WWE takes Survivor Series: WarGames to Daikin Park in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 28, and CM Punk is one of several stars with unfinished business. The company’s July 13 announcement billed the show as the 40th Survivor Series and the first in Houston since 2017. Here are five superstars with storylines that could carry into the Daikin Park card.
CM Punk Wants Kevin Owens At WWE Survivor Series
Punk held the Undisputed WWE Championship from the July 6 Raw until Sept. 11, when Sami Zayn took it in Mexico City. Kevin Owens returned from neck fusion surgery on Night Two of SummerSlam on Aug. 2 and won a four-way match for a title shot. Punk retained against Owens on the Aug. 21 SmackDown in Toronto. During the Sept. 11 title change, Owens accidentally struck Punk with the belt.
Owens went after Punk throughout the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match on Oct. 10 in New Orleans, using a steel ladder, low blows, and a Pop-Up Spinebuster. Neither man won the briefcase. Survivor Series is familiar ground for Punk, who returned to WWE at the 2023 edition and has worked both men’s WarGames matches after that.
On the Oct. 16 SmackDown, general manager Nick Aldis checked on Owens in the medical office before Punk walked in and demanded a match. Aldis said both men needed to be at 100 percent and made clear the fight should happen in an official setting. The general manager also ordered the two to stay apart.
Cody Rhodes Still Has A Randy Orton Problem
Cody Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton in the WrestleMania 42 main event on April 18 in Las Vegas, then took a punt after the bell. Rhodes lost the title at Night of Champions on June 27. Orton returned on Night One of SummerSlam on Aug. 1 and hit Rhodes with an RKO during a title match against Punk.
At Sunday Night’s Main Event on Sept. sixth in Atlanta, Orton hit Rhodes and a referee with low blows before scoring the pin. On the Oct. 2 SmackDown, Orton pulled the referee out to stop a Rhodes pin in a Money in the Bank qualifier that Owens won. Rhodes waited in the ring for a promised face-to-face with Orton on Oct. 16, and Baron Corbin answered instead. During the Corbin match, Orton yanked Rhodes to the floor and drove the former champion into the steel steps. Rhodes won by disqualification, punted Corbin, and stared down Orton to close the show.
Gunther Is Out Of Patience On SmackDown
At Survivor Series 2024 in Vancouver, Gunther retained the World Heavyweight Championship by choking out Damian Priest with a sleeper. Aldis cost Gunther a tag match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, then lost by submission to the Austrian on Night One of SummerSlam. Gunther also lost a triple threat at Night of Champions and the SummerSlam four-way won by Owens.
On the Sept. 25 SmackDown, Finn Balor hit Gunther with a Coup de Grace, and Punk scored the pin to take a Money in the Bank spot. Gunther attacked Danhausen before the bell on the Oct. 9 SmackDown, and Balor made the save. Gunther returned moments later and laid out Balor.
Gunther vented at a chair on Oct. 16, expecting to find Aldis sitting in it. Danhausen turned around instead, wearing an arm cast and a neck brace. Gunther promised more damage.
Bron Breakker Already Owns A Survivor Series WarGames Win
Bron Breakker pinned Punk with a Spear to win the men’s WarGames match at Survivor Series 2025 in San Diego. A masked attacker, later revealed as Austin Theory, hit Punk with a superkick and a Curb Stomp right before the finish. Rhodes was also on the losing team.
The Vision includes Breakker, Theory, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, and Maxxine Dupri. Breakker and Theory won the World Tag Team Championship from The Street Profits on the July 6 Raw. At Money in the Bank on Oct. 10, Breakker pushed Je’Von Evans off a ladder and through the roof of an ambulance at ringside. A Spear followed on the Oct. 12 Raw, with Evans still nursing arm and rib injuries. Evans answered on the Oct. 19 Raw by taking out Theory and hitting Breakker with the Money in the Bank briefcase, which led to a Penta win.
Trick Williams Brings The United States Championship Into The Mix
Trick Williams beat Zayn for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 42 in April, then won the rematch at Backlash in May. Corbin took the title on Night Two of SummerSlam on Aug. 2 and lost it back to Williams at Sunday Night’s Main Event on Sept. 6. A steel cage match on Sept. 25 ended with Williams hitting three Book Ends to retain.
A Sept. 18 win over Rey Fenix in a triple threat with Orton put Williams in the Money in the Bank ladder match. Breakker faced the United States Champion in the main event of the Oct. 9 SmackDown, and the match ended in a disqualification when The Vision attacked. Reed hit Williams with a Tsunami, and Penta and Evans took a beating after running out to help. On the Oct. 16 SmackDown, Williams told Zayn the rivalry had turned personal, then pinned Johnny Gargano with the Book End.
End Of My Survivor Series Rant
Houston deserves more than one big fight inside the double cage. Punk and Owens have been at each other’s throats since August, and Aldis cannot keep the two apart forever. WWE should get both men cleared and book the match at Daikin Park. Rhodes and Orton belong on that card too, and the Viper still has a punt coming.
The best WarGames idea runs through The Vision. Breakker already knows how to win inside that cage, and the group spent October beating up Penta, Evans, and Williams. A team built around Williams and Evans against Breakker’s crew writes itself. Gunther is the most dangerous loose end on the roster. Somebody in Houston is going to get choked out, and Danhausen should stay home.
