Rey Mysterio, the Hall of Famer serving as General Manager of AAA, has officially announced the return of the traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series match for this year’s event. During an appearance on Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast, Mysterio confirmed that a Team USA versus Team Mexico showdown is in the works, a direct result of recent talks with WWE officials Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis. “I had a quick word with Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis, and we’re about to put something really special together: a classic Survivor Series five-on-five match, right at Survivor Series, between Team USA and Team Mexico,” Mysterio stated, as reported by zonawrestling.net. The news changes the event's focus; it has centered on WarGames matches since 2022.
A New Chapter for a Survivor Series Staple
The Survivor Series match, a long-standing tradition, has been absent from the pay-per-view event since 2021. That year at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Team Raw defeated both the men’s and women’s five-on-five teams from SmackDown. For the men, Seth Rollins was the last man standing, while Bianca Belair achieved the same feat for the women’s team. Since 2022, the Survivor Series premium live event has been built around the WarGames structure, with the traditional team-based match being phased out. The only exception came in 2025, the night before Survivor Series, when a five-on-five elimination match was held on SmackDown. In that bout, the MFT defeated Sami Zayn’s team, with Solo Sikoa as the sole survivor, an arrangement orchestrated by Nick Aldis.
Survivor Series 2026 will feature a five-on-five match between Team USA and Team Mexico, as announced by Rey Mysterio. Mysterio has not revealed if he will be one of the ten competitors, explaining that the details are still being finalized. He has been General Manager of AAA since May 23, 2025, when AAA President Marisela Peña presented him in the role on AAA on FOX, choosing him over her son Dorian Rondán, who had sought the position. Meanwhile, backstage rumors suggest WWE is already planning how to celebrate Mysterio’s final match, as his potential retirement from the ring is being discussed for sometime in 2027.
The Unanswered Questions and High-Stakes
As of now, the rosters for both Team USA and Team Mexico are a complete mystery.
The timing of this announcement is particularly noteworthy. Survivor Series 2026 is scheduled for Saturday, November 28, at the Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, the home stadium of the MLB’s Houston Astros. This will be the 40th edition of the event and the second year it has been held in a major league baseball stadium, following last year’s show at Petco Park in San Diego. The event will begin in Italy at midnight between Saturday and Sunday, drawing international attention to this renewed tradition. According to Fightful Select, the men’s WarGames match is expected to pit the Bloodline against the 946 faction, with both sides still searching for a fifth member.
