10 Most Successful Wrestlers In WWE Survivor Series PPV History
Success in wrestling is a tricky thing to define. Money and awards are one measure of success, but there are levels to it: winning just one SuperBowl or FIFA World Cup surely outweighs fourteen school and college trophies or promotion in your Sunday League. By the same token, simply taking the win-loss records in pro wrestling is a bit misleading. A wrestler may win twenty matches in a row and it gets them nowhere - otherwise Tatanka would have been WWE Champion for most of 1993.
In that sense, looking at the success of different wrestlers at the Survivor Series event through history is more than just looking at their win-loss record - although that is part of the equation. But this article also looks at the positioning of wrestlers on the card, whether their match was more prominent or not and, yes, whether they won or lost. Considering these factors, the following ten wrestlers may be the most successful competitors in Survivor Series history to-date.
10 Bret Hart
Although Bret Hart's name is associated mostly with the Survivor Series 1997, the Hitman actually had a quite successful career at the event, albeit not from the beginning. Hart competed in the first 11 Survivor Series events but would not win a match until the 1992 edition when he defended his WWE Title against Shawn Michaels.
From there, he would only lose one more match at the event; the 1994 Submission Match against Bob Backlund. From there, Hart would go on to regain the title the following year and beat the rising Steve Austin in 1996 before the fateful night in Montreal.
9 The Ultimate Warrior
The Ultimate Warrior was one of three men that dominated the early Survivor Series days. The Warrior actually remained undefeated at Survivor Series, winning three elimination matches as the sole survivor of his team (1988, 1989, 1990) and the Grand Finale match in 1990 alongside Hulk Hogan.
The Warrior could have extended his streak to five as he was scheduled to compete at the 1992 edition alongside Randy Savage against Ric Flair and Razor Ramon, but he was fired shortly before the event and replaced by Mr. Perfect.
8 Randy Savage
The second man to dominate the early Survivor Series events was the Macho Man Randy Savage. Savage was one of three survivors in the very first match at the event in 1987, alongside Jake Roberts and Ricky Steamboat. He would go on to captain his team to victory again in 1988 (surviving alongside Hulk Hogan) and 1989 (alongside Earthquake and Dino Bravo) before not competing in 1990 and 1991.
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In 1992, Savage would team with Mr. Perfect and defeat the team of Ric Flair and Razor Ramon by disqualification, giving Savage a perfect 4-0 record at Survivor Series events. That streak was broken in 1993 when Savage replaced Perfect. After eliminating Diesel, Savage was distracted by Crush and eliminated by IRS.
7 The Big Show
In hindsight, The Big Show may have had one of the most underrated (and under-appreciated) WWE careers in history. When it comes to Survivor Series events, the former Giant was always in a prominent position. He won his elimination match in 1999 alone in record time before winning the WWE Championship as a replacement for Steve Austin later that same night.
He would also win the WWE Title from Brock Lesnar in 2002 and unsuccessfully challenge for the World Title in 2009 and the WWE Title in 2013. He was also part of the 2001, 2005, and 2014 main events.
6 Hulk Hogan
Aside from Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan was of course the dominant force in the early days of the Survivor Series. However, unlike the other two men, his record is not flawless.
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Hogan lost the main event of the very first Survivor Series in 1987 and the WWE Title in 1991. In between, he survived in 1988 alongside Randy Savage and in 1990's Grand Finale alongside the Ultimate Warrior, and was the sole survivor in 1989 and 1990.
5 John Cena
John Cena was for a long time, on the road to becoming 'Mr. Survivor Series.' In his first seven appearances, from 2003 until 2011, John Cena won every single match he was involved in, namely three title matches, three elimination matches, and his 2011 main event teaming with The Rock.
That streak broke in 2012, when Cena faced CM Punk and Ryback in a triple threat match for the WWE title, losing due to interference from a debuting Shield. Cena's last appearance came in the 2017 Raw vs SmackDown elimination main event where he was unceremoniously eliminated by Kurt Angle.
4 The Rock
Debuting at the Survivor Series 1996 in Madison Square Garden, The Rock would become one of the most successful wrestlers at the annual event. Not only would he go on to win his debut, but he would also win his first WWE title at the event only two years later.
He also was the sole survivor in the 'Winner Take All' Match in 2001 and headlined his - to date - last Survivor Series in 2011 when he and John Cena defeated R-Truth and The Miz - ironically once again in Madison Square Garden.
3 The Undertaker
The Undertaker not only debuted at the Survivor Series - he was also quite successful, and he had more matches at the event than anybody else. In appearances, the Deadman had 18 matches (two in 1998) and won ten of them. He won his first WWE title at the 1991 edition beating Hulk Hogan and beat Kamala in the company's first ever Coffin Match (a form of the Casket Match later) in 1992.
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Later, he would compete for the World Heavyweight Title in 2007 and 2009. His final match at the Survivor Series came in 2015, when he teamed up with Kane to defeat the Wyatt Family.
2 Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns has dominated the WWE since winning the Universal Title in 2020, and as a result he has dominated the Survivor Series since, too. Beating Drew McIntyre and Big E in 2020 and 2021, he guided the Bloodline to victory as well in the War Games of 2022. Further, Reigns made his debut in 2012 and eliminated all opposing wrestlers in 2013.
He also won the world title in 2015, although he lost it only minutes later thanks to Sheamus cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
1 Randy Orton
If Shawn Michaels is 'Mr. WrestleMania' then Randy Orton may indeed be 'Mr. Survivor Series.' Particularly in the early-to-mid 2000s, Orton was the showstealer at the event, surviving in 2003, 2004, and 2005 (twice in the main event and once in a featured match).
He would also defend a world title in the main events of the years 2010 and 2013. While his record has suffered in more recent years, Orton has earned the moniker of 'Mr. Survivor Series' over the past 20 years.
