WWE is gearing up for another Survivor Series on Nov. 18. As has been the case in the past two years, the event will serve as a platform for Raw and SmackDown to collide in traditional Survivor Series matches, as well as champion versus champion matches.
The Survivor Series has been a November tradition for over 30 years, going back to 1987. The original concept was interesting at the time as the card consisted of wrestlers feuding with each other on opposite teams. Some fans have criticized the Survivor Series elimination matches because they had no consequences or impact on storyline and at times they could be overbooked.
Over the years the company introduced some single and tag team matches, the first being the WWE title match between The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan in 1991. In 2002, the event also featured the debut of the Elimination Chamber, which has become a staple match for the company.
At times the event served as a platform where new talent took the first steps toward superstar status like John Cena, Rocky Maivia and the Undertaker.
The event has also had memorable moments throughout the years, such as the Montreal Screwjob, The Rock winning his first WWE Championship and the end of the Invasion angle. While the Survivor Series has been WWE’s big four events, some fans believe lost its luster in the last few years. The company doesn't seem to treat it with nearly the same prestige as their other events in the 'big four' rotation, despite it being a mainstay PPV for so long.
In regards to the Survivor Series matches, there have been numerous teams comprised of good friends, bitter enemies and odd couples. Some teams ended up sweeping their opponents while others imploded prior to losing.
20 Best: The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Demolition, Jake Roberts)
If there is one team that could summarize the WWE in the 1980s, it could be the Hulkamaniacs from the 1989 Survivor Series. The team was comprised of WWE World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan, Tag Team titleholders Demolition and Jake “The Snake” Roberts.
The group took the Million Dollar Team of Ted DiBiase, Zeus, Warlord and The Barbarian, which could be another way to summarize the WWE in the 1980s.
In the Hulkamaniacs, you had the most popular wrestler in the company with Hogan, a powerhouse team in Demolition and Roberts, who was arguably the best talker in the company.
In the end, Hogan eliminated DiBiase to become the sole survivor and win the match for his team.
19 Worst: The Alliance (Bushwhackers, Nikolai Volkoff, Tito Santana)
Like many foreign heels, Nikolai Volkoff had entered his pro-USA face phase in 1990. At the Survivor Series, he teamed with the Bushwackers and Tito Santana to take on the Mercenaries comprised of Sgt. Slaughter, Boris Zhukov and the Orient Express. The Alliance eliminated three members of the Mercenaries three minutes into the match and had the match in the bag. Slaughter then proceeded to take out the Bushwackers and Volkoff.
Santana secured the win for his team after General Adnan hit him with a flag, causing the referee to disqualify Slaughter.
While Santana won the match, the Alliance should have had no problem with Slaughter given their numbers advantage.
18 Best: Lex Express (Lex Luger, The Steiners, Tatanka)
The Lex Express was in full throttle in 1993. At that year’s Survivor Series, Luger was set to team with the Steiner Brothers and Tatanka. While Rick and Scott Steiner were cleared to compete at the event, but Tanaka was sidelined with injuries. In his place stepped in The Undertaker who pledged his allegiance to the team by opening his jacket, revealing the U.S. flag.
Survivor Series teams are known to feature groups of stacked talent and the team featured four men who all have Hall of Fame worthy careers. As for the match, Luger would be the sole survivor for his team after pinning Ludvig Borgia.
17 Worst - The Spirit Squad
WWE in the mid-2000s had its fair share of interesting gimmicks in high profile roles, but one that stands out is the Spirit Squad.
From winning the World Tag Team titles to aiding the McMahons in their war against D-Generation X, the Spirit Squad was a staple on Raw in 2006. At Survivor Series, members Johnny, Mikey, Nicky and Kenny took on the team of WWE legends - Ron Simmons, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and Sgt. Slaughter.
Despite all of them having noteworthy careers, the legends are past their prime and fans would think the Squad would make short work of them. Yet the legends held their own with Flair eliminating members of the Spirit Squad.
16 Best: Team Angle (Kurt Angle, John Cena, Chris Benoit, Bradshaw, Hardcore Holly)
Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar had a brutal rivalry in 2003 over the WWE Championship and one of their final battles took place at Survivor Series 2003. On one side, Angle teamed with Chris Benoit, Bradshaw, Hardcore Holly and John Cena. On the other, Lesnar joined forces with A-Train, Big Show and the short-lived tag team of Nathan Jones and Matt Morgan.
It was a back-and-forth battle but in the end, Benoit and Cena were sole survivors. This event is notable in that it was the beginning of Benoit’s push toward the main event, as well as the rise of Cena.
15 Worst: DX Reunion (Billy Gunn, Road Dogg, Chyna, K-Kwik)
2000 was an interesting time for former D-Generation X members and that year’s Survivor Series brought a reunion of sorts. Billy Gunn teamed with former teammates Chyna and Road Dogg, and newcomer K-Kwik. They took on another team who reunited, the Radikalz - Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn.
While it was a pseudo D-X reunion, the three members were not the same as they were when they donned the green and black. Gunn had turned into his lackluster “The One” gimmick, while Road Dogg was now a rapper alongside K-Kwik. Meanwhile Chyna had gone on to superstar status.
The team would eventually lose to The Radicalz after Benoit eliminated Gunn after a mediocre 12 minute match.
14 Best: Team Guerrero (Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Big Show, RVD)
One of the big feuds of 2004 was Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle, and the two would clash on opposite sides at Survivor Series.
Guerrero led the popular team of himself, Big Show, Rob Van Dam, and a returning John Cena, who had replaced Rey Mysterio. The four would take on Angle and his teammates, Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak and Carlito. Cena would chase Carlito from the arena, giving Team Guerrero a 4-3 advantage before the start of the match.
In the end, Guerrero, Big Show and Cena were sole survivors. This was also bittersweet because it would be Guerrero’s last Survivor Series event.
13 Worst - The Royal Family (Jerry Lawler & "Princes")
The 1994 Survivor Series was noted for moments like Bob Backlund winning the WWE title from Bret Hart, and the break up of Shawn Michaels and Diesel. One of the event’s Survivor Series matches was Jerry Lawler’s Royal Family against Doink’s Clowns R’ Us.
A feud escalated between the clown and the King after Lawler popped a balloon belonging to Dink, Doink's sidekick. Lawler would soon introduce his own “mini-me” with corny sounding names for his teammates. While having a trio of miniature doppelgängers fit Doink’s character, it was out of place for Lawler.
After a painful 16 minutes, 10 of which were comedy spots, the Royal Family swept the clowns.
12 Best - The Visionaries (Rick Martel, Hercules, Paul Roma & The Warlord)
It is not an easy feat for a Survivor Series team to eliminate all of their opponents in a single match, but it can be done. Rick Martel’s team, dubbed The Visionaries, became the first team to accomplish this feat in 1990. Teaming up with Paul Roma, Hercules and The Warlord, Martel battled rival Jake Roberts and his Vipers, which included the Rockers and Jimmy Snuka.
During the match, Roma, Martel and the Warlord scored eliminations for their team while Roberts was counted out as he was chasing the Model out of the ring.
All four men would team up with Ted DiBiase in the final Survivor Series elimination match of the evening, losing to Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior.
11 Worst: Team Paige (Paige, Summer Rae, Layla, Cameron)
The rag tag team of Cameron, Layla, Paige, and Summer Rae took on Alicia Fox, Emma, Naomi, and Natalya in a match that had little to no build up.
This match took place during the Divas Era, but it went over the usual 2-6 minutes allotted to women’s matches the time, going 14 minutes and 35 seconds. During the match, Fox’s team would earn a clean sweep over their opponents.
What is interesting about this entry is Paige is the only member of her team who is currently in the WWE as the SmackDown General Manager. Cameron and Summer would be released from their contracts over the years while Layla retired from wrestling in 2015.
10 Best - Macho Man’s Team (Savage, Brutus Beefcake, Jake Roberts, Jim Duggan & Ricky Steamboat)
The first Survivor Series was known as being the second chance for fans to see Hulk Hogan against Andre the Giant, yet it was also the beginning of Macho Man Randy Savage’s push as a face. Savage teamed with fellow babyfaces Brutus Beefcake, Jake Roberts, Jim Duggan and Ricky Steamboat as they took on Danny Davis, Harley Race, Hercules, Ron Bass and the Honky Tonk Man.
While the heel team had notable talents, Savage’s team was stacked with superstars who would go on to carve their own niche in WWE and WCW.
What is interesting is Savage and Steamboat were coming off their Wrestlemania 3 angle. He would go on to feud with Duggan, Roberts and Beefcake - by proxy through Hogan - in the following years.
9 Worst: New Day, King Barrett & Sheamus
While the New Day were on the path from heel to babyface, they continued to team up with heels. At the 2015 Survivor Series, Xavier Woods, Big E and Kofi Kingston teamed up with King of the Ring winner, King Barrett, and Money in the Bank winner Sheamus. The group took on the team of the Usos, the Lucha Dragons and Ryback.
The five would only eliminate Jimmy Uso and Sin Cara before the match started.
One of the saving graces was King Barrett joined the New Day in their dancing before the match. This alliance would not last as the New Day feuded with Sheamus and Barrett - along with Alberto Del Rio and Rusev - at WrestleMania in Dallas.
8 Best: Team SmackDown 2005 (Randy Orton, JBL, Rey Mysterio, Batista & Bobby Lashley)
A decade before WWE decided to make Survivor Series brand warfare, the 2005 event featured a clash between Team Raw - Kane, Big Show, Carlito, Chris Masters and Shawn Michaels - taking on Team Smackdown - Randy Orton, Batista, Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley and John Bradshaw Layfield.
The SmackDown team was stacked with talent, including world champion Batista, who was wrestling through a bad tricep, and Orton, who replaced Eddie Guerrero, who passed away before the event.
Orton faced Michaels as the last two surviving members of their team, a callback of the 2003 Survivor Series when they were on opposite teams. Like in 2003, Orton was the sole survivor.
7 Worst - The Wildcard Match (1995)
This entry features not one team, but rather a match. The team of Ahmed Johnson, British Bulldog, Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid faced Dean Douglas, Owen Hart, Razor Ramon and Yokozuna. At the time, WWE tried to make the match interesting by switching teams with having babyfaces and heels on the same team.
As fans could expect, the two teams would implode throughout the match, including Ramon beating up on Douglas, and Sid and Michaels performing their finishers on each other.
Despite having his teammates turn on him, Bulldog would be a sole survivor with Michaels and Johnson.
6 Best: The Warriors (The Ultimate Warrior, L.O.D & Kerry Von Erich)
The Ultimate Warrior was hot in 1990 and at the Survivor Series he led one of the most physically impressive teams on the roster. Alongside the Warrior were Intercontinental Champion Kerry Von Erich and popular tag team the L.O.D as they took on Mr. Perfect and Demolition - Ax, Smash and Crush.
All four of these men had used “Warrior” as a nickname or moniker at one time. Von Erich was known as the “Modern Way Warrior” and LOD had used “Road Warriors” prior to coming to the WWE.
As for the match itself, the Ultimate Warrior was the sole survivor after he pinned Perfect with a splash.
5 Worst: The Four Doinks (Men On A Mission & The Bushwhackers)
At the 1993 Survivor Series, Bam Bam Bigelow was set to lead his teammates, The Headshrinkers and Bastion Booger, against a team calling themselves the Four Doinks. They faced four Doinks, or rather they took on wrestlers masquerading as Doink.
The team of Luke and Butch - the Bushwhackers - and Men on a Mission - Mabel and Mo - came to the ring donning clown makeup and dancing to their own music. The four “Doinks” swept Bigelow’s team in 10 minutes and 58 seconds. The actual Doink appeared on the screen after the match to taunt Bigelow and his main squeeze Luna Vachon about deceiving them.
4 Best: The Hart Family (Bret, Owen, Keith & Bruce)
Survivor Series 1993 featured a unique contest where for the first time, four brothers would wrestle on a team with each other. Former WWF Champion Bret Hart teamed with brothers, Owen, Keith and Bruce Hart to take on Shawn Michaels and his Knights of the Squared Circle. In their corner was their father Stu Hart.
It was special moment because both Keith and Bruce Hart had come out of retirement for the match. Both wrestlers wrestled in Stampede Wrestling, which Stu had operated in for decades.
Owen was the only Hart eliminated by Michaels after running into Bret, which planted the first seeds for their memorable feud in 1994.
3 Worst: Team "Canada" (Bulldog, Jim Neidhart, Doug Furnas & Phillip Lafon)
The 1997 Survivor Series is synonymous with the Montreal Screwjob, but the show also included an undercard match where it was Team Canada featuring British Bulldog, Doug Furnas, Phillip Lafon and Jim Neidhart. The four battled Team USA featuring Goldust, Vader, Marc Mero and Steve Blackman, who was a fresh face in the WWE at the time.
However, calling the group Team Canada might be a bit of a stretch since only Lafon was actually from Canada. Bulldog and Neidhart are married into the Hart family, yet they were born outside of the country to the north.
In the end, The British Bulldog was the soul survivor.
2 Best: DX, The Hardy Boyz & CM Punk
Given the events of recent years, fans may find it hard to believe that CM Punk once teamed with Triple H at the Survivor Series, yet in 2006 the duo comprised a team that included fellow DX member Shawn Michaels, Jeff and Matt Hardy.
Prior to Triple H’s “Are you ready?” he noted the amount of talent on the team, which as of 2018 comprised of over 20 world titles in WWE alone. All five wrestlers certainly deserve a spot on the list of wrestling greats.
The team would end up sweeping the squad of Randy Orton, Edge, Mike Knox, Gregory Helms and Johnny Nitro.
1 Worst - Mideon, Big Boss Man, Albert & Viscera (1999)
The 1999 Survivor Series was a crowning moment for then newcomer Big Show as he went on to defeat both Triple H and The Rock to win his first WWE Championship in the main event. Before the World’s Largest Athlete laid claim to the gold, he competed in a Survivor Series match with himself against Mideon, Big Boss Man, Albert and Viscera.
Big Show originally had teammates, Kaientai and the Blue Meanie. Before the match, he left them in the locker room, saying the were useless and went to the ring on his own.
Despite having a 4-1 advantage, all four participants were eliminated by Big Show in less than 90 seconds. After his fellow teammates received chokeslams, The Boss Man was counted out.