Survivor Series 2026: Was The 946 Built Just to Lose WarGames?

WWE has two WarGames matches booked for Survivor Series 2026, and only one of them makes sense on paper. The other one has me asking a question I don’t love asking.

Is The 946 a real faction with a future, or a group of expendable bodies assembled for The Bloodline to run over in Houston? I’ve watched every week of this build, and I keep landing on the same answer.

The Survivor Series 2026 Card So Far

Survivor Series: WarGames takes place Saturday, November 28, at Daikin Park in Houston. Three matches define the show.

Was The 946 Built Just to Lose?

Start with the obvious take. Royce Keys formed The 946 to go after The Bloodline, and WarGames is the natural payoff.

Now the complication. Go down the roster: Royce Keys, Carmelo Hayes, Cruz Montana, Lucien Price, and Bronco Nima. Is there a single name in that group you’d bet on as a future WWE Champion or a WrestleMania main eventer?

I can’t find one. I’ve seen what WWE has done with Carmelo Hayes. I’ve seen Cruz Montana and Royce Keys in action. They’re fine. Nothing about any of them screams “plan.”

It feels like the group was assembled backward. Somebody decided The Bloodline needed an intimidating group to beat at WarGames, then filled the slots with whoever was free. Lucien Price looks scary. Bronco Nima was available. Carmelo Hayes had nobody to wrestle once Ilja Dragunov left. That’s how you build a speed bump, not a faction.

The Nexus Lesson WWE Should Remember

Here’s the counterargument, and it’s a good one. If The 946 loses its first big match, the group is finished. A faction that fails at its one major goal has nowhere to go.

We’ve seen it before. The Nexus lost the elimination tag at SummerSlam 2010 to Team WWE and never recovered the aura it had in those first few weeks. History says unbeatable-looking teams fall at Survivor Series, too. Hulk Hogan’s first Survivor Series team looked unstoppable and didn’t win.

There’s a smart version of this. Give The 946 the win, let Royce Keys pin someone important, and you’ve built a fresh challenger for Roman Reigns. Royce Keys isn’t beating Roman, but getting the pin at Survivor Series 2026 would make him matter for the first time.

My prediction: The Bloodline wins. This is arguably the strongest Bloodline lineup ever assembled, with Jacob Fatu replacing Sami Zayn. Roman is cruising toward a WrestleMania program, and I think Oba Femi wins the Royal Rumble to set it up. I could be wrong, but nothing about the build says WWE has long-term plans for The 946.

Why Is B-Fab Left Out of WarGames?

The women’s WarGames build came together in one chaotic SmackDown brawl. Alexa Bliss, Tatum Paxley, Bayley, and Stephanie Vaquer helped Charlotte Flair stand tall, and the heel side ended up as Jade Cargill, Michin, and all three members of Fatal Influence.

That leaves B-Fab out. She and Michin won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship on October 23, and Michin made the team. B-Fab didn’t. She’s been with the company since 2019.

Meanwhile, Lainey Reid, who started at the Performance Center in 2023, has a spot. Fallon Henley earned hers on the indies before WWE, so no complaint there. But if you’re picking five of six, why is the champion the one left out?

It’s complicated. Maybe WWE wanted all three Fatal Influence members together. Maybe Jade is being protected, or it’s just a numbers game. But when the reigning champion is left out, and she’s also the one with the most tenure, the optics are bad, and WWE hasn’t offered a reason on television. It’s a fair question for fans to ask.

The Iyo Sky and Stephanie Vaquer Shuffle

Then there’s the shuffle. Iyo Sky looked like a lock for the babyface side after weeks of run-ins with Bayley. Instead, she’s on Raw as Becky Lynch’s backup against Judgment Day.

Stephanie Vaquer was in the title picture with Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan, then disappeared. Now she’s in WarGames, and Becky vs. Liv is one-on-one. The cleaner booking was a Becky, Liv, and Stephanie triple threat, with Iyo taking Stephanie’s spot in the cage.

Is WarGames WWE’s Worst Match?

I’ll say it plainly. WWE’s version of WarGames is one of the weakest gimmicks on the calendar. The concept is clunky, and WWE doesn’t bring the violence that makes a cage match like this work.

Compare it to AEW’s Blood and Guts. When AEW does it, you watch through your fingers. When WWE does it, it’s watered down and slow. Two of them on one card means Survivor Series 2026 asks a lot of the audience.

Team USA vs. Team Mexico: Is This Even Fair?

I like the concept of a traditional five-on-five elimination match. Team USA has Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and Je’Von Evans. Team Mexico has Rey Mysterio, Penta, and Rey Fenix. Both sides have two open spots.

The problem is star power. As soon as Cody and Punk were announced, the match tilted. Add Seth Rollins and Chad Gable, which is where I think this goes, and Team Mexico has to eliminate three of the biggest names in the company.

Team Mexico doesn’t have the depth on the main roster. Dragon Lee is a good talent. El Grande Americano could work. AAA has bodies, but not name value. Penta still holds Money in the Bank, which is the one wild card in the whole thing.

If WWE wants this to be competitive, swap Rollins for Danhausen. Then you have a match. Otherwise, Team USA wins and it isn’t close.

Coming Out of Crown Jewel

Survivor Series 2026 follows a Crown Jewel in Riyadh that I’d score a six out of ten. Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton was the match of the night, and the Saudi crowd surprisingly treated Randy as the babyface.

Roman Reigns over Sami Zayn was good, and Tiffany Stratton cashing in on Chelsea Green was the shock of the night. But four matches aren’t enough for a premium live event, and I didn’t see anything worth revisiting. That’s the same Triple H booking problem I’ve been writing about: long builds, soft payoffs.

Frequently Asked Questions