The Great Eight: The Top 8 Survivor Series Teams

The first Survivor Series was held on Thanksgiving Day 1987. It was the second of the Big Four WWF PPVs to debut, and was started as counter programming to the NWA’s annual Starrcade event.

Survivor Series has been home to numerous big moments. The Undertaker and Sting both debuted at the event. Randy Orton and CM Punk made their returns in 2023. 2019 was a fun year, during which NXT showcased why they were the future.

There have been some not-so-great moments as well, on the same night as The Undertaker’s debut, The Gobbledy Gooker hatched out of an egg, and of course, there is the infamous Montreal Screwjob.

I’ve always enjoyed the elimination-style matches that helped to define Survivor Series for so long. And as a WCW kid, I’ve enjoyed the return of WarGames, and I think most of them have been pretty good so far.

Fun facts: Of the 89 total Survivor Series matches, eight have included women. The Undertaker holds both the record for most appearances with 18, and the most wins with 13. And only 9 teams have managed a clean sweep in the history of the match.

So, with Survivor Series: WarGames only a day away, let’s look at the top 8 Survivor Series teams!

Disclaimers

Caveat: I am ranking teams not just on if they won or not, it is on a mix of star power, in-ring ability, and if they won or not.

Disclaimer: This is my list; if you don’t like it or have a different list, awesome! Please share your own list and opinions in the comments section. I welcome open discourse about this wacky art we all love. It is an art form, so it is subjective; we all have our opinions on it, and all of them are valid. So, if you want to share your thoughts and opinions, don’t insult others for their opinion. There is enough negativity in the world right now; let’s not add to it. And with that, on to the list!

Honorable Mentions

The Radicalz – 2000, Andre The Giant, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, and Rick Rude – 1987, Andre The Giant, Rick Rude, Dino Bravo, Mr. Perfect, and Harley Race – 1988, and The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian – 1999

8: The All-Americans (Lex Luger, The Steiners, and The Undertaker) – 1993

One of these things is not like the other. If you think of Mark Calaway, the person, it’s not that weird that he would be on an All-American team. But The Undertaker doesn’t exactly fit in with the Red, White, and Blue of Lex Luger and The Steiners.

Aesthetic aside, this team is both star-studded and hard-hitting. As I’ve said before, I love watching the Steiners wrecking shop. Very few wrestlers could match their athleticism and power. Luger, while never the best wrestler, still brought a great look and power to the team. Then you have The Undertaker; that opening shot of The Undertaker towering over Yokozuna is awesome.

Also, watching the Steiners in the WWF makes me wish they could have stuck it out there. Because Scott in the Attitude Era of the WWF would have been gold! And Rick would have no problem fitting in then either.

7: Team Raw (Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and Triple H) – 2017

Man, this match is full of some what-ifs. Balor, Roode, and Joe could have had different careers if they had been able to stay healthy.

All that aside, Raw’s team was stacked with talent and star power. You can say the same thing about SmackDown’s team as well. I just think the combined star power of Triple H and Kurt Angle can outweigh Cena’s star power. After them, you have some of the top guys on Raw for 2017. Both in their position on the card and their in-ring talent. And while Strowman was never a technical master, he was brickhouse.

I love the interactions between Joe and Orton. Joe shrugs off the RKO and then Orton snapmares out of the Coquina Clutch. We also get an NXT/NJPW throwback between Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor. Needless to say, not only was this team stacked, but the match itself is a hidden gem from one of the worst time periods in the WWE. Also, where else are you going to see Triple H and Shinsuke Nakamura lock up?

6: Team NXT (Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Candice LaRea, Io Shirai, and Toni Storm) – 2019

The 2019 Survivor Series was an interesting one. This is the only Survivor Series where we had three teams of five. It was also set up like a triple-threat, where there were always three women in the ring.

It’s fun to see how far a lot of these women have come in just six years. Toni Storm is, of course, now in AEW, killing it as Timeless Toni Storm. Ripley is one of the most over wrestlers in the world. Belair is one of only five women to main event WrestleMania, and also one-half of the only WrestleMania main events to feature only black wrestlers. Io Shirai, now known as IYO SKY, is one of the best wrestlers in the world and has been a mainstay in the main event scene in the women’s division.

Much like the previous team, this is one of those hidden gem matches of the late 2010s. I think some of the main roster stuff gets overlooked due to the terrible booking at the time. But this is worth watching. It allowed all the women to showcase why they deserved to be there. While the main roster teams held their own, the NXT team showed up and proved why they were the future.

4: Team Austin (Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, and The Dudley Boyz) – 2003

Honestly, both sides of this match are stacked. Team Bischoff had Christian, Randy Orton, Scott Steiner, Chris Jericho, and Mark Henry. But for those of us watching in 2003, we were ready to see RVD and Booker T transcend to the top. Shawn Michaels was the veteran voice, and The Dudley Boyz were always good for a good match.

A hot crowd in Dallas helps to elevate that match further. In the first few minutes, we have an HBK, We Want Tables, and a RVD chant. It’s always a trip to go back and watch stuff from the early 2000s. The crowds are always so loud, and while we are getting there again, it would be awesome to see a return to the raucousness of this time period.

HBK, RVD, Jericho, and Christian hold down the in-ring talent in the match. Steiner actually manages to turn the clock back a bit while he is in there with RVD. It’s also fun to watch a WCW throwback with Steiner and Booker getting to mix it up. While the match isn’t quite at the hidden gem level, I do think it’s overrated, and if you have Peacock, it’s worth a watch.

5: Team D-X (Shawn Michaels, Triple H, CM Punk, and The Hardy Boyz) – 2006

Memories and time are weird. I was 19 when this match happened. But it doesn’t feel like it was this long ago when Punk started his main roster run. This team is a who’s who of the Attitude, Ruthless Agression, and PG Era. Every man on the team was or would be a World Champion (even if Matt’s came from TNA).

Even on a team that includes DX and The Hardy Boyz, Punk doesn’t look out of place. Of course, in hindsight, we know why. But back in 2006, he was only a few months into his main roster run and had already gotten over due to his in-ring talent and natural charisma. It also helps that this happened in Philly, a city of diehard fans and a ROH stronghold.

The clean sweep is tainted when you factor in the fact that Edge and Orton are the only big names on their side. But a clean sweep is a clean sweep. The match is fun, with the normal D-X shenanigans, The Hardy Boyz doing their thing, and Punk getting to show why he was the future. It also has that Attitude Era feel without going over the top.

3: Bam Bam Bigelow, Don Muraco, Hulk Hogan, Ken Patera, and Paul Orndorff- 1987

This is such an interesting team; it was the first Survivor Series and set the stage for some of the more random teams to come. Hogan is still the most over wrestler in the world, Don Muraco and Ken Patera are fresh into their face runs, Orndorff was once one of Hogan’s biggest rivals, and Bam Bam Bigelow was still in his first year with the WWF.

Bigelow is in the Punk position here, really. He is the fresh face who doesn’t look out of place in a team of legends. Looking across the ring, he doesn’t look out of place against a team of legends either. I loved Hogan’s team promo before the match. Muraco’s deep, dark past makes him willing to do anything to win. The strongest in the world, Ken Patera. The fire of Bam Bam Bigelow, willing to burn the building down. And the Wild Card, Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff.

Even the announcers go on about whether Hogan can trust Orndorff or not. And then Hogan’s music hits, and the crowd in Ohio explodes. As I’ve written about before, I have no love lost for Terry Bollea, but it’s hard to deny how insanely popular he was in the 1980s. While wrestling wasn’t in smoky bingo halls, like the WWE claims. Hogan and the WWF did a lot to turn it into the global phenomenon it is today.

If anyone needs to understand how hot Hogan and wrestling was during this time, they can just put this match on. The crowd is on fire for everything the face team does, and it’s just electric to watch.

2: The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, and Demolition) – 1989

Chicago was on fire for this match! We have the WWF World Champion, the WWF World Tag Team Champions, and Jake Roberts all on one team. Hogan’s popularity may have been starting to wane a bit. But you wouldn’t be able to tell from watching this match. The pop when Hogan bodyslammed Zeus was huge!

Demolition is a year into their face run here; they had been huge as monster heels that would still sell for their opponents, and because of that, were just as over as faces. Ax & Smash may have started as a Road Warriors rip-off, but they transcended that. They were one of the best teams in the stacked field of the WWF’s 1980s tag team scene.

And Jake Roberts, Roberts will always be one of the guys who could’ve had a run as WWF Champion. A heel Roberts having a short run in the mid-80s would have been great. During this time, Roberts was still able to show his case for a championship run. Even as the smallest guy in the ring, his psychology and ring work are up there with the best.

I know a lot of younger fans don’t care for older stuff like this. And while some of it is a bit hokey, there are so many little things that make matches feel more like fights. If you’ve never seen this match, please take the time to watch it.

1: Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and Big Show) – 2001

Say what you will about the Invasion storyline,  and as a WCW kid, I hated it, but this match was stacked with star power. The only thing that would have made Team WWF more stacked would be if Austin had swapped places with Big Show. I never liked Austin as part of The Alliance. I know they needed star power, but they had Kurt Angle (another weird choice since Angle had issues with ECW).

Regardless, Team WWF was an absolutely star-studded team. It is really the Attitude Era personified. Five of the biggest names from the WWF. The Undertaker represents the soul of the WWE. Jericho and Big Show represent those who left WCW and became huge names. Kane was one of the more successful characters that debuted during the Attitude Era. And then you have The Rock, one of the biggest names in wrestling, and he would soon transcend wrestling in ways no one had ever done before.

While Hogan’s teams from 1987 and 1990 were star-studded in their own right. I don’t think any team has ever had this much in-ring talent and star power. At the time, Jericho was the only one who had never been a World Champion (yes, we are counting Kane’s one-day reign here). And while the same can be said for Team D-X, I think Team WWF edges them out, mainly because Matt Hardy never won the World Championship in the WWE. And the aura of Rock and Undertaker overshadows both Hardy Boyz.

While the storyline was badly booked, some fun matches came out of it. And this is one of them. It may not be the best match on the list, but I think it gets unfairly dumped on with the Invasion as a whole.