Over the years, Survivor Series has evolved into one of WWE’s big four shows. While there have been plenty of memorable debuts and championship matches, the event’s main draw has always been the team elimination match. Fans love the opportunity to see their favorites team up in partnerships they never thought they’d see.
In recent years, Survivor Series has become a competition between Raw and SmackDown. Making the night about brand supremacy has made for some interesting bedfellows, that don’t necessarily always work out. After 33 outings, we’ve seen all manner of unpredictable, unexpected team-ups, so these are the five best and five worst Survivor Series teams.
10 BEST: BATISTA, REY MYSTERIO, JBL, BOBBY LASHLEY, RANDY ORTON - 2005
It’s impossible to talk about Survivor Series without mentioning one of the many times Randy Orton was the sole survivor. During one of the early brand vs brand matches, SmackDown was represented by five of the most popular and successful superstars in WWE history.
Though there was a lot of animosity among Team SmackDown, they were able to work together for a short time and take advantage of Team Raw’s inexperienced members. If there’s one major flaw in this entertaining match, it’s the constant fighting between the commentary teams.
9 WORST: RANDY ORTON, EDGE, GREGORY HELMS, JOHNNY NITRO, MIKE KNOX - 2006
The feud between DX and Rated RKO provided some fun moments. However, for the heels, Survivor Series was not one of them. While Shawn Michaels and Triple H got future champion CM Punk and future Hall of Famers The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Randy Orton ended up with two jobbers and a random mid-card guy.
At that point in their careers, the team captains weren’t going to be hurt by losing a throw-away team match, but this did nothing to help Mike Knox or Johnny Nitro find their footing.
8 BEST: RANDY SAVAGE, JAKE ROBERTS, RICKY STEAMBOAT, BRUTUS BEEFCAKE, JIM DUGGAN - 1987
In its first outing, Survivor Series delivered a team of all time greats that fans still talk about to this day. Team Macho Man saw Randy Savage with Jake “The Snake: Roberts, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.
This very first Survivor Series match does a great job of setting the tone for the chaos fans have come to expect from the elimination matches. Plus, whether it’s as partners or opponents, anytime Savage and Steamboat are in the ring together, it’s magic.
7 WORST: BROCK LESNAR, BIG SHOW, MATT MORGAN, NATHAN JONES, A-TRAIN - 2003
Brock Lesnar has never been known for his exceptional teamwork, so we can’t be too surprised that he put together a lackluster Survivor Series team. They were touted for being a team full of big men, weighing nearly a ton combined. However, being big was all they had going for them.
Compared to the skill of wrestlers like Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Bradshaw, and a young John Cena, the team was outclassed and their lack of ability was obvious. Honestly, we’re still not sure which one’s Nathan Jones and which one’s Matt Morgan.
6 BEST: THE ROCK, CHRIS JERICHO, THE UNDERTAKER, KANE, BIG SHOW - 2001
Following WWE’s acquisition of WCW, an invasion storyline began with Shane leading a team of ECW and WCW wrestlers, as well as Stone Cold Steve Austin against Team WWF. It was winner takes all, so Vince pulled out all the stops with five of the biggest stars in WWE history.
Since their feud dominated the Attitude Era, it was fitting that it came down to The Rock vs Austin. With an unexpected assist from Kurt Angle, The Rock got the pin and the Alliance was finished. The sheer amount of star power on both teams makes this a classic that won’t be repeated anytime soon.
5 WORST: NIKOLAI VOLKOFF, THE BUSHWACKERS, TITO SANTANA - 1990
Let’s be honest, the late ‘80s/early ‘90s weren’t the best years for WWE, so we’re not surprised to find some pretty bad teams in that era. One of the worst saw the Bushwackers, Nikolai Volkoff and Tito Santana take on Sgt. Slaughter, Boris Zhukov, Sato and Tanaka.
This match had the Alliance representing America and the Mercenaries as the anti-America bad guys. Taking place during the first Gulf War, this featured Sgt. Slaughter in his regrettable anti-America phase. This was basically a filler match, used to build Slaughter’s heel status and set up his title run.
4 BEST: EDDIE GUERRERO, JOHN CENA, BIG SHOW, ROB VAN DAM - 2004
One of those team-ups you only get at Survivor Series came when Eddie Guerrero chose John Cena to join him, Big Show and Rob Van Dam vs Kurt Angle, Carlito and two guys no one remembers.
Cena was solidly a good guy and definitely on his way to becoming the franchise star we know him as now. With the members of Team Guerrero at their peak, this is a great example of how fun Survivor Series can be when there are actual stories behind the matches.
3 WORST: THE SPIRIT SQUAD - 2006
WWE loves bringing back legends for ratings bumps, to boost new stars or just for nostalgia. In 2006, it seemed to be the latter when the team of Ric Flair, Sgt. Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes, Ron Simmons, and Arn Anderson took on the Spirit Squad.
The group of jobbers, whose gimmick was that they were cheerleaders, were only there to make four senior citizens look good. They’re a comedy act, that was never funny, and this is far and away their worst showing. Honestly, this whole match is forgettable, with even Dolph Ziggler wanting to deny its existence.
2 BEST: DX, THE HARDY BOYZ, CM PUNK - 2006
With two hall-of-famers and three future hall-of-famers, Team DX is as close to a dream team as you’re ever going to see. The lopsided clean sweep gave every team member a chance to show off, but the star of this one is definitely CM Punk.
It was clear Shawn Michaels and Triple H were the main eventers, so they got to close things out, but The Hardys and Punk got most of the match time. Perhaps the craziest moment comes at the start when you see how friendly Triple H and CM Punk are.
1 WORST: THE BELLA TWINS, NATALYA, NAOMI, CAMERON, EVA MARIE, JOJO - 2013
To realize how far the women’s division has really come, look no further than this 7-on-7 match, which features the stars of Total Divas, three of whom aren’t actually wrestlers vs AJ Lee, Tamina, and other non-wrestling divas. If we’re being honest, neither side is particularly great.
There’s not much room for wrestling in this very fast-paced match. In a contest with 14 competitors, the whole thing lasts around 11 minutes. Despite the talent of Natalya, AJ, and Tamina, they’re not given the time to show their skills and it’s a travesty.