WWE Survivor Series WarGames 2023 Post-Show Media Scrum: Randy Orton, CM Punk’s Return, Giulia, WWE Medical Protocols, Jade Cargill, Cody Rhodes

WWE held a post-show media scrum following Saturday’s Survivor Series WarGames 2023 event at the AllState Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.

Some of the notable highlights included:

• WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque stated that this year’s Survivor Series event was the highest grossing event in Survivor Series history. Levesque stated that sponsorship revenue for the event was 25% higher than last year’s event.
• Levesque also jokingly commented about R-Truth’s surprise return being the biggest surprise that took place at the event.
• In regards to Randy Orton’s return from back injury at the event, Levesque stated that he was very proud of Orton for being able to come back.
• In regards to the Women’s WarGames match, Levesque praised the match for being a grandslam that is still “sailing out of the park.”  Levesque also praised Shotzi stating that her performance in the match put her in the upper-tier of WWE’s Women’s division.
• On the topic of CM Punk’s surprise return to WWE at the event, Levesque stated “This is one of those lighting-in-a-bottle moments that came together very quickly. We are incredibly excited about it. It’s been a long time, and in some ways been a long time coming. You can say this about CM Punk; love him, hate him, positive, negative, whatever you want to say, people talk about him all the time. He’s a magnet for that, he’s a conversation starter, and it’s tough to look past that. For me, if our fans want it, if the WWE Universe is excited to have it, then, let’s go, and we’ll figure out the rest of it from there. This came together super quick, which I’m sure is why it stayed very tight. There was a lot of speculation, and at that point, it was nothing but speculation. For most of the time it was speculation, it didn’t really come to fruition until everybody stopped thinking it was going to happen, and then all of sudden, it was happening. Extremely excited. A lot of time has gone by, almost ten years. If you are the same person you were ten years ago, ten years later, you messed up. Everybody grows, everybody changes. I’m a different person, he’s a different person. This is a different company. We’re all on the same even starting ground. What’s next for CM Punk? That will be interesting, won’t it? I’m interested in seeing that myself. I know whatever it is, it will be talked about, it’ll be exciting, and it will be a thrill ride for the WWE Universe, no matter what it is. I’m thrilled, we’re all thrilled, to have him back here and have him back, cliched to say, have him back home in WWE. It’s where he belongs.“
• On the topic of if Punk’s return was something that was pushed by TKO Group officials, Levesque stated “There has been zero push from anybody past WWE. It’s myself, Nick Khan. To be honest, very few people knew about it past that. It’s a funny thing, all of a sudden there is a mystery entity behind WWE. We’re doing our thing and we’re trusted to our thing and trusted to do what we feel is right for business. To be honest, probably the top people at TKO were going ‘Holy Shit.’ It’s a good thing. It’s a crazy, cool time right now at WWE. I think fans can feel that. A lot of energy, a lot of excitement, and I’m ready. Let’s run through a wall. Let’s do this and do it the biggest way possible, and keep building on what Vince McMahon made into a global juggernaut for 50 years. If I have anything to do with it and have any say in it, we’re going to make it bigger than it’s ever been before.“
• On the topic of WWE’s interest towards Stardom talent Giulia, Levesque gave a mostly non-answer stating that there are great female athletes all around the world whether its an NIL athlete or great in-ring talent. Levesque also stated that they recruit from around the globe and wants to give those the chance to prove they belong in WWE. Levesque also stated that he did not know what the word Joshi meant for Japanese women’s wrestlers until a few years ago.
• On the topic of Jade Cargill’s current status in WWE and lack of recent appearances on WWE television, Levesque stated “I have no less belief in her now than I did then. It’s interesting, when she came in we talked about her development and where she would land. I want to make sure that no matter what is thrown at Jade Cargill, she’s ready. And at no fault of her own, I think she was limited in that. So, the idea is we exposed her, we made her be seen, people are understanding and they are waiting and they are excited for her to come and when she does, it will be massive. I don’t want a pitch to get thrown at her that she’s never seen before. I want no matter what that pitch is she’s going to crack that thing out of the park. You can just see it in her, that’s the presence she has, that’s the star she is.“
• On the topic of Jon Moxley’s recent comments about the need to improve injury protocols in regards to concussions, Levesque stated that he did not want to make any specific comments due to him not knowing what Moxley had went through nor what Moxley’s specific comments were. Levesque praised WWE’s medical protocols and staff saying that they are the best against anyone else in the planet. Levesque brought up Rey Mysterio’s recent concussion injury as an example of how once the referee saw it, they shut things down despite the big story that was involved for the match. Levesque stated that he wants longevity and for everyone to have a long life after they are done in the ring. Levesque also stated that they have been working with top experts in the concussion field for about a decade and have protocols in place when it comes to clearing people to return to in-ring action.
• During his portion of the media scrum, Cody Rhodes gave his thoughts about CM Punk’s return to WWE. Rhodes stated “I don’t want to be short with my response, but it truly is this. If he can help with where we’re going and what we’re doing, absolutely. Welcome aboard. I have a feeling that the CM Punk that potentially we’re getting is hungry, and that’s the best. That’s the best. When someone is hungry and someone wants it. That’s when it’s real. I’ll give kudos and flowers to Triple H and Nick Khan for getting that done. You can ask all the boys and girls until they are blue in the face, ‘How do you feel?’ You might get up, you might get down, you might have a wide range of emotions, but the first thing, always, is business. We’re doing record business. It feels like everybody wants to be here. The more the merrier. If you can help, absolutely, come on board.“

WWE Survivor Series WarGames 2023 post-show media scrum full video:

Source: PWInsider.com, PostWrestling.com, Fightful.com 1 & 2, F4WOnline.com