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The latest edition of WWE’s classic fall pay-per-view, Survivor Series, is right around the corner. As you well know, Survivor Series is one of WWE’s most important and historically significant events, being the second-longest-running PPV in company history.
While you can’t bet on WWE with all US sportsbooks, you can still find betting odds out there. Currently, Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch are expected to win their respective Champion vs. Champion matches, while Team SmackDown is favored to defeat Team Raw in both the Men’s and Women’s elimination matches. Of course, all that can change depending on what kind of mood Vince wakes up with, so it’s difficult to predict the odds at this moment.
Still, what better time to look back on some of the top matches in this storied event’s history?
5. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, 1992 https://youtu.be/YpJddNlGjxc
While the Heartbreak Kid and the Excellence of Execution would undoubtedly face off in a more famous match in 1997, their first Survivor Series clash is undoubtedly the superior of the two. Hart was in the midst of his first run as WWF Champion and Michaels was an up-and-comer holding the Intercontinental championship.
It was a sign of things to come, as the two stars who would most personify the mid-90s WWF faced off in a main event for the first time.
The two future faces of the company got their time to shine here and put on a classic that saw Hart win via submission. This match was an instant classic, receiving 4.5 stars from Dave Meltzer, and cementing Hart and Michaels as made men.
4. Team Authority vs. Team Cena, 2014 https://youtu.be/gD7qJ3TW1jw
While ‘The Authority’ is hardly anyone’s favorite stable in recent memory, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon’s evil authority figure characters were the focus of Monday Night Raw for several years. As heels, they did their job - no one liked them at all.
Their run as heel authority figures seemingly came to an end in a climactic clash at the 2014 edition of Survivor Series, where John Cena put together a group of babyfaces to take on The Authority’s group of goons in a traditional 5-on-5 elimination match. The stipulation attached was that Cena’s team would be fired if they lost, while the Authority would be removed from power if their team lost.
In a nearly 45 minute battle, Team Cena came out on top after Dolph Ziggler got a ton of shine as the sole survivor and former WCW and TNA champion Sting made his WWE debut after decades of anticipation. It was a phenomenal main event, that was genuinely exciting at the time. It was a huge turning point in the company’s storylines and marked the beginning of a new chapter in the on-screen product...for about a month when the Authority was reinstated.
3. First Elimination Chamber Match, 2002
Whenever a new match type is introduced, you’re practically flipping a coin. You could end up with a Hell in a Cell or a Punjabi Prison match. Luckily, WWE hit on a great concept with the inaugural Elimination Chamber match at Survivor Series 2002.
Shawn Michaels had only returned to wrestling a few months earlier after missing several years with a back injury, and was able to pull out the victory and capture the World Heavyweight Championship. It would prove to be HBK’s only world championship during his final run and a performer.
While it’s played out now, for a time the Elimination Chamber match was a bonafide novelty that you’d see maybe once a year. With how influential the match type has become in recent years, it’s worth revisiting the first of its kind.
2. Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold, 1996 https://youtu.be/Nx_BFtn-SHE
By this point, Bret Hart had established himself as one of the top dogs in the company. But the tide was turning, and a young superstar named Steve Austin was on the rise.
Stone Cold was still riding the wave of momentum he had established with his iconic Austin 3:16 promo at that year’s King of the Ring, while Hart had been on hiatus for 8 months since losing the WWF Championship to Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XII.
This was both the culmination of months of the heel Austin taunting the absent Hart for months the first chapter in a feud that would end with the infamous double turn at Wrestlemania 13. These clashes made Austin a true star and led him down the path of becoming the face of the Attitude Era.
1. Team WWF vs. Team Alliance, 2001 https://youtu.be/D-1AUWHKIT0
The Invasion storyline is well-known as one of the biggest missed opportunities in the history of pro wrestling. The long rivalry between WWF and WCW had ended in real life, and we finally got to see the kayfabe clash with the remnants of ECW thrown in there for good measure.
But a real lack of top WCW stars, like Sting, Goldberg, and the original nWo trio, held back what should have been the best angle in the history of both companies. Still, any match featuring the talent here (The Rock, Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, and The Undertaker, to name a few stars) is pretty unparalleled.
While this match is excellent in and of itself, it’s a fascinating historical object because of what it represents. The idea that in the climactic battle between these companies, WCW and ECW would best be represented by a team consisting of Stone Cold, Kurt Angle, and Shane McMahon is a bit laughable but also seemingly indicative of what Vince McMahon seems to think about those that aren’t “his” people.
In any case, the talent on display and the storyline behind the storyline make this match worthy of the top spot.
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