10 best Traditional Survivor Series matches

In terms of WWE PPV concepts, many people used to see the traditional Survivor Series 5 on 5 elimination match as one of their favourites. While we have the likes of Wrestlemania and the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series offered something even more unique - the sight of 4 or 5 men clubbing together to take on another team for ultimate bragging rights.

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This was often a way to make ongoing rivalries more intense or to begin some new feuds for next year's Wrestlemania.

Over the years, the importance of the 5-on 5-match has declined, with more familiar singles bouts for the world title taking the main event spot. However, we have seen some really fun and engaging matches over the years. Here is our list of the top 10 greatest ones:

#10 Survivor Series 2001 — Team WWF vs. Team Alliance

In a recent interview with Triple H, he stated that professional wrestling is generational, meaning that different age groups will have their own experiences and memories of the industry. One of the prime examples of this has to be the Invasion Angle from 2001 - which still stands as one of the most divisive issues in the history of the WWE. Some, for example, will scoff at the idea of the Survivor Series 2001 main event featuring so low on this list, whereas others will argue that it does not belong on here at all.

On paper, the concept of the storyline was very engaging, pitting three different wrestling promotions against each other. In reality, the whole angle, including this match, felt rather underwhelming.

Despite the match showcasing the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker, it all could have been so much more. In order to understand people's frustrations, one has to realise that while the Monday Night Wars were in full effect, people were constantly fantasizing about what would happen if a team from WCW met a team from the WWF.

And here we had a PPV that was offering all of this as a reality. The problem was, this wasn't exactly the kind of matchup people were fantasising about in the late 90s. We didn't get a showdown between the NWO and DX or The Rock and Ric Flair/Sting, instead, we had a chaotic confrontation involving people that were either lesser players for WCW or people who had never even wrestled for them - at least not in their prime.

It is difficult to separate Survivor Series 2001 from this backdrop, which makes the match hard to judge fairly. However, since it was a special occasion, of sorts, it does find its way onto our list.

#9 Survivor Series 1994 — The Bad Guys vs. The Teamsters

Many older fans now draw comparisons between the careers of Roman Reigns and Diesel. Both tipped to be the next big thing for the WWE/F in a time where fans are widely sceptical and disillusioned with the way the product is going.

And just as Survivor Series 2013 marked the early signs of Reign's push, Survivor Series 1994 was perhaps the first time fans realised that Vince had decided to go with Big Daddy Cool for his next top star.

The WWE should always be given credit for choosing their plan and sticking to it, and at the time there were more than enough people ready to see Diesel take his place on centre stage. This match was pretty much designed for that, with the 'Two Dudes with Attitude' on the same team but ending the match at each other's throats.

After Michaels began barking orders for Diesel to hold up the already beaten down body of fellow Kliq member Razor Ramon, he went for the Superkick finisher but ended up making contact with his partner instead. This caused Diesel to be eliminated with Razor surviving and winning the match for his team.

Diesel had already performed impressively, eliminating people at will and getting a huge reaction from the crowd along the way. When it came down to the after-match brawl between Shawn and Diesel, fans were noticeably backing the latter, leading the way for Vince to book their Wrestlemania 11 match a few months later.

#8 Survivor Series 1990 — The Million Dollar Team vs. The Dream Team

Sometimes, despite a match having a line up of legendary superstars, the action inside the ropes can fail to live up to expectations. More often than not, however, when you put the right mix of people in a ring together, magic ensues.

This is very much the case with Survivor Series 1990, and the Million Dollar Team vs. The Dream Team traditional 5 on 5 elimination match. With a mouth-watering line-up including Greg Valentine, Bret Hart, Dusty Rhodes and Ted Dibiase, fans were treated to the kind of action that typified the WWF in the late 80s/early 90s. It was over the top, theatrical and mesmerising but also showed us glimpses of what the future held.

During this period, Bret Hart was clearly being earmarked as a future singles star. Anyone who is interested in how guys like Bret, Mr Perfect and Shawn Michaels would later affect the WWF product following the departure of the big time players in the early 90s would certainly appreciate this showing by the Hitman.

Of course, the 1990 Survivor Series event will always be remembered as the first time the WWF/E Universe was introduced to the Undertaker. Dibiase had been boasting that a mystery man would be joining his team and after a memorable introduction, out came the giant Mark Calloway dressed as a Wild West funeral director.

Taker had an impressive early showing but eliminated himself by fighting with Rhodes on the outside of the ring. He would be WWF Champion within the year.

#7 Survivor Series 2009 — Team Kingston vs. Team Orton

The Team Orton vs. Team Kingston Survivor Series match from 2009 deserves its place on this list mainly because of the in-ring action and the non-kayfabe implications surrounding it. On the other hand, this match reminds us how short-sighted the WWE can be at times.

2009 looked to be a very promising year for Kofi Kingston, somebody who had earned his stripes in the mid-card and tag-team divisions and who felt ready to enter the main event scene. When he was placed into a feud with Randy Orton, the fans took to him even more. Here was somebody relatively unexpected being given an opportunity, something the company doesn't do often enough anymore.

The match had some pretty decent names involved including CM Punk, Christian and Mark Henry. It also showcased the full Legacy faction which was on the cusp of their breakup at the time.

Having the match come down to the two team captains was a big deal, and given what would later happen between these two men, it gives the showdown even more intensity. Kofi ended up getting the win which elicited a huge pop. As long as you ignore what happened after this bout, there's a lot to enjoy here.

#6 Survivor Series 1988 — Team Hogan vs. Team Dibiase

After the success of the Hogan and Andre feud from 1987/88, which saw the two men form separate teams at the inaugural Survivor Series event, Hogan's next feud was beginning to brew, this time with the then WWF Champion, Macho Man Randy Savage.

After foiling the attempts of The Million Dollar Man, Ted Dibiase to keep Savage and Hogan away from the championship in the run-up to Wrestlemania 4; the pair formed the 'Mega Powers', perhaps one of the greatest and most star-studded tag teams in the history of professional wrestling.

The Mega Powers feuded with Dibiase for most of 1988, a rivalry which included the first ever Summerslam main event also involving Andre. Come Survivor Series and the pair once again found themselves across the ring from Dibiase, this time as part of the traditional 5 on 5 elimination match.

Towards the end of the match, Hogan found himself handcuffed to the ropes after trying to rescue Miss Elizabeth from the opposing team. In the end, the Mega Powers ended up being the sole survivors but further problems were beginning to brew between the three of them.

With Hogan being overly concerned with the health and wellbeing of Elizabeth, the crowd and the commentators began to notice that Savage's reaction wasn't exactly appreciative. The sight of his tag team partner showing more concern for his manager/love interest than he was lit a flame of jealousy inside the WWF Champion.

Come the new year and this initial resentment would grow into an outright feud, with the Mega Powers finally imploding at Wrestlemania 5, a match in which Hogan not only came out on top but succeeded in taking Savage's championship away from him.

#5 Survivor Series 2013 — Team Shield/Real Americans vs. Team Rhodes

Generally speaking, wrestling is at its best when the booking is clear and consistent, allowing fans to understand what the company is trying to do and where it wants to go. This ought to work as a principle even when the majority of fans don't fully agree with the direction. Wrestling might be difficult to endure when a certain, unpopular individual is being pushed, but even this is a step up from chaotic, nonsensical booking that leads to nowhere.

This example pretty much sums up the WWE's attempts at pushing Roman Reigns. Despite the fans not being fully behind it, the company has been pretty consistent with their execution, and for this, at least, they deserve some praise.

Survivor Series 2013 was almost exclusively about building up Reigns for a future singles push, and this was back when the jury was still out on whether he had what it took and fans were still willing to give it a go. Reign's performance here was impressive and led us to believe that perhaps a new star was finally coming on the horizon.

The match was also wrapped up with the Authority vs. Daniel Bryan storyline that proved to be one of the more entertaining rivalries of the year. With the Sheild playing back-up to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, a rival team formed out of some of the individuals most targeted by the evil management.

The Rhodes Brothers, in particular, were putting on some great performances around this time, and this match was no exception to that. An altogether enjoyable Survivor Series match that led to a new dawn for the WWE.

#4 Survivor Series 1987 — Team Hogan vs. Team Andre

While WWE fans have every right to argue that Vince vs. Stone Cold was ultimately the company's most important rivalry of all time, they should also acknowledge that there would not have been an Austin vs. McMahon had there not first been a Hogan vs. Andre.

The first two Wrestlemanias were definitely showpieces that allowed the company to break away from its competitors like the NWA and Jim Crocket Promotions, but with the success of Wrestlemania 3, in particular, the showdown between the Hulkster and Andre, allowed the WWF the leverage it needed to bully TV stations into only showing its content.

Survivor Series 1987 was born from this particular environment. In an attempt to fight off the challenge of Starrcade, Vince went to various TV networks arguing that if they did not show Survivor Series, they would not be able to show Wrestlemania 4. One of the reasons why they were eventually won round by the WWF was the sheer amount of heat surrounding Hogan and Andre's ongoing battles and the business it was consistently bringing with it.

Survivor Series 87 would be the latest instalment with both men on opposing teams. After Hogan was prevented from reentering the ring before the 10-count, Andre eliminated the debuting Bam Bam Bigelow, earning his team the victory and himself the lone survivor accolade.

As with most content from this period, the action would not necessarily impress the wrestling purists of today, but if you're a fan of the cartoonish, larger-than-life style of 80s wrestling, this is certainly worth checking out.

#3 Survivor Series 2005 — Team RAW vs. Team Smackdown

With the creation of the Bragging Rights PPV a few years later, and with Survivor Series now being a battleground for the two sides of the WWE to square off each year, we are used to seeing teams from both RAW and Smackdown compete head to head. In 2005, however, the traditional Survivor Series match was a bit of an anomaly.

Team RAW took on Team Smackdown, pitting the likes of Shawn Michaels and Kane against Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and JBL, amongst others. What was novel about this bout was that, very much like today, teams were made up of both heels and faces, giving the match numerous layers of intrigue.

For better or worse, the WWE had a plan around this time to recreate their main event scene, and they were determined to make sure Randy Orton was a part of it. After yet another sensational performance by Shawn Michaels, it would be the Viper coming out as the sole survivor, cementing his place as one of the top stars for the company overall.

The match also ended with dramatic and memorable scenes. While Orton was celebrating with the rest of the Smackdown roster, out came the flaming casket that he and his dad had used to bury the Undertaker with a few months prior. As Orton began screaming for his peers to put him down, out came the Deadman, marching to the ring and taking on an army of Smackdown superstars in his attempt to get to Randy.

This was a thoroughly entertaining bout that led to the epic showdown between Viper and Phenom at the next year's Wrestlemania. It would also start a trend that we have grown much more familiar with today.

#2 Survivor Series 2003 — Team Austin vs. Team Bishoff

This traditional Survivor Series match from 2003 was rare in the sense that neither team captain actually played any part in the in-ring action. In a way, however, that made the feel of the match even more dramatic as you had two teams fighting for the fate of a separate individual.

The two men concerned were Stone Cold Steve Austin and Eric Bishoff who were engaged in a power struggle throughout most of the year over who had complete control of Monday Night RAW. This feud saw some great moments, occasionally brutal and often hilarious. Austin had to face the prospect of losing his job should his team not come out on top, which is exactly what happened.

The match had some big names involved which almost guaranteed some great action inside the ropes and perfectly complemented the drama attached to the stipulation. Despite all of the legendary names involved, the fact that Randy Orton was the sole survivor was a promising move which reassured fans that the company were looking towards the future.

One thing that makes this match truly special is the involvement of Shawn Michaels. Not only did he provide a typically impressive performance, but the sight of him struggling to save Austin's job towards the end of the match worked on various different levels.

For anyone who knows their WWE/F history, Michaels was the man who lay down for Austin at Wrestlemania 14, sending the latter onto main event stardom while HBK went through a period of deep decline both professionally and personally. The sight of Austin helping a bloody Shawn to the back after his job had been lost was a heartwarming and historically significant moment we will never forget.

#1 Survivor Series 2014 — Team Authority vs. Team Cena

For someone who has watched professional wrestling for longer than he would care to admit, it feels strange ranking a match from 2014 so highly. We have seen great eras come and go over the years, and it is generally considered that the New Era from 2013 onwards isn't one of the best the WWE has ever put together.

That being said, the company did have a very engaging storyline at the time. The Authority, led by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon had spent most of 2013/14 keeping Daniel Bryan away from the WWE Championship. This led to a monster babyface push for Bryan and brought Triple H back into his comfortable position of the most hated heel in the company.

By the time Survivor Series came along, Bryan was out with an injury and the Authority had chosen new targets to go after, most notably John Cena and Dolph Ziggler. The match had a clear, engaging stipulation that if team Authority lost, the McMahon/Helmsley era would have to end. It was a result we all wanted, both from a kayfabe and a non-kayfabe perspective.

The match wasn't able to boast very much in terms of star power, but the guys in the ring all did their very best to make this match the classic that it is. We had a Big Show heel turn part way through, some impressive stuff by both Luke Harper and Eric Rowan, and most significantly of all, we saw one of the best in-ring performances of the year in the shape of Dolph Ziggler.

When the match boiled down to a 3 on 1 situation, Dolph pulled out all the stops, managing to eliminate two members before being beaten down by Triple H in a desperate attempt to save his job. Then, as it looked like the Authority was on the cusp of victory, the sound of a crow echoed around the arena and out came one of the greatest wrestling icons to have ever laced up a pair of boots.

Sting's debut is one of those moments that will live on in the annals of the industry. For younger fans, it was a way to conclude the match with the kind of result they wanted to see, but for older fans, it was both a trip down memory lane and a truly shocking moment that we thought we'd never experience.

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