WWE is set to present the 37th annual Survivor Series event on November 25, 2023. WarGames will once again headline the show for the second consecutive year.
Survivor Series has been a staple of WWE’s autumnal programming since 1987 and is seen as one of the company’s traditional “big four” premium live events.
Which Survivor Series cards are the greatest in the event’s near four decade history? This feature looks at the five best.
#5 Survivor Series 1987 (November 26, 1987)
The inaugural Survivor Series was a top notch card. The show only presented four matches but all of them received plenty of time to develop. The shortest bout clocked in at 20 minutes.
‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat all survived in the first ever classic Survivor Series tag team encounter. All three men had feuded with The Honky Tonk Man in 1987 and were gunning for the Elvis impersonator. The Honky Tonk Man was the last surviving member for his squad and after absorbing blows from the face team, he intentionally got himself counted out to avoid any more punishment.
The 10-woman tag team elimination bout was the weakest match on the card but it was perfectly serviceable. Women’s Champion, Sherri Martel was surprisingly eliminated by Velvet McIntyre mid-way through the contest. The Jumping Bomb Angels survived as the faces won a decent encounter.
The 20-man tag team elimination match was a tour de force and delivered fast-paced action throughout. Considering the star power in the bout such as The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation Demolition and Strike Force, it was surprisingly the low card teams, The Killer Bees and The Young Stallions who survived.
The headliner saw WWF World Champion, Hulk Hogan team with Bam Bam Bigelow, Don Muraco, Paul Orndorff and Ken Patera. They lost to the colossal squad of Andre ‘The Giant, Rick Rude, Butch Reed, King Kong Bundy and The One Man Gang.
Hogan was shockingly counted out early which left Bigelow to face a three on one disadvantage. The plucky newcomer was somehow able to eliminate Bundy and Gang before succumbing to an Andre suplex. Andre was the sole survivor which set up his WWF Title victory over ‘The Hulkster’ at The Main Event TV special three months later.
With three excellent matches and a passable one, the first Survivor Series remains one of the finest events in its near four decade history. A superb show.
#4 Survivor Series 1996 (November 17, 1996)
The highlight of the 1996 Survivor Series was the gripping contest between Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Hart was making his WWF return after an eight month sabbatical and his performance demonstrated he had not lost a beat as he pinned Austin after a phenomenal back and forth battle, that is every bit as good as their more famous WrestleMania stunner.
The card was headlined by Shawn Michaels’s Federation Title defence against the giant, Sycho Sid. The New York crowd turned on Michaels’s babyface character and loudly cheered Sid, which made for an unforgettable atmosphere. Sid powerbombed his way to his first World Title in a memorable bout.
Underneath, The Undertaker finally claimed a notable victory over his arch nemesis, Mankind in a very good brawl. The Undertaker nailed Mankind with a Tombstone for a long overdue victory.
The Rock made his WWF debut as bland babyface, Rocky Maivia and shockingly was the sole survivor in his Survivor Series elimination match. Maivia eliminated Goldust and Crush to win a tedious encounter. Much better was the tag team elimination bout which saw newcomers Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon upset the Tag Team Champions, Owen Hart and The British Bulldog to establish themselves as a threat to the title. The match was a slow starter until the dead wood in The New Rockers and The Godwinns were ejected and then picked up markedly down the home stretch.
With only one poor match, two all-time classics and two more good ones, the 1996 Survivor Series was one of the greatest events of the era and still holds up today.
#3 Survivor Series 2003 (November 16, 2003)
Survivor Series 2003 began with a bang as the opener between Team Angle and Team Lesnar delivered in spades. Hardcore Holly was disqualified for attacking Brock Lesnar before the bell even rang which put his squad at a disadvantage. However, his teammates overcame the colossal Team Lesnar to win the bout. Chris Benoit and John Cena were the survivors.
Molly Holly defeated Lita in the poorest match on the show. The Basham Brothers successful Tag Team Title defence against Los Guerreros also disappointed.
However, the rest of the card was top drawer. Kane defeated Shane McMahon in a decent stunt match, which played to both men’s strengths. ‘The Big Red Machine’ blasted McMahon with a Tombstone on the concrete floor and bundled him into a waiting ambulance to win their Ambulance Match.
Team Bischoff defeated Team Stone Cold in a dramatic, blood soaked and emotional match-up. The stakes were high as Austin’s career was on the line. His team looked doomed when The Dudleyz were ejected which left Shawn Michaels alone against Christian, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton. Michaels eliminated both Christian and Jericho and seemingly had the match in hand. However, with Austin distracted battering Bischoff, Batista interfered and nailed ‘HBK’ with a Batista Bomb which left him easy prey for Orton to earn the win and retire Stone Cold (for a few weeks at least).
Not much could follow the emotion of that superlative contest but The Undertaker and Mr McMahon came close in a Buried Alive Match. In a hugely entertaining squash, ‘Big Evil’ battered McMahon senseless. McMahon was busted open immediately by a ‘Taker right hand and ‘The Phenom’ did not relent. However, for the second bout running there was decisive outside interference. Kane surprised his elder brother and buried him alive, giving McMahon an unlikely victory.
The main event saw World Champion, Goldberg clash with Triple H in the culmination of the $100,000 bounty storyline. Goldberg sold the ankle which had been injured by Batista several weeks before the show. The story of the match was whether Goldberg’s ankle would allow him to Spear and Jackhammer ‘The Game.’ After several failed attempts, ‘Da Man’ managed to nail Triple H with both and retain his gold in an entertaining contest.
With one all-time classic and four bouts ranging from good to very good, Survivor Series 2003 deserves to be ranked amongst the very best card in the event’s history.
#2 Survivor Series 2007 (November 18, 2007)
The 2007 Survivor Series provided the final chapter in the long running Batista versus The Undertaker feud. Fought under Hell in a Cell rules, the two behemoths battered each other senseless in a top drawer battle. A returning, Edge who had posed as a ringside cameraman interfered and cost ‘The Phenom’ the bout. Batista retained the belt champion and Edge set up what would become a title programme with The Undertaker which would headline WrestleMania.
Randy Orton successfully defended the WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels in a superb battle. Michaels was banned from using Sweet Chin Music and the story of the bout was ‘HBK’ trying to use other manoeuvres to win the gold. However, instinct took over and ‘The Showstopper’ attempted the Superkick only to pause, which left him easy prey for an Orton RKO. It was a stunningly fluid finishing sequence. Excellent contest.
Team Triple H beat Team Umaga in an entertaining Classic Survivor Series tag team elimination bout. Triple H and Jeff Hardy survived.
CM Punk retained the ECW Title against John Morrison and The Miz in a decent triple threat encounter and Cade and Murdoch retained the Tag Team Title opposite Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly in a decent bout.
The remainder of the card was missable filler. However, with two excellent matches and two more very good ones, the 2007 Survivor Series was a phenomenal event.
#1 Survivor Series 2018 (November 18, 2018)
The greatest Survivor Series ever is the most recent card on this list. The show was themed as Raw versus SmackDown and most of the bouts saw Raw wrestlers take on their SmackDown counterparts.
The headliner saw Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar clash with WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan in a superlative big man versus little man contest. ‘The Beast’ dominated the early going, but Bryan used his wits to gain the upper hand before ultimately succumbing to Lesnar’s superior power.
Ronda Rousey had been scheduled to clash with Becky Lynch, but a mistimed punch on Raw by Nia Jax saw ‘The Man’ sidelined. Charlotte Flair stepped in and what followed was the greatest women’s match in WWE history. The pair battered each other senseless in a gripping, super stiff, realistic bout. The finish came when Flair, unable to put Rousey away resorted to smashing her with kendo stick shots which earned her a disqualification. The match is also notable for the post-match reaction to Rousey who heard boos for the first time from the live crowd.
Seth Rollins squared off with Shinsuke Nakamura in a choice contest and Buddy Murphy pinned Mustafa Ali in a superior, high flying match-up.
The Women’s Classic Survivor Series Elimination tag team match was passable. It was flat in the early going before stepping up a notch down the stretch. Nia Jax survived for Team Raw, which following the aforementioned injury of Lynch, was a deeply unpopular result. It made for an unforgettable atmosphere.
The Men’s Classic Survivor Series Elimination tag team bout was superior but had a little too much Shane McMahon for the LA crowd’s liking. McMahon was left alone against the triumvirate of Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley being pinned by Strowman.
The only match that didn’t deliver at all was the match between The Bar and The Authors of Pain. This was little more than a house show style match which culminated in an unfunny spot where Drake Maverick wet himself.
However, with three tremendous matches that all broke at least **** and three more decent ones, the 2018 Survivor Series ranks as the best event in the show’s near four decade history. It was superb.
You can watch every single Survivor Series premium live event exclusively on the WWE Network.