Every WWE NXT WarGames Match, Ranked From Worst To Best

Unless it's WCW in the year 2000, there haven't really been any bad WarGames matches, especially in NXT. The match type was brought back from the dead in 2017 and has been a staple of the WWE calendar ever since. While it may be the only event in NXT's schedule that suffers from the dreaded 'gimmick pay per view match disease' where everyone needs to stop what they're doing for a while because it's WarGames month, it can always be counted on to deliver a match of the year candidate.

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The 10 Best War Games Matches, Ranked

The 21st century facelift that WarGames received from NXT always brings a smile to the face of fans all over the world, but out of the 8 matches that have happened, which is the best of the best? Here are all of the NXT WarGames matches ranked from bottom to top.

8 TOXIC ATTRACTION & DAKOTA KAI VS KAY LEE RAY, IO SHIRAI, CORA JADE & RAQUEL GONZALEZ - WARGAMES 2021

There are no 'bad' WarGames matches in the NXT catalogue, however if one of these matches had to be seen as 'the worst', it would be this one. While a lot of fans were worried that the transition to NXT 2.0 would water down the brutality of a match like WarGames, the weapon fuelled mayhem was on full display in the women's WarGames match in 2021... and it was fine.

Toxic Attraction were the only true faction going into the event which could mean that they will have more WarGames matches in the future, and the Cora Jade senton off the top of the cage was a genuinely shocking moment especially coming from the youngest ever competitor in the match's history. That being said the match was disjointed, had a premature ending and a lot of improvements that need to be made in future.

7 THE UNDISPUTED ERA VS PAT MCAFEE, PETE DUNNE, ONEY LORCAN & DANNY BURCH - TAKEOVER: WARGAMES 2020

This match is still VERY good, do not be fooled by the low ranking. Pat McAfee was arguably the underrated MVP of NXT during 2020. The match with Adam Cole at TakeOver: XXX was a lot better than expected, the Kings of NXT stable was a highlight towards the back end of the year and then there's this; the 2020 men's WarGames match. The Undisputed Era vs The Kings of NXT.

While the McAfee vs Cole story continued and managed to get a logical conclusion with UE getting their win back, the rest of the performers kind of get lost in the shuffle. Because of McAfee being the main player for the villains, top performances from the rest of his team get forgotten about which is a real shame. That being said, a fun match with fun moments that could have offered so much more.

6 CANDICE LERAE, DAKOTA KAI, TONI STORM & RAQUEL GONZALEZ VS SHOTZI BLACKHEART, EMBER MOON, RHEA RIPLEY & IO SHIRAI - TAKEOVER: WARGAMES 2020

This match has Io Shirai putting a trash can over her head and leaping off the top of the cage on to everybody and for that, it will live in the hearts of wrestling fans for the rest of time. Outside of that now iconic spot, it actually outshined the men's match by the smallest margain with great action, strong character development and callbacks to previous matches.

Dakota Kai being the unpredictable lunatic that didn't even make it to the match the previous year because she lost the plot, Ripley having gone through such a crazy rollercoaster of a year and being as intense as ever, and stand out performances from Moon and Shotzi make this match a joy to watch. WarGames matches with no audience were always going to be tough, but these women managed to pull it off.

5 THE UNDISPUTED ERA VS WAR RAIDERS, PETE DUNNE & RICOCHET - TAKEOVER: WARGAMES 2018

A true all star cast of when NXT was running on sheer momentum. The fully formed version of The Undisputed Era taking on the best version of Ricochet, the best version of Pete Dunne and the absolute best version of the War Viking Experience Machine Radiers (that really rolls off the tongue). It was also the first 2 team variation of the match and it has some true stand out moments.

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UE using their entrant order advantage to their strength and locking Dunne in the shark cage to turn the match into a handicap match, War Raiders throwing not just their opponents but each other around the cage to inflict damage and RICOCHET DID A DOUBLE MOONSAULT OFF THE TOP OF THE CAGE!!! A moment that will live in highlight reels for years to come. It's the most 'car crash-esque' WarGames match, but it's so much fun.

4 THE UNDISPUTED ERA VS SAnitY VS THE AUTHORS OF PAIN & RODERICK STRONG - TAKEOVER: WARGAMES 2017

A triple threat match being the first attempt at the relaunch of WarGames was a bold strategy, but it was a move to prove the strength of the Tag Team division that in 2017 was on absolute fire. SAnitY at the peak of their powers, The Authors of Pain being final boss-like enemies and The Undisputed Era still trying to recruit Roderick Strong while being detestable villains. It was a triumph right from the start.

Alexander Wolfe being the first performer to bring weapons into the match making him the most popular man in Houston, Texas, his partner Killian Dain being the match MVP by a country mile, arguably a better performance from the Irishman than the 6 man ladder match from TakeOver: New Orleans and the superplex off the top of the cage are just some of the moments from a match that would pave the way for many great matches years later.

3 TEAM 2.0 (BRON BREAKKER, CARMELLO HAYES, TONY D'ANGELO & GRAYSON WALLER) VS TEAM BLACK & GOLD (JOHNNY GARGANO, TOMASSO CIAMPA, PETE DUNNE & L.A. KNIGHT) - WARGAMES 2021

The way a WarGames match used to get set up in the black and gold era was fairly simple. About 7 or 8 wrestlers would wreak havoc in NXT in the lead up to Thanksgiving, William Regal would turn up and yell 'WARGAMES' as loud as he could and they would jump in the big double cage and hit each other with everything but the kitchen sink. However in 2021 that was not possible.

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With NXT 2.0 being ushered in, the story of old vs new was the narrative here and it worked so well. The match made Bron Breakker look like a superstar, Gargano and Ciampa rolled back the years to their DIY days for some classic moves and after all was said and done, Johnny Gargano got a send off from the fans fit for someone who was the heart and soul of NXT during its gold and platinum years.

2 RHEA RIPLEY, CANDICE LERAE, DAKOTA KAI & TEGAN NOX VS SHAYNA BASZLER, BIANCA BELAIR, IO SHIRAI & KAY LEE RAY - TAKEOVER: WARGAMES 2019

It was the first women's WarGames match and looking back at it years later, it's one of the best variations on the match there has ever been. The best matches always have a solid narrative running through it and amazingly, the narrative doesn't even happen in the match. Dakota Kai snapping and taking out Tegan Nox before being escorted out of the arena leaving Ripley and LeRae to fight a 4 on 2 battle for the majority of the match.

The match was a true star making performance for Rhea Ripley, who would catapult herself into the title picture on the main roster not long after this. Io Shirai proved herself as the unpredictable one who fans can count on whenever she's in the match, and the Baszler was still a killer compared to what she is now. A true example that when given the chance, the women can do it better than the men.

1 THE UNDISPUTED ERA VS TOMASSO CIAMPA, KEITH LEE, DOMINIK DIJAKOVIC & KEVIN OWENS - TAKEOVER: WARGAMES 2019

This match took the all star aspect of the year before, the organised chaos of the year before that and a good story to complement said chaos. The absolute peak of The Undisputed Era who held all of the gold, the hoss icons Lee & Dijakovic, the surprise inclusion of Owens, this match had so much going for it.

After how detestable Ciampa was the year before made him an untrustworthy character to most people on the NXT roster, recruiting rivals Lee & Dijakovic to put their differences aside was actually a great move looking back. Kevin Owens rolling back the NXT years of his career was one of the most surprising moments in the history of NXT and the climax of the match is truly jaw dropping. Pure madness and rewatchabilty through the roof.