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Solid 45) The Bad Guys vs. The Teamsters (’94) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – Good match for the most part, but ending where the members of the Teamsters were counted out sucked all of the positive momentum they had going for them out of it. Kind of typical of that era) 44) Razor, Macho Man, 123 Kid, and Marty Jannetty vs. IRS, Rick Martel, Diesel, and Adam Bomb (’93) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – The 3-star, paint by the numbers elimination match became somewhat the norm when in the early years of this Survivor Series. It wasn’t until later, when the matches had storylines that fueled them – something for the team to collectively shoot for - that they became much better than this) 43) Team Piper vs. Team Flair (’91) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – A fun match with a lot of classic Flair antics and great commentary from Heenan, forever the Flair fanatic. The unfortunate DQ finish when there were still six of the original eight competitors still left in the match soured an otherwise good match) 42) Survivor Series Wild Card Match (’95) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – There were a lot of feuding stars mashed into this match. The best of these kinds of matches have all had storylines and a purpose other than just surviving) 41) Team Hogan vs. Team Andre (’87) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – A borderline 3-star match that had more to do with the sheer astonishment associated with having so many big names involved in one elimination match. The fact that it’s the main-event of the inaugural event gives it an extra nudge toward inclusion) 40) Rocky Maivia, Jake Roberts, Marc Mero, and The Stalker vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Goldust, Crush, and Jerry Lawler (’96) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – Honestly, this barely made the list, but there was just enough solid action to back up the debut match of The Rock that I thought it worthy of being mentioned on the list) 39) Team Miz vs. Team Morrison (’09) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – A showcase for the future, perhaps, as several top heels for near and distant future were put on display. Miz, Drew McIntyre, and Sheamus all came out looking like gold) 38) Mankind vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (’98) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – Austin going up against McMahon made for great TV, at times, but it often made for repetitive, annoying PPV matches. Austin got screwed again, but the match was pretty good. It just wasn’t anything like what they did earlier that same year in back to back PPVs) 37) The Dream Team vs. The Enforcers (’89) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – One of the great things about the early Survivor Series cards that featured nothing but elimination matches was that each traditional SS match got plenty of time and showed off the depth of the late 80’s WWF roster. The finish to this match was weak, but the bulk of it was quite good) 36) John Cena vs. Chris Jericho (’08) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – Not nearly the caliber of match that they had back at Summerslam ’05, mostly based on Cena just looking rusty in the ring and the length of the match. It was clearly designed to tell a story of Cena the underdog coming back from neck surgery, but there was just something missing the entire time. I actually fell asleep while re-watching this for the column) 35) Edge vs. Test (’01) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – I always thought that Test was underrated because of strong matches like this. He had a lot of high impact moves that made for believable false finishes. He and Edge unified the US and IC titles in this match) Really Good 34) Tables Match: Bubba Ray, Spike, and Jeff Hardy vs. Rico and Three-Minute Warning (’02) (CMV1 rating - ***) (CMV1 note – This was the closest thing we got to a traditional tag team elimination match and it delivered to the best of its ability. Devon coming back to aid the babyface victory was a nice surprise as the match’s conclusion) 33) Undertaker vs. Mankind (’96) (CMV1 rating - ***1/4) (CMV1 note – These two had a good series of matches throughout 1996 and I would put this one on par with the others. The action went back and forth for a good 14-minutes before Taker got the win) 32) Team HBK vs. Team JBL (’08) (CMV1 rating - ***1/4) (CMV1 note – Solid traditional match with some nice work from Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, and the Miz. HBK and JBL played their parts nicely, but it was their teammates that carried the match. There were some nice spots worked in throughout and the match steadily progressed before reaching its climax) 31) The Rock vs. Triple H vs. Big Show (’99) (CMV1 rating - ***1/4) (CMV1 note – Pretty much your standard Attitude era main-event. It was heavy on the interference and had a dusty finish, complete with three different guys playing the all important role of the referee. Was there an era where ref bumps occurred more frequently?) 30) The Rock vs. Mankind (’98) (CMV1 rating - ***1/4) (CMV1 note – The biggest problem with trying to recreate the Montreal Screwjob is that it is impossible to replace real life drama coming out naturally in a man that feels wronged with half way decent acting. They did, however, do a nice job of keeping you guessing throughout this match, which was the final in the epic tournament for the vacant WWE title) 29) Ultimate Warriors vs. Heenan’s Family (’89) (CMV1 rating - ***1/4) (CMV1 note – Some nice work here, in particular from Arn Anderson, Haku, and the Rockers. It ultimately came down to sending the crowd home happy with Warrior overcoming the odds to get himself a one-in-one situation with Heenan, who had repeatedly screwed with Warrior throughout 1989) 28) Los Guerreros vs. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit vs. Rey Mysterio and Edge (’02) (CMV1 rating - ***1/4) (CMV1 note – There were several memorable tag matches from the SD brand in 2002 involving these six guys, but on this night there were a lot of botched moves that took me out of what they were trying to do. Certainly not a bad match by any means, but not of the caliber they were capable of) 27) Team Orton vs. Team Batista (’08) (CMV1 rating - ***1/4) (CMV1 note – Good action throughout the main part of the match, with fewer eliminations in the early going making it more interesting. Yet, it fell a little flat with the finish, as the whole point of the match was to have Batista and Orton lock horns and the only interaction they truly had was Orton giving him the RKO for the win) 26) Nation of Domination vs. Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson, and Legion of Doom (’97) (CMV1 rating - ***1/2) (CMV1 note – Quietly, these eight men performed the match of the night on arguably the most memorable evening in the history of the WWE. It will always be overlooked because it took place two matches prior to the Screwjob, but Shamrock had a standout performance as the sole Survivor of this bout that also saw Rocky Maivia show several flashes of the brilliance that would make him The Rock. I think this was the night, believe it or not, that I took notice of Rocky as a legit future star) 25) Team Kingston vs. Team Orton (’09) (CMV1 rating - ***1/2) (CMV1 note – Very good Survivor Series match that sent the crowd home happy with Kofi Kingston’s push getting a big nudge after he eliminated Orton to become the sole survivor. At 20-minutes in length, it provided the right amount of time needed to get one of these types of matches over without it looking silly to have so many eliminations, although there were still a lot of rapid falls early on) 24) HBK vs. Bret Hart (’97) (CMV1 rating - ***1/2) (CMV1 note – It’s so very difficult to rate this match because I think, in doing so, one should always take into account the overall presentation. What happened that night was one of the most talked about events in wrestling history. The Montreal Screwjob and the shock and awe that went with it was unbelievable. The match that preceded the memorable finish and happenings thereafter was nothing special. It was a brawl, plain and simple. Two guys that hated each other beating the tar out of one another from pillar to post all around the ringside area and into the crowd. It certainly was not my kind of match, but the ending was perhaps the most infamous moment in sports entertainment) 23) Tag Team Survivor Series Match (’87) (CMV1 rating - ***1/2) (CMV1 note – The first time you see this many tag teams involved in one match, you can’t help but let your draw drop and your eyes get wide. It’s quite a sight to see 10 tag teams in one ring. I’d never seen that many teams in one ring. It provided an interesting dynamic and a good match for the mid-card guys to bust their butts in. I’d hate to have been one of the fans at ringside, though. How would you see anything?) 22) HBK vs. Randy Orton (’07) (CMV1 rating - ***1/2) (CMV1 note – As I look back on the history of HBK’s storied career, one thing that I notice is a lack of a truly great match between he and Orton. There was always something holding them back, like in this match where a stipulation that disallowed Sweet Chin Music helped add something to their storyline, but took away an element that could’ve helped them put on a more memorable, potentially 4-star effort. Hindsight is 20/20) 21) John Cena vs. Kurt Angle (’05) (CMV1 rating - ***1/2) (CMV1 note – This was one of those cases where the crowd helped elevate a match’s rating because of how into it they were. While Angle and Cena continued to struggle to have a great match – and part of that was because they only received 13-minutes to work with – the crowd ate up everything that they did, duel chanting them from the opening bell to the moment the ref’s hand slapped the mat thrice) The Best of the Rest (Great) 20) Triple H and Jeff Hardy’s Team vs. Umaga’s Team (’07) (CMV1 rating - ***1/2) (CMV1 note – A really good traditional style Survivor Series match, but not a memorable one. This was more or less a vehicle to further put Triple H over Umaga, while subsequently continuing the process of getting Jeff Hardy over to the point of being a main-event player. For you historians out there, this was pretty much the beginning of the Hardy main-event push) 19) Rude’s Brood vs. Roddy’s Rowdies (’89) (CMV1 rating - ***1/2) (CMV1 note – A very good match with a thrilling final few minutes from Mr. Perfect and Jimmy Snuka. This was well on its way to the four-star level before two of the most prominent characters in the match – Rude and Piper – were counted out for brawling outside the ring. I have never been a proponent of that kind of thing, even back then when it was quite common. Once it got down to Rude/Perfect vs. Piper/Snuka, this match kicked it into high gear and never looked back) 18) Shelton Benjamin vs. Christian (’04) (CMV1 rating - ***1/2) (CMV1 note – This was many people’s mid-card MOTY for the year 2004. I had it tied with Jericho-Christian from Mania XX, as I’ve struggled to separate one excellent mid-card performance from Captain Charisma from another. He had such a great year in ’04, as did Shelton in his breakout year as a singles performer. ‘Tis a shame that neither have ever been given a shot higher up the card) 17) HBK vs. Sycho Sid (’96) (CMV1 rating - ***1/2) (CMV1 note – I don’t know how many of you actually remember Sid, but he was the kind of guy that needed to be carried by a tremendously superior wrestler to have a good match. HBK pulled a helluva match out of Sid on this night in 1996…arguably Sid’s best match ever. The crazy thing is that it actually could have been better with a little bit more back and forth and a cleaner finish, but that’s neither here nor there, I guess) 16) Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (’92) (CMV1 rating - ***3/4) (CMV1 note – A very methodical pace throughout the first twenty minutes of this thirty-minute championship match. They picked up the pace and got it out of first gear for the last ten minutes, but it was not one of their greatest matches. Nonetheless, HBK’s first PPV main-event and Bret’s first PPV title defense was a really good match that went back and forth with several changes in momentum. Bobby Heenan was great on commentary, at one point awarding the match to Michaels on “points”) 15) Triple H vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (’00) (CMV1 rating - ***3/4) (CMV1 note – I have said it many times before during this column series that I was never a huge fan of Austin’s Attitude era style nor the Attitude era wrestling style in general, so while many may consider this a classic, I consider it to be a very good match but nothing of the four-star variety. They beat the hell out of each other and put over the personal nature of the feud, but any no-DQ match that ends in a no-contest deserves to take a hit in the rating department) 14) Hell in a Cell Match: Batista vs. Undertaker (’07) (CMV1 rating - ***3/4) (CMV1 note – Not quite of the standard that I had hoped it would reach, given the high quality of the matches they had throughout the year 2007. I had somewhat expected something on par with what Batista and Triple H had done inside the Cell, which I consider to be a classic gimmick match. This was a good effort that they should be proud of, but I could never shake the feeling of slight disappointment – part of it was a lackluster crowd) 13) The Hulkamaniacs vs. The Million Dollar Team (’89) (CMV1 rating - ***3/4) (CMV1 note – Despite several disqualification eliminations, this was one of the better early traditional Survivor Series matches that you’ll see. It progressed nicely until it was just Hogan and Jake Roberts left to face 3 heels, at which time the roof was about to blow off the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago. The final sequences between Hogan and Dibiase was excellent, including one of my favorite spots in wrestling – the double clothesline. It ended with Hogan dropping the leg after the big boot, which was predictable. However, the back and forth swings in momentum featured in this bout were precisely the kind of thing that made these early Survivor Series matches great) The Best of the Best (Excellent) 12) John Cena vs. HBK vs. Triple H (’09) (CMV1 rating - ****) (CMV1 note – You put three of the best in the business together and you’re going to get something very easy on the eyes. The lack of any kind of build-up for this match hindered them in being able to tell a memorable story, but the action was just what you’d expect between these three. The teases of tension between the DX members was intriguing, particularly the opening 5 seconds of the match when HBK superkicked HHH out of the ring to start things off) 11) Team Orton vs. Team Triple H (’04) (CMV1 rating - ****) (CMV1 note – One of the things that made this match so good was the storyline behind it. On the line for each team was the opportunity for each winning member to have complete control of Monday Night Raw for a week. That might be one of the most realistic reasons to strive for victory in the history of this event. The match played out very well, building up to the finish that put Orton and Triple H against each other during the height of their feud. While their first storyline flopped for the most part, this was one of the few nights where it seemed to work. On a side note, there is a sign being held up in the background during this match that read “Ha! Batista Can’t Get Over.” How ironic that just 5 months later, he’d become the most over star in the business and defeat Triple H for the title at Wrestlemania) 10) Submission Match: Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund (’94) (CMV1 rating - ****) (CMV1 note – I have always thought this match to be somewhat underrated. It was a lengthy, back and forth affair that kept you guessing as to who was going to win, all the while furthering the classic story from 1994 involving Bret and Owen Hart. The numerous momentum changes combined with the surprise finish featuring Owen convincing his mother to throw in the towel, thus causing Bret to lose the title, is a long forgotten, yet classic Survivor Series moment) 9) Steel Cage Match: Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz (’01) (CMV1 rating - ****) (CMV1 note – It started off as a traditional tag match inside a cage, but eventually degenerated into a tornado-style bout. I think it’s difficult to pull off a tag team cage match, especially the psychological aspect; yet, I believe this is probably the best tag team cage match that you’ll ever see. It took place during an era where high risk was highly rewarded, so there was a plethora of daring stunts, including the crazy finish where D-Von goaded Jeff into performing a Swanton from the top of the cage through a table!) 8) Tag Team Survivor Series Match (’88) (CMV1 rating - ****) (CMV1 note – This is highly recommended viewing material if you ask me. The sheer sight of 18-men surrounding a ring was something to see – of course, we’d already seen that the year before – but this was better and longer than the original. A lot of great tag team moves and non-stop action. You’ll find yourself glued to your seat and watching intently as not to miss anything in this 43-minute encounter. This was the lone bright spot of the 2nd annual event) 7) Last Man Standing Match: Triple H vs. Ric Flair (’05) (CMV1 rating - ****) (CMV1 note – It was utterly amazing what Flair was capable of doing despite his already advanced age at that time. Trips really sold well for him and did a nice job of making it look possible that he could lose a match of this sort to a man 20 years his senior. A truly hardcore brawl that saw several swings in momentum for ultimately reaching its satisfying conclusion) 6) Elimination Chamber Match: HBK vs. HHH vs. Y2J vs. Booker T vs. Kane vs. RVD (’02) (CMV1 rating - ****) (CMV1 note – I’ll start by saying that this match is overrated and that there have been several EC matches much better than this one. However, I always try to keep in mind the rating that I gave a match upon first viewing. The novelty and the excitement surrounding such a concept was excellent, so even though the injury to Triple H clearly messed up the flow of the match upon further viewings, the first look at it while watching at Hooter’s all those years ago was quite enjoyable. I thought it was a great match with a thrilling build and conclusion) 5) Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart (’96) (CMV1 rating - ****) (CMV1 note – Most people recall their match at Wrestlemania as the best match of their series, but I’m not sure I agree with that. I have always thought that their match 5 months earlier was just as good if not better. I think it depends on your preference, as I prefer the mat-based style to the virtual hardcore brawl that we saw at Mania 13. This was a very old-school match. I’m not sure many of the fans that grew up watching the Attitude era would like this one very much. It started off very methodical and took awhile to get out of first gear thanks to the amount of time they were given) 4) Bret Hart vs. Diesel (’95) (CMV1 rating - ****) (CMV1 note – One of the better matches in Kevin Nash’s career thanks to the Hitman and the No-DQ stipulation that allowed them to cut a few corners. This was a match truly ahead of its time in that it integrated some of the hardcore elements that would become commonplace just a short time later. One memorable spot saw Diesel powerbomb Hart through the Spanish announce table – a spot unheard of during a WWE match at that time) 3) Team Smackdown vs. Team Raw (’05) (CMV1 rating - ****1/4) (CMV1 note – Excellent match that was the fitting culmination of a very entertaining interbrand feud at the time. Much as he’d done two years prior, Shawn Michaels was the star of the match, playing the face-in-peril as well as anyone ever has and leading up to a furious comeback that just fell short thanks to, again, Randy Orton. One thing that can be said for the modern Survivor Series match versus the old school ones is that those that are more recent do a better job of building to a more exciting climax. This is proof positive of that statement. You will not find many better examples of how to book and perform a Survivor Series match than this right here) 2) Team WWF vs. Team WCW/ECW Alliance (’01) (CMV1 rating - ****1/2) (CMV1 note – I have only seen this match one time; that one time being live in the arena in Greensboro just a few miles from my house when it happened. I absolutely loved this match. The Invasion angle may have largely been a flop, but that cannot take away from the quality of this match. The atmosphere was great, as some of the biggest stars in the history of the industry took part. They did a nice job of building the intrigue as to who would be the turncoat, and perhaps because this was just prior to my IWC days, I thought it played out really well when they revealed the identity of the defector. Of course, having it come down to Rock and Austin was a nice touch) 1) Team Bischoff vs. Team Austin (’03) (CMV1 rating - ****1/2) (CMV1 note – After taking a one year hiatus, the traditional Survivor Series match came back with a bang in 2003, featuring the climax of the Austin-Bischoff as dueling GMs feud that ran from post-Mania until November. What a match it was, with excellent performances from Chris Jericho, the Dudley Boys, Randy Orton, and especially Shawn Michaels. HBK had a signature performance, the kind that only further established that he was truly back and better than ever. It should have been the main-event, as the crowd, the performers, and the Bischoff-Austin interaction were all spot on) Agree? Disagree with certain choices? Share your opinion. What do you think is the best match in Survivor Series history? The Road to Wrestlemania is Coming
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