Highlights
- Survivor Series has evolved over time, introducing new concepts like Brand Warfare, the Elimination Chamber, and War Games.
- Notable matches include Randy Orton outlasting Shawn Michaels in a Legend vs. Legend Killer showdown, and John Cena and The Rock teaming up to take on The Miz and R-Truth.
- The 1998 tournament saw The Rock's rise as a top heel and Mick Foley being deceived by Vince McMahon, leading to a memorable storyline.
It's evolution meets tag team wrestling at the Survivor Series. Introduced in 1987, this wrestling card, which began as a series of tag team matches, became the second annual pay-per-view event for WWE. Vince McMahon used this card as a way to get feuding wrestlers to interact with each other without having a traditional match.
13 Best WWE Games, Ranked
Some WWE games deserve to be on the undercard while others are World Championship contenders.
Over time, the WWE tweaked the format of the event. One year they had an entire World Championship tournament. In other years, the company has introduced new, or new-to-WWE concepts like the Elimination Chamber or War Games. Still, not all Survivor Series stack up as well as others.
8 2005 - Brand Warfare
Randy Orton Outlasts Shawn Michaels
While WWE had put forward several Survivor Series cards featuring the Raw and Smackdown brands squaring off, 2005 was one of the better matches between the two sides. A traditional, five-on-five match came down to Legend vs. Legend Killer as Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton were the last two standing. In the end, the Viper beat the Heartbreak Kid to win the match for Smackdown.
The card also featured the first in a best-of-seven series of matches between Booker T and Chris Benoit, Ric Flair, and Triple H in a classic, and a solid match between John Cena and Kurt Angle.
7 1987 - The First Survivor Series
Bam Bam Bigelow's Big Night
The very first Survivor Series set up teams captained by Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant, continuing their feud from WrestleMania III. However, it was a lesser-known member of Hogan's team who stole the show. Bam Bam Bigelow was the last member of the face squad forced to take on King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, and Andre the Giant by himself. Bam Bam eliminated Bundy and Gang before falling to Andre.
WWE: 11 Best WrestleMania Shows, Ranked
WWE has put on many tremendous WrestleManias over the years, but a few PPVs are extra special.
The rest of the card featured a solid women's tag match (in a time when the women didn't get the spotlight) where the Jumping Bomb Angels came up big. The opener featured a solid match with Macho Man, Jake the Snake Roberts, and Ricky the Dragon Steamboat surviving.
6 2001 - The End Of The Invasion
WWE Stands Tall Over The Alliance
While few wrestling fans want to remember most of the Invasion Angle, they, at least, managed to stick the landing as best as possible. Team WWE took on Team Alliance and the Rock came up big defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin to help Team WWE prevail. While it doesn't make much sense that Stone Cold joined the Alliance, it still gave lost of star power for the finale.
There were also some good matches earlier on the card, as the lower card titles from both companies would be merged. Despite the Invasion ending, the Alliance still came out ahead in five of the eight matches on the card.
5 2011 - Icons Team Together
John Cena & The Rock Take On The Miz & R-Truth
While 2011 may have been a hit-or-miss year for WWE as a whole, the Survivor Series card delivered. With John Cena and the Rock set to face off at the next WrestleMania, the pair put their differences aside to take on The Miz and R-Truth. While there was never any doubt about the winners, it gave a shining moment to the two heels before the two icons scored the win.
While the summer of Punk may not have gone on long enough for fans, Survivor Series marked CM Punk's return to the top of the mountain. The fan favorite defeated Alberto Del Rio for the WWE title, setting up his reign that would last until the 2013 Royal Rumble.
4 2003 - Austin vs. Bischoff
Raw's Co-GMs Captain Survivor Series Teams
The 2003 rendition of the annual Thanksgiving pay-per-view featured two five-on-five traditional Survivor Series matches. Representing Raw, Eric Bischoff and Stone Cold Steve Austin led their respective teams into battle with the winning team giving its captain the sole executive position. In the end, Bischoff's team won, with Randy Orton besting Shawn Michaels. It seems like that happens a lot.
Smackdown's traditional match was led by the top two pure wrestlers of the time in Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar. In the end, John Cena and Chris Benoit led the way for Team Angle, setting both up for future World title pushes over the next two years.
3 2002 - Elimination Chamber
Shawn Michaels Championship Return
Looking to spice up the Survivor Series following the Invasion Angle, WWE introduced the Elimination Chamber. Six Raw superstars battled in a match that was meant to be a combination of Survivor Series and War Games. In the end, Shawn Michaels outlasted five other men to win his fourth and final World title.
While the Elimination Chamber stole the show for Raw, the triple-threat elimination tag title match was the crown jewel for Smackdown. Los Guerreros defeated Edge & Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, and Chris Benoit to capture the WWE tag team titles.
2 2022 - War Games
Sami Zayn Makes His Choice
A WCW favorite made its WWE main roster debut in 2022 as traditional Survivor Series matches were replaced with War Games. The card opened with a women's War Games match and closed with a Men's War Games match that pitted the Bloodline against the Brawling Brutes.
WWE: 7 Best WrestleMania Women's World Championship Matches
These seven women's World Championship matches all delivered on the grandest stage of them all.
The storyline surrounding the long friendship and rivalry between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, and where Sami's allegiance would be, carried the show. In the end, Sami chose to stay loyal to the Bloodline, recognizing the many times he has been betrayed by Owens in his career.
1 1998 - Deadly Games
The Rise of the Rock
In 1998, WWE decided not to run a traditional Survivor Series match, instead running a tournament to crown a new WWE Champion. It looked like Vince McMahon and Mick Foley were rigging the tournament to put the belt on Foley while The Rock seemed to be making a meteoric baby face rise, until the most successful recreation of the Montreal Screwjob.
Vince and The Rock reveal they were secretly working together and Foley was just a patsy. It led to The Rock becoming the biggest active wrestling heel and Foley turned into the company's top baby face.