Top 10 Survivor Series matches of all time

[theBusiness]

Give your top 10 list, controversial or not.

1. Elimination Chamber - 2002
2. Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold - 1996
3. Edge/Rey vs. Angle/Benoit vs. Guerreros - 2002
4. Team Austin vs. Team Bischoff - 2003
5. Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund - 1994
6. John Cena vs. HBK vs. HHH - 2009
7. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels - 1992
8. Triple H vs. Ric Flair - 2005
9. Bret Hart vs. Diesel - 1995
10. Team WWF vs. Team Alliance - 2001

It was very hard for me to pick the number one spot between my top 2, but I decided to go with the Elimination Chamber mainly for its significance on how it was the very first one (adding a new concept to wrestling) and how important it was considering Shawn winning the title. However, Bret vs Austin is imo one of the best pure wrestling matches of all time. I'm a very big fan of Team Austin vs. Team Bischoff and is the best traditional SS match of all time (imo). I believe Team WWF vs Team Alliance is very overrated. The match had huge potential, started out very good, but drag on way too long with zero excitement until the very end (which wasnt even that good tbh). Honorable mention goes to Taker/Batista HIAC and Shawn vs Sid in 96 (which would be #10 if the 2001 main event wasn't so historically important). Thoughts?

 

[dansaun77]

the 2002 Elimination Chamber had so many blown spots it was ridciulous, it could not rank in the top 20. Bret Hart vs Diesel was one of the best matches in both guys WWE careers, that would be a top 3 match for sure.

 

[DeathClutch]

1. Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold - 1996 (my favorite one on one straight up wrestling match)
2. Team HHH vs. Team Mero - 1996 (Rock's debut, my personal favourite elimination match)
3. Edge/Rey vs. Angle/Benoit vs. Guerreros - 2002
4. Team WWF vs. Team Alliance - 2001
5. Bret Hart vs. Diesel - 1995
6. Elimination Chamber - 2002
7. Team Bulldog/Owen vs. Team Godwins - 1996
8. Team Miz vs. Team Morrison - 2009
9. Guts & Glory vs. Million $ Team - 1994
10. Wild Card Match - 1995

Some of them Elimination matches mightn't look much on paper but reason I picked them was due to the teams/feuds and the eliminations and excitement of 1 vs 3 or the surprise eliminations.
Apart from 1 & 2 the rest are in no order.

 

[#1HHHfan28]

Since I started watching wrestling in 1998, I'm only going to start from there. So you won't be seeing any classics from the '96 Survivor Series.

1. 2003- Team Austin (Shawn Michaels, RVD, Booker T and the Dudley's) vs. Team Bischoff (Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Christian, Mark Henry and Scott Steiner): Loved every bit of this match. The way Shawn Michaels rallied from 3-1 was amazing. Batista's powerbomb at the end topped it off.

2. 2002- Rey Mysterio and Edge vs. Angle and Benoit vs. Los Guerreros: Non-stop action between six of the best on Smackdown.

3. 2003- Shane vs. Kane: Made me respect Shane McMahon even more. The ambulance door off Kane's head spot was awesome.

4. 2001- WWF vs. ECWCW: The events leading up to this could have been done much better, but the match as a whole was outstanding. "Angle hit Austin with the belt!"

5. 2002- Elimination Chamber (HHH vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Kane vs. Booker T. vs. RVD vs. Chris Jericho): The first ever E.C. and it was breath-taking. Great finish.

6. 2005- Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Chris Masters, Carlito, Big Show and Kane vs. Team Smackdown (Randy Orton, JBL, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio and Batista): Didn't expect Smackdown to get the win, but the return of the Undertaker was great.

7. 2005- Triple H vs. Ric Flair: Not the best match these two ever had, but it was basically the end to one of 2005's greatest rivalries.

8. 2007- The Undertaken vs. Batista (Hell in a Cell): Need I explain this? Just a great match.

9. 2000- Stone Cold vs. Triple H: These two have had better matches, but these two hated each other (inside the ring and out), which made this match great. Also, Hunter getting slammed down in a car from 50 feet was dece (sarcasm).

10. 2003- Mr. McMahon vs. The Undertaker: Signified the end of the American Badass and the rebirth of the Deadman. Kane turning on his brother was a huge surprise.

Honorable mentions:

2009- John Cena vs. HHH vs. Shawn Michaels: Three of the best in the world in a great triple threat.

1998- The Rock vs. Mick Foley: Rock's first WWF title win

2003- Team Angle (Kurt Angle, John Cena, Chris Benoit, Hardcore Holly, Bradshaw) vs. Team Lesnar (Brock Lesnar, The Big Show, Matt Morgan, Luther Reigns and A-Train): Cena and Benoit were the sole-survivors, and it definitely put John Cena on the map.

 

[tjfjr4488]

okay hbk vs bret hart has to be on there, change wrestling history forever!

 

[LODemolition]

The Montreal Screwjob match was pretty bad. It's only what happened afterwards that makes it memorable.

 

[The Idiot]

Here's 5 of my favorites:

-The Powers of Pain, The Rockers, The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation, and The Young Stallions vs. Demolition, The Brain Busters, The Bolsheviks, The Fabulous Rougeaus, and The Conquistadors

During the best tag team era. This match got over 40 minutes! Such a great build and a match I will always remember.


-2005- Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Chris Masters, Carlito, Big Show and Kane vs. Team Smackdown (Randy Orton, JBL, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio and Batista)

-Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart - 1996

-Team Alliance vs Team WWE - 2001

-Elimination Chamber match - 2002

 

[The Heartfix Kid]

Don't have that great of memory and would have to actually see SS events to remember matches. One SS I do remember is 1989. Its one of the few PPV's my dad had recorded to VHS back in the day and my cousin and I wore that tape out. Would watch it almost every other day. Remains one of my favorite PPV's of all time with the Hulkamaniacs vs The Million Dollar Team. Maybe if I do some back tracking, I can come back and make a proper top ten list

 

[Junkfood34]

its not the match but the montreal screwjob will always be the most memorable thing to happen at any survivour series past, present and future

 

[The Brain]

10. Shawn Michaels vs. Sid, 1996: Solid title match and probably the best match of Sid’s career.

9 & 8. Tag teams elimination matches, 1987 & 1988: I chose these because these matches were a great representation of how good the tag division used to be. Good times

7. Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund, 1994: It was a unique storyline and the match is overshadowed by the strange ending, but the match was pretty good. It wasn’t one of Bret’s best but still good.

6. Team Austin vs. Team Bischoff, 2003: This was really getting good at the end as HBK was making the comeback while outnumbered. I like how he courageously battled back but came up just short in a great effort.

5. Team Hogan vs. Team Andre, 1987: This was during a time when it was rare to see so many big names together. The crowd was hot as they were just waiting for Hogan and Andre to get at each other. Like HBK in the match mentioned above, Bam Bam Bigelow put forth a great effort eliminating One Man Gang and King Kong Bundy before getting pinned by Andre.

4. Wildcard match, 1995: I wasn’t sure what to think of this when it was announced but it turned out to be pretty good. I’m surprised they haven’t done one of these since. They could do some interesting combinations.

3. Team Piper vs. Team Flair, 1991: Why has no one mentioned this yet? This was a great match and the best tag elimination match in Survivor Series history. The match had a lot of talent in it and everyone performed well. It must be the awkward finish that makes people overlook it.

2. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, 1992: HBK wasn’t an accepted main event talent yet but he took advantage of his opportunity and put on a main event performance. This was a great match that is sometimes overlooked because of the more famous matches these two had.

1. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin, 1996: A clear choice for number one. The Garden was buzzing that night for Bret’s return match. Austin was a great opponent and took a big step toward superstardom. This had the big match atmosphere and these two really delivered.

 

[King Patrick Star]

When I think of Survivor Series, I think of the Traditional Survivor Series matches. Since there are only 12 Traditional SS matches that are considered “Main Events”, I figure I’d list them all.

1987
André the Giant, One Man Gang, King Kong Bundy, Butch Reed and Rick Rude (with Bobby Heenan and Slick) vs. Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, Ken Patera and Bam Bam Bigelow (with Oliver Humperdink) in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series match

The first ever Traditional Survivor Series match Main Event. To me, this was the beginning of something I would go on to enjoy annually until 1998.

1988
The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage), Hercules, Koko B. Ware and Hillbilly Jim (with Miss Elizabeth) vs. The Twin Towers (Akeem and The Big Boss Man), Ted DiBiase, Haku and The Red Rooster (with Slick, Bobby Heenan and Virgil) in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series match

This was the beginning of the end of the Mega Powers. This was the very first feud I was completely invested in.

1989
The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Demolition (Ax and Smash) and Jake Roberts) vs. The Million $ Team (Ted DiBiase, Powers of Pain (The Warlord and The Barbarian) and Zeus) (with Virgil and Mr. Fuji) in a 4-on-4 Survivor Series match
The Ultimate Warriors (The Ultimate Warrior, The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) and Jim Neidhart) vs. The Heenan Family (Bobby Heenan, André the Giant, Haku and Arn Anderson) in a 4-on-4 Survivor Series match

I’m not 100% sure why the WWF Champion and the WWF Tag Team Champions didn’t end the show, but having the Intercontinental Champion close it out didn’t disappoint. It kind of foreshadowed what was to come.

1990
Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and Tito Santana vs. Ted DiBiase, Rick Martel, The Warlord and Power and Glory (Hercules and Paul Roma) (with Virgil and Slick) in a 3-on-5 Grand Finale Survivor Series match

I just loved this format and wished they did this every year after 1990. A Grand Finale SS match, to me was the 90s equivalent to adding 10 more entrants in the Royal Rumble…extra special.

1993
The All-Americans (Lex Luger, The Undertaker, Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) (with Paul Bearer) vs. The Foreign Fanatics (Yokozuna, Crush, Ludvig Borga and Quebecer Jacques) (with Jim Cornette, Johnny Polo and Mr. Fuji) in a 4-on-4 Survivor Series match

This has got to be the worst SS Main Event match, but it still delivered to a certain extent.

2001
Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane and The Big Show) vs. Team Alliance (Steve Austin, Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Shane McMahon) in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series match for control of the WWF

This is number one for me. My favorite angle in theory, featuring my favorite type of war, Stables Wars, displaying my Top 4 of all time in the final four. It just doesn’t get any better than this…unless it was a 3 sided war with WCW and ECW having their own respective teams.

2003
Team Bischoff (Chris Jericho, Christian, Randy Orton, Scott Steiner and Mark Henry) vs. Team Austin (Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley, and D-Von Dudley)in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series match

This is on the list cause of the build alone leading up to the PPV.

2004
Team Guerrero (Eddie Guerrero, The Big Show, Rob Van Dam, and John Cena) vs. Team Angle (Kurt Angle, Carlito, Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak) in a 4-on-4 Survivor Series match
Team Orton (Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and Maven) vs. Team Triple H (Triple H, Edge, Batista and Snitsky) in a 4-on-4 Survivor Series match

Both of these matches featured a great combination of Future Hall of Famers, Veterans and Rookies.

2005
Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Kane, The Big Show, Carlito and Chris Masters) vs. Team SmackDown! (Batista, Rey Mysterio, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Bobby Lashley and Randy Orton) (with Bob Orton and Jillian Hall) in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series match

The first ever “Bragging Rights” match. I loved this concept a whole lot. This should have been a yearly tradition since 2002. Imagine if 2002’s Main Event was Team Raw (Undertaker, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, X-Pac, and Kane) vs. Team Smackdown (Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Billy and Chuck) I left the first pick of the draft out cause he left us out…for a few months anyway.

2006
Team Cena (WWE Champion John Cena, Rob Van Dam, Kane, Bobby Lashley, and Sabu) vs. Team Big Show (ECW Champion The Big Show, Test, Montel Vontavious Porter, Finlay and Umaga) in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series match

Team WWE Champion vs. Team ECW Champion. I thought this was done as perfectly as it could have been. Team DX vs. Team Rated RKO could have Main Evented this PPV, but being that 2 out of the 3 World Champions at the time were in this match, I can agree why it was the way it was.

 

[god-soldier]

Top 10 Survivor Series matches of all time

10: Bam Bam Bigelow, Baston Booger, and the HeadShrinkers vs 1,2,3,4 Doinks has to be the funniest match of all time!!! With the four doinks being The Bushwackers and Men on a Mission and not Doink at all made it hilarious plus Hennon commentating made it the most memorable match of Survivor Series 93.

9: Nightstick match Big Boss Man vs Nailz the build up too this match was so well done that you knew this match was gonna be Big Boss Man delivering justice or Vengance and it was a decent match with Boss Man delivering hardtime to Nailz.

8: Hogan, Bigelow, Pantera, Orndorff, and Morraco vs OMG, Bundy, Reed, Rude and Andre the main event of the first Survivor Series

7: Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, and Tito Santana vs The Million Dollar Team first time ever the remain survivor's duked it out to see who was the Survivors of Survivor Series a great concept that should of been repeated every year

6: WildCard Survivor Series match Ahmed Johnson, Shawn Michaels, Sycho Sid and British Bulldog vs Yokozuna, Owen Hart, Dean Douglas, and Razor Ramon this match was a random match with random particpants another great concept that should of been used over again.

5: Team WWE vs Team Alliance WcW ECW this match had so much at stake and was a great match overal with it being down to the Rock vs Stone Cold

4: Survivor Series 98 the tournament for the vacated WWE title the particpants were the best on the roster @ the time coming down to the most unlikely 2 in the end Mankind vs The Rock

3: Team Piper vs Team Flair this match was the best traditional Survivor Series traditonal match of all time not because it was done too the wire but the match it self was good and Flair being the sole survivor made it even better

2: Bret Hart vs Stone Cold this was one of the best matches in WWE history never did 2 wrestlers go out and give it their all for number 1 contender like they did and the finish was superb with Bret rolling up Austin in a way that Stone Cold haven't seen before an epic match

1: Bret Hart vs Diesel for the WWE title @ Survivor Series 95 in a NO DQ match a great match where Bret took the jacknife and still suprised the world by pulling the possum pin too pull off an incredible victory this marks the best Survivor Series match of all time

 

[Mekelle]

Whenever Survivor Series comes around, the match that immediately comes to mind is always the traditional five-man tag team elimination matches.

The whole reason for the name Survivor Series is centered around these matches.

At the inception of the pay-per-view in 1987, all of the matches were elimination tag matches.

It would not be until 1991 that there was even a single match that was not an elimination tag match.

Since that time, these matches have become less and less frequent; however, they are always some of the highlights of the show.

These matches usually include top-caliber talent and are given over 20 minutes at least.

There have been so many of these matches, and so many have been great that it is hard to rank them.

Following is my personal top 5 list of traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team matches.
1: Bret Hart vs Bob Backlund WWF Champship Survivor Series 1994.
2: Randy Orton vs Shawn Michaels SS 2007. Super Kick Banned.
3: Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels Survivor Series 1992 WWF title match.
4: Diesel vs Bret Hart Survivor Series 1995 WWF Championship Match.
5: Bret Hart vs Steve Austin Survivor Series 1996.