The Gobbedly Gooker debuts
1990
50
While not a great gain to the wrestling industry, The Gobbedly Gooker was the culmination of a two month storyline over what would hatch from a giant egg. Fans were told it would hatch at the Survivor Series. Instead of getting a new competitor, we got Hector Guerrero in a bird costume dancing with Mean Gene.
Last week, we looked at the Top 50 Survivor Series Teams. This week, we explore a completely different aspect of WWE's second-oldest pay-per-view.
Let's be honest - as unique as the four-on-four or five-on-five elimination matches are, they aren't the only part of Survivor Series worth remembering. There have been a lot of traditional singles and tag team matches over the past 27 years, not to mention title changes, feuds, guest appearance, debuts, retirements and other memorable moments.
This week's Top 50 list counts down the best Survivor Series moments over the years and certainly isn't limited to the in-ring action. You may be surprised how many important things happened at the Thanksgiving Day Tradition.
Ready? Here we go!
No one was expecting a scientific classic when The Great Khali took on Hornswoggle, but it certainly made for a memorable moment. Hornswoggle's apparent father, Vince McMahon, was showing his illegitimate son some tough love by having him square off against the gigantic Khali. In the end, Swoggle's real father, Finlay, ended up getting involved and getting his son disqualified.
49
Biggest vs. Smallest
2007
The month prior, Batista had turned heel on his friend Rey Mysterio and this was the first time the two would meet in the ring. The Animal wanted to prove he meant business, and did so by delivering a crushing spinebuster to Mysterio on top of a steel chair. Mysterio was then stretchered away.
Any names missing or misplaced? Leave your feedback in the Comments section below...
The Rock and John Cena were already set for an epic clash at the following year's WrestleMania, but decided to team up to take out the troublemaking team of The Miz and R-Truth. With tension apparent during the entire match, Rock and Cena won handily, adding even more drama to their eventual main event.
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Bam Bam Bigelow was sick and tired of Doink's antics, so he built a team around himself, Bastion Booger and The Headshrinkers to take care of Doink and his three lookalikes. In the end, Doink had wringers - Men on a Mission and The Bushwhackers - dressed up like the clown to take care of the heels.
Four Doinks are better than one 1993
48
The only Hell In A Cell match at Survivor Series took place in 2007, when Batista defended his World Title against The Undertaker. In a rematch of their WrestleMania classic, the two had a bloody, brutal encounter that ended when Edge was hiding in the Cell as a cameraman and knocked Taker unconscious.
Back when they were seen as separate brands, SmackDown and Raw were constantly at odds, with General Managers Teddy Long and Eric Bischoff exchanging heated words. At the Survivor Series, the two non-wrestlers had an actual match, with Long winning due to The Boogeyman's interference.
46
Battle of the General Managers 2005
A number of competitors from both the WWF and the ECW/WCW Alliance were entered in this match, including The APA, The Hurricane, Tazz and Diamond Dallas Page, with the winner not being able to fired for an entire year, even if their respective brand lost at night's end. Test won the match and kept his job.
45
Test wins the
Immunity Battle Royale
2001
It was a two-on-one match for the Divas Championship, with Michelle McCool and Layla defending their co-owned championship against Natalya. In the end, the third-generation superstar trapped McCool in her sharpshooter submission hold and captured her first Divas Championship.
44
Natalya topples Team LayCool 2010
A month earlier at the Badd Blood pay-per-view, Kane made his presence known, interfering in the main event. But at Survivor Series, The Big Red Machine had his very first match, competing against the deranged Mankind. In a brutal back-and-forth contest, Kane won and advanced his persona further.
43
Kane makes his debut
1997
Triple H and his former manager Ric Flair had met in several different types of encounters, but none as barbaric as their Last Man Standing match. A disgustingly bloody Flair took three straight pedigrees from The Game and kept getting up. A sledgehammer slot from Triple H put Flair down for good.
42
Triple H vs. Ric Flair
Last Man Standing
2005
The second half of 2002 was highlighted by a three-way tag team war between Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, Edge and Rey Mysterio and Eddie and Chavo Guerrero. The teams had one big final encounter at Survivor Series in a match of the year candidate that Los Guerreros won, capturing the tag team belts.
41
The SmackDown Six series ends
2002
40
The Rock and John Cena team up 2011
Top 50 Lists
It was one of the best overall Survivor Series teams on paper - Triple H and Shawn Michaels of D-Generation X, Matt and Jeff Hardy and CM Punk. And they lived up to their hype, with the entire group overcoming the team of Edge, Randy Orton, Gregory Helms, Mike Knox and Johnny Nitro.
39
Team DX has clean sweep over competition
2006
The only "Wild Card" match in Survivor Series history took place in 1995, with the random grouping of Shawn Michaels, Sid, Ahmed Johnson and The British Bulldog (no relation) against Yokozuna, Owen Hart, Razor Ramon and Dean Douglas. Michaels, Johnson and Bulldog won the unique contest.
38
Wild Card Match
1995
John Cena was in a unique situation - he'd previously lost a match that made him a member of Nexus. Here, if he helped Nexus leader Wade Barrett win his match, he'd be set free. But if he let WWE Champion Randy Orton retain the belt, he'd be fired. Orton won and as a result, Cena was briefly fired.
37
John Cena referees
Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett "Free or Fired" match
2010
Upon his WWE arrival, Scott Steiner was declared a free agent was unsure whether he'd sign with Raw or SmackDown. This wasn't made clearer when SmackDown's Matt Hardy and Raw's Christopher Nowinski got together in an interview segment. Big Poppa Pump then cleared the ring of both men.
36
Big Poppa Pump arrives
2002
No one had any clue whom The Million Dollar Man had purchased to be the mystery partner on his team against a squad captained by Dusty Rhodes. It turned out to be the debuting Undertaker who made quick work of Koko B. Ware and proved to be a fearsome competitor in the ring.
35
The Undertaker debuts
1990
34
Batista lays Rey Mysterio
out on a stretcher
2009
Kane and Shane McMahon had waged a surprisingly-brutal war in the weeks leading up to this match, including vehicular injuries and zapping McMahon's testicles with a car battery (yes, seriously). The Ambulance Match saw Kane deliver his tombstone to Shane O'Mac on the floor before he was taken away.
33
Kane lays Shane McMahon
out in an ambulance
2003
Lita defended her WWE Women's Championship against Mickie James at the Survivor Series and it was generally understood that Lita was retiring following the match. James won, naturally, but then Lita was further shamed when the members of Cryme Tyme auctioned off her personal belongings to the crowd.
32
Lita Retires
2006
31
Randy Orton RKO's Mark Cuban 2003
During an in-ring segment, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff goaded Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban into the ring and challenged him to a fight. The future Shark stood up for himself and actually shoved Bischoff out of the ring. But as soon as he turned around, Randy Orton was in the ring and delivered an RKO "out of nowhere" to the billionaire businessman.
For weeks leading up to the Survivor Series, the WWF ran Kurt Angle vignettes, proclaiming him to be "the most celebrated REAL athlete in WWF history" and the industry's only Olympic gold medalist. After telling the fans not to boo an Olympic gold medalist, he made short work of his opponent, Shawn Stasiak.
30
Kurt Angle makes professional wrestling debut
1999
It was a very confusing but memorable storyline when Demolition's longtime manager Mr. Fuji assisted his team's chief rivals The Powers of Pain. Soon, Warlord and Barbarian were heels and Ax and Smash were fan favorites, although it was difficult to understand that at the conclusion of the match.
29
The Powers of Pain and Demolition switch allegiances
1988
Mr. Bob Backlund captured his second WWF World Heavyweight Championship at the Survivor Series in an I Quit match against Bret Hart. While Bret Hart didn't submit, Backlund's cornerman Owen Hart convinced Bret's parents to throw in the towel on behalf of Bret, stripping him of the title.
28
Bob Backlund wins WWF Title
1994
Both major singles championships changed hands at Survivor Series in 2008. In one match, it was supposed to be Triple H vs. Vladimir Kozlov vs. Jeff Hardy for the WWE Title, but Hardy was found unconscious and Edge was declared an entrant mid-match and won the title. Elsewhere on the card, John Cena returned from injury and defeated Chris Jericho for the World Championship.
27
John Cena/Edge win
World/WWE Titles
2008
Throughout the year, Bret Hart and Diesel had clashed but never with a conclusive finish. At the Survivor Series, the two had a no-disqualification match for Diesel's WWF World Title. After Diesel set Hart up for his patented jackknife powerbomb, Hart slipped away and turned it into a small package for the win.
26
Bret Hart wins the WWF Title
1995
Earlier in the year at SummerSlam, Alberto Del Rio had cashed in his Money In The Bank title opportunity to snag CM Punk's WWE Championship. In the return match at Survivor Series, Punk withstood Del Rio's armbreaker and latched onto his Anaconda Vice to recapture the championship.
25
CM Punk wins the WWE Title
2011
Despite having a size advantage, The Big Show was looked at as an underdog in his WWE Title match against Brock Lesnar. Even with Lesnar's ribs taped up before the match, it seemed like a mismatch. But what no one counted on was Lesnar's manager Paul Heyman turning on him and siding with The Big Show.
24
Big Show wins the WWE Title
2002
A few years earlier, The Big Show wasn't even considered championship caliber and was a last-minute entrant into the WWF World Title match that also featured The Rock and Triple H. And while no one expected Show to end up with the championship, that's exactly what happened at the end of the night.
23
Big Show wins the WWF Title
1999
In a case of life imitating art, Batista and King Booker had some backstage heat going into this Survivor Series match. This was also The Animal's last chance at the World Title if he was unsuccessful here. But outside interference from Queen Sharmell backfired and as a result, Batista came out of the match a champion.
22
Batista wins the World Title
2006
Shawn Michaels was defending his WWF World Title against former bodyguard Sycho Sid in Madison Square Garden, when Sid clocked Michaels's manager Jose Lothario with a television camera. Concerned about his manager's safety, Michaels was thrown off his game, and reliquinshed the championship to Sid.
21
Sycho Sid wins the WWF Title
1996
Bret Hart had recently captured his first WWF World Title and it had happened so quickly, he didn't have an immediate program. Instead, he was paired with Shawn Michaels, who had recently won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time. It wouldn't be their last Survivor Series encounter.
20
Champion vs. Champion
1992
Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit and Maven were pitted against Triple H, Batista, Edge and Snitsky with a match that carried an unusual stipulation: the winning team would gain control of Monday Night Raw for four consecutive weeks. The babyfaces won the match and a result, Orton, Jericho, Benoit and Maven each took a turn serving as the interim General Manager of Raw that month.
19
Team Orton vs. Team Triple H
2004
Not it only was this match the only time The Rock 'n' Roll Express were featured in a tag team match in WWF/E pay-per-view history, but it was the only time that another promotion's title was defended on a WWF/E pay-per-view. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson's opponents, The Heavenly Bodies managed to capture the Smoky Mountain Tag Team Titles in this historic inter-promotional match.
18
Smoky Mountain Tag Team Title Match
1993
It was just about the biggest Survivor Series match one could imagine, with Hulk Hogan, Bam Bam Bigelow, Paul Orndorff, Ken Patera and Don Muraco battling Andre The Giant, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, Rick Rude and Butch Reed. Surprisingly, Hogan was counted out mid-way through the match, leaving Andre The Giant to defeat Bam Bam Bigelow for the main event win.
17
Team Hogan battles Team Andre
The First Survivor Series main event
1987
Bret Hart was making his big return to the WWF after a loss at WrestleMania and handpicked Stone Cold Steve Austin as his opponent. Not only did this match trigger a side feud between Austin and his former tag team partner Brian Pillman, but it began a six-month-long storyline in which Hart would eventually turn heel and Austin would become the industry's biggest fan favorite.
16
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hit Man Hart
The First Encounter
1996
As part of the Team WWF vs. Team Alliance theme at Survivor Series in 2001, the company was eliminating the duplicate sets of championships that were clogging up storylines throughout the InVasion storyline. As part of that, WCW United States Champion Edge defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Test to unify those belts, while WCW Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boyz defeated WWF Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz to unify the tag belts in a steel cage match.
15
Edge, The Dudleyz unify WWF/WCW belts
2001
The year 1994 was bookended by casket matches featuring The Undertaker and Yokozuna. During the first match, a dozen or so heels interfered on Yokozuna's behalf. Later that year at Survivor Series, the return match was held, with Chuck Norris as the special outside enforcer. When rulebreakers such as King Kong Bundy and Bam Bam Bigelow tried to interfere, Norris held them back, and he delivered a kick to Jeff Jarrett.
14
Chuck Norris doesn't referee a Casket Match;
a Casket Match referees Chuck Norris
1994
Feuding Co-General Managers of Raw Stone Cold Steve Austin and Eric Bischoff decided to end their rivalry at Survivor Series in 2003 by having teams that would decide their future. Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Rob Van Dam and The Dudley Boyz were on Austin's team, while Chris Jericho, Christian, Mark Henry, Scott Steiner and Randy Orton were on Bischoff's. In the end, Orton won for Team Bischoff and Austin gave an emotional farewell speech - which lasted for a few weeks until he was named the Sherriff of Raw.
13
Team Austin vs. Team Bischoff
2003
Team Co-Captains Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage had their work cut out for them teaming alongside scrubs like Hercules and Hillbilly Jim, but their odds were decreased even further when The Hulkster was handcuffed by rivals Akeem and The Big Boss Man. Manager Slick held the handcuff key, and some clever maneuvering by Miss Elizabeth allowed Hogan to uncuff himself and help win the match.
12
Handcuffed Mega Powers overcome the odds
1988
Vince McMahon looked to be an underdog when he challenged The Undertaker at Survivor Series, and much more so in the rarely-seen Buried Alive match. True to form, The Dead Man dominated The Chairman for most of the match, but when it appeared as though Mr. McMahon was about to be buried, Undertaker's estranged brother Kane helped Vinnie Mac bury The Phenom and win the match.
11
Mr. McMahon buries The Undertaker alive
2003
Stone Cold Steve Austin was all set to compete in a Triple Threat match at the Survivor Series against Triple H and The Rock, though it was heavily rumored he wouldn't make the match because he needed to have neck surgery. In a completely-unrelated development, Austin was in the parking lot before the match when a car ran him over, leaving Stone Cold in no condition to drive, much less wrestle.
10
Stone Cold Steve Austin gets hit by a car
1999
About a year later, Stone Cold Steve Austin returned to action and learned that Rikishi had driven the car to protect his relative The Rock, but that Triple H had masterminded the entire scheme. Austin beat The Game to a pulp during their one-on-one match, but after the bout, the hunt spilled out into the parking lot, where Triple H attempted to escape in his car. But Austin got ahold of a forklift, picked up the car and dropped it.
9
Steve Austin drops Triple H, car from forklift
2000
The first-ever Elimination Chamber match took place at Survivor Series, with World Champion Triple H defending his title against top contenders Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Chris Jericho, Kane and the returning Shawn Michaels. Very few people gave The Heartbreak Kid a serious chance at winning, given he'd only had one match in the prior few years, but HBK survived and won the belt in Madison Square Garden.
8
Shawn Michaels wins inaugural
Elimination Chamber, World Title
2002
The fourth annual event was different in that the winners of each traditional Survivor Series match would face each other in a final Match of Survival. On the babyface side, it was Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and for some reason, Tito Santana. They took on the heel team of The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, Rick Martel, The Warlord and Power and Glory. In the end, Hogan and Warrior stood tall in a nod to their previous feud.
7
The Match of Survival
1990
Arguably the most successful mainstream wrestler ever, The Rock's WWF career began at the Survivor Series, where,as Rocky Maivia, he teamed with Marc Mero, Jake The Snake Roberts and The Stalker (Barry Windham) against Jerry Lawler, Crush, Goldust and and Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Maivia was the Sole Survivor for the match, touching off a career that would later carry on to Hollywood.
6
The People's Champion debuts
1996
Exactly two years later, Rocky Maivia (now The Rock) had gone from fan favorite to heel and briefly flirted with being a babyface before the Survivor Series Deadly Games WWF Title Tournament happened. In the final round, The Rock was pitted against Vince McMahon's handpicked henchman Mankind, when Vinnie Mac suddenly switched allegiances, making The Rock a solid heel and McMahon's Corporate Champion.
5
The People's Champion is The Corporate Champion
1998
The Hart Family was supposed to be aligned when they challenged Shawn Michaels (originally Jerry Lawler) and his Knights to a traditional Survivor Series match. Brothers Bret, Bruce and Keith were on the same page but the youngest brother, Owen Hart was eliminated early in the bout. Incensed, he came back post-match to confront Bret, touching off a brother vs. brother rivalry that would last almost two years.
4
Owen Hart turns on Bret Hart and family
1993
It was only by the fifth edition of the Survivor Series that the WWF World Title was even defended, when Hulk Hogan battled The Undertaker in a match billed as "The Gravest Challenge". The Hulkster was struggling with The Phenom, who had set the world on fire since his debut a year earlier at the same pay-per-view. Suddenly, recent WCW defector Ric Flair came to ringside and slipped a chair to The Dead Man, who used the object to tombstone Hogan with and pin his shoulders to the mat for three, becoming WWF World Champion.
3
The Undertaker wins WWF Title from Hulk Hogan
1991
For most of 2001, Vince McMahon and his WWF were under attack by the Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon led Alliance, consisting of former WCW and ECW members. While the angle wasn't nearly as potent as it could have been, the two sides nonetheless feuded from April until November. It came down to match between Team WWF (The Rock, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, The Big Show and Kane) against Team Alliance (Steve Austin, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Shane McMahon and Kurt Angle), which The Rock ended up surviving.
2
Team WWF defeats Team Alliance
2001
Billed "the most controversial match in WWE history" (and for good reason), this match has made an indelible mark on wrestling. WWF World Champion Bret Hart was headed to WCW and was defending his championship against hated in-ring and backstage rival Shawn Michaels. Behind the scenes, Hart refused to lose to Michaels and vice versa. As a result, Vince McMahon hatched a plan that would have The Hit Man trapped in his own finishing move by Michaels, at which point McMahon would order the timekeeper to ring he bell and award the match and championship to The Heartbreak Kid. The fact that Hart didn't accept the finish and spat on McMahon at ringside (before decking him in the locker room) added to the drama and created a memory that now goes hand in hand with the rich history of the Survivor Series.
1
The Montreal Screwjob
1997
47
Hell comes to the Survivor Series 2007
