Survivor Series is currently the second oldest pay-per-view behind WrestleMania after its inception in November 1987. Survivor Series has traditionally been one of WWE's "Big Four" events, but not every Survivor Series has lived up to the expectations.
The 2003 edition of Survivor Series was the second one in the Ruthless Aggression Era, and it was an average show considering the talent that was on show. For sure there was a lot of star power on the card, but a plethora of matches was underwhelming. Nevertheless, there was still no shortage of drama and since Raw and SmackDown were a joint production, wrestlers from both shows interacted backstage and on the show itself. There was a lot to get through on the card, and some interesting fans from the card have been overlooked.
10 Molly Holly Paid Tribute To The Late Crash Holly
Molly Holly defended the WWE Women's Championship against Lita, who had returned from injury. 10 days before the event, Crash Holly sadly passed away. Molly Holly was a storyline cousin to Crash, and she paid tribute to Crash with a wristband that had the initials "CH" on there.
The match itself between Molly and Lita was decent, and they went back and forth. Molly attempted to put Lita away with her patented Molly-Go-Round but Lita kicked out. Nonetheless, Molly successfully retained the Women's Championship after she pushed Lita into the exposed turnbuckle and she covered her for the win.
9 First Ambulance Match In WWE History
Kane defeated Shane McMahon in a hard-fought battle in a Last Man Standing match at Unforgiven 2003, and two months later, the pair collided in an Ambulance match. This was the first Ambulance match in WWE history, and it was another physical battle between the bitter rivals.
Kane and Shane fought on the outside of the ring first, and Shane connected with the Leap of Faith onto Kane through a broadcast table. In the end, the Big Red Machine overpowered Shane O'Mac, and he executed the Tombstone Piledriver onto the floor and he put Shane in the back of the ambulance to secure another win over Shane.
8 Brock Lesnar Became The First Man To Walk Into Back-To-Back Survivor Series Events As WWE Champion
The opening match of the night was a traditional Survivor Series elimination match. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar's side comprised himself, Big Show, A-Train, Matt Morgan, and Nathan Jones. They went head-to-head with Angle's team which featured the likes of Angle and John Cena among others.
Lesnar and Angle feuded over the WWE Championship for large parts of 2003, but Lesnar made history as the first competitor to head into back-to-back Survivor Series events as the reigning WWE Champion. The year prior, he dropped the WWE Championship to Big Show. Nonetheless, Lesnar's side lost the match, and it was Lesnar's final outing at Survivor Series in 13 years.
7 Buried Alive Match
The Undertaker was looking to cap off his 13th anniversary with WWE by burying Mr. McMahon alive. It was the fourth Buried Alive match to take place but the first one at Survivor Series. Undertaker pummeled the Chairman of the Board from pillar to post.
McMahon shed a bucket load of blood and this clash was dominated by Undertaker with ease. McMahon barely had any offense, and Undertaker was closing in on the win. However, Kane made his presence felt by giving Mr. McMahon a helping hand. He pulled McMahon out of the grave and placed his brother in there with McMahon picking up a huge win over the American Badass.
6 Los Guerreros Became The Only Team To Challenge For The WWE Tag Team Championship At Survivor Series Twice
WWE Tag Team Championship matches have rarely happened at Survivor Series as the reigning Tag Team Champions are involved in traditional Survivor Series elimination matches or champion versus champion matches. Nevertheless, Los Guerreros are the only team to challenge for the WWE Tag Team Championship multiple times at Survivor Series.
At the 2002 edition of the event, they were involved in a triple threat match for the WWE Tag Team Championship and they unseated Edge and Rey Mysterio for the titles. Lightning didn't strike twice as they failed to beat the Basham Brothers for the gold in 2003.
5 Mark Henry's First Pay-Per-View Match In Almost 4 Years
Mark Henry had a lot of expectations on his shoulders early on when he joined WWE in 1996. However, things didn't go according to plan in the early part of Henry's career despite being a member of the Nation and holding the European Championship briefly, Henry was sent down to developmental.
The World's Strongest Man returned to the main roster in 2002, and he was a member of Team Bischoff in the traditional Survivor Series elimination match. Surprisingly, it was Henry's first pay-per-view match since he battled past Viscera at No Way Out 2000.
4 Shawn Michaels Competed In A Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match For The First Time In 8 Years
Shawn Michaels has had many great moments at Survivor Series and some heartbreaking defeats. The traditional Survivor Series elimination match in 2003 was Michaels' first outing in this type of match in eight years.
He competed in WWE Championship matches in 1996 and 1997, and upon his return from a four-year hiatus at Survivor Series 2002, he won the World Heavyweight Championship inside the Elimination Chamber. Michaels featured in the Wildcard match in 1995 which mixed babyfaces and heels.
3 The Undertaker's Final Appearance As The American Badass For 16 Years
As aforementioned, The Undertaker lost his Buried Alive match to Mr. McMahon all thanks to Kane's interference. The Big Red Machine was one of the stars of the show as he beat McMahon's son Shane in an Ambulance match and he buried his brother alive.
What was significant was that Kane retrieved Undertaker's bandana from the grave which signaled the end of Undertaker's American Badass character. The Deadman returned at WrestleMania 20 to face off with Kane and Undertaker returned as a variation of the American Badass gimmick in his final match at WrestleMania 36.
2 Goldberg's Only Successful World Title Defense On PPV
Goldberg won the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven 2003 from Triple H, and he put the gold on the line at Survivor Series in a rematch. The Game sported some longer tights as he was nursing a groin injury.
This was another lackluster championship bout between the pair, but Goldberg successfully retained the title after he battled past Triple H and he took care of Evolution. Goldberg won the Universal Championship twice, but he lost the title to Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman respectively at WrestleMania 33 and 36 in his first title defenses.
1 Randy Orton Begins His Run Of Sole Survivor Triumphs
The traditional Survivor Series elimination match between Team Bischoff and Team Austin had a lot riding on it. Eric Bischoff led Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Christian, Mark Henry, and Scott Steiner to the ring. They clashed with Steve Austin's team comprised of Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, Booker, and the Dudley Boyz.
Orton and Michaels were the final two participants, and they had some exceptional changes. Batista aided his stablemate by executing the Batista Bomb on Michaels. Orton prevailed and he kickstarted his run of three successive victories as the sole survivor at Survivor Series.