NXT WarGames (originally known as NXT TakeOver: WarGames) was a professional wrestling event produced annually by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's developmental territory NXT, it was broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the livestreaming services Peacock and the WWE Network. The event was originally established in 2017 and held under the NXT TakeOver series. In September 2021, WWE discontinued the TakeOver series with the 2021 WarGames being NXT's first major event held following TakeOver's discontinuation.
The event centered on the WarGames match, which was created by Dusty Rhodes in 1987. The WarGames match is a type of steel cage match, except there are two rings positioned right next to each other, and the roofless cage surrounds both rings. While originally only contested by men, the first-ever women's version of the match occurred at the 2019 event. The main event of each WarGames event was contested as a WarGames match.
From 2017 to 2019, the event was held in November as a support show for Survivor Series, but it was moved to December in 2020. The 2021 event was NXT's last major event to air on traditional PPV, as in 2022, WWE shifted to only broadcasting NXT's major events via the livestreaming platforms. The 2021 event was also the final NXT WarGames event, as the match concept was moved to the main roster as part of the 2022 Survivor Series, with the NXT WarGames event being replaced by NXT Deadline.
History
NXT TakeOver was a series of periodic professional wrestling events produced by WWE for the company's developmental brand NXT. The 17th TakeOver event was originally titled as TakeOver: Houston, as the event was held in Houston, Texas; however, the event's name was changed to TakeOver: WarGames after an announcement by WWE executive Triple H on October 4, 2017. The event's name was derived from an old match type created by Dusty Rhodes in 1987 and originally used by the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), and later, an annual match held by World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which WWE acquired in 2001. The TakeOver event featured the namesake match, which was the first time in nearly twenty years since the match last occurred. The inaugural TakeOver: WarGames was held on November 18, 2017, at Houston's Toyota Center and livestreamed on the WWE Network. It was a support show for that year's Survivor Series pay-per-view (PPV).
A second TakeOver: WarGames was held the following year, also as a support show for that year's Survivor Series. This in turn established the event as an annual subseries of the main TakeOver series. In September 2019, NXT, which had previously been a developmental territory for WWE, became one of the company's three main brands, thus the 2019 event was the first TakeOver held following this recognition.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began affecting the industry in mid-March 2020, NXT's events were held exclusively at NXT's home base of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida with no fans in attendance. In October, NXT's events were moved to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, where the main arena was reconfigured as the Capitol Wrestling Center, which was similar to the WWE ThunderDome, a bio-secure bubble utilized for the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brands. The 2020 event was in turn held at the Capitol Wrestling Center (which became NXT's permanent home base), as well as the first TakeOver: WarGames to air on traditional PPV in addition to the WWE Network. Additionally, unlike the previous events, the 2020 event aired in December two weeks after that year's Survivor Series instead of the night before.