-on-two.

The cycle continues with the advantage team always sending in the next wrestler until all members have entered. Once both teams are fully inside, the ‘Match Beyond’ begins, signalling the start of the final, no-holds-barred portion of the contest.

Until all members of both teams have entered the ring, the match can not be won or lost. After the entry of every member of both teams, the WarGames officially begin. The only way to win the match is by pinfall or submission. Originally, these matches prohibited pinfalls, requiring teams to win solely through submissions. 

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