Friday’s SmackDown from Denver tightened several major storylines ahead of Survivor Series: WarGames — settling remaining first-round matches in John Cena’s “The Last Time Is Now” tournament, confirming WarGames team members, and delivering physical angles that raise the stakes for next weekend. The show combined decisive in-ring results (including Penta and Carmelo Hayes advancing in the tournament), a major medical update that removes Sheamus from tournament contention, and a violent backstage beatdown that escalates the men’s WarGames picture. Below you’ll find the full verified results, an accurate tournament recap listing every confirmed first-round match result, a fact-checked explanation of Sheamus’s status, a breakdown of the confirmed WarGames teams (and what was actually shown on SmackDown), and the current verified Survivor Series match list according to WWE and major wrestling outlets.
Here are the full results (verified)
(Quick-results list — winners first; items verified with WWE.com and major outlets.)
- Ilja Dragunov (c) def. JD McDonagh — U.S. Championship; Dragunov retained.
- DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) def. Fraxiom (Axiom & Nathan Frazer) — tag match.
- Carmelo Hayes def. Bronson Reed — First-round match in “The Last Time Is Now” tournament (Hayes advanced via count-out/finish involving ringside chaos).
- Penta def. Finn Bálor — First-round match in the tournament; Penta advanced.
- Backstage/angle note: Drew McIntyre attacked Cody Rhodes (tour bus assault) in a violent backstage angle that intensifies the men’s WarGames storyline.
John Cena’s “The Last Time Is Now” Tournament — verified first-round results & Sheamus update
WWE’s tournament to determine John Cena’s final opponent has aired multiple first-round matches across Raw and SmackDown. Below are every first-round match result that has been confirmed by WWE or major outlets as of Nov. 21–22, 2025.
Confirmed First-Round Results (complete list of matches reported/confirmed)
- Rusev def. Damian Priest — (Raw, Nov. 10).
- Sheamus def. Shinsuke Nakamura — (Raw, Nov. 10).
- Jey Uso def. The Miz — (SmackDown, Nov. 14).
- LA Knight def. Zack Ryder — (SmackDown, Nov. 14).
- GUNTHER def. Je’Von Evans — (Raw, Nov. 17).
- Solo Sikoa def. Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler) — (Raw, Nov. 17).
- Carmelo Hayes def. Bronson Reed — (SmackDown, Nov. 21).
- Penta def. Finn Bálor — (SmackDown, Nov. 21).
(These eight winners represent the confirmed first-round advances reported publicly.)
Sheamus medical removal — confirmed
- Sheamus, who had won his first-round match, has been medically removed from the tournament due to a shoulder injury. WWE and multiple wrestling outlets reported that Sheamus is not medically cleared to continue in the Last Time Is Now tournament. This is an official update that affects the bracket and will require WWE to name a replacement or otherwise adjust the matchup(s).
What is not yet confirmed: while outlets are reporting that WWE will address the bracket and name a replacement, the identity of any replacement (or whether WWE will restructure the bracket) had not been officially confirmed by WWE at the time of these reports. Ringside reporting indicates WWE officials plan to address the open slot on upcoming programming; until WWE confirms on air or on its site, any named replacement remains speculative.
WarGames preview — what SmackDown actually confirmed
SmackDown solidified the women’s WarGames picture on Nov. 21, and the episode included a climactic segment that announced team membership and ended in a major brawl.
Women’s WarGames — confirmed participants (as announced on SmackDown)
- Babyface side (confirmed on SmackDown): Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Charlotte Flair, AJ Lee.
- Heel side (confirmed on SmackDown): Nia Jax, Asuka, Lash Legend, Kairi Sane, Becky Lynch.
What SmackDown showed: the segment featured an attack by the heel group on the babyface cluster; AJ Lee’s music hit and she came to the ring (her inclusion on the babyface team was announced), and Becky Lynch was shown aligning with the heel group in the closing chaos. The show closed on the confrontation, establishing both rosters for the women’s WarGames match.
What I did not claim (because it’s not fully confirmed): any detailed backstage “sit-down” reconciliation specifics beyond what the episode visually presented, or interpretive motives that weren’t explicitly stated on air. The article avoids speculative motivations and sticks to what aired.
Men’s WarGames — confirmed status
- SmackDown increased the heat for the men’s WarGames picture (notably with the Drew McIntyre tour-bus attack on Cody Rhodes), which intensifies the ongoing factional animosities that will feed into the WarGames match at Survivor Series. WWE’s SmackDown recap shows the attack and the rising stakes; however, the final, official men’s WarGames team rosters should be verified via WWE announcements as they are confirmed on WWE programming or WWE.com.
Survivor Series: WarGames — current confirmed matches
- Women’s WarGames — Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Charlotte Flair & AJ Lee vs. Nia Jax, Asuka, Lash Legend, Kairi Sane & Becky Lynch
- Men’s WarGames — Bron Breakker, “Big” Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns
- WWE Women’s World Championship— Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs Nikki Bella
- WWE Intercontinental Championship— John Cena (c) vs “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio
Analysis — what this actually means (fact-checked)
- Tournament flexibility: Sheamus’s confirmed medical removal creates a legitimate bracket question (WWE must name a replacement or tweak the bracket). We cannot state who replaces him until WWE confirms it on air or via its site.
- WarGames intensity: The women’s teams were confirmed on SmackDown; the closing brawl (and the bus attack on Cody) make the Survivor Series card feel more personal and violent — items that WWE emphasized on the episode.
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