The longer you think about the men’s WarGames match, the less sense it makes, making this a clear dud for the show, despite how exciting it all may actually end up at the conclusion. The match was solidified with just under two weeks to go until the event, and it will be World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk teaming with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Jimmy and Jey Uso, and a newly returned Roman Reigns to take on The Vision’s Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, and an also recently returned Brock Lesnar.

It was Lesnar to return first on the November 17 edition of “WWE Raw,” and after “The Beast Incarnate” tore through some of the babyface team, it was Reigns to return to confront him. However, Reigns initially told The Usos back at Crown Jewel when he lost his match against Reed, he didn’t want to see them “until Christmas.” Perhaps Reigns got his holidays wrong, and really meant Thanksgiving. It’s likely the storyline will be that Reigns couldn’t watch his family get beaten down by Lesnar, and that’s why he had to make his return, but with how dramatic the line about not seeing the Usos for awhile was, it doesn’t make much sense. Reigns and Punk also have history, making this decision quite odd.

Jimmy’s inclusion in the match also leaves a lot to be desired. He’s teaming with a bunch of former and current world champions, and it feels like this spot on the “Avengers”-esque team should have gone to John Cena. While the argument could be made that WarGames may be too tough for Cena at this point, the star just won the Elimination Chamber earlier in the year, and he could easily be the last man in the WarGames cage to protect him.

McIntyre’s inclusion just feels like it’s for the sake of giving him something to do, as the poor guy can’t get any victories when it comes to big matches these days, and he was just defeated by Rhodes at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Paul also feels like he came out of nowhere, and his work with Punk where the champion actually trusted him for a minute wasn’t WWE’s best work and it made the World Heavyweight Champion seem stupid.

The men’s WarGames match may be a dud in terms of leadup to the show, but at least the teams were solidified well before the premium live event, as the same can’t exactly be said for the women’s bout. There are a few gaping holes in the choices for participants that are pretty glaring when you think about their motivations, but at least the in-ring action will be interesting.

Written by Daisy Ruth