Ranking all 7 multi-time Sole Survivors in WWE Survivor Series history

Only seven WWE Superstars have been the sole survivor more than once.
Only seven WWE Superstars have been the sole survivor more than once.

The traditional multi-person Survivor Series elimination match is one of the more exciting concepts in WWE today. There are many twists and turns such a match can take until one team ends up victorious by eliminating all of their opponents. A lot of times, it is only one Superstar who survives this match. And thus, the term "Sole Survivor" was born.

Being the sole survivor of a Survivor Series elimination match is quite an accomplishment, with less than 30 men and women doing so since 1987. It is a rare feat for one to survive such a match on their own. That being said, seven WWE Superstars have achieved sole survivor status more than once.

These Superstars have produced some of the greatest performances in Survivor Series history ranging from impressive comebacks, patches of utter domination, or massive debut wins. Some of these multi-time sole survivors enjoyed better performances than others, with a couple of them doing so three different times.

Here is every multi-time sole survivor ranked, from least to most impressive.


#7 Ric Flair (Survivor Series 1991 and 2006)

Ric Flair produced an epic comeback to defeat the Spirit Squad.
Ric Flair produced an epic comeback to defeat the Spirit Squad.

There were fifteen years between Ric Flair's two sole survivors in WWE, but the two of them were different from each other in more ways as well. His first Survivor Series showing came a couple of months after debuting in WWE in 1991, teaming with Ted Dibiase, The Mountie, and The Warlord.

The Nature Boy did score an elimination in the 4-on-4 match, but his victory felt a little tainted. Both the teams started a brawl at ringside, with Flair smartly staying away from the action. As a result, every Superstar except for Flair was disqualified.

The 16-time World Champion had a much more definitive victory at Survivor Series 2006, where he took on the Spirit Squad alongside a bunch of legends - Dusty Rhodes, Sgt. Slaughter, and Ron Simmons. Flair was in a 3-on-1 disadvantage but managed to pull out the victory over the male cheerleaders.

The manner in which Ric Flair won both these Survivor Series elimination matches couldn't be further from each other, showcasing how talented he was as both, a gutsy babyface and a sneaky heel.

#6 Hulk Hogan (Survivor Series 1989 and 1990)

The Hulkster was a Survivor Series mainstay in its early days.
The Hulkster was a Survivor Series mainstay in its early days.

It isn't much of a surprise to see Hulk Hogan on this list, considering he was pretty dominant on top of the WWE mountain during the early days of Survivor Series. While his team lost in the first-ever Survivor Series main event to Team Andre, Hogan has won every elimination match he was a part of since then.

The Hulkster stood tall on his own in the 1989 and 1990 installments of the November supershow, as he did quite often during that period. His first sole survival saw him take out The Million Dollar Team, captained by Ted Dibiase, with Jake Roberts and Demolition on his team.

Survivor Series 1990 saw Hogan defeat The Natural Disasters, eliminating The Barbarian at the end. He won another match that night, surviving alongside The Ultimate Warrior in the Ultimate Match of Survival, pitting all the survivors of the five elimination matches at the event.

Considering the babyface team was already facing 5-on-3 odds, this was quite an impressive victory for Hulk Hogan.

#5 Dolph Ziggler (Survivor Series 2012 and 2014)

A Survivor Series victory worth showing off.
A Survivor Series victory worth showing off.

Considering the name and stature of every other Superstar on this list, Dolph Ziggler might be a surprising inclusion. However, he has an impressive record at the Survivor Series PPV. The Showoff has had a few major victories in WWE, with a couple of them coming at the 'Big Four' event.

Ziggler's first sole survival came in 2012, as he captained his team to victory over Team Foley. He had the Money in the Bank contract at the time and this showing at Survivor Series only improved his stock. Ziggler pinned Randy Orton (more on him in a bit) making his victory all-the-more impressive.

That being said, his performance two years later was much more memorable. Despite being firmly in the midcard at the time, Ziggler battled insane odds to somehow emerge victorious for Team Cena over Team Authority. He eliminated Kane, Luke Harper, and Seth Rollins to banish the evil faction for a while.

Survivor Series 2014 may be the greatest night in Dolph Ziggler's career, aside from the night after WrestleMania 29, thanks to an incredible showing. The debut of Sting only added to the drama, making this match one of the greatest in Survivor Series history.

#4 Roman Reigns (Survivor Series 2013 and 2019)

A first glimpse of the megastar he would become.
A first glimpse of the megastar he would become.

Survivor Series has been pretty special for Roman Reigns. The current WWE Universal Champion made his debut during the event in 2012 as part of The Shield, alongside Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. One year later at the same PPV, the world saw the first signs of the Big Dog as a megastar as he ran through the competition that night.

Reigns and Rollins were left with a 5-on-2 disadvantage against a team of babyfaces led by Rey Mysterio. Over the next ten minutes, the Tribal Chief led the way and evened the odds once again. He even won the match for his team after eliminating Goldust and Mysterio in quick order.

Reigns eliminated four Superstars at Survivor Series 2013, before wowing the world once again at the November supershow, six years later. He proudly represented Team SmackDown in the battle against RAW and NXT, with the three brands colliding in a 15-man elimination match at Survivor Series.

There was a lot of action in this match, with the final sequence between Roman Reigns and Keith Lee proving to be a great performance for the latter. The current Universal Champion emerged victorious as the sole survivor, providing quite the rub to the Limitless One in the process.

#3 The Rock (Survivor Series 1996 and 2001)

What a way to begin your WWE career.
What a way to begin your WWE career.

The story of The Rock's career progression in WWE can be told via the two times he was the sole survivor, five years apart from each other. The Great One made his WWE debut at Survivor Series 1996 in Madison Square Garden, partaking in a 4-on-4 elimination match.

Rocky Maivia, as he was known back then, pulled off a major upset and defeated Crush and Goldust to become the sole survivor on his first night as a WWE Superstar. It was a huge moment for the young debutant, as he would go on to achieve a lot in the company.

Five years later, The Rock was one of the top stars in WWE and played a huge part as a babyface in the Invasion angle. He was part of the final match of the angle as a part of Team WWF, against the Alliance. The Great One stood tall after one of the greatest elimination matches in Survivor Series history.

The end of the match saw The Rock and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin fight it out after a great action-packed match, with Kurt Angle double-crossing the Alliance and helping WWE come out victorious. If it wasn't clear before this, Survivor Series 2001 confirmed The Rock as a WWE legend.

#2 The Ultimate Warrior (Survivor Series 1988, 1989 and 1990)

The first Superstar to complete a hat-trick of sole survivals
The first Superstar to complete a hat-trick of sole survivals

While becoming a sole survivor twice is quite an incredible feat, only two WWE Superstars have done it three times. The first to do so was The Ultimate Warrior, whose energetic bursts proved handy at Survivor Series on multiple occasions. He was the sole survivor three years in a row.

The WWE Hall of Famer's first sole survival came in 1988, as he won after beating Ron Bass and Greg Valentine to open the show. The following year, Ultimate Warrior headlined Survivor Series and captained his team to an impressive victory over The Heenan Family.

This further improved Warrior's stock, as he would go on to headline WrestleMania 6 against Hulk Hogan. The two of them stood tall at the end of Survivor Series 1990 after winning the Ultimate Match of Survival but before that, Ultimate Warrior completed a hat-trick of sole survivals.

He teamed with The Texas Tornado and fellow "Warriors", Animal and Hawk, en route to a victory over Mr. Perfect's team. The Ultimate Warrior's record at Survivor Series was spotless, as he has never lost a match at the event.

#1 Randy Orton (Survivor Series 2003, 2004 and 2005)

A hat-trick of sole survivals for Mr. Survivor Series.
A hat-trick of sole survivals for Mr. Survivor Series.

While The Ultimate Warrior has also survived three Survivor Series elimination matches on his own, Randy Orton is the greatest sole survivor in the history of the pay-per-view because of the emphatic manner of each of his three victories. He has also survived another few such matches over time.

What is astonishing about Orton's hat-trick of Survivor Series victories is that they came before WWE truly established him as a permanent fixture in the main event scene. The first one came in one of the most passionate and intense Survivor Series elimination matches of all-time between Team Austin and Team Bischoff for complete control of Monday Night RAW.

The Viper won the match for Eric Bischoff, eliminating Shawn Michaels at the end. He did the same thing two years later during the battle for brand supremacy, back when the feud between RAW and SmackDown actually meant something. Orton was the sole survivor for the Blue brand, outlasting Michaels at the end yet again.

Between those two victories as a heel, the Apex Predator stood tall at the end of Survivor Series 2004 as a face. He led his team to victory over Team Triple H, months after the Game, and the rest of Evolution turned on him. Orton defeated Edge and Triple H by himself to emerge victoriously.

Randy Orton added to his impressive hat-trick of sole survivals by coming out on top in the elimination matches at the 2008 and 2016 editions of Survivor Series. He truly is Mr. Survivor Series.

Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE

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