Top Ten Traditional Survivor Series Matches
“We think that Survivor Series is obsolete, as far that title is concerned. It was something that worked many, many years ago, in terms of a creative standpoint, various teams competing. That really is not advantageous as the consumer now looks as (to) what actually they are buying.” —Vince McMahon, WWE investor call, February 2010.
Team Cena from Survivor Series 2014.
Source: WWE.com
To think that quote was from eleven years ago and the Survivor Series still exists, only now with the nebulous McGuffin of teams competing for “Brand Supremacy.” Brand Supremacy means dick even to WWE hardcores and it’s pointless to waste copy discussing its idiocy, but dirty little secret—at least there’s some loosely defined reason as to why teams were paired off and wrestling each other, unlike the golden era of the 80s and early 90s were teams of 5 (or 4) strived to survive. Vince tried to jettison the format as early as 1992—nearly 30 years ago!—but kept the title and the concept going due to either fan support or WWE’s creative team’s lethargy.
But you know what? Stifle the snark, traditional Survivor Series matches can be fun as hell! I’m still nostalgic for the Survivor Series as a concept even if the execution in-ring isn’t always an artistic triumph. Every year since I was a little kid, I think of November as the start of Survivor Series season even more than Thanksgiving itself. I’ll take elimination matches as my preferred entertainment side dish over watching the hapless Lions shit the bed on turkey day, any day. So to pregame on Peacock for this year’s show, here’s my top ten list of traditional Survivor Series matches…
10. Survivor Series 1989—Hulk Hogan, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and Demolition Def. “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, Zeus, and the Powers of Pain.
You might recall sentences ago skimming a line about the execution in-ring not always being an artistic triumph, and well, this was the 10th best. In the ’87 and ’88 editions, the Hulkster had previously teamed with non-luminaries such as Ken Patera, Hillbilly Jim and Koko B. Ware, but in the ’89 edition, he had a team that finally matched his star power. I loved looking at the poster on the box at the video store, so blown away that all my favorite guys were all on one team with no duds. Gorilla and Jesse Ventura are hilarious in this, as Hogan continuously gets lucky breaks with cheap finish DQs to improbably skim by, much to Jesse’s chagrin. DiBiase was at his best, trying to break the necks of Jake and Hulk as he carried them to an under-appreciated finish. ***
9. Survivor Series 2014—John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Ryback, Erik Rowan Def. Seth Rollins, Kane, Mark Henry, Luke Harper and Rusev.
An epic match with an unexpected pay-off with the debuting, never-thought-I’d-ever-see-it Sting. Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler got their shine, making me think Dolph was finally going to get a chance to break through mid-card purgatory. On subsequent viewings, you’ll get drained by Seth and Dolph sleeping on the mat while Sting and Triple H have a good ol’ fashioned stall off. Don’t let the destination of Sting shaking hands with Triple H soil the journey of Stinger’s debut. ***
8. Survivor Series 1995—Skip, Rad Radford, Dr. Tom Prichard and 1-2-3 Kid Def. Marty Jannetty, Barry Horowitz, Hakushi and Bob Holly.
Another forgetting gem. Pretty much all of these guys were cast-offs and jobbers but they could work when given their moment to shine. This match kicked off the 1995 edition with some very ahead of its time offense. Marty Jannetty pulled-off a top rope powerbomb on Skip that had 9-year-old Christopher enthralled. 1-2-3 Kid, aka X-Pac, recently turned heel and came of age in this match as an obnoxious pest that would never quite fuck off fast enough. ****
7. Survivor Series 1996—The Godwins and Doug Furnas and Phillip Lafon Def. The British Bulldog, Owen Hart and the New Rockers.
1996 was a transitionary year for WWE. Even if the creative was finding its way, the in-ring work was outstanding, with a more aggressive, faster-pace that lead to the Attitude Era. Once the jobbers got out of the way, Furnas and Lafon and the Bulldog and Owen had a mini-All Japan classic. The smart crowd of NYC appreciated Furnas and Lafon for their ring psychology, giving a fleeting time capsule of, “what if,” had other markets and crowds appreciated their work to make up for their lack of marketable charisma. ****
6. Survivor Series 1995—Wildcard Match—Shawn Michaels, The British Bulldog, Sycho Sid, and Ahmed Johnson Def. Dean Douglas, Razor Ramon, Yokozuna and Owen Hart.
The Wildcard match concept didn’t last more than one try. It’s an acquired taste, sure, but fuck it, it’s my top ten list, I love this match. You’d think they’d bring it back for the mid-carders as a way to shoehorn 8 or 10 guys or girls for a payday. And they wouldn’t have to go through the pesky trouble of a storyline deeper than the “How can they by gum get along?!?” existential bullshit they pull every year now anyways. In 1995, the concept was novel, with each team unable to trust themselves, with highlights such as Shawn’s nonplussed frump after he superkicked Sid to elimination. Bulldog and Cornette still give me a chuckle uproariously celebrating the win earned by Shawn and Ahmed. ****
5. Survivor Series 1991—Ric Flair, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, The Mountie, and The Warlord Def. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, The British Bulldog and Virgil.
Flair’s first WWE PPV appearance, and he was in his element, having fun flopping around for Piper. They did simple things well, like having the babyface team tag-in and out to work on DiBiase’s arm, or having Flair sell like he was shot from the best/worst timed eye-poke-of-doom by the Hot Rod. Different cultural norms back then aside, I never got how Piper forcibly kissing Sherri was a good idea. Lame finish with everyone that was not Ric Flair getting counted out, but hey, how do you watch this and not dearly miss Gorilla and Bobby? ****
4. Survivor Series 1987—Andre The Giant, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, Butch Reed and “Ravishing” Rick Rude Def. Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Ken Patera.
Hogan and Andre touching for the first time since WrestleMania III felt like a big deal, and it was always a surprise to see Hogan losing in any fashion, albeit via count-out. Bam Bam was spotlighted here, making it all the more baffling that he didn’t get a run in 1988. I love seeing Andre get the victory on a major stage. The Giant was breaking down physically but there was something so magical still about Andre’s aura that transcended his eminent decline. ****
3. Survivor Series 2003—Chris Jericho, Christian, Randy Orton, Mark Henry and Scott Steiner Def. Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and the Dudley Boyz.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin would be “gone forever” from representing the losing team here. Shawn bled a gusher and took an ass whooping before falling short after a miraculous comeback. This was arguably the first major showcase to strap the ol’ rocket on the ass of Randy Orton to become the future, big time star he was groomed for. Orton was in his weasel-y Machiavellian prime here. ****
2. Survivor Series 2016—AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose and Shane McMahon Def. Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho and Braun Strowman.
The wrestlers acted like there was something on the line in the first battle of Brand Supremacy. The success of this match may be blame for the concept still wafting like the shart it has become. There was so much star power here it wasn’t a sure-fire guarantee that Roman would be the sole survivor as feared. Bray and Randy were almost lost in the shuffle but got the much needed win to build toward their eventual program at WrestleMania 33. It’s sickening to watch Shane utterly eat shit on his coast-to-coast splatter into Roman’s spear. Even watching it in hindsight in 2021, Shane looked like he suffered a Shibata-like subdural hematoma. ****1/4
1. Survivor Series 2001—The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane and Big Show Def. “Stone” Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, and Shane McMahon.
The end of the InVasion angle. Sadly, WCW and ECW was so credible during this mercy-killing that Austin, Angle, and Shane had to be on the heel side to disguise how milquetoast The Alliance became. They went out on a great note with overbooking, turns, Shane taking finisher after finisher, and Paul Heyman driving JR to the point JR was about to bitch slap Paul for real. Much like the initial main event of Hulk’s team vs. Andre’s, The Rock and Austin hadn’t been in the ring competing since WrestleMania x-7 and the crowd was salivating for them. The two were the final competitors and retained the craftsmanship they’ve always had together. Watch it again, it’s better than you remembered, even if like the event itself, the outcome of the narrative falls flat. ****1/2
Team WWE from Survivor Series 2001
Source: WWE.com
