WWE Survivor Series: 10 Most Surprising Moments In The History Of The PPV
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Survivor Series is one of the "Big Four" original WWE pay-per-views, along with the Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, and Summerslam; the first edition of the show was in 1987, and the latest edition, which will air live on the WWE Network on November 18, will be the 32nd iteration of the event.
But despite its longevity, Survivor Series is the least prestigious of the four original events. January's Royal Rumble is the beginning of the Road to Wrestlemania. April's Wrestlemania, of course, is the end of that road. August's SummerSlam is the anti-Wrestlemania, where the narrative turns and the heroes often lose, so they can triumph in April.
That leaves November's Survivor Series, which is right in the middle of company's narrative dead zone, before things pick up at the beginning of the new year, and when WWE is competing against the NFL for viewers.
So compared to Wrestlemania, there aren't a lot of big moments at Survivor Series. But when there is a moment, it's inevitably a massive one. It needs to be to stand out and pull people away from football and the holiday season.
Here are the 10 most shocking moments in Survivor Series history. If you liked this, check out the match card for this year's Survivor Series. And check in with Gamespot on Sunday, November 18, when we will cover the entire event live.
10. The Undertaker Returns (2005)
The Dead Man is famous for his effects-heavy returns. This has been especially true in recent years; because he works an increasingly sporadic schedule, his rare appearances are even more special. At Wrestlemania 34, for example, his entrance had everything: lasers, flames, smoke, and lightning effects galore.
This particular return at Survivor Series, in 2005, was lower budget, but no less effective. Undertaker emerged from a flaming casket to clean house, stare down Randy Orton, and close the PPV. Orton was an excellent juxtaposition to the Dead Man: a youthful, arrogant jerk versus a grizzled experienced warrior. And the terrified look on Orton's face told everyone that the Legend Killer was way in over his head.
9. The Shield Debuts (2012)
The Shield, comprised of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns, was originally a mercenary-for-hire group that protected CM Punk. They made their debut at Survivor Series, when they interfered in a triple threat between John Cena, Ryback, and Punk. There were no combat vests or 2-way radio intros yet. But the chemistry and the brutality were already there, and we watched three future world champions began their ascent.
8. Bob Backlund Wins the WWE Championship (1994)
When Bob Backlund returned to WWE in the mid-90s, he was a bit of novelty. He had the misfortune of being WWE's top guy right before the company went national, and thus, benefitted little from WWE's commercial explosion of the late 80s. He was older with an unsculpted body. So it was an utter shock when Backlund won the WWE Championship at Survivor Series, after Bret Hart's mother threw in the towel for her son.
Unfortunately for Backlund, his return to the spotlight didn't last long. Three days later at Madison Square Garden, Backlund lost the title to Diesel. He got gut-kicked, Jackknifed, and pinned in eight seconds.
7. The Rock Goes Corporate (1998)
The Rock had gone through different character phases: first as a pure goofy babyface Rocky Maivia, then as a Nation of Domination heel, and then as a trash talking jock babyface who called himself the People's Champion.
But then at Survivor Series he hugged Shane McMahon and Vince McMahon in the ring and allied himself with the Authority. It felt like a slap in the face that the guy who mocked authority was now taking orders from it. For over a year, he was the Corporate Champion. He developed a vindictive cruel streak, most memorably during his months-long feud with Mankind.
6. Goldberg Squashes Brock Lesnar (2016)
The first time these two men fought each other was at Wrestlemania XX; the match was terrible and the crowd booed both men, who were leaving WWE to pursue other professional opportunities.
Years later, at Survivor Series (2016), Lesnar and Goldberg had their rematch, which was cross-promoted with WWE 2K17's "Suplex City" marketing campaign. But shockingly, Goldberg won in less than a minute-and-a-half after dominating his opponent.
For years, Lesnar was built up as an unbeatable threat. He dominated Cena at Summerslam (2014). He handed Undertaker his first Wrestlemania loss at Wrestlemania XXX. But this Survivor Series match was proof that the Beast could actually be beaten.
5. Sting Debuts (2014)
For years, long after his WCW colleagues signed contracts with WWE, Sting remained unsigned. And it was getting to the point where fans assumed he would never make the jump. He would the one guy in the industry who could turn down Vince McMahon.
But at Survivor Series in 2014, Sting got involved in the final match of the night between Team Cena and Team Authority, setting up a Wrestlemania feud between himself and Triple H. For the fans in attendance and watching on television, the mere novelty of seeing Sting on WWE programming was shocking enough.
4. Austin Uses a Forklift To Dump Triple H (2000)
Sometimes, the wrestlers take themselves a little too seriously. They might try to murder each other (kayfabe, of course.) And one of the more explicit murder attempts came at Survivor Series, when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin hoisted Triple H's car into the air upside down, and then dropped it directly on its hood, apparently crushing The Game inside. It makes Braun Strowman's ambulance-tipping antics look like patty cakes.
3. Stone Cold Gets Hit by a Car (1999)
Of course, Triple H was no angel either. He hired Rikishi to run over Austin with a car the prior year, sidelining him for months. So one bad turn deserves another.
The real reason why this happened was that Austin needed time off to treat his neck; it had gotten progressively worse ever since Owen Hart botched his piledriver against Austin at Summerslam (1997). The injury, and subsequent neck fusion, would lead to Austin's early retirement.
2. The Undertaker Debuts (1990)
When the Undertaker debuted, it was as the final member of Ted Dibiase's Survivor Series team. Back then, he was accompanied by Brother Love rather than Paul Bearer. And though he seemed spooky and haunted, he was not the magic conjuring, lightning shooting Phenom that we know and love today.
This moment proved the value of commentators. They cannot make a bad match into a good one, but they can elevate a good match into a great one. That night, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was in the booth, and he had the best line: "LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT HAM HOCK!" That, combined with the low angle shots and the reactions of frightened children, made this debut a particularly memorable, shocking moment.
1. The Montreal Screwjob (1997)
There's no surprise pick for number 1. Of course, the Montreal Screwjob is the most shocking thing to ever happen at Survivor Series. It's one of the most shocking things to ever happen in WWE, period, and it changed the industry forever.
It's a long and oft-told story. But here's a Cliffs Notes version.
Bret Hart was WWE champion, and he was planning quit and go to WCW to make more money. Conventionally, the champion should lose to his opponent and drop the belt before heading to the other company. But Bret, who hated his Survivor Series opponent Shawn Michaels, didn't want to lose to him, let alone be stripped of the title in his home country of Canada..
So Vince McMahon took matters into his own hands. He worked out a secret plan in which Shawn would put Bret in the Sharpshooter, and the referee would pretend to see Bret submit and call for the bell. Shawn would win the title, and Bret would be taken completely off guard.
The plan worked, but not without its complications. Bret got so legitly mad that he spit in Vince's face by ringside and punched him out backstage. And the fans turned on Vince so drastically, that he decided to go along with it and became the evil heel character Mr. McMahon. The Montreal Screwjob kicked off a Renaissance period for WWE, even though no one involved it yet. For one night, wrestling was as real as it could possibly be.