8 Incredible WWE Survivor Series Moments in History
Leaves are changing, the holiday spirit is in the air, football season is well underway, mustaches are full-grown, and everything – literally everything – is pumpkin spice. Wrestling fans, however, know the real thing that makes November so special: WWE Survivor Series.
Yup. Every November since 1987, wrestling fans have looked forward to this epic event. There have been so many fantastic matches over the years that it’s almost impossible to pick favorites, but here eight of most memorable – the kinds of throwdowns that make you wish you had WWE Survivor Series tickets of your own!
1. 2002’s Elimination Chamber Match
The 2002 Survivor Series saw the inclusion of the Elimination Chamber Match for the first time ever, and the WWE outdid themselves. With Chris Jericho, Kane, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels tearing it up amid way too much broken glass, there was drama to spare. The highlight of watching Shawn Michaels and Triple H square off at the end was poetry in motion, and when Michaels emerged victorious many shed a manly tear!
2. 1996’s Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin Match
Has there ever been a pro wrestler more technically riveting than the Hitman? Was there any ’90’s-era performer more electrifying than the Rattlesnake? This knock-down, drag-out battle between Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin that left fans screaming for more, setting the stage for Stone Cold’s ascendance into superstardom and cementing Hart’s legacy as one of the absolute greatest of all time.
3. 2001’s Team Alliance vs. Team WWE Match
Loaded with future Hall-of-Famers and career superstars like Booker T, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, and Steve Austin on one side and the Big Show, Kane, the Undertaker, Chris Jericho, and the Rock on the other, even the inclusion of Shane McMahon couldn’t tarnish the luster of this match. The Rock and Stone Cold facing off at the end is the stuff of legend to this day!
4. 1992’s Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels Match
Way before any Montreal Screwjob messiness, this 1992 duel between these consummate professionals was instrumental in making Shawn Michaels a household name. This match saw Hart just barely emerge victorious under Michaels’ relentless assault in his quest for the championship belt.
5. 1988’s 20-Man Elimination Tag Match
The first Royal Rumble might have happened this same year, but the 20-man elimination for the 1988 Survivor Series made it look like a backyard show. Coming together like freight trains, the Rougeau Brothers, the Conquistadors, the Bolsheviks, the Brain Busters, and Demolition went at it hammer-and-tongs with the Hart Foundation, the British Bulldogs, Young Stallions, the Rockers, and the Powers of Pain. Talk about a superstar overload!
6. 2002’s Triple Threat Tag Elimination Match
With the WWE Tag Team Championship on the line, this Survivor Series match was off the chain in so many different ways. Mucha lucha love in the ring between Rey Mysterio, helped by Edge, squaring off with Los Guerreros, saw some high-flying action. And the inclusion of the late, great Chris Benoit matched with Kurt Angle meant the drama was high in this fast-paced three-way tag event.
7. 2007’s Batista vs. Undertaker’s Hell in a Cell Match
Before he was beating up bad guys in space while dressed like a giant, murderous smurf, Batista had to face the Undertaker’s ire in the 2002 Survivor Series. Hell in a Cell left both superstars bloody and bruised, and not even the interference ending courtesy of Edge could take away the drama of this one. In fact, many pro wrestling fans say that the Con-Chair-To ending the Rated R Superstar that delivered the win to Batista was the shocking finale they never knew they wanted!
8. 1995’s Bret Hart vs. Diesel No DQ Championship Match
There’s a reason the Hitman has appeared so much on this list, and that’s because he's earned it. When Hart, at the absolute zenith of his career, took on the massive, looks-like-he-could-literally-eat-you Diesel in front of a capacity crowd at the 1992 Survivor Series, it was nothing short of pure art. Have you ever been beaten while tied to a table with a microphone? Diesel has, courtesy of you-know-who. It doesn’t get better than that!