WWE witnessed some of the greatest matches in company history taking place at the Survivor Series pay-per-view. This was an original “big four” show that fans waited for all year; a pay-per-view associated with the American Thanksgiving holiday in November. The show has had its fair share of stinkers, but some of the best matches stand out for the right reasons.

RELATED: 10 Best Non-Elimination Survivor Series Matches Of All TimeCagematch.net is a great source regarding wrestling history by looking at stats and even opinions with their rating system. The match ratings for each show demonstrate certain matches clearly delivering more than others to leave that impact. Each of the following matches are considered among the best in Survivor Series history and officially ranked by the fans who contributed to Cagematch.

Updated December 22th, 2021 by Danny Djeljosevic: With each year comes a new Survivor Series, and (one hopes) a new set of great matches to add to the annals of WWE history. While the 2021 edition of one of WWE’s “big four” pay-per-views is one of the worst-received in recent years thanks to a lack of build and ever-decreasing stakes, it had a couple of strong matches with potential to rank high on Cagematch. Ratings on the site tend to fluctuate over time as users assess, rewatch, and reassess matches, so now that the latest installment is in the books, it’s a great time to see what matches have been deemed the best.

13 Batista vs. The Undertaker (Survivor Series 2007) - 8.31

Batista vs. The Undertaker (Survivor Series 2007)

One of the last Hell in a Cell matches before the PG Era kicked off, Batista and The Undertaker put on an expectedly bloody HIAC match in the main event of Survivor Series 2007. Batista’s feud with Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship in 2007 led to several big matches, but this would be the last of their feud as Edge would interfere to ensure a loss for the Undertaker. While Cagematch users praised this bout with high marks, many stressed that some of their other encounters throughout the year were even better.

12 John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H (Survivor Series 2009) - 8.33

 Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H (Survivor Series 2009)

The main event of the final Survivor Series of the 2000s had both members of D-Generation X — Triple H and Shawn Michaels — challenging John Cena in a triple threat for the WWE Champion. Cena ends up retaining in a match full of the requisite triple threat drama, but several Cagematch users labeled the opening of the match as “iconic.” Being teammates, Trips and Shawn came out together via their standard DX entrance, only for Shawn Michaels to suddenly Superkick Triple H as soon as the bell rang. What followed what was a great match that saw Cena beat both men that he had previously beaten at WrestleManias past, only this time in the same match.

11 Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 1992) - 8.40

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 1992)

Survivor Series started up in 1987, but the PPV series delivered its first truly great match six installments in when Bret Hart defended the WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels in the main event in 1992. The Hitman would retain after a near-27-minute effort.

RELATED: Every Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels Match, Ranked From Worst To Best

This bout marked the first time the two collided in a major televised singles match of what would become a trilogy of huge, acclaimed matches. As great as it is, Cagematch users admit that Michaels wasn’t quite the in-ring performer that he’d become later in the decade, crediting Hart for the high match quality.

10 Team Cena vs. The Authority (Survivor Series 2014) - 8.45

Sting WWE Debut

WWE did a great job booking the story in the traditional elimination match to close Survivor Series 2014. John Cena led a face team of Big Show, Ryback, Dolph Ziggler, and Erick Rowan against The Authority’s heel team of Seth Rollins, Mark Henry, Luke Harper, Rusev, and Kane.

RELATED: Every Major Survivor Series Debut, RankedThe WWE debut of Sting stole the show when he appeared to help Ziggler score the winning pin on Rollins after Triple H interfered. WWE had great action, storytelling, and a major debut to help get this match an 8.45 rating on the Cagematch website.

9 Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne (Survivor Series 2019) - 8.53

Pete Dunne Vs Adam Cole

WWE tried to elevate NXT in late 2019 when the show moved to USA Network to oppose AEW. The NXT brand was represented on Survivor Series 2019 and had an NXT Championship match on the main roster show.

Adam Cole defeated Pete Dunne in an impressive match that received an 8.53 rating from Cagematch. Both wrestlers used the opportunity of performing in front of a bigger crowd to have a show-stealing performance and represent the NXT brand well.

8 Triple H vs. Ric Flair (Survivor Series 2005) - 8.56

Triple H attacks Ric Flair

One of the most underrated Survivor Series matches to get respect on CageMatch featured the short rivalry between Triple H and Ric Flair. Triple H betrayed Flair shortly after Ric turned face leading to their issues culminating in a Last Man Standing match.

Cagematch’s rating for the match is at 8.56 as one of the last great matches from Flair’s career. Triple H was in peak in-ring mode, leading his aging mentor through a compelling match of brutal violence and classic storytelling.

7 Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles (Survivor Series 2017) - 8.66

AJ Styles Vs Brock Lesnar

The Raw vs. SmackDown storytelling for Survivor Series would see the champs of each brand facing off starting in 2017. Brock Lesnar represented the Raw brand as the Universal Champion when defeating SmackDown’s AJ Styles who was the WWE Champion.

The story of a smaller underdog facing off with the beast led to a spectacular match. Cagematch rated it an 8.66 to make it an all-time beloved match on the show. Styles did his best to make fans buy into him winning despite the finish being obvious.

6 Team Smackdown vs. Team Raw (Survivor Series 2016) - 8.66

Team Raw Vs Team Smackdown

The brand split of 2016 created a fun scenario of Raw vs. Smackdown at the Survivor Series 2016 event. WWE placed two All-Star squads to represent each team in a traditional match between the Raw and SmackDown brand.

RELATED: Survivor Series: 5 Best Raw Vs. SmackDown Matches (& 5 Worst)SmackDown won with Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Shane McMahon, AJ Styles, and Dean Ambrose defeating Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, and Braun Strowman. The match had layered storytelling from start to finish to deliver an 8.66 rating from Cagematch.

5 Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan (Survivor Series 2018) - 8.68

Daniel Bryan kicks Brock Lesnar

WWE almost had the same match at Survivor Series 2018 for the second year in a row until AJ Styles dropped the WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan days before the event. Bryan now represented SmackDown as WWE Champion in the same match format against Raw’s Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.

The match was outstanding and received the exact same Cagematch rating as the Styles match with an 8.68. Bryan wanted to wrestle Lesnar for years and made it live up to the hype with one of the best performances of his career.

4 Team Bischoff vs. Team Austin (Survivor Series 2003) - 8.71

Team Bischoff

WWE used the Raw General Manager feud between Steve Austin and Eric Bischoff to book a great elimination match at Survivor Series 2003. The loser would be forced out, with Bischoff having the heel squad of Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Christian, Scott Steiner, and Mark Henry.

RELATED: 10 Survivor Series Matches That Should Have Main Evented The PPVAustin’s team matched the star power with Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, and The Dudley Boyz. The incredible ending saw Michaels surviving a 3 vs. 1 deficit before Orton pinned him via Batista’s help. Cagematch rated it an 8.71 for the great storytelling involved for great results.

3 Team WWE vs.Team Alliance (Survivor Series 2001) - 9.01

Team WWE Vs The Alliance

The WCW and ECW Invasion storyline turned out to be a huge failure, but it ended with an all-time great Survivor Series in 2001. Even with the faults of the angle, the wrestlers in the Team WWE vs. Team Alliance match delivered.

The Rock defeating Steve Austin at the end to win for WWE provided another great moment in their legendary rivalry. Cagematch made it the most popular traditional elimination match in Survivor Series history with a 9.01 rating.

2 Triple H vs. Kane vs. Booker T vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Rob Van Dam (Survivor Series 2002) - 9.03

Rob Van Dam Vs Triple H

WWE introduced the Elimination Chamber concept at Survivor Series 2002, producing one of the greatest matches in the event’s history. Shawn Michaels won the World Championship by defeating Triple H, Kane, Booker T, Chris Jericho, and Rob Van Dam inside of the new structure.

Fans loved the concept, which created instant success that continued for almost two decades now. Cagematch adored the match as well to give it a tremendous rating of 9.03. Unfortunately, most Elimination Chamber matches have failed to live up to the original.

1 Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (Survivor Series 1996) - 9.10

Steve Austin Vs Bret Hart

The rivalry between Bret Hart and Steve Austin started at Survivor Series 1996. Austin’s career started to take off this night when getting to face the top star Hart in his first match back from an extended period away from WWE.

Both wrestlers showed off their chemistry by having a classic that showed their ability to perform at the highest level. Bret won the match, but Austin started to become a bigger star after his performance. Cagematch rated the show a 9.10 as the top match in the history of the event.