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THE SPECIALISTS
RETRO SPECIALIST – Torch Readers’ Top 10 Survivor Series Matches in WWE History

Dec 3, 2006 - 9:12:00 PM
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By Octavio Fierros

I would like to thank our wonderful Torch readers for voting for the Top 10 matches in the history of Survivor Series. This week, I’m going to show you the final results of the voting and I should return next week with the Top 10 Survivor Series moments in history. I’m going to give you a full analysis of each and every match in the Top 10, according to you, the Torch reader. So sit back and enjoy the ride back to the greatest matches in Survivor Series history.

I will be back next time with Survivor Series Greatest Moments, according to our Torch readers. E-mail your feedback here: octaviofierros@yahoo.com

***

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(Top ranked match was 10 points; #10 ranked was 1 point.)

10. Team WWF vs. Team Alliance – Survivor Series 2001, November 18, 2001, Greensboro, NC

Pre-Match Analysis: When the WWE purchased WCW in March 2001, fans were wondering how Vince McMahon was going to fit WCW into the picture. Well, he did what fans expected and that’s have WCW invade WWE and start a war as part of a big storyline. But there were some plans that fans really didn’t expect. WCW had a great group of wrestlers to fight off WWE. But ECW was also mixed in the picture and they decided to join ECW to take on WWE. Stephanie McMahon became the “owner” of ECW and Shane McMahon was in charge of WCW. Both brother and sister decided to join forces to take on Vince. At the Survivor Series, it was time to end the war. The WWE featured their top five stars against the top five of Alliance. Wrestlers featured in Team WWE: The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and The Big Show. Team Alliance featured Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Shane McMahon, and Rob Van Dam.
Match Analysis: The Rock was the sole survivor of the team, thanks to Austin. Yes, Austin helped Team WWE win the match. That was months after Austin turned on Team WWE at the Invasion PPV. Vince McMahon came out after the match and raised his hands in victory. It was The Rock’s first pinfall victory over Austin on PPV.
Post-Match Analysis: The WWE made it seem like WCW and ECW were done after this match. The WWE decided to give airtime to WCW and ECW talent by adding the infamous brand extension. One important legend returned the night after to become co-owner of WWE and his name is Ric Flair.

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9. Bret Hart vs. Diesel – Survivor Series 1995, November 19, 1995, Landover, MD

Pre-Match Analysis: The Bret Hart-Diesel feud goes back 17 months before this match. It started when Diesel was the IC champion as a heel under the guidance of best friend Shawn Michaels. Bret Hart was WWE Champion at the time. Diesel won the match via disqualification when Jim Neidhart interfered. Diesel claimed that he should’ve won the WWE Title that night (King of the Ring 1994) if it wasn’t for his brother-in-law getting involved. Seven months later, Bret Hart wanted to prove that he can beat Diesel in the middle of the ring. At the 1995 Royal Rumble, Diesel was WWE Champion. The match ended in a no-contest when Bob Backlund, Owen Hart, and Shawn Michaels interfered. Eleven months after the Rumble, Diesel gave Bret a rematch with the WWE Title on the line. That was at the Survivor Series in the capital of the United States.
Match Analysis: Bret Hart won the third PPV match against Diesel to win the WWE Title for the third time in his career. Both men entered the match as babyfaces, but Diesel turned heel afterwards. Well, Diesel was actually a tweener (babyface playing heel tactics or vice versa) as he revealed his character the following night on Raw. The match had its moments with the first ever announcer table bump from Bret. Diesel thought he had the match won with that move, but Bret was playing possum and surprised him with a small package to win the match. Diesel was not happy and jackknifed Bret three times. Diesel was not heavily booed, but he made it clear that he needed a change after becoming the “top” face in the business that year.
Post-Match Analysis: Bret Hart and Diesel wrestled in their final match three months later in a steel cage. Bret won the match to retain the WWE Title, thanks to Undertaker’s interference from under the ring.

8. The Mega Powers’ Team vs. Twin Towers’ Team – Survivor Series 1988, November 24, 1988, Richfield, OH

Pre-Match Analysis: Hulk Hogan helped Randy Savage win the finals of a 14-man tournament for the WWE Title at WrestleMania IV. Andre the Giant was in Ted DiBiase’s corner during the match, but his interference backfired. Savage and Hogan teamed up to form The Mega Powers. A new tag team arrived in the scene called The Twin Towers. Big Boss Man and Akeem were managed by Slick. They feuded with The Mega Powers until the beginning of 1989.
Match Analysis: Other participants in the match and some tidbits: Hercules turned babyface prior to this PPV when he refused to be DiBiase’s slave. Hercules also dumped his longtime manager Bobby Heenan… Red Rooster makes his WWE debut under the guidance of The Brain… Hogan was handcuffed by The Twin Towers during the match as the heels were taking care of the WWE Champion.
Post-Match Analysis: The last time Mega Powers faced Twin Towers was on Saturday Night’s Main Event. That night, Savage turned on Hogan, setting up their match for WrestleMania V. Incredibly enough, Boss Man and Akeem faced each other at WrestleMania VI.

7. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels – Survivor Series 1992, November 25, 1992, Richfield, OH

Pre-Match Analysis: For the first time on major PPV, there was a main event that didn’t feature either Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, or Randy Savage. This was actually the beginning of the new generation for the WWE. Bret Hart had won the WWE Title from Ric Flair about a month earlier and Shawn Michaels won the IC Title from British Bulldog weeks before this event. Michaels was beginning his singles career as Bret already had about a year and a half in singles competition.
Match Analysis: This was one of the greatest all-around matches in PPV history. Fans were used to a different wrestling style with Hogan, Warrior, and Savage headlining PPVs, but this was a great wrestling clinic. Bret defeated Michaels to retain the WWE Title, but the Heartbreak Kid didn’t lose the IC Title.
Post-Match Analysis: See below in Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels from Survivor Series 1997.

6. Tag Team Survivor Series Elimination Match – Survivor Series 1988, November 24, 1988, Richfield, OH

Pre-Match Analysis: Tag teams were very popular in the 80s and part of the 90s. In the 80s, the WWE roster was thick with a lot of talent. The Survivor Series in 1988 was a great example of a great roster full of talent. Let’s take a look at the tag teams involved and their feuds with other tag teams: The Powers of Pain made their debut in 1988 under the guidance of Baron Van Rashcke… The Rockers also made their WWE debut that same year. They came from the AWA and were named The Midnight Rockers… The British Bulldogs continued to be a strong contender in the tag team division. This was their last PPV match as a tag team… The Hart Foundation recently turned babyface and dumped their manager Jimmy Hart. That was after Jimmy signed a new tag team called The Rougeau Brothers, who were on the opposite team… The Young Stallions had a brief stint together. Nothing special about this tag team. They had potential, but somehow they split up and focus on singles competition and neither succeeded… Demolition entered the Survivor Series as heels under the guidance of Mr. Fuji… The Brain Busters made their debut in 1988 as well after coming from the NWA… The Bolsheviks also formed an alliance in 1988 with former WWE tag team champion Nikolai Volkoff rejoining the tag team division… The Conquistadors were just jobbers.
Match Analysis: Interesting tidbits: It’s just incredible to see Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels as young stars in this match. They were in the same team. Who would’ve thought they would wrestle nine years later in the most controversial match in wrestling history?... The first ever double turn on PPV occurred when Mr. Fuji turned on Demolition, only for Powers of Pain to help Fuji and turn heel in the process… Dynamite Kid was nearing the end of his career at this point. Davey Boy Smith would leave WWE for a while and come back three years later as a singles wrestler… The Conquistadors were Jose Estrada and Jose Luis Rivera. Those were the original Conquistadors. The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian would later use that gimmick for a brief period of time years later… The Young Stallions broke up about a year later.
Post-Match Analysis: Interesting title tidbits: There’s a total of 9 WWE Titles between all ten tag teams. Only Bret Hart (5) and Shawn Michaels (4) held WWE World Titles… Eight IC Titles have been won by these ten tag teams. Those wrestlers are: Shawn Michaels (3), Bret Hart (2), British Bulldog (1), Jacques Rougeau (1), and Marty Jannetty (1)… Seven tag team titles have been won: Demolition (3), Hart Foundation (2), Brain Busters (1), and British Bulldogs (1). Nikolai Volkoff won tag titles with Iron Sheik, not Boris Zkukov. The Rockers won the tag titles from Hart Foundation, but the title change was not acknowledged. Jacques Rougeau won tag team gold with Pierre as The Quebecers in 1994. Davey Boy Smith won tag team gold with Owen Hart as well.

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5. Hulk Hogan vs. The Undertaker – Survivor Series 1991, November 27, 1991, Detroit, MI

Pre-Match Analysis: The Undertaker made his debut about a year ago at the Survivor Series. A year later, he is the top heel in the business with newcomer Ric Flair. Taker received his first WWE World Title shot against Hulk Hogan in a Gravest Challenge. Hogan, on the other hand, was feuding with Taker and Flair at the same time.
Match Analysis: The Undertaker scored a stunning upset against Hogan. Later, we realized that the title change was made so fans can order a special PPV called Tuesday in Texas, which would air just six days later. Ric Flair interfered and helped Taker get the win.
Post-Match Analysis: A twist of events occurred after this PPV. First of all, Hogan regained the WWE Title from Taker at the Tuesday in Texas PPV. WWE President Jack Tunney stripped Hogan of the title because Hogan used the urn to win the match. The winner of the Royal Rumble would become WWE Champion, which was Ric Flair. Taker and Hogan were going to enter between #20 and #30 to make things fair, since there was no clear winners in that Tuesday in Texas match. Taker didn’t do much in that Rumble match, but he turned babyface and feuded with Jake Roberts.

4. Elimination Chamber – Survivor Series 2002, November 17, 2002, New York City, NY

Pre-Match Analysis: Eric Bischoff created this special gimmick match, according to WWE storylines at the time. Here are the participants: Chris Jericho, Booker T, Kane, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Rob Van Dam.
Match Analysis: Order of elimination: Booker T eliminated Rob Van Dam… Chris Jericho eliminated Booker T… Chris Jericho eliminated Kane… Shawn Michaels pinned Chris Jericho… Shawn Michaels pinned Triple H to win the Elimination Chamber and the World Heavyweight Title.
Post-Match Analysis: Michaels winning the World Title in this match was special because he came back from injuries. He retired four years before this event and came back strong. Michaels would go on to lose the belt a month later to the rightful owner, Triple H.


3. Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund – Survivor Series 1994, November 23, 1994, San Antonio, TX

Pre-Match Analysis: Bob Backlund attempted to make a hero return to the WWE. His goal was to restore the WWE Title that he “never lost” years ago at Madison Square Garden. Backlund requested a title shot against Bret on WWF Superstars. Bret defeated him clean in a very good match. After the match, Backlund snapped and applied a painful move called the “chicken wing”. Backlund turned heel and remained in the title picture. Bret was feuding with Owen at the time, but a rematch would take place in an “I quit/submission” match.
Match Analysis: The match was too long, but the storyline was very good. Everyone played their part well, except for British Bulldog, who was knocked out for almost ten minutes. Bret’s parents were in attendance that night to support his brother. Bulldog had to throw in the towel for Bret if he felt he was giving up. Bulldog was KO’d for a while, so Owen made his parents do it. Owen played a concerned brother role when Backlund had Bret in the chicken wing for a long time. Bret’s mother threw in the towel and Backlund won the WWE Title. Owen tricked his parents just to help Backlund win the WWE Title. At the time, Backlund was the oldest to ever win the title, at age 45.
Post-Match Analysis: Backlund’s title reign didn’t last long as he was defeated by Diesel at MSG. Not only did he lose the title in three days, but was also part of the shortest WWE Title match (8 seconds). Bret would take some time off to play in “Lonesome Dove” TV series. He returned about two months against Diesel at the Royal Rumble 1995 PPV.

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2. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin – Survivor Series 1996, November 17, 1996, New York City, NY

Pre-Match Analysis: When Bret lost the WWE Title to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII, he took an eight-month hiatus. During his absence, Steve Austin made an impact in the WWE. Austin won the King of the Ring and thanks to his speech, he was over with fans. Even though fans started cheering for him, he played the heel role. Austin started to acknowledge Bret by challenging him to a match. Even though Austin was challenging Bret, the WWE was not really sure if The Hitman was going to return. There were rumors about Bret joining WCW at the time. In October, Bret decided to sign a deal with the WWE and agreed to face Austin at Survivor Series.
Match Analysis: Very good match ended with Austin attempting his old finisher, which was the Million Dollar Dream. Bret reversed it and pinned him to win he match. The finish was similar to Bret’s match against Piper when he won the IC Title. After the match, Austin was not really disappointed because he knew the feud would continue.
Post-Match Analysis: The Austin-Bret feud continued for the next eight months. A lot of series of events occurred with Bret turning heel, Austin turning face, and the reformation of The Hart Foundation. Austin and Bret faced each other twice on PPV, including a stellar match at WrestleMania 13.

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1. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels – Survivor Series 1997, November 9, 1997, Montreal, Quebec

Pre-Match Analysis: Bret and Shawn hated each other even more after the last time these two met at a Survivor Series. Bret was heel and so was Michaels. But this time, it was in Montreal, and Bret was the hero during this bout. This match occurred after Bret refused to work with Michaels in any type of situation.
Match Analysis: The actual match started with a brawl outside the ring and lasted about 10-15 minutes. Vince McMahon was outside the ring for some reason. By the way, McMahon was not on commentary for the first time on PPV for quite some time. The match resumed in the ring with their usual moves. On commentary, Jim Ross was hinting that this was Bret’s last WWE match. Everyone knows the finish to this match. The infamous Montreal Screwjob when McMahon called for the bell, even though Bret never submitted to the sharpshooter.
Post-Match Analysis: Bret left to WCW and Michaels held the WWE Title for the next few months. Michaels injured his back two months later at the Royal Rumble in a match against Undertaker. He lost the WWE Title to Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV.


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