Over the course of the twenty-two years of the Survivor Series events there have been some really memorable events and some disappointing shows that were merely saved by a match or two. Here’s a look at the best of the best when it comes to “The Thanksgiving Tradition.”
Honorable mentions
Personally the top four was pretty easy to choose but after that many shows (including 2003, 1996, 1995, 2007 and both 1987 and 1988) could have filled into that number five slot. So here’s the top five in all their glory.
#5 – Survivor Series ‘90
This is more of a nostalgia pick for yours truly than anything else. It is the ultimate Survivor Series in regards to the elimination style concept originally created for the show. There was five four-on-four elimination matches with the winners of said matches moving on to the Grand Finale Match of Survival at the end of the night due determine the true survivors.
Mean Gene Okerlund gives the Survivor Series ’90 report:
Perhaps the highlighted of entire show, however, was the debut of The Undertaker. The Million $ Team, captained by “Million $ Man” Ted DiBiase, promised a mystery partner for their fourth man, and for once it was a surprise that delivered in spades when they unveiled The Undertaker. The Undertaker one of the most iconic characters in WWE history and his debut is still heralded as the one of the most memorable in company and the character made an immediate impact at a top level.
#4 – Survivor Series ‘97
This show was full of four traditional elimination tag matches that were a lot of fun. Plus Stone Cold Steve Austin continued his rise to superstardom as he defeated Owen Hart to win the Intercontinental Title and Kane made his in-ring debut by defeating Mankind. But this show is remembered almost solely on the main event – Bret Hart defending his WWF Championship against Shawn Michaels.
Legitimate bad blood between the two men sprung up during their run against each other on top of the WWF in 1997. Hart was an in-between character leading The Hart Foundation as villains in America and faces everywhere else, while Michaels was a “tweener” in America and pretty much a villain everywhere else. The on-screen interviews between them began to get more brutal and insider, as the pair threw veiled shoot comments at each other. This rematch, with Hart’s WWF Championship on the line was eerily reminiscent of their match five years earlier at the same event, which was the first time they had ever main evented a pay per view against each other. Only this time the build-up was much more personal, as was the outcome. Everyone knew Hart and Michaels’ legitimate backstage heat, and knew that Hart was leaving for WCW shortly afterwards. Plus the match was in Bret’s home country, where he was treated as a hero. Needless to say the crowd, the viewing public and the entire wrestling world were electric for this match.
Then thanks to the most famous “screwjob” in pro wrestling history, referee Earl Hebner rang the bell as Michaels placed Hart in his signature Sharpshooter submission hold. Hart never submitted but the match ended and Hart was screwed. Michaels claimed publicly until 2002 that he had nothing to do with the charade until he spilled the truth on WWE television and later revealed the whole story in his autobiography.
#3 – Survivor Series ‘01
This show had a consistent theme running through the entire card top-to-bottom as it was the last night of the WCW-ECW Invasion storyline. Every match featured WCW and ECW branded talent battling the WWF talent. In the main event the WWF team of The Rock, The Big Show, Chris Jericho, Kane and Undertaker defeated the WCW-ECW Alliance team of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam and Shane McMahon in an elimination match, where the winning team remained on the roster and the losing side went home.
The rest of the show featured Edge defeating Test to unify the WWF Intercontinental Title and the WCW United States Champion, The Dudley Boyz beating The Hardy Boyz in a Steel Cage match to unify the WWF and WCW World Tag Team Titles and Test winning a battle royal that granted him immunity from being fired should the Alliance lose in the main event (which it did.) Plus it was the coming out party for Trish Stratus as she won a Six Pack Challenge to win her very first Women’s Championship and start on the road to legit wrestling superstar.
#2 – Survivor Series ‘98
Survivor Series ’98 was the high point of former WWF booker (and current TNA Wrestling booker) Vince Russo’s creative talents while in charge of the WWF’s creative team. The show featured a thirteen-man single elimination tournament to crown a new WWF Champion called “The Deadly Game.” Over the course of the tournament many different storylines and feuds were encountered and new stories developed.
The high point of the show saw Shane McMahon, who had been demoted to a lowly referee by his father Mr. McMahon, run out to take over for an injured referee during the Stone Cold Steve Austin-Mankind semi-final match. Just as Shane went to count the three count on Mankind and send Austin to the finals, he stopped at the count of two and gave Austin the proverbial “bird.” Mr. McMahon’s stooges then walloped Austin with a chair, sending Mankind to the finals and reuniting father and son. Then in the finals Mankind, who had the support of The McMahons up to this point, took on The Rock. As the match progressed, Rock locked Mankind in the Sharpshooter and Mr. McMahon ordered the ref to ring the bell, ending the match, just like the year before in 1997 when Bret Hart was legitimately screwed by Vince McMahon. The Rock, who at that point was calling himself the People’s Champion, was now christened The Corporate Champion, and was the McMahons’ new pet project.
A video package highlighting “The Deadly Game” tournament:
#1 – Survivor Series ‘02
This show had six matches, and not one of them was actively bad. While there was a severe lack of traditional tag team elimination matches there was still an elimination theme running throughout the entire show. In the main event Shawn Michaels won the World Heavyweight Championship in the first ever Elimination Chamber after outlasting five other men. Los Guerreros outlasted Edge & Rey Mysterio and Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle in a three-team elimination triple threat match to win the WWE Tag Team Championships and Jeff Hardy teamed up with Bubba Ray & Spike Dudley to defeat Rico and Three Minute Warning in a elimination tables match. Plus the show featured The Big Show winning the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar, Billy Kidman defeating Jaime Noble for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship and the first ever hardcore Women’s Title match that saw Victoria pin Trish Stratus to the Championship.
For more information on Survivor Series:
Top Survivor Series matches
Top Survivor Series elimination matches
Review of Survivor Series ‘89
Top Survivor Series performers
Survivor Series ’09 preview
Survivor Series ’09 results
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