WWE Survivor Series: 5 Best World Championship matches in the PPV's history

#4 Randy Orton (C) vs. Shawn Michaels (2007)

Randy Orton defended the WWE Title against Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 2007.

Randy Orton attacked Shawn Michaels in early May, destroying him with the infamous "punt' that had grown a very dangerous legacy. It gave HBK a concussion (in real life, Shawn was about to take some time off for a knee injury -- a real one, not one that would cause a man to lose his smile), and caused him to collapse during their match at Judgment Day.

Michaels would return about five months later and was chosen as Orton's challenger for the WWE Championship at Cyber Sunday. Orton would retain his title by hitting a low blow and getting disqualified. This led to a stipulation for their match at Survivor Series. Michaels hit Orton with the Sweet Chin Music countless times in October and November, so that move was banned in the match. On the opposite end, because of his blatant cheating to get disqualified to keep the title, Orton would be able to lose the belt if he was disqualified.

This was a great match, with Michaels having to use several different tactics to try to win the WWE Championship. He stuck to mainly submission attempts, which helped him avoid using his usual offense, all of which would usually set up the Sweet Chin Music. It very nearly worked, but at the end, after being unable to force the younger, stronger champion to submit, Shawn made a grave mistake.

Out of frustration and a bit of instinct, he tuned the band and went for the Sweet Chin Music, only to hesitate when he realized it would lose him the match. That brief hesitation allowed Orton to recover and nail him with the RKO and hold onto the title. Just fantastic work from both men, with Shawn working a much different style than usual, which not only made it great, but also made the match feel more important.