'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With the 34th annual event this Sunday, Survivor Series has established a legacy of notable moments and memorable matches throughout its history. The event was originally created due to the success of WrestleMania III in 1987 and also invented to counter WCW's marquee show, Starrcade, which took place on the same date.
From The Undertaker's debut to the introduction of The Shield, there is no denying how iconic Survivor Series is to WWE. There have been dream matches like Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan and transformative moments such as Sting finally coming to WWE. Without this event, WWE would not be what it is today.
This historic Big Four event has been criticized in the past, but it is worthy of praise due to so many stellar events that have happened under this name. In this article, we will take a look at the top ten greatest Survivor Series events of all time.
#10 Survivor Series 1997
Date: November 9th, 1997
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Matches/moments to watch: Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship/Montreal Screwjob
Without this night in Montreal, WWE would not have had its most lucrative period of its existence nor one of the greatest heels ever created in the business. The rivalry between Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Shawn Michaels had gotten extremely personal ahead of Survivor Series 1997. With Hart's contract set to expire, this event marked the end of his WWE run.
Due to contract disputes with Vince McMahon and previous stipulations set forth, Bret had creative control and did not want to drop his WWF Championship to Michaels. This led to McMahon conspiring and screwing Hart out of the title when Michaels locked him in his own Sharpshooter submission. The fallout from this matter is still felt to this day.
Besides the Montreal Screwjob, this was a night of action with a raucous crowd. Kane against Mankind delivered a good match in a dominant victory for the Big Red Machine. Team Shamrock vs. The Nation of Domination was decent for the time it had. Stone Cold Steve Austin's quick win of the Intercontinental Championship over Owen Hart was the payoff to The Texas Rattlesnake's long-term feud with the Hart Foundation.
With those contests, this event would not be remembered as one of the premier events of the year nor 23 years later. However, with the impact of the main event, there is no question that any list of Survivor Series events has to include this one.
#9 Survivor Series 1990
Date: November 22nd, 1990
Location: Hartford, Connecticut
Matches/moments to watch: The Million Dollar Team vs. The Dream Team in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match/Undertaker's debut
This next entry is once again about a match associated with an unforgettable moment. Survivor Series 2020 will mark the 30th anniversary and 'Final Farewell' of The Undertaker. On this night in Hartford, Ted Dibiase introduced The Deadman as the final member of his Million Dollar Team.
The Undertaker's Western Mortician character was so unique and visually stunning that it immediately stood out to the fans at Survivor Series 1990. The way The Undertaker dominated here also helped to establish his persona. However, that is not the only reason why this match in particular is listed here.
Looking past the Undertaker's debut, this contest did a lot to elevate Bret 'The Hitman' Hart as a future singles star. Being outnumbered during the later stages of the bout, he fought back to even things up and bring this encounter down to himself and Ted Dibiase. In the end, Dibiase would take the victory, but this helped propel Hart to the Intercontinental Championship less than a year later.
The following bout of The Visionaries against the Vipers was also another quality elimination contest on this night. Just with those two matches along with the star power of Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior and others throughout this event, Survivor Series 1990 is worthy of inclusion on this list.
#8 Survivor Series 2011
Date: November 20th, 2011
Location: New York City, New York
Matches/moments to watch: CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship; The Rock & John Cena vs. The Miz & R-Truth
Madison Square Garden has been home to some of the most memorable events in WWE history. In particular, Survivor Series has some of their very best in New York City. The last event to take place there was in 2011 and built on the star-studded main event featuring the return of one of the biggest Superstars in the business.
The Rock and John Cena set up their first match on the night after WrestleMania 27 for the following year, but when Cena encountered the challenge of The Miz and R-Truth, he called upon his rival to be his tag team partner at Survivor Series 2011. The Rock made his in-ring return in the MSG to a tremendous ovation where he and Cena defeated Awesome Truth.
Survivor Series 2011 would also mark the start of the longest WWE Championship reign of the modern era. CM Punk made Alberto Del Rio tap out to the Anaconda Vice in a very good bout to kick off his 434-day run. The Voice of the Voiceless was even introduced to the ring by legendary ring announcer, Howard Finkel, giving us a touching moment along the way.
Survivor Series 2011 also witnessed a well-worked opener with Dolph Ziggler beating John Morrison to successfully defend the United States Championship. This was also significant for the vocal New York crowd chanting "We Want Ryder" for the Long Island Iced Z, who was not even listed on the card. This was a fun event that was surely propped up by the fans in MSG on this night.
#7 Survivor Series 2019
Date: November 24th, 2019
Location: Rosemont, Illinois
Matches/moments to watch: Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne for the NXT Championship; Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown vs. Team NXT Men's Survivor Series Elimination Match
Last year's Survivor Series has to be considered one of the most unique due to NXT being added to the traditional RAW vs. SmackDown battle for brand supremacy. The Black and Gold brand added so much excitement to the buildup to the event. Their invasions on Monday and Friday nights made for very engaging TV in the weeks building up to the PPV.
Survivor Series 2019 featured NXT winning over the other two brands in head to head competition. All of the contests between the brands were fun in their own ways, but the 55 Men's traditional elimination contest gave us non stop action and a star-making performance from Keith Lee.
The NXT Superstar stood out among the other 14 men and eliminated Seth Rollins before going move for move with Roman Reigns. His show of respect with The Big Dog after the match just showed how far he had come in WWE.
The NXT Championship Match between Adam Cole and Pete Dunne was tremendous, giving us a blistering back and forth title bout along with the head to head encounters. The other two title matches had Brock Lesnar successfully defend the WWE Championship against Rey Mysterio and The Fiend beating Daniel Bryan to defend the Universal Title.
#6 Survivor Series 1998: Deadly Games
Date: November 15th, 1998
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Matches/moments to watch: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Mankind; Mankind vs. The Rock in the Finals of the WWF Championship Deadly Games Tournament/The Rock turns heel and joins the Corporation
Survivor Series 1998 was built on the back of the Deadly Games Tournament to determine a new WWF Championship. Following Mr. McMahon screwing Stone Cold Steve Austin out of the WWF Championship at Break Down, a tournament to crown a new champion was made with the top WWF Superstars fighting it out.
In the weeks before Survivor Series 1998, The Rock went from the ruthless leader of the Nation to the popular People's Champion. The Monday prior to the pay-per-view, The Great One laid Mr. McMahon out with a Rock Bottom, which made The Rock a target of the Chairman and his cronies. Big Boss Man would get involved in The Rock's matches during the tournament, which backfired.
Vince's son, Shane, would screw Austin out of the tournament by costing him his contest against Mankind. This led to Mankind facing The Rock in the Deadly Games Tournament Finals. In a callback to the Montreal Screwjob a year prior, Vince screwed Mankind just when Rock locked on the Sharpshooter. The Rock was not only crowned the new WWF Champion for the first time, but he also became the Corporate Champion.
This legendary heel turn is the most remembered from Survivor Series 1998. The show-long narrative of the Deadly Games Tournament helped this stand out among all the famed major shows during the Attitude Era.
#5 Survivor Series 1987
Date: November 26th, 1987
Location: Richfield, Ohio
Matches/moments to watch: 10 on 10 Tag Teams Survivor Series Elimination Match; Team Andre vs. Team Hogan
The very first Survivor Series event in 1987 came off the heels of WrestleMania III, with WWE looking to add to their pay-per-view calendar. Following the successful and lucrative Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant main event, WWE booked the first traditional elimination match around their rivalry. Hogan's team of Bam Bam Bigelow, Don Muraco, Ken Patera, and Paul Orndorff facing Andre's team of Butch Reed, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, and Rick Rude.
This closing traditional Survivor Series elimination contest would set some tropes of this match type. Hulk Hogan would get himself eliminated by countout, fighting with Andre. Bam Bam Bigelow would be the final member of his unit left against three competitors on Team Andre.
Bam Bam would fight back and even the score by eliminating King Kong Bundy and One Man Gang. This brought things down to him and Andre The Giant. In the end, Andre would gain the win, but Bigelow elevated himself in defeat. The best match of the night preceded the main event as the best tag teams in WWE at the time battled in a 10-on-10 elimination encounter.
This was a high octane battle that never let up with the incredible amount of action in this one. Killer Bees and Young Stallions would be the sole survivors, but every team stood out in their own way. This trademark elimination-style show would set the bar for the next 30-plus years.
#4 Survivor Series 2001
Date: November 18th, 2001
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina
Matches/moments to watch: Team WWF vs. Team Alliance in a Winner Takes All Survivor Series Elimination Match; The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz in a Steel Cage Match for the WWF and WCW Tag Team Titles
The Invasion angle of 2001 has been the most heavily criticized storyline of the past two decades. When WWF purchased WCW, many fans were excited with the possibility of all the dream matches they had fantasized about for years. However, due to the contracts most of the top stars had, those encounters were not possible. At Survivor Series, this story would finally conclude.
Regardless of how you felt about the storyline, it is undeniable that WWF got the final showdown right. Team WWF vs. Team Alliance in a Winner Takes All battle has to be considered one of the very best elimination matches in Survivor Series history. With present and future Hall of Famers in this Survivor Series bout, it was a brilliant main event that gave the fans in Greensboro a fitting end to a great pay-per-view.
Fans also witnessed a thrilling Steel Cage Match to unify the WWF and WCW Tag Team Titles between the Hardy Boyz and The Dudleys. The Edge vs. Test contest to unify the WCW United States and WWF Intercontinental Titles was another fun clash. With plenty more solid matches with Christian vs. Al Snow and William Regal vs. Tajiri, this is an event that truly made investing in the inter-promotional feud worthwhile.
#3 Survivor Series 2016
Date: November 20th, 2016
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Matches/moments to watch: Goldberg destroys Brock Lesnar in 86 seconds; Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match; Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown in a 10-on-10 Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination Match
The best Survivor Series of the past decade had to have been the 2016 event. This marked the first to be held under the RAW vs. SmackDown brand supremacy theme following the Draft. Due to the years between the last split, this made this pay-per-view intriguing from the onset.
The 5-on-5 RAW vs. SmackDown Men Survivor Series Elimination Match was a fantastic 53-minute spectacle enriched with so much storytelling. With nine main event talents and SmackDown General Manager, Shane McMahon, these Superstars had to spin many plates to create a compelling contest.
The feud between AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose negatively affected their team. The Shield reunited despite being on opposing sides. James Ellsworth cost Braun Strowman and got him eliminated. Finally, the ongoing drama of Randy Orton proving himself to Bray Wyatt paid off to lead them to victory. This match had it all in terms of story.
Besides that superb bout, the main event of Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar will be remembered for years to come. The former WCW Champion returned to in-ring competition for the first time in 12 years and completely ran through the Beast Incarnate in 86 seconds. After building Brock to be the end-all conquerer of WWE, fans were utterly stunned to see him humiliated in this way.
The 10-on 10-Survivor Series Elimination bout was another enjoyable battle, especially with the finale between The Usos and The Bar. With those three matches and more commendable efforts, Survivor Series 2016 is well-deserving of a top-three spot on this list.
#2 Survivor Series 2002
Date: November 17th, 2002
Location: New York City, New York
Matches/moments to watch: Shawn Michaels wins the first Elimination Chamber Match to win the World Heavyweight Championship; Los Guerreros vs. Rey Mysterio & Edge vs. Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle for the WWE Tag Team Championships; Trish Stratus vs. Victoria in a Hardcore Match for the WWE Women's Championship
Survivor Series 2002 was the second November pay-per-view to take place from Madison Square Garden. Although this was the rare event to not have the traditional elimination matches, this one was a delightful pay-per-view filled with breathtaking action.
The first-ever Elimination Chamber took place at Survivor Series 2002. With Triple H defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Chris Jericho, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Kane, and Shawn Michaels, this impressive steel structure consisted of the top stars on the Monday Night Raw brand. For nearly 40 minutes, the New York fans were taken on an unbelievable ride of brutal physicality.
The conclusion between bitter rivals Triple H and Shawn Michaels with HBK pulling out the victory to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time since his return gave a happy ending to this magnificent Survivor Series 2002 event. This encounter set a precedent for every Elimination Chamber match to come.
The three-way with Los Guerreros beating Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit & Rey Mysterio and Edge for the WWE Tag Team Titles was a sublime clinic in tag team wrestling. The underrated Hardcore battle with Victoria defeating Trish Stratus to win the WWE Women's Championship had the crowd completely engaged on this evening.
Survivor Series 2002 was one of the most fondly remembered pay-per-views of the Ruthless Aggression Era. There is only one other show from the same arena that matches this high-quality event.
#1 Survivor Series 1996
Date: November 17th, 1996
Location: New York City, New York
Matches/moments to watch: Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin in a Number One Contenders Match; Shawn Michaels vs. Psycho Sid for the WWF Championship; The Rock's debut
Survivor Series 1996 was the first to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. With a rowdy crowd and a lineup sprinkled with all-time greats, this would become an extraordinary major show to be remembered for years to come. This pay-per-view was headlined by Shawn Michaels defending the WWF Championship against Psycho Sid.
The MSG crowd turned on Michaels on this evening, favoring the challenger over the squeaky clean babyface champ. Sid would defeat HBK to win the WWF Championship, thus ending the eight-month reign. Survivor Series 1996 would also feature the earliest encounter between two era-defining rivals.
On this night, Bret 'The Hitman' Hart overcame Stone Cold Steve Austin in an excellent #1 Contender's match that left every fan on the edge of their seat until the end. The realism in this classic was spectacular and delivered an unforgettable start to a feud that would kickstart the Attitude Era.
With this superb one-two punch of top-notch contests, Survivor Series 1996 would rank among the best ever pay-per-views in the event's history. However, this evening would also be remembered for the debut of the third-generation star, Rocky Maivia. The future Rock would be the sole survivor in his elimination bout and show the world how much potential he had.
There was also decent to good action sprinkled through this card with a bruising Undertaker vs. Mankind brawl and a well-paced technical wrestling showcase with the debuting Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon. With a balanced lineup with two great matches and a momentous debut, Survivor Series 1996 is the greatest event in its history.
