The Contentious Ten 11.09.09: The Top Ten ‘Survivor Series’ Matches

Sometimes we at 411mania (or should I say “I”) don’t always do the best job communicating what exactly we’re going to be writing about for the next week. So, when I hit the site on Saturday and saw the headline “Top Survivor Series Matches” my stomach kind of sank, seeing as I had been working on this list all last week. Fortunately for me Dustin James’s list included matches other than Traditional Survivor Series Matches. So let me be clear, this list only features Traditional Survivor Series Matches. Survivor Series has produced some really good and some really infamous (non-elimination) matches throughout its lengthy history, but those are outside the scope of my column this week.

The Top Ten “Survivor Series” Matches

Honorable Mentions

The Grand Finale Match
Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Tito Santana
vs.
Ted DiBiase, Rick Martel, The Warlord, Paul Roma, Hercules

The match itself wasn’t great, and it was pretty obvious that Hogan and Warrior would win, but the concept of the Grand Finale, where all of the “good guy” survivors would battle all of the “bad guy” survivors was great. This was the only show they did this at, but I wish they’d bring the concept back, and give the winners some kind of significant reward.

The Bodydonnas
Skip, Tom Pritchard, Rad Radford, The 1-2-3 Kid
vs.
The Underdogs
Marty Jannetty, Hakushi, Barry Horowitz, Bob Holly

I hate to seem like a snob or overly “markish,” but while this was a really good match, I’ve just been unable to get past the guys that are involved in it. When you slap together two teams of jobber wrestlers that I just don’t care about, I don’t care how good the match is, they are still jobber wrestlers. It’s just like the UFL, I don’t care if two of the teams have a great game, they are still a bunch of guys not good enough for the NFL. So, as good as this was, it can’t make my list because it’s all jobbers.

Ric Flair, The Mountie, Ted DiBiase, The Warlord
vs.
Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, Virgil, Davey Boy Smith

This was a pretty good match, and was Ric Flair’s WWF ppv debut. However, I just couldn’t get past the goofy ending where everyone was disqualified for brawling, except for Flair who was outside the ring at the time. Given the talent in it, had this match been allowed to fully unfold, it may have made it to number one on my list.

X

The Nation of Domination:
Faarooq, The Rock, Kama Mustafa, D’Lo Brown
vs.
Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson, Road Warrior Hawk, Road Warrior Animal
Survivor Series 1997

Survivor Series 1997 would be remembered for other things than elimination matches, but it did feature four traditional Survivor Series matches. It was a pretty close tie between this match and the Team Canada vs. Team USA match making the list, but this one actually had more back-story to it and didn’t seem as thrown together, so it was the one that made the list. Shamrock had just started feuding with The Rock, and Ahmed and the Road Warriors had a history with the NOD dating back to WrestleMania XIII.

The crowd animosity toward Rocky Miavia was massive and only got louder as The Rock scored a quick pinfall on Hawk (who was on his last legs as a wrestler) after a Rock Bottom. Ahmed Johnson would fire back after wriggling out of Faarooq’s Dominator and hitting the Pearl River Plunge for the elimination. That should have pretty much ended the feud between the two that had been going on for over a year, but Faarooq hung around ringside long enough to trip up Ahmed and allow The Rock to eliminate him. Enraged that he had been cheated into losing, Ahmed brawled with Faarooq all the way to the back. It didn’t really matter at this point though, as it was clear that The Rock was the one getting all of the heat, as the fans constantly chanted “Rocky Sucks,” even when he wasn’t in the ring. After a few exchanges, Animal eliminated Kama Mustafa (the future Godfather) with a roll-up as he was taunting the crowd. Ken Shamrock then started to tear apart D’Lo Brown, but the NOD took control with a double-team low blow when the referee was distracted. Eventually, Shamrock tagged in Animal, but the New Age Outlaws who came out dressed in Road Warrior spikes distracted him, causing him to get counted out while chasing them. This left Shamrock at a two-on-one disadvantage, but he quickly made Brown submit to the anklelock. The Rock wouldn’t go quite as easily and smashed him with a chair when the referee was busy elsewhere. Rocky then hit a few of his trademark moves, including the People’s Elbow, but Shamrock was able to comeback and hook The Rock in the anklelock for the submission victory.

Clearly The Rock had found his role in his arrogant character, and this match did a lot to propel him and Shamrock into an extended feud that would translate to a significant amount of success for both of them. It wasn’t a great Survivor Series match but it was pretty good.

IX

The Wild Card Match
Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson, Davey Boy Smith, Psycho Sid
vs.
Yokozuna, Razor Ramon, Owen Hart, Dean Douglas
Survivor Series 1995

When Gorilla Monsoon was named the new WWF President, he vowed to give the fans what they wanted, and made several (mostly superficial) changes to WWF programming. The “Wild Card” Survivor Series match–pairing up wrestlers who didn’t necessarily fall along face and heel lines–was one of (in the storyline) his ideas. Today we see wacky tag teams formed all the time, but at the time this was something different, and it made for a pretty compelling match. It’s really all of the different relationships that made this match interesting. Shawn Michaels had active rivalries with Psycho Sid, and Dean Douglas, and had just finished a program with Owen Hart, Yokozuna, and Davey Boy Smith. Ahmed Johnson was bound and determined to bodyslam Yokozuna. And, Razor Ramon had a lengthy history with Michaels, and was in a bit of a feud with both Dean Douglas and Sid.

These strained relationships quickly came into play, as Dean Douglas was the first man eliminated after Ramon (his team member) intentionally hit him, allowing Michaels to roll him up. Ramon then took care of Sid, his other major rival in the match, thanks to Shawn Michaels who superkicked his former bodyguard, allowing Razor to pin him. Ahmed Johnson didn’t need anyone’s help eliminating Owen Hart who he hit with the Pearl River Plunge. Razor’s biggest rival at the time, The 1-2-3 Kid seized the opportunity to cost his former friend the match by distracting him. This allowed Bulldog to swing the match heavily in favor of his team by eliminating the Intercontinental Champion; this left Yokozuna to battle Michaels, Johnson, and Smith. The odds proved to be too much for the former WWF Champion, and Ahmed Johnson eliminated him, following a bodyslam and a big splash. Bulldog tried to help his stable-mate, but Michaels and Johnson tossed him from the ring before he could interfere.

Overall, it is the gimmick of this match that helped it to place on my top ten. The only problem with this match, like with so many other Survivor Series matches, is that the wrestlers weren’t really fighting for anything. What’s the point of forcing random teams together if there is really no incentive for them to win? The winners, at least, could have each received a title shot or something.

VIII

Doug Furnas, Phil LaFon, Phinneas Godwinn, Henry Godwinn
vs.
Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Leif Cassidy & Marty Jannetty
Survivor Series 1996

This may seem like a bit of an odd pick, but I really liked this match at the time, and whenever I’m going through my old VHS wrestling tapes I frequently pop this one in, just for this match (alright, I also love watching the Madison Square Garden crowd turn on Michaels and cheer for everything Sid does). There’s no real back-story here other than Furnas and LaFon are making their debuts.

After a few decent exchanges Marty Jannetty would be the first man eliminated following a Slop Drop by Henry Godwin, who would be sent to the back just seconds later when Owen Hart clipped him with a spinning heel kick. His cousin Phinneas would be eliminated a short time later after a Running Powerslam, courtesy of Davey Boy Smith. I’m sure that this match doesn’t sound like much at this point, but with most of the dead weight out of the way, this is when it starts to get good. For those who are unfamiliar with Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon, the two were a pretty damn exciting tag team, and based on their performance at this event looked like they were in store for a huge push. They wrestled more of a cruiserweight style and really stood out in the more grounded WWF. LaFon eliminated Leif Cassidy after an absolutely awesome inverted superplex. This left the Tag Team Champions against the newcomers. La Fon would also eliminate Smith after a series of exchanges with a schoolboy roll-up. Finally, Furnas capped off what turned out to be a really exciting match by eliminating Hart after an incredibly high dropkick (drop-sault), and a release German-suplex.

Despite the high profile victory Furnas and LaFon didn’t have the personalities to compliment their in-ring ability, so they didn’t really receive much of a push. All said, there wasn’t a lot that resulted from this match; it was just a lot of fun.

VII

Team Smackdown
Batista, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, John Bradshaw Layfield, Bobby Lashley
vs.
Team Raw
Shawn Michaels, Kane, The Big Show, Carlito, Chris Masters
Survivor Series 2005

Jasper Gerretsen looked at this match at this match a few weeks ago in That Was Then, This is Too?
and did a great job comparing this year’s Bragging Rights to the 2005 Survivor Series, which saw an elimination match between SmackDown and Raw talent. So, I’ll forgo any further comparisons. Basically the rivalry was sparked at Raw’s “Homecoming” event, when Eric Bischoff refused to give any airtime to the SmackDown wrestlers who had been invited to the show. The rivalry grew more and more heated until Bischoff and Teddy Long agreed to a match up of teams.

The match started with Michaels and Orton, who had finished off a Survivor Series match two years prior. Neither team immediately dominated the other, but that changed when newcomer Bobby Lashley was tagged in. Lashley was more than most of Team Raw could handle, but after a few minutes of dominance Kane managed to Chokeslam the SmackDown powerhouse from the apron, allowing Michaels to eliminate him. Kane then officially entered the match, but it wasn’t long before the teamwork of Rey Mysterio and Batista were too much for him to handle. During a brawl involving pretty much everyone Mysterio hit a 619 on Kane and Batista followed it with a Spinebuster for the elimination. Kane wasn’t quite finished, because amid all the confusion he and The Big Show double-chokeslamed Batista (who was working injured) and eliminated him. The loss of Batista sent Team SmackDown into high gear as JBL unloaded with a Clothesline From Hell, Mysterio hit the 619, Orton landed an RKO, JBL hit another Clothesline and Mysterio Dropped the Dime, eliminating The Big Show. Although the teams were even in numbers, Team Raw was at a clear disadvantage when it came to experience, and in the ensuing scuffle following Show’s elimination Carlito ate a Clothesline from Hell and was eliminated. Next on the chopping block was Chris Masters who fell victim to Rey Mysterio. This left Michaels against Mysterio, JBL, and Orton. Like always, Michaels refused to go down without a fight. He quickly eliminated Mysterio with a Superkick, connecting when Mysterio springboarded off of the ropes. JBL tried to capitalize on the situation, but Michaels avoided the Clothesline from Hell and connected with Sweet Chin Music and evened the odds to one on one. Just like two years prior, it came down to Orton and Michaels, and once again Orton was able to finish off Michaels with an RKO (with a distraction assist from JBL). This was the third year in a row that Orton was the sole survivor of his match.

The aftermath of this match was laid out right away, as The Undertaker made his return to stalk Orton. Bischoff would be fired from his General Manager post a few weeks later. Other than that, not much came of this particular match. That said, the match was still quite fun.

VI

Team Razor:
Razor Ramon, Randy Savage, The 1-2-3 Kid, Marty Jannetty
vs.
Team Schyster:
Irwin R. Schyster, Diesel, Rick Martel, Adam Bomb
Survivor Series 1993

Even though this was a part of a show that basically had a double main event in the Hart Family vs. Shawn Michaels and his “court,” and The All Americans vs. The Foreign Fanatics, this, the opening match was the one that stole the show. Just prior to the event it was announced that Mr. Perfect was injured, but Razor Ramon announced “Macho Man” Randy Savage as his replacement. The match started with Ramon and Rick Martel, who had just finished feuding over the Intercontinental Title, but Martel quickly tagged in Adam Bomb. Ramon tried to pin Bomb but got out of the way when Martel tried to break up the pin, and the two heels argued, foreshadowing their future problems. After beating on the 1-2-3 Kid for a while, Diesel was the first man eliminated after Savage hit him with his flying elbow drop. After several tags and exchanges IRS eliminated Savage with a roll up after Crush (the man Savage was feuding with at the time) ran down to ringside and distracted him. A few minutes later IRS ate a Razor’s Edge and was eliminated, but IRS got the last laugh as he smashed Ramon with his brief case and Martel shoved him out of the ring where he was counted out. Things looked bleak for Marty Jannetty and the 1-2-3 Kid, but after some back-and-forth, the Kid Sunset-Flipped over Martel and pinned him. As Bomb rushed into the ring, Jannetty Sunset-Flipped over him and won the match.

The aftermath of this match mainly saw Jannetty and the Kid continue on their winning ways. They would capture the Tag Team Championships for a brief run a few months later. Also IRS and Ramon continued to feud. Overall this was a really fun Survivor Series match, and the best match on an otherwise abysmal card.

V

Team Orton:
Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Maven
vs.
Team Triple H:
Triple H, Batista, Gene Snitsky, Edge
Survivor Series 2004

While I think that while the Survivor Series gimmick in and of itself is pretty fun, it’s always better when the teams are fighting for something other than just a victory. Of course, Randy Orton was fighting for a degree of revenge against Triple H and Batista for betraying him after winning the World Heavyweight Title, but this match had an extra special prize. Eric Bischoff declared he was going on vacation for the next four weeks, and each member of the winning team would get a chance to be Raw’s General Manager for one week. Just like the 1993 Survivor Series main event, wrestlers started getting eliminated even before the match started, as Snitsky brutalized Maven backstage taking him out of the match, leaving Team Orton at a one man deficit.

Benoit would be the first one eliminated from the match after being beaten down and Pedigreed by Triple H. However, Edge, the man Benoit was feuding with at the time scored the pin. With a four on two advantage Triple H’s team looked all set to wrap things up, but a mistimed distraction from Ric Flair allowed Orton to take advantage and strike Batista with the World Heavyweight Title belt, which Jericho followed up with an enziguri eliminating Triple H’s closest ally in the match. Shortly after Maven, still wounded from his earlier beating, ran down to ringside and tagged in looking for some revenge, but his presence only pissed Snitsky off. Snitsky grabbed a chair and clobbered Maven with it. As a result Snitsky was disqualified, but Triple H capitalized on the chair shot and pinned Maven. Even though the teams were even, Jericho was soon overcome by the attacks of Triple H and Edge who pinned him after a Spear, leaving Orton to go it alone. Orton managed to regain control of the match and hit Edge with an RKO eliminating him, resulting in the match up everyone wanted to see. Although Triple H almost hit the Pedigree, Orton escaped and hit an RKO for the victory making him the sole survivor for a second year in a row.

The match itself was quite good, but the aftermath of this match made for a number of really fun episodes of Raw. Each member of Orton’s team used their temporary General Manager status to try and take the World Title from Triple H. Indirectly, Orton was the only one who succeeded when the Triple Threat match he booked resulted in a tie, and Vince McMahon declaring the title vacant.

IV

Team Hogan:
Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, Ken Patera, Bam Bam Bigelow, Don Muraco
vs.
Team Andre:
Andre the Giant, One Man Gang, Rick Rude, Butch Reed, King Kong Bundy
Survivor Series 1987

The first ever Survivor Series main event was also a really good Survivor Series match despite what many of the names involved may indicate. The story was pretty simple in that it promised the first encounter between Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan since their epic WrestleMania III match. There were several other feuds involved in the makeup of this match, but it was the Hogan/Andre match up that everyone wanted to see.

The first elimination happened quickly after Hogan’s team ganged up on Butch Reed. Hogan himself scored the elimination following his Legdrop. Andre then entered the ring, presumably to face off with Hogan, but they decided to tease that match up for a little longer and both men quickly tagged out. After several exchanges, the girth of the One Man Gang proved too much for the “Olympic Strongman” Ken Patera, as Gang practically fell on top of him to score the elimination. The eliminations then came quickly as Rick Rude eliminated Paul Ordorff by pulling the tights after King Kong Bundy broke up Ordorff’s piledriver attempt. Moments later Rude would be eliminated after Team Hogan worked together. Don Muraco (subbing for Billy Graham) hit a powerslam to finish Rude off. Muraco wouldn’t have time to celebrate as Bundy and Gang immediately attacked him, the latter of which he tried to bodyslam. That mistake allowed Gang to toss Muraco into Andre’s thick skull, which Gang followed up with the 747 Splash for the elimination. With the odds now stacked against his team in the form of three super-heavyweights, Bigelow rushed Gang with the hope of scoring a quick elimination. However, Gang and Bundy soon took control. After pounding on him for a few minutes, Bundy tagged in Andre, and Bigelow finally made the tag to Hogan. Hogan dominated Andre, but the confrontation everyone wanted to see was short lived, as Gang and Bundy managed to lure Hogan outside the ring, where he was counted out, leaving Bam Bam against the three behemoths. Even though he was at a disadvantage Bigelow managed to avoid Bundy’s Avalanch and score a pinfall, and avoided Gang’s 747 Splash to score another pinfall, evening the odds. However, the match had taken its toll on Bigelow and Andre simply pounded on him, finishing him with a butterfly suplex. After the match Hogan came back out and attacked Andre to send the fans home happy.

Aside from being a surprisingly excellent match, especially considering some of the wrestlers involved, it was the match that really started the Survivor Series tradition, as it was the first Survivor Series main event. Andre’s victory propelled him toward a rematch with Hulk Hogan for the WWF Title, which he won due to a paid off referee.

III

Team WWF:
The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, The Big Show
vs.
Team Alliance:
Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T & Shane McMahon
Survivor Series 2001

Although I think the whole invasion angle could have been timed better and could have included some other major WCW players if they had just waited for their contracts to expire, Survivor Series 2001 was a really good place to put the Alliance to rest. The name was apropos as only one organization would “survive” the Survivor Series. The winning team’s promotion would continue; the losing team’s promotion would be forced to disband. While the stipulation was good, the outcome, that team WWF would win was beyond obvious, as the Alliance had looked weak since its inception and it was the WWF Survivor Series after all.

Despite the predictable outcome the 45 minute long match was exciting from beginning to end. Everyone got in their shots, especially on the Big Show (who had replaced Vince McMahon on Team WWF), as he was eliminated first following a Shane McMahon flying elbow. The fact that Shane scored the first fall may have been a mistake because the rest of Team WWF took their turns giving Shane their finishing moves before Chris Jericho capped-off the beating with the Lionsault, eliminating the WCW owner. Things quickly shifted back in favor of the Alliance as Rob Van Dam took out Kane after a flying kick, and Kurt Angle eliminated the Undertaker after Steve Austin illegally entered the ring and hit the Stunner. A few minutes later though The Rock was able to roll-up Booker T for a three count after he accidentally collided with Angle. Not long after, Jericho evened up the teams by eliminating Van Dam with the Breakdown; leaving the four men who would battle it out at the next ppv for the Undisputed Title. After a short beat down, Jericho managed to tag in The Rock, who promptly made Angle submit to the Sharpshooter. Although he was out numbered, Austin wouldn’t go down with out a fight and managed to eliminate Jericho, who threw a fit and attacked The Rock, hitting him with the Breakdown. Austin and Rock now faced each other one on one for the first time since WrestleMania, and after ten minutes of fighting and several referee bumps, The Rock scored the final fall of the night after Angle interfered on behalf of the WWF and The Rock hit the Rock Bottom.

This is Part 1 of 8. Here’s the link to the play list for the whole match:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=194946A89681A9E3

The aftermath of the match saw the Alliance dissolve, and the next night Ric Flair rejoined the WWF as the “Co-Owner,” Austin turned face, and pretty much everyone in the Alliance that was “fired” was hired back in a few weeks. A few months later McMahon would hire the nWo, which, had they waited could have provided them with an actually decent WCW invasion angle. This was the first Survivor Series match since 1993 to main event the show.

II

Team Bischoff:
Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Christian, Mark Henry, Scott Steiner
vs.
Team Austin:
Shawn Michaels, Bubba Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Rob Van Dam, Booker T
Survivor Series 2003

Once again here is a Survivor Series match where there is something more on the line than just victory. Shortly after Steve Austin retired at WrestleMania XIX he was brought in to be the Co-General Manager of Raw alongside Eric Bischoff. Basically, Austin and Bischoff didn’t like each other and were constantly trying to outdo one another. After several months of this the two decided Raw wasn’t big enough for the both of them so Bischoff suggested that they each assemble a team to represent them at the Survivor Series. The general manager whose team survived would get to keep his position; the loser would lose their general manager privileges.

The match was really fun, and well timed as the falls weren’t rushed, and a number of the less-than great participants like Scott Steiner and Mark Henry were eliminated early (as was Booker T), leaving the more exciting wrestlers to shoulder the majority of the match. By the half way point of the match Orton, Jericho, and Christian managed to eliminate The Dudleys and Van Dam, leaving Shawn Michaels in a precarious three-on-one situation. However, in typical Michaels fashion he rose to the occasion, despite being busted open on the outside by Christian. Michaels would quickly gain a small measure of retribution by connecting with Sweet Chin Music and eliminating Christian. Jericho who already had quite the history with Michaels pounced, but Michaels slyly played up his injury and suckered Jericho in to a roll-up. Pissed off and embarrassed Jericho grabbed a chair and blasted Michaels in the head with it, then turned toward the Co-General Manager, and said “Screw you, Austin.” Orton couldn’t capitalize on the chair shot, and soon Michaels looked to be in control when Bischoff interfered. This cause Austin to go ballistic and in the chaos Batista came down and powerbombed Michaels, handing his fellow Evolution member the victory.

The aftermath resulted in Austin “leaving” Raw for a few weeks until he came back as its “Sheriff,” and more interestingly, Bischoff giving each member of his team one favor that he couldn’t refuse. These favors were key components in the excellent Chris Jericho, Christian, Lita, and Trish Stratus storyline.

I

TIE

Strike Force, The Young Stalions, The Fabulous Rougeaus, The Killer Bees, The British Bulldogs
vs.
The Hart Foundation, The Islanders, Demolition, The Bolsheviks, The New Dream Team
Survivor Series 1987

AND

The Powers of Pain, The Rockers, The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation, The Young Stallions
vs.
Demolition, The Brain Busters, The Bolsheviks, The Fabulous Rougeaus, The Conquistadors
Survivor Series 1988

Alright, so I took the cheap way out on this, but I’ve never done a tie before, and I’m not going to try to pick between two such similar matches, both of which were absolutely great. Because these were Tag Team Survivor Series matches only one man needed to be eliminated in order for the team to be eliminated. These matches just show the depths of talent the WWF had in its tag team ranks in the late 1980s. Both matches were around 40 minutes in length and featured almost non-stop action and excitement. The end of the 1987 match saw both The Young Stallions and The Killer Bees survive after last eliminating the Islanders. The 1988 match saw a double turn as Mr. Fuji inexplicably turned on Demolition causing them to be eliminated, and sided with The Powers of Pain, who after brawling with Demolition for several minutes, last eliminated (of all teams) The Conquistadores. Once again these were just two really fun matches, which ultimately didn’t really do much other than provide the audience with a good time. And that, in wrestling, is about the most important thing a match can do.

In all honesty, I really do prefer matches that seem like they actually further a major storyline, or have some significant thing at stake, but it is impossible to ignore the sheer greatness of these Tag Team Survivor Series matches, and that’s why I put both of them at number one. I guess if you backed me into a corner and made me choose which one I thought was better, I would say that the 1987 match was just a hair better than the 1988 match.