This weekend, World Wrestling Entertainment is coming off the top rope with NXT WarGames. The event will be NXT’s 5th WarGames event and the first pay-per-view event since NXT was rebranded to NXT 2.0. This year’s WarGames is the first WarGames to not have the “TakeOver” name as the WWE has phased out the TakeOver series since the NXT 2.0 rebrand.
Created by the late “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes in 1987, WarGames is a cage match containing 2 rings, which consists of 2 or more teams of 3 or more wrestlers. Originally, Rhodes created the match with a roof on top of the cage, however, WWE’s version doesn’t have a roof. Throughout NWA/WCW and WWE NXT history, there have been 37 official WarGame matches to date, with countless other minor wrestling promotions having their own versions of the match.
It would be nearly 20 years before a WarGames match would take place after the WWE purchased WCW in 2001, as WWE revived the WarGames match in 2017 for its NXT brand. Since 2017, WarGames has seen its first women’s match and plenty of classic matches. This year’s event will be the first Men’s WarGames match without NXT faction Undisputed Era, as Adam Cole and Bobby Fish have left the company for rival promotion AEW. On WWE’s YouTube page, the NXT Universe can watch the 2017 Men’s Wargames Match and the 2019 match.
Since the company has rebranded NXT to NXT 2.0 to focus on developmental talent, 2021 WarGames will be a passing of the torch event that pits old vs. new. NXT veterans Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne, and LA Knight will team up as Team Black & Gold to take on Team 2.0, which will feature rookie superstars Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller, and Tony D’Angelo with Trick Williams in this year’s men’s WarGames match.
NXT WarGames Card
WarGames features a stacked lineup of 5 matches featuring NXT superstars. There will be a men’s and a women’s WarGames match with each match featuring 8 of the best superstars on the NXT roster.
Like always, the card is subject to change but the following matches are scheduled to take place.
- Women’s WarGames Mach: Raquel González, Io Shirai, Cora Jade, & Kay Lee Ray vs. Dakota Kai & Toxic Attraction (Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin, and Jacy Jayne
- Hair vs. Hair Match: Cameron Grimes vs. Duke Hudson
- NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Von Wagner
- NXT Cruiserweight Championship Match: Roderick Strong (c) (with The Diamond Mine) vs. Joe Gacy (with Harland)
- Men’s WarGames Match: Team Black & Gold (Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne, and LA Knight) vs. Team 2.0 (Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller, and Tony D’Angelo) (with Trick Williams)
When to Watch NXT WarGames
Peacock will be home to all of the matches between your favorite NXT Superstars at WarGames. This year’s event will be held at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida with the main card beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 5.
The NXT WarGames Pre-Show will also air at 7:30 p.m. ET. on Peacock, WWE.com, and their social media channels.
How to Watch NXT WarGames
Peacock is the exclusive home of the award-winning WWE Network. Fans can watch all of Sunday’s grappling action with a Peacock Premium subscription. For $4.99 per month, or $49.99 per year not only will fans have access to their favorite NXT Superstars, but they can watch everything else Peacock has to offer. For an ad-free experience, upgrade to Peacock Premium Plus for $9.99 per month, or $99.99 annually.
WWE on Peacock
In the dedicated section for WWE on Peacock, fans will find:
- Every PPV event from the last calendar year
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