It’s the best time of the year, everyone - WAR GAMES! It’s that oh so special time of year when large groups of people get so mean to their co-workers that William Regal has to come out and yell at them on national television. And not just yell at them in their place of work, but yell at them so bad that they now have to fight in not one cage but two cages. Can we count the Capitol Wrestling Center as a third cage? Guys, that’s three cages.
As per usual, the Undisputed Era is being sent into War Games, this year against the new Kings of NXT - War Games veteran Pete Dunne (who pinned Adam Cole in the 2018 War Games), Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch, and their advocate Pat McAfee who is much better at this than he should be. However, the stats are not in the Undisputed Era’s favor - while Cole, Fish, and O’Reilly won the first War Games in 2017 in a three-person three-team match against Sanity (Alexander Wolfe, Eric Young, and Killian Dain) and future Era-member Roderick Strong and the Authors of Pain, they have lost the following two War Games (in 2018 to Dunne, Ricochet, and the War Raiders, in 2019 to Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic, and special guest Kevin Owens). While in baseball batting .333 would be pretty good, this ain’t baseball.
On the other side of the double-cage double-ring, the women of NXT will be entering their second War Games match. Four* women will be returning from last year’s match - Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Io Shirai, and Dakota Kai** were all involved last year (along with main roster call-ups Shayna Baszler & Bianca Belair, NXT UK Women’s champion Kay Lee Ray, and currently injured again Tegan Nox***.
*Actually three.
**Dakota Kai was on Team Ripley last year along with best friend Tegan Nox, but Kai heel-turned on Nox by destroying Nox’s knee instead and walked out on Team Ripley.
***Nox, having her knee destroyed, was taken to Local Medical Facility, leaving best friends* Ripley and LeRae to fight off the bad guys in a winning effort.
****Rhea Ripley and Candice LeRae are no longer best friends.
This year Ripley and LeRae are on opposite sides of the ring - Ripley is part of good gal Team Shotzi along with NXT Women’s champion Io Shirai, recently returned to NXT Ember Moon, and team captain and hero to all children Shotzi Blackheart. LeRae is now heading up the heels along with Dakota Kai (who may come out and play this year), Kai’s heater Raquel Gonzalez, and recently turned Toni Storm. They all hate each other and it’s the best.
Before we get to this year’s round of Global Thermonuclear War, let’s check in with the results of WWE Survivor Series and how that affects Quixotronic’s Wrestling Shame Challenge™!
Previously on Fanboy Wrestletronic…
Standings going into WWE Survivor Series 2020
First Place: Kyle 62% (68-42)
Second Place: Tim 56% (36-28)
Third Place: Ryan 47% (21-24)
WWE Survivor Series 2020 results & scores:
Duel-Brand Battle Royal
Your Winner: The Miz (Raw 1, Smackdown 0)
Kyle: Raw, Mustafa Ali (1-0 / 69-42)
Ryan: n/a (0-0 / 21-24)
Tim: Raw, Elias (1-0 / 37-28)
Raw vs Smackdown Men’s Survivor Series Match: Team Raw (AJ Styles, Braun Strowman, Keith Lee, Matt Riddle & Sheamus) vs Team Smackdown (Baron Corbin, Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, Otis Dozovic, & Seth Rollins)
Your Winner: Team Raw (Raw 2, Smackdown 0)
Kyle: Team Raw (2-0 / 70-42)
Ryan: n/a (0-1 / 21-25)
Tim: Team Smackdown (1-1 / 37-29)
Raw vs Smackdown Tag Team Champions Match: Raw Tag Team Champions New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) © vs Smackdown Tag Team Champions Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) ©
Your Winner: The Street Profits (Raw 2, Smackdown 1)
Kyle: Street Profits (3-0 / 71-42)
Ryan: n/a (0-2 / 21-26)
Tim: New Day (1-2 / 37-30)
Raw vs Smackdown Men’s Champions Match: Raw United States Champion Bobby Lashley © vs Smackdown Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn ©
Your Winner: Bobby Lashley (Raw 3, Smackdown 1)
Kyle: Sami Zayn (3-1 / 71-43)
Ryan: n/a (0-3 / 21-27)
Tim: Bobby Lashley (2-2 / 38-30)
Raw vs Smackdown Women’s Champions Match: Raw Women’s Champion Asuka © vs Smackdown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks ©
Your Winner: Sasha Banks (Raw 3, Smackdown 2)
Kyle: Asuka (3-2 / 71-44)
Ryan: n/a (0-4 / 21-28)
Tim: Asuka (2-3 / 38-31)
Raw vs Smackdown Women’s Survivor Series Match: Team Raw (Lacey Evans, Lana, Peyton Royce, & WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler) vs Team Smackdown (Bayley, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Natalya, & Ruby Riott)
Your Winner: Team Raw (Raw 4, Smackdown 2)
Kyle: Team Smackdown (3-3 / 71-45)
Ryan: n/a (0-5 / 21-29)
Tim: Team Raw (3-3 / 39-31)
Raw vs Smackdown World Champions Match: Raw WWE World Champion Drew McIntyre © vs Smackdown WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns ©
Your Winner: Roman Reigns (Raw 4, Smackdown 3)
Kyle: Roman Reigns (4-3 / 72-45)
Ryan: n/a (0-6 / 21-30)
Tim: Roman Reigns (4-3 / 40-31)
And now the conclusion…
New standings after WWE Survivor Series 2020
First Place: Kyle 62% (72-45)
Second Place: Tim 56% (40-31)
Third Place: Ryan 41% (21-30)
Who will survive!?
If you want to watch NXT Takeover WarGames 2020 live on Sunday, you’ll want to subscribe to the WWE Network. Until then, here’s your Quixotronic preview of the show.
NXT Takeover WarGames 2020
Timothy Thatcher vs Tommaso Ciampa
The Background: Tommaso Ciampa has been trying to regain his mojo on his road back to Goldie yet again. He briefly found himself in the middle of KUSHIDA and Velveteen Dream’s feud after a DQ win over KUSHIDA thanks to interference by Dream on the October 7th NXT. For his trouble Ciampa ended up eating the pin in a triple threat match between the three on the October 21st NXT courtesy of the Time Splitter. Elsewhere on the same episode, Timothy Thatcher held a demonstration of his “Thatch-as-Thatch-Can” school by beating the piss out of wrestling student Anthony Greene. Ciampa finished off Dream on the November 4th NXT, while Thatcher found himself stuck between Dexter Lumis and Cameron Grimes’ issues when he used Grimes’ interference to help him defeat Lumis on the November 11th NXT. Finally after spending time in other peoples’ feuds, the dots connected - Ciampa interrupted Thatcher’s “Thatch-as-Thatch-Can” demonstration on the November 18th NXT. Ciampa’s presence cost Thatcher a match against KUSHIDA (truly the workhorse of the Ciampa/Thatcher feud) on the November 25th NXT and now the two will fight about… well honestly I don’t know. KUSHIDA? They will fight about KUSHIDA.
Fanboy Fantasy: Ciampa starts the match out quick but Thatcher is able to slow him down and bring him to the mat with a couple submissions. After a while of Ciampa escaping a hold, hitting a few moves but then falling back into another submission, he gets frustrated and heads under the ring for his ol’ box of tools. Ciampa tries to hit Thatcher in the face with a wrench but Thatcher slaps it right out of his hand and into one of the people-screens at the Capitol Wrestling Center. Ciampa goes for another weapon attack but Thatcher smacks that one into Ciampa’s face and locks in the Fujiwara armbar. Ciampa taps immediately and the bell rings - but because Thatcher was DQed for “using” the weapon against Ciampa’s face. Thatcher locks the armbar on the referee but Ciampa comes back with a kendo stick and whips Thatcher. All of the referees come out to break them up as they both start actively calling for the War Games cage to come down so they can fight some more. Later on during one of the War Games matches they should show up still beating each other and try to break into the cage before the referees break them apart again.
Quixotronic Bullpen Predictions:
Kyle: Tommaso Ciampa - I can’t in good conscience vote against Milwaukee’s own Tommaso Ciampa. It wouldn’t be right and it wouldn’t be legal.
Ryan: TBD
Tim: Tommaso Ciampa - Normally, I'd stick with a fellow Tim but Ciampa is still #1 in my heart.
Strap Match: Cameron Grimes vs Dexter Lumis
The Background: While the two have been circling each other for a while, it was Cameron Grimes who cost Dexter Lumis his match against NXT North American champion Damian Priest on the October 14th NXT simply for trying to ignore him and his beautiful hillbilly hat. Grimes and Lumis fought in a Haunted House of Terror match on the October 28th Halloween Havoc NXT where technically Lumis won but in actuality we all won. It was bonkers. Grimes returned to attack Lumis, costing him a match against Timothy Thatcher on the November 11th NXT, and the stakes were raised (or lowered?) with a blindfold match between the two on the November 18th NXT. On the November 25th NXT General Manager William Regal brought it crashing down to a “normal” setting - the two will now fight in a strap match. On the December 2nd NXT Grimes tried taunting Lumis with said strap but Lumis was unfazed and perhaps turned on - both expressions look the same for Lumis.
Fanboy Fantasy: We’ll go with the traditional rules of a strap match - one competitor needs to touch all four corners without being stopped by the other. No pinfalls, no submissions, just brutal touchings of the dangerous corners. Grimes starts off like a honey badger and mauls Lumis after delicately removing his magic hillbilly hat. However Grimes quickly finds out that dragging a downed Lumis is much harder for him than it should be - comedically so. After failing to move an off-screen Lumis, Grimes turns to discover that Lumis is now up and full of beans again. Lumis destroys Grimes, picks him up, and goes for the corners. Before the fourth corner, Grimes is able to climb up Lumis like a squirrel and stop him. Grimes goes for the corners again but Lumis is able to tie Grimes up in a bow with the strap, wear him like a backpack, and easily hits all four corners. After the match, Lumis (still stone cold in his demeanor) puts the hillbilly hat on to mock Grimes… and then briefly smiles? For the next two weeks Lumis shows up wearing Grimes’ hat, adding the vest one week, and adding a really bad wig the next. Because the hat is now wearing him. However the two can have a final-ish match on the Christmas NXT episode so Grimes can have his weird hat back and Lumis can go back to being erotically silent. Magic hat on a pole match? Magic hat on a pole match.
Quixotronic Bullpen Predictions:
Kyle: Dexter Lumis - Grimes has been instigating Lumis the whole time and deserves everything he gets coming to him.
Ryan: TBD
Tim: Cameron Grimes - I don't know either of these guys but I want Kyle to post a Simpsons Grimes gif so I'm picking him.
NXT North American Title Match: Damian Priest vs Johnny Gargano vs Leon Ruff ©
The Background: Damian Priest retained his NXT North American title against Johnny Gargano at NXT Takeover 31. However Johnny was able to spin the wheel and make the deal and defeated Priest to win back the title at the October 28th Halloween Havoc NXT. However rookie Leon Ruff shocked the world (and mostly Gargano) by winning the title on the November 11th NXT. Ruff amazingly retained his title against Gargano on the November 18th NXT though it was due to Priest attacking the poor kid because guess what - he wants his title back too. Priest and Ruff were able to put their difference aside to defeat NXT Cruiserweight champion Santos Escobar and Raul Mendoza on the December 2nd NXT. For momentum.
Fanboy Fantasy: Ruff is able to hold his own while Priest and Gargano mostly fight themselves - he’s not hiding mind you, they just keep fighting between themselves instead. Priest helps Ruff for the first few minutes of the match before hitting him with the big boot to show that it’s any man’s game. Eventually Priest hits Ruff with the Reckoning only for Gargano to then sneak in and steal the pin for his third NXT North American title win. Now he needs to make sure that Candice wins the NXT Women’s title so the two can clink belts.
Quixotronic Bullpen Predictions:
Kyle: Damian Priest - Ruff’s moment in the sun will probably end and Gargano is already a two-time champion… so let’s go with Priest again.
Ryan: TBD
Tim: Leon Ruff - Ruff retains and alliteration rules.
Men’s WarGames Match: Kings of NXT (Danny Burch, Oney Lorcan, Pat McAfee, & Pete Dunne) vs Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, & Roderick Strong)
The Background: The Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly failed to win the NXT Title in a match at NXT Takeover 31 with champion Finn Balor that left both of them injured to the point that Balor is still out with a broken jaw. Later on the October 14th NXT the Era health members Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong defeated Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan to become the #1 contenders to the NXT Tag Team titles. However on the October 21st NXT all members of the Era were mysteriously attacked and Burch/Lorcan were given their title match against Breezango - and won the belts. At this point the mysterious attacker was revealed as new Burch/Lorcan ally Pat McAfee who last was defeated by Era leader Adam Cole at NXT Takeover XXX. Kyle O’Reilly tried to defend the Era’s honor with Pete Dunne on the October 28th Halloween Havoc NXT but was (shock) attacked by Dunne who joined the newly dubbed Kings of NXT. Burch and Lorcan retained their titles against Breezango on the November 11th NXT with the help of Dunne, while the Kings tried to establish dominance against NXT champion Finn Balor on the November 18th NXT only to be attacked by a now-healthy Undisputed Era. As is tradition, Pete Dunne and Kyle O’Reilly met in a WarGames-advantage ladder match on the November 25th NXT that was obviously won by Dunne - the “bad guys” always win the advantage. It’s what they do.
Fanboy Fantasy: Guys. It’s not going to go well for the Undisputed Era. Like, at all. The Kings have the advantage, so while Roddy and Oney start (simply because I like how those names sound together), Burch soon enters so they can murder Strong for a bit. O’Reilly comes in next to even the odds only for Dunne to come in next to fuck those odds. Next comes Fish, followed by McAfee, and then the big hero’s save with Adam Cole entering last to save his team. After everyone is bleeding, Dunne eventually pins starter Roderick Strong to become the first man to make the winning pin in two War Games. McAfee spins this for Dunne into an NXT title program with Finn Balor because he deserves it and because the Era have to deal with the fact that they have lost 3 out of 4 War Games as a team and Roderick Strong has lost all four War Games prior to joining up. Roddy is mad that he took the pin and the infighting begins. It’s primarily Cole vs Strong with reDRagon in the middle, though O’Reilly sides a little more with Cole while Fish a little more with Strong - it’s an Undisputed spectrum. At the next Takeover we get Cole/O’Reilly vs Strong/Fish, though when O’Reilly and Fish are in the ring they shrug and leave. Strong defeats Cole and begins actively campaigning Regal to trade the other three members to Raw and Smackdown, finally giving us an in-universe reason for NXT to main roster movement. Eventually Cole heads to one show and reDRagon to the other, leaving Roddy with his chance to become the true king of NXT. But not King(s) of NXT, that’s the other guys. But before we leave, he’s a gif of the Era being the best, even if they must die.
Quixotronic Bullpen Predictions:
Kyle: Kings of NXT - The end is nigh for the Undisputed Era, both as a group and in NXT.
Ryan: TBD
Tim: Undisputed Era.
Women’s WarGames Match: Team Candice (Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez, & Toni Storm) vs Team Shotzi (Ember Moon, Io Shirai, Rhea Ripley, & Shotzi Blackheart)
The Background: Candice last challenged unsuccessfully for the NXT Women’s title against champion Io Shirai at NXT Takeover 31. At the same show Ember Moon and Toni Storm both returned to NXT and set their sites on the NXT Women’s title. Moon and Rhea Ripley teamed up to defeat Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez on the October 7th NXT. Candice defeated Shotzi Blackheart to become the #1 contender (again) on the October 14th NXT, but failed to win the title (again) at the October 28th Halloween Havoc NXT in a tables, ladders, and scares match. Kai defeated Moon while Storm defeated Shotzi on the November 4th NXT, while LeRae defeated Storm on the November 11th NXT. Moon and Storm teamed up to defeat Kai & Gonzalez on the November 18th NXT, while Ripley lost a title match to Shirai in a bloody match that you should all check out. LeRae then defeated Moon with the help of newly-heel Toni Storm who was revealed to be the final member of “Team Candice” on the November 25th NXT. Shotzi did the impossible on the December 2nd NXT by defeating Gonzalez in the ladder match to determine who gains the advantage in War Games. The good guys get the advantage? I don’t get it, but let’s go Shotzi! Oh, and she added NXT Women’s champion Io Shirai to her team. Not too shabby.
Fanboy Fantasy: Even though the Undisputed Era are the kings of War Games (losses?), the women have got the more exciting story in my opinion so this is your main event. Team Shotzi has the advantage so let’s start with an excited Shotzi and Dakota Kai out to show that she can kick ass inside a War Games just as well as she can outside a War Games. Ember Moon comes out next, followed by Toni Storm, then Ripley, then Gonzalez, then Shirai, and lastly LeRae who smartly doesn’t want to be in the cages any longer than she has to. Let Ripley act like a beast and put over her stellar and star-making showing in last year’s Games, and someone get Shotzi’s tiny tank into the match. Seriously, a tank within a cage. That’s gold, Jerry! However with Kai and Gonzalez being an actual tag team, Toni Storm’s newly found heel-fury, and Candice acting as ring general, the heels put away the good guys with Candice pinning Ember Moon. Candice argues her way into a new title match with Shirai since she led the winning team and finally wins the gold - how about on the same Christmas episode that Grimes wins his magical hat back. Clink! Kai and Gonzalez also start calling out the WWE Women’s Tag Team champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax for never defending the titles in NXT and demand a title shot for also being on the winning team. They win the straps at the Royal Rumble and the straps spend some time in NXT.
Quixotronic Bullpen Predictions:
Kyle: Team Candice - Io Shirai needs a new heel challenger to her title, so someone will pin the champ. I hope for Candice, but Toni Storm would be fun also.
Ryan: TBD
Tim: Team Shotzi - Always Team Shotzi 100% forever.
That’s it for our NXT Takeover WarGames preview and fantasy booking. We’ll be back later this month with WWE TLC on December 20, 2020.
Thanks for joining us again and be sure to subscribe on Facebook and follow https://www.quixotronic.com/ for more questionable content.