WWE Survivor Series 2024: Where Do We Go From Here?

Welcome to another edition of Wrestling Inc's latest regular column, where we look at the most recent WWE PLE or AEW PPV and ask the question: What happens now? This is our fifth installment in this regular column and the third featuring a WWE PLE, so we're getting some experience under our belt with this thing — and with 2025 and WrestleMania 42 looming, there's never been a better time to figure out where WWE creative is going next.

WWE Survivor Series always tends to feature a mish-mash of running angles, and never more so now that Paul "Triple H" Levesque has decreed two WarGames matches at every event. As such, there are tons of different ways WWE storylines could move forward of the 2024 WarGames contests, and we have a few ideas of our own. We also have some thoughts on what WWE is setting up regarding the next Intercontinental Champion, the new United States Champion, and the dominant World Heayweight Champion coming off a number of title defenses (both successful and unsuccessful) on Survivor Series.

You've got questions, the WINC staff has answers. The WarGames are over — where do we go from here?

The women's WarGames match didn't do much to set up stories for WWE's weekly shows moving forward, and nothing new really came out of this match when it comes to contenders for the two top women's championships in the company. WWE Women's Champion Liv Morgan will face IYO SKY at some point, after SKY won a battle royal for a chance at the gold back on November 4, which WWE just seemed to forget about for awhile, but thankfully mentioned a few times tonight. However, Morgan and SKY didn't interact too much one-on-one within the WarGames match to drive anything home about when their match will take place. SKY didn't focus on targeting and weakening Morgan for shot moving forward. It doesn't seem to be a big deal in WWE's grander storytelling, when Morgan's feud with Rhea Ripley seems to be ongoing and the bigger picture, especially with Ripley being the one to pin Morgan for the victory. I foresee SKY versus Morgan on an episode of "Raw" sometime in December, with Morgan retaining the title. Before Ripley gets her hands back on Morgan, it's likely she'll face Raquel Rodriguez on an episode of "Raw."

WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax currently doesn't have any challengers lined up over on "SmackDown," and tonight's match didn't do anything to help with that. Tiffany Stratton is still holding on to the Money in the Bank briefcase, after teasing cashing in when both Jax and Morgan were down in the ring, and with how terribly Jax has been treating her throughout the last few months, WWE could pull the trigger on that feud to give both women something to do. If they don't want to go that route and still keep the MITB contract cash-in a surprise on Stratton's end, Jax could move on to any of the women who don't make it to the final of the Women's United States Championship tournament. If Chelsea Green doesn't win the championship, a feud with Jax could be fun, and Michin is another name that comes to mind immediately as well.

The women's WarGames match didn't do much to answer the question of where do we go from here, but it was a fun match that showcased the talent of these women. It reinforced that we'll be seeing Morgan versus Ripley again, and Stratton walked out with the MITB briefcase, so there are stories still to be told, they're just the same stories that we walked in to Survivor Series with.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Shinsuke Nakamura shocked the world when he ended the United States Championship reign of the wildly popular LA Knight at Survivor Series 2024, just two weeks after he came back to WWE programming. Nakamura is currently enjoying his third title reign, but what are the chances that Nakamura will surpass a month with the title? A few weeks? A follow-up question: what guarantees that Nakamura's third reign as the United States Champion will be a fulfilling one?

If you were unsettled by Nakamura's upset victory, you aren't alone. Nakamura's swift claim to United States Championship gold, while not a death omen in and of itself, should be giving off suspicious vibes — with little to no unique build, what made Nakamura deserving of the title (besides his fantastic in-ring skills)? After this feud's lackluster build, Knight has plenty of reason to go back and demand a rematch, to say that he wasn't ready. A rematch between Knight and Nakamura is not an issue of if, but when. Combined with the suddenness of the title exchange, there is good reason to suspect that Nakamura's third title reign ends at this practically-guaranteed rematch, especially when the challenger is the wildly-popular, recently-dethroned, plausibly-blindsided LA Knight.

Let's be optimistic, and assume that Nakamura retains the title past a week (the most likely time in which Knight would offer a rematch, given that Knight's abrupt loss was not an odd way to write "The Megastar" off of WWE programming). There are a plethora of "WWE SmackDown" Superstars who are chomping at the bit — and perhaps, much more deserving — to hold the United States Championship besides Nakamura. Andrade, Carmelo Hayes, Santos Escobar — those are three names just off of the top of my head that have put in enough work and have gathered enough crowd support to stake a legitimate claim onto the United States Championship. Who is to say that Nakamura is not just a transitional champion for them? It is very possible that WWE did not want to have Knight lose in a grand setting, and so they had him drop the title to Nakamura so that it would be Nakamura that would lose at a larger premium live event (we are heading into some high-profile events, namely the debut of Saturday's Main Event, Royal Rumble, and WrestleMania). If Nakamura is a transitional champion — which I have a gut-feeling that he is, again given the suddenness of the title exchange — then I would bet that his title would not be as fulfilling as we all may be excited for it to be. Why would it be? If his purpose is to keep the United States title warm for the next up-and-coming star, why would his reign be given the creative light of day?

I sincerely hope my extrapolations are wrong, and that Nakamura is getting a legitimate push. However, Nakamura's expedited comeback to title timeline seems too out-of-left-field — too suspicious — for me to get my hopes up for a lengthy, satisfying United States Championship reign.

Angeline Phu

It's not entirely clear where Bron Breakker goes from here after his latest Intercontinental title defense, but it is pretty clear at this point who the next IC Champion should be. Few of us here at WINC were expecting Sheamus to walk away from Saturday's triple threat with the gold, but after the way the match was set up — with Sheamus being a second away from his ultimate prize, only for Ludwig Kaiser to pull the referee out of the ring — it seems Sheamus' quest for the only WWE title he's never one is still very much on the mind of Paul Levesque and the creative team. And considering it's been two and a half years since Sheamus came up short for the IC title against GUNTHER at Clash at the Castle 2022, it's probably past time to pay off that particular set up.

We don't see Breakker dropping the title soon, necessarily — though it would be a heck of a way to ring in both the new year and WWE's new presence on Netflix — but it's not as though he has a wealth of challengers right now, which means his battle with Sheamus could continue. He's also probably ready for a rise in weight class, as WWE could use some fresh blood in the TV main event scene. Whether it's at WrestleMania 42, WWE's Netflix debut, or tonight on "Raw," it only makes sense for Sheamus to become Intercontinental Champion sooner rather than later.

Kaiser, meanwhile, is in an interesting spot coming off a critically successful PLE debut match. His performance wasn't such a standout that we're suddenly labeling him world title material, but with 2024 winding down and the annual "Road to WrestleMania" on the horizon, could it finally be time to have Kaiser turn on his longtime leader, GUNTHER, in hopes of winning the World Heavyweight Championship? That probably depends on where GUNTHER himself goes from here...

Written by Miles Schneiderman

Probably the most notable thing to come out of Saturday's World Heavyweight title match is the inescapable conclusion that we're not yet finished with the Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor feud; you didn't need a "Where do we go from here?" article to tell you that those two have formally resumed hostilities. More interesting, however, is the fact that GUNTHER didn't seem happy about Balor's interference, and has generally seemed to be leaning slightly babyface in his recent interactions with Priest. His Crown Jewel loss to Cody Rhodes seems to have somewhat humbled "The Ring General," and a central point of his most recent feud with Priest (which WWE honestly didn't do a great job telling) is that GUNTHER's growing respect for Priest may have made him less effective against him in the ring.

It's anyone's guess as to whether things are actually going in that direction, but everything from GUNTHER's recent on-screen interactions to his post-show comments to the press indicate that he might be preparing to turn face, and certainly the finish of the match making it clear that GUNTHER didn't want Balor's help strongly supports the idea. And as previously mentioned, it could come just in time for him to play the babyface in a feud with a traitorous Ludwig Kaiser, assuming that's in play. If GUNTHER pays Priest a public show of respect on "Raw" tonight in a move that horrifies Kaiser's heel sensibilities, you'll know we called this one ahead of time.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

Saturday night saw not only hell freezing over with the alliance of CM Punk and Roman Reigns, but also the pair of them alongside The Usos and Sami Zayn skating to victory inside WarGames against Solo Sikoa's New Bloodline. As fans have come to expect, The Bloodline saga never really seems to finish, rather taking the next turn in the arcs of the characters within. Even more so does that seem to be the case coming out of The Original Bloodline's latest victory, with Reigns securing a vital win over Sikoa but ultimately still without the ulufala – the symbol of chiefdom – and yet to lock horns with his usurper in singles action. That's the clear destination as it pertains to them, but by their sides on Saturday were eight other guys each with their own journeys to undertake.

All of Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, and Bronson Reed are billed as exclusive to "WWE Raw," and Jey had the Intercontinental title before he was dragged into the Sikoa-Reigns feud, so there is scope for him to look to resume that path. Zayn wasn't really up to much before re-entering The Bloodline saga, short of a failed attempt at Gunther's World Heavyweight Championship; he would be more than worthy in either the Intercontinental or World Heavyweight title contenders' pools, and there is enough sentimental value with he and Jey to make a credible go at taking the tag titles from Judgment Day, with the path likely to become clear in the coming weeks. Reed was confirmed to have sustained an injury during WarGames, so it's yet unclear how and when he will emerge.

On the other side, Jimmy Uso also sustained an injury, and while it's yet unknown how long that could and would put him out for, it does potentially leave Reigns alone with four-out-of-five of the New Bloodline on the blue brand. For Reigns himself, outside of the likely imminent singles clash with Sikoa (and possibly Jacob Fatu), there is also the developing subplot between he and his "Wise Man" Paul Heyman over the re-formed advocacy for Punk.

Punk was clear that his WarGames appearance was a deal struck with Heyman for a favor further down the line, and he also made note that Reigns and he could re-visit their issues once Saturday was done. Again, Punk is supposed to be exclusive to "WWE Raw," so presuming he stays on the red brand going forward his deal with Heyman might present itself in the form of Punk's wider goal to become WWE World Champion again – just in time for WrestleMania – and thus converge with another yet-to-be-clear element in this tale: Seth Rollins. Rollins declined to be a part of WarGames either with or against Reigns, and has yet to make his position clear on his arch-nemesis accepting the spot he spurned. He and Punk have been destined to settle their differences since the latter returned to the former's ire at last year's Survivor Series, so the stars might actually come into alignment for that to happen at last.

Written by Max Everett