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One of WWE's traditional 'Big Four' pay-per-views is almost upon us, and WWE is pulling out all the stops to make it a must watch show. This year, the moment that created the most buzz (at the time of writing) was Smackdown Live' invading RAW provided a much-needed fillip to the storyline as well as to the falling ratings.
Traditionally though, Survivor Series has produced some unforgettable debuts of legends (The Undertaker, The Rock and Sting), gimmicks (Elimination Chamber) and high-profile matches (Goldberg vs Brock, The Rock/Cena vs The Miz/R-Truth).
This year too, WWE fans are waiting with bated breath, primarily for the Traditional 5-on-5 elimination match for brand supremacy, and for the clash between the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and the WWE Champion AJ Styles. One wonders what surprises are in store and whether the event in Houston, Texas would be looked back upon a few years down the line as having changed the game.
Here's a look at some of the top moments at Survivor Series that changed the course of WWE.
#5 Stone Cold Steve Austin run over
It was in October 1999 that Austin had been diagnosed with a damaged neck and needed surgery. Stone Cold had built up a lot of momentum over the past 18 months, with a long-running feud with the McMahons which had sent ratings through the roof.
WWE realised that the Austin-McMahon duel had given WWE an edge over WCW in the Monday Night Wars and it was paramount that the long-term health of Austin was taken care of.
So, WWE had to take Austin out of the scheduled Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship, involving The Rock and HHH. So, whilst brawling with Triple H in the parking lot of the Joe Louis arena where Survivor Series 1999 was to be held, he was run over by a speeding car that knocked out.
It prompted a wonderful storyline with fingers being pointed at possible assailants that shaped the course of the WWE over the next year.
#4 Stopping the Unstoppable Beast
2002 was a breakout year for Brock Lesnar as he rode into prominence through matches with the company’s top superstars. After beating The Rock at Summerslam and crowned the youngest WWE Champion at that time, he defeated Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker to legitimately stake a claim as the ‘Next Big Thing’.
However, he then came face to face with the giant Big Show, who seemed to be more than a match for Lesnar in the weeks leading up to Survivor Series. Although Lesnar went into the match as the underdog, Paul Heyman helped Show win the Championship and hand Lesnar his first defeat in WWE.
The win did more damage to Show than to Lesnar. But it meant that The Beast was beatable. Show's title reign did not set the WWE Universe alight and he dropped the title to Angle next month. Angle was certainly seen as a more notable champion representing the Blue brand.
Lesnar turned face and went on a run that would result in him winning a star-studded Royal Rumble in 2003. The feud between Angle and Lesnar ran through to Summerslam with them trading wins.
After the draft in early 2002, Smackdown lacked storylines and high profile feuds (with The Rock increasing doing part-time) and they needed a Superstar to replace The People's Champ. 15 years on in 2017, Lesnar still continues to be a top draw.
#3 WWE’s future decided in a ‘Winner take all’ match
After Vince McMahon’s buyout of WCW in the spring of 2001, the entire year was dotted with storylines of WCW and ECW wrestlers trying to lock horns with WWE Superstars. This led to the long-running Invasion saga, where one saw the McMahons' grapple for control of the company. It came down to a ‘winner take all’ 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series match with a heavy dose of star power.
However, the build-up was dotted with defection from Team WWF to the Alliance, in-fighting within Team WWF (The Rock and Chris Jericho) and a possible mole within the WCW/ECW combine.
The match in itself was highly entertaining and it came down to Rock vs Austin, arguably the biggest wrestlers on the roster over the previous five years. Angle interfered to cost Austin the match, and Vince earned the right to retain the business.
The next night on RAW saw Ric Flair return after 8 years and announce himself as co-partner with Vince which sowed the seeds of a brand split with different rosters, in early 2002.
#2 The Montreal Screwjob
Survivor Series 1997 was slated to be held in Bret ‘the Hitman’ Hart’s hometown of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. After Summerslam, where Hart reclaimed the WWE Championship, he rekindled an on-screen and off-screen feud with Shawn Michaels.
However, things changed when it was revealed that Hart had signed a contract beginning December 1997 with WWE’s big rival, WCW. It was reportedly decided that the match at Survivor Series would end in a disqualification and Hart would relinquish the title at a later date.
Unknown to Hart, Vince McMahon and referee Earl Hebner had colluded to alter the finish and declared Michaels the winner as soon as he applied the Sharpshooter. This was to be Hart’s last match in the WWE as he left the company on bad terms.
This was later to be the most talked and controversial about match in wrestling history and laid the foundation of the Attitude Era where Vince McMahon took up a ‘heel’ Corporate on-screen persona.
#1 The arrival of The Shield
By 2012's Survivor Series, WWE Champion CM Punk had held the title for a year. This included multiple feuds with top superstars in the WWE including Alberto Del Rio, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler.
During the RAW 1000 show, it became clear that it was only a matter of time before The Rock would challenge Punk for the title.
WWE used different ways to make Punk get his way in Championship matches, once even involving a referee - Brad Maddox to cost Ryback a match inside Hell in a Cell.
It eventually came down to a triple threat match at Survivor Series 2012, between Punk, Ryback and John Cena. Towards the end of the match, three men appeared from the crowd in black turtlenecks and powerbombed Ryback through an announce table.
While the match won't be remembered for Punk retaining his Championship, we saw multiple instances of wrestlers getting beat down by the ‘Hounds of Justice’ known as the Shield, over the next year. Little did we know at the time that WWE in 2017 and beyond would be built upon these three men, who arrived with such aplomb.
