A purple pyrotechnic display goes off during Saturday’s WWE event at Petco Park. (Photo by Luis Monteagudo, Jr./Times of San Diego)
Home runs gave way to headlocks Saturday night as Petco Park welcomed WWE and its stars, including some local heroes, for one of the biggest professional wrestling shows in San Diego history.
The event was “Survivor Series: War Games,” one of WWE’s key shows each year.
Arriving fans created long lines in the Gaslamp Quarter and WWE officials later in the show announced attendance as 46,016, a new record for Survivor Series.
For many fans, the biggest attraction was the appearance of popular hometown wrestlers Rey Mysterio and his son, Dominik Mysterio.
A crowded Petco Park with a large screen showing an American flag Saturday. (Photo by Luis Monteagudo, Jr./Times of San Diego)
Rey Mysterio said it was emotional to have the event in his hometown.
“We’ve been pumped from the moment we knew it might be a possibility to do an event here,” he said, in an interview on the pre-show of the broadcast.
Two fans who are very familiar with Petco Park were San Diego Padres pitchers Joe Musgrove and Jeremiah Estrada.
“I know the city of San Diego is fired up,” said Musgrove, in a pre-show interview.
The younger Mysterio won his match against retiring WWE icon John Cena, claiming the Intercontinental Championship in the process.
The event started in the late afternoon under sunny skies. Inside Petco Park, the field was transformed. The War Games matches use two rings and they were set up just beyond where the baseball infield usually is, on top of the grass in shallow center field.
WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque said that while doing a WWE show in a baseball stadium poses logistical challenges, “A packed out, full baseball stadium is not a bad thing for War Games.”
The event was a welcome home to not just the Mysterios, but for other WWE talents with San Diego ties.
Female wrestler Nia Jax lived in San Diego, attending Carlsbad High School. She attended Palomar College, where she played college basketball, and graduated from Cal State San Marcos in 2005 with a marketing degree.
She participated in the female War Games match, but her team lost.
Mayor Todd Gloria declared Saturday “WWE Survivor Series Day” in San Diego and chose the occasion to honor hometown performers, he wrote on X.
Adam Pearce, the General Manager of the WWE’s RAW television show, also lived in San Diego and has special memories of Petco Park. In 2014, he was one of 10 finalists for the public address announcer role with the San Diego Padres.
Pearce wrote on the X social media site: “San Diego is very special to me. So many of my life milestones happened here. Became a husband, a homeowner, a father here. Graduated college living here. My children’s first steps were here. It was very bittersweet when I moved 11 years ago so I’m happy that #Survivor Series is in one of my favorite places @PetcoPark.”
San Diego is very special to me. So many of my “life milestones” happened here. Became a husband, a homeowner, a father here. Graduated college living here. My children’s first steps were here. It was very bittersweet when I moved 11 years ago, and I’m so happy that… pic.twitter.com/eqO9MG9VLw
— Adam Pearce (@ScrapDaddyAP) November 28, 2025
It was the first major WWE event in San Diego since the San Diego Sports Arena hosted the “One Night Stand” show 17 years ago. City tourism officials helped attract WWE with a $650,000 incentive, and a potential for additional funds, according to Wrestlenomics, an independent pro wrestling web site.
The results of the evening:
In the women’s War Games, the team of Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky, Alexa Bliss, AJ Lee and Rhea Ripley defeated Asuka, Becky Lynch, Kairi Sane, Nia Jax and Lash Legend.
Dominik Mysterio defeated John Cena for the Intercontinental Championship, after getting help from his former romantic partner Liv Morgan.
World Champion Stephanie Vaquer retained her title by defeating Nikki Bella.
In the men’s War Games match, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Jimmy and Jey Uso were defeated by the team of Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Bron Breaker and Bronson Reed.
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