NXT TakeOver: WarGames Sanity vs. The Undisputed Era vs. Roderick Strong & The Authors of Pain



The highly popular WarGames Match is back, and it’s returning in the biggest way imaginable.

Tonight at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, the teams of SAnitY, The Undisputed ERA and The Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong will wage war inside the hellacious steel structure that surrounds not one, but two rings.

The WarGames Match is as barbaric as it is historic, dating back to the days of the NWA before becoming a staple in WCW. The unique and unforgiving contest features two rings, side-by-side, surrounded by a giant steel cage. At TakeOver: WarGames in Houston, each group selects one member to start the bout inside the cage, while the remaining team members are locked inside shark cages by the entranceway. After five minutes, the final two members from one team enter the match, giving that group a brief yet brutal advantage. Three minutes later, the second team’s members are released, followed by the final team’s competitors following another three-minute period. Once all nine Superstars are inside the ruthless steel structure, the first competitor to pick up a pinfall or submission earns the victory for his side.

This showdown has been months in the making, starting after Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly attacked NXT Tag Team Champions SAnitY and NXT Champion Drew McIntyre at TakeOver: Brooklyn III. The talented trio made it clear that they intended to shock the system of the black-and-yellow brand, and they did just that, shaking NXT to its very core. Their actions drew the ire of Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain, who sought not only chaos, but retribution. However, it was the returning Authors of Pain, seeking their own payback from SAnitY for taking their titles, that would turn NXT into a warzone.

On the Nov. 1 episode of WWE NXT, all hell broke loose during SAniTy’s NXT Tag Team Title defense against The Authors of Pain as The Undisputed ERA interrupted the contest before Akam & Rezar could pick up the potential win. Adding to the mayhem was the arrival of Roderick Strong. For weeks, The Undisputed ERA had seemingly been recruiting Strong, but when The Messiah of the Backbreaker had convinced the trio he would join their ranks, he unleashed his own assault on them.

NXT General Manager William Regal had seen enough of the pure bedlam. At that point, he declared that SAnitY, The Undisputed ERA and The Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong would battle in a three-team WarGames Match in Houston.

With WarGames returning for the first time in more than 20 years, you can expect to see pain, chaos and, yes, a shock to the system.