My Top Ten Traditional Survivor Series Matches of All Time

#10 – Strike Force, The Young Stallions, The Fabulous Rougeaus, Killer Bees & The British Bulldogs vs The Hart Foundation, Demolition, The Islanders, The Dream Team & The Bolsheviks – Survivor Series 1987

The first ever tag team themed elimination tag at the first ever Survivor Series. Within the first handful of minutes, The Bolsheviks, Rougeaus and Demolition are out. Despite being the captains of their side and the tag champs, Strike Force get eliminated early by the Hart Foundation, which Gorilla Monsoon assure will get them a title shot. Dynamite Kid hits a diving headbutt but Haku’s skull is so hard it hurts Kid more. Haku gets up and thrust kicks him, eliminating the Bulldogs. Paul Roma eliminates the Dream Team with a beautiful sunset flip on Greg Valentine. Roma and Powers were absolutely the MVPs of this match. Brunzell rolls through a crossbody by Hart (with an assist from Tama) and eliminates the Hart Foundation. Brunzell is getting destroyed but the ref gets distracted and B Brian Blair puts a mask on while Brunzell puts his mask on outside the ring. Blair gets the win for his team with the sunset flip, with the referee unaware of the switch. This was a really fun match that showcased quite a few teams around at the time.

#9 – Team Rey Mysterio (Rey Mysterio, Big Show, Chris Masters, MVP & Kofi Kingston) vs Team Alberto Del Rio (Alberto Del Rio, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger & Tyler Reks)

This kicks off with an argument between Striker & Cole on commentary about Rickey Henderson’s base stealing ability. Quite interesting. Disaster kick from Rhodes nearly eliminates Rey early. MVP’s Ballin’ Elbow drop gets a massive pop. That man was so over. MVP is the first person eliminated, as McIntyre pins him while Del Rio holds MVP’s feet down. Beautiful Jack Hammer by Chris Masters. Masters goes down next, tapping out to the cross armbreaker. Big Show comes in and Swagger comes in to combat him. Del Rio comes back in and taunts Big Show. Del Rio tags McIntyre against his will but gets KO punched and the captain is eliminated via KO. Cody Rhodes throws a fit after getting hit in the face. He gets back into the ring and eats a KO punch from Big Show, evening the odds. Kingston eliminates Reks with a schoolboy roll-up next. Then Kingston goes down from an Ankle Lock. Swagger gets eliminated from a 619 from Rey, followed by a big splash from Big Show. McIntyre gets in but gets a 619 from Rey followed by a chokeslam from Big Show, making them the two survivors on their team. This was a great showcase of a lot of underutilized talent.

#8 – The Ultimate Warriors (Ultimate Warrior, Shawn Michaels, Marty Jannetty & Jim Neidhart) vs The Heenan Family (Andre The Giant, Arn Anderson, Haku & Bobby Heenan)

The heels attack Michaels, Jannetty and Neidhart until Warrior runs in immediately and saves the day. Warrior clotheslines Andre out of the ring and Andre can’t make it in by the count of ten, putting the Heenan Family at a huge disadvantage. Shortly after Haku eliminates Neidhart with a thrust kick. The bad guys beat down on Jannetty enough that Heenan comes in and hits a knee drop to eliminate him. Michaels manages to eliminate Haku off a diving crossbody, assisted by Warrior. Arn Anderson hits a perfect spinebuster to eliminate HBK. It’s down to Warrior vs Arn & Heenan. Warrior manages to eliminate Heenan with a splash and Warrior spends the next few minutes destroying Bobby. Warrior hits a huge shoulder block and follows it up with the big splash for the win. Really fun match that had a great, unique, dynamic to it with Heenan being involved and Andre going out early. It really made Haku and Anderson look great, carrying the weight of the team.

#7 Team Kingston (Kofi Kingston, Christian, Mark Henry, R-Truth & MVP) vs Team Orton (Randy Orton, CM Punk, Ted DiBiase Jr, Cody Rhodes & William Regal)

Pre-match we get Christian’s amazing “Team Kofi Kingston, looking for a fight, four of us are black, and one of us is white!” rap. Amazing stuff. Mark Henry gets eliminated nearly instantly to an RKO and R-Truth eats a GTS for another elimination minutes later. Christian eliminates Ted DiBiase with a sunset flip and minutes later MVP hits the Drive By Kick on Regal, eliminating him. MVP goes down to the Cross Rhodes but Cody succumbs to the Killswitch a minute after. Orton takes out Christian with an RKO, making it just Kofi Kingston against Randy Orton & CM Punk, both who were world champions just a month prior. Kingston gets his ass kicked for a while but has a huge second wind where he eliminates Punk via roll-up and then quickly hits the Trouble In Paradise, eliminating Orton and winning the match! I thought this one told a great story with Kofi’s team having to play from behind nearly the entire time.

#6 The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) & Real Americans (Cesaro & Jack Swagger) vs The Brotherhood (Cody Rhodes & Goldust), The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Usos) & Rey Mysterio – Survivor Series 2013

This match had a somewhat rare situation to it where it was the heels that were constantly playing the underdog. Dean Ambrose gets eliminated off a roll-up while arguing early on. Then both Swagger and Cesaro are eliminated a handful of minutes later, leaving just Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins to take on the world. Over the next ten minutes or so, Reigns and Rollins manage to eliminate both Uso brothers and Cody Rhodes, making it just Rey Mysterio & Goldust up against two-thirds of The Shield. Rollins gets eliminated via sunset flip from Mysterio, making it just Reigns against the two faces. Roman manages to eliminate Goldust with a spear and then follows it up with one to Mysterio a few minutes later for the win. I really like the uniqueness of this match. It’s not often that the faces are the ones with such a strong advantage.

#5 Team Orton (Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit & Maven) vs Team Triple H (Triple H, Batista, Edge & Snitsky) – Survivor Series 2004

The twist to this match was that earlier in the night, Maven took a brutal beating backstage from Snitsky, who was being booked as a big time monster at the time. So the match began with Team Orton being a man down and after about seven minutes, two men down, as Benoit gets eliminated via pedigree. Jericho manages to eliminate Batista shortly after some arguments within team Triple H. In the middle of the match, Maven makes his way into the match and cleans house, only to get bashed over the head with a chair by Snitsky. Snitsky is DQ’d but Maven is out cold and gets pinned by Triple H. Chris Jericho gets eliminated by Edge, leaving Orton alone against Edge and Triple H. Orton manages to eliminate Edge with an RKO but Triple H attacks right after. Triple H goes for a pedigree but Orton spins out and hits an RKO to win it for his team. I thought this match had a really fun story to it and it was a great way of making Randy Orton looking legit.

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

The highest stakes in the history of Survivor Series. Who would control WWF, WWF or The Alliance? You know it’s a big match when no one gets eliminated in the first twelve minutes! First person to go down is Big Show to an Angle Slam, Scissors Kick, Five Star Frog Splash and Leap of Faith with Shane being the one to get the pin. Shane McMahon goes out next, eating a chokeslam from Kane, Tombstone from Undertaker and gets pinned off a Lionsault from Jericho. Kane is eliminated next from a flying karate kick by RVD after taking a Five Star Frog Splash moments earlier. Undertaker begins taking out all of Team Alliance but Austin hits him with a Stunner and rolls Angle on top, making it just Rock & Jericho against Austin, Angle, Booker & RVD. The Rock manages to roll up Booker T! Jericho hits the Breakdown on RVD, eliminating him and evening up the odds. Odd to see Steve Austin & Kurt Angle as the final two members of a brand they weren’t even a part of 4 months prior. The Rock locks in the Sharpshooter on Kurt Angle and he taps! Shortly after, Austin reverses a roll-up from Jericho into a cover and eliminates him. Jericho turns on Team WWF after getting eliminated and hits the Breakdown on Rock. Austin just barely kicks out as Undertaker comes back out and chases off Jericho. The Rock hits the Stunner on Austin but WCW referee Nick Patrick breaks up the count. Austin hits the Rock Bottom but Rock kicks out! Austin knocks out the ref and hits the Stunner on Rock but now there’s no one to count. As the ref is getting up, Kurt Angle runs down and looks like he’s about to help Austin, but instead hits Austin in the head with the WWF title and Rock hits a Rock Bottom for the victory! One of the most dramatic and intense matches in WWE history.

#3 – Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Kane, Carlito & Chris Masters) vs Team Smackdown (Batista, JBL, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio & Bobby Lashley) – Survivor Series 2005

The battle for brand supremacy. The first Survivor Series match pitting Raw against Smackdown. Lashley gets eliminated early after a chokeslam from Kane when HBK takes the pin. Kane gets eliminated by Batista’s spinebuster however Kane sticks around and assists Big Show in double chokeslamming Batista. And there goes Batista, whose shoulder was already heavily bandaged for this match. After a 619, RKO, Clothesline From Hell and Seated Senton, Big Show is eliminated! Smackdown goes on a roll as Carlito gets eliminated by a Clotheslines from Hell by JBL and Chris Masters gets eliminated by a 619 from Mysterio, leaving just a bloodied Shawn Michaels left. Michaels manages to catch Mysterio with a Sweet Chin Music on the West Coast Pop, eliminating him. He follows up with a Sweet Chin Music to JBL, eliminating him. Michaels begins to fight back against Orton but JBL tries to get involved again with a chair, distracting Michaels and allowing Orton to hit the RKO for the win in a phenomenal match. Michaels’ selling down the stretch was incredible and I felt both teams had some unique dynamics to them that made it fun. Plus the build to this match was great.

#2 Team Austin (Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) vs Team Bischoff (Randy Orton, Christian, Chris Jericho, Scott Steiner & Mark Henry)

Austin & Bischoff each select a team, the winner stays GM of Raw and the loser leaves forever (or as we later learned, about 4 weeks). Scott Steiner is the first man eliminated, being taken out by Booker T. However Mark Henry eliminates Booker with a World Strongest Slam shortly after. Out goes Mark Henry after a Five Star Frog Splash from RVD. Then Team Bischoff goes on a roll with Orton eliminating RVD via RKO, Jericho eliminating D-Von via Flashback and Christian eliminating Bubba Ray via Unprettier. Now it’s down to Shawn Michaels against Orton, Jericho & Christian. Michaels gets busted open hard via the ringpost and is bleeding all over the place. Michaels manages to eliminate Christian with a Sweet Chin Music. Jericho and Orton continue beating down HBK but HBK rolls up Jericho and eliminates him! The ref is down and Michaels is tuning up the band but Bischoff gets involved and kicks HBK in the ribs. Austin Stunners Orton and chases Bischoff but while he’s doing that, Batista sneaks into the match and Batista Bombs Michaels. Orton crawls onto Michaels and gets the victory. After the match, Austin helps Michaels up to his feet and looks frustrated but doesn’t Stunner Michaels. I thought him not Stunnering HBK was a massive showing of respect to Michaels’ character. Michaels volunteered to be the final man on Team Austin after Austin needed to fill the spot. He joined with no reward in sight outside of keeping Austin’s job for him and lost an insane amount of blood fighting for Austin. So it only made sense. I think another thing that added to this match was JR’s commentary. He made you believe that there was truly a chance for Michaels to win the match and he sold Batista’s run in perfectly. JR knew how to invoke emotion in literally any match.

#1 Team Cena (John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, Big Show & Ryback) vs Team Authority (Seth Rollins, Luke Harper, Kane, Rusev & Mark Henry)

If Team Cena wins, The Authority is no more. If Team Authority wins, Ziggler, Rowan, Big Show and Ryback are fired. Just moments into the match, Big Show eliminates Mark Henry with a KO punch! Team Authority evens up the odds when Rusev eliminates Ryback after a Curbstomp from Rollins and a jumping kick from Rusev. After beating down Ziggler for a while, Rusev sets Dolph up on an announce table and tries to dive onto him. Dolph moves and Rusev goes through the table and gets counted out. Luke Harper eliminates former partner Erick Rowan with a Discus Clothesline. Big Show and Cena standoff in the ring (Ziggler is out cold on the outside) with Kane, Harper and Rollins. Big Show turns heel, punching out Cena and walking off. Rollins pins Cena and Big Show counts himself out, leaving just Dolph Ziggler left. In the comeback of the century, Dolph Ziggler manages to eliminate Kane with a Superkick & Zigzag combo, followed by a rollup on Luke Harper. With the deck stacked against him, after taking an insane amount of punishment, Ziggler has the match won multiple times but Triple H, Stephanie and J&J Security stop him from winning. Ziggler fights them all off but after Triple H knocks out the ref, he takes matters into his own hands and pedigrees Ziggler. Triple H calls for a new ref, but as Rollins is making the pin, Sting makes his debut in WWE, coming down to the ring and taking out Triple H. Sting puts Ziggler onto Rollins and gives him the victory for Team Cena! As a Dolph Ziggler fan I can barely even describe my emotions the final 15 minutes of this match. Dolph Ziggler’s entire career is about him coming up short. And given the situation, and given that he wasn’t even the captain of his own team, it seemed pretty easy to believe it would happen again here. Sure he’ll probably eliminate two of them but there’s no way he’d win the whole thing. And then he did. And my jaw completely dropped. I felt like a little kid again the entire finishing stretch of that match. Another huge factor in this match was Michael Cole’s incredibly commentary. From the second Big Show turns, he begins sounding so dejected and you can hear the helplessness in his voice as he believes The Authority will come out on top. I would actually consider it Cole’s best match calling of his career.