Stephanie Vaquer made her surprise return during the November 13, 2026, episode of WWE SmackDown, helping set up the official Women’s WarGames match for Survivor Series.
Vaquer had missed several weeks of television due to an undisclosed illness and an ankle injury, which sidelined her from a scheduled match against Becky Lynch on RAW. “She's healthy. She worked the house shows. She was not on the show tonight, but she's cleared and everything like that,” Dave Meltzer told Wrestling Observer Radio said regarding her medical clearance and return to live event house shows over the weekend, though WWE creative had not established a formal television return date until Friday night's broadcast.
Prior to her television absence, she was originally booked to face Becky Lynch in a match determining the next challenger for the Women’s World Championship. Meltzer said that her later missing the November 9 RAW episode came down to existing television scripts rather than any ongoing medical issues, as she was completely healthy and active on house shows.
Odds evened. Teams set. It’s time for … WAR GAMES. pic.twitter.com/JxyYQUYDoP
— Post by @TripleH on X
Over the weekend preceding her TV return, Vaquer wrestled three times, teaming with IYO SKY and Lola Vice to defeat Fatal Influence twice and facing Jacy Jayne in a Women’s United States Championship match that concluded in a disqualification. Her live event appearances spanned stops in Portland, Maine, and Honolulu, Hawaii.
The return occurred during a non-title match between Charlotte Flair and United States Champion Jacy Jayne on SmackDown. Interference from Fatal Influence escalated into a ringside brawl involving Alexa Bliss, Tatum Paxley, Lainey Reid, and Fallon Henley. When Michin, B-Fab, and Bayley entered the fray, Vaquer made her appearance to clear the heels from the ring and distract Jayne, enabling Flair to secure the victory with Natural Selection. The hostilities built upon months of friction in the women’s division involving the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Earlier in the autumn, Charlotte Flair had been scheduled to team with Tatum Paxley in a title match on October 9, but Jade Cargill executed a backstage attack to injure The Queen. Alexa Bliss stepped into Flair’s spot that same night to capture the gold alongside Paxley from Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley, before Cargill and her allies subsequently targeted them.
Bayley eventually ran down with a kendo stick to fight off attackers during the latest escalation before Vaquer made her save. Following the match, Flair, Bliss, Paxley, Bayley, and Vaquer united inside the ring to issue the WarGames challenge. WWE quickly confirmed the match for the upcoming premium live event.
“She'll return to TV when they figure out what to do to get her to return to TV. They probably had this TV written,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio regarding the creative delay.
The confirmed roster pits Charlotte Flair, Stephanie Vaquer, Alexa Bliss, Tatum Paxley, and Bayley against Jade Cargill, Michin, Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid.
The WarGames structure features two rings surrounded by a steel cage, starting with one member from each opposing team before additional competitors enter at timed intervals. The match officially begins once every participant has entered the cage, with victory achieved exclusively by pinfall or submission under rules devoid of disqualifications.
Survivor Series: WarGames streams live on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 6 ET/3 PT on ESPN with the Unlimited Plan.
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