Every Survivor Series PPV From The 2000s, Ranked
Survivor Series is one of WWE's longest-running annual Pay-Per-Views and one of the company's "big four" events of the year. The 2000s were a decade when WWE made the traditional Survivor Series elimination matches more significant again, but also in some events, they were clearly not a priority.
In the late 90s, WWE had seemed to go off the idea of the traditional elimination tag matches that dominated the shows particularly in the late 80s and early 90s. The main events of Survivor Series 2001, 2004, and 2005, however, were all high stakes matches under the traditional Survivor Series rules.
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Other shows, however, such as Survivor Series 2000 and 2002 did not go strongly on the same theme, with the latter not having any of the traditional Survivor Series matches. Although the concept of the elimination matches may have slightly faded from significance, these events still provided us with some excellent Pay-Per-Views.
10 2008
There were not many memorable moments from Survivor Series 2008. Really the only memorable moment happened in the WWE Championship match between Triple H and Vladimir Kozlov. Originally scheduled to be a triple threat, Jeff Hardy was removed from the contest after he was found unconscious backstage. Edge was later announced as the third participant, mid-way through the match by Vickie Guerrero. After Jeff Hardy interfered in the match and inadvertently hit Triple H with the chair, Edge was able to steal the win.
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The other big match from the night featured the returning John Cena, who challenged Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship. Cena was victorious, but this didn't come across as the 'special' win WWE perhaps thought would be for the fans. Cena always got a mixed reaction from fans and this night was no different.
9 2009
Survivor Series 2009 felt like a bit of an over-booked show. With three 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination matches and two triple threats, it felt like WWE was trying to squeeze as many superstars from the roster onto the card as possible.
The match of the night was most certainly the triple threat for the WWE Title between John Cena, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H. Two DX teammates in this match certainly made for an interesting dynamic, and the Superkick delivered by Michaels to Triple H early on made for compelling viewing. Cena won the match by hitting Michaels with the Attitude Adjustment on Triple H to retain the WWE Title, which was a nice spot.
8 2006
Survivor Series 2006 was not one of the most memorable shows in the history of the event. Lita's had her last match with the company, after which she was made fun of by Cryme Time, in a pretty unfunny segment that took up too much time. Team DX defeated Team Rated-RKO in a whitewash and Mr. Kennedy's First Blood match with The Undertaker did not live up to the hype.
The night's main event saw Batista recapture the World Heavyweight Title against King Booker. This was a pretty unremarkable match that only lasted 13 minutes, in fact, no match on the card went over 15 minutes. This was not one of the better Survivor Series, however, it had some entertaining moments.
7 2000
The year 2000 was a pretty good one for WWE. The business was hot and the Pay-Per-Views were pretty great. However, Survivor Series 2000 was a bit of a letdown. The revelation of Rikishi being the guy who ran over Stone Cold Steve Austin was an anti-climax, so WWE went with the angle that Triple H was his accomplice, so he feuded with Austin instead.
Rikishi and The Rock fought in a pretty average match. Whilst in the main event, Austin and Triple H fought in a brutal street fight. This match spilled into the backstage area and in the parking lot, where Triple H tried to run over Stone Cold. But Austin had other ideas, commandeering a forklift, lifting The Game 30 feet in the air and sending him crashing down. This was a pretty absurd ending to an otherwise good match and a pretty disappointing Pay-Per-View.
6 2004
Survivor Series 2004 was a bit hit-and-miss. A tremendous Fatal-4 Way for the Cruiserweight title kicked off the show, as the champions Spike Dudley defended his gold against Billy Kidman, Chavo Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio. Among the disappointments were The Undertaker vs Heidenreich and Trish Stratus vs Lita.
The night's main event was the 4-on-4 elimination tag between Team Orton and Team Triple H to decide who would gain control of Raw from a month. This was Randy Orton's night to shine and after two RKO's, first on Edge and second on Triple H, The Viper was the sole survivor and earned his team control of Raw for one month.
5 2007
Survivor Series 2007 was a show that was saved by its two main events. WWE Champion Randy Orton defeated Shawn Michaels in a match where HBK's Sweet Chin Music was banned, whilst Batista defeated Undertaker inside of Hell in a Cell.
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These were big moments in the careers of both former Evolution members. Both scored victories over two WWE legends and cemented their status as up there with the best WWE had. Edge interfering in the Batista-Taker match and costing The Deadman the victory perhaps took the gloss of Batista's win, but the rivalry those two had during 2007 and the story they continued to tell here was a pretty special one.
4 2005
Survivor Series 2005 was all about the battle for brand supremacy as Raw took on SmackDown. The night belonged to SmackDown, considering that their General Manager, Theodore Long defeated Raw GM Eric Bischoff, thanks to some interference from The Boogeyman, and Team SmackDown beat Team Raw in the 5-on-5 main event.
After Shawn Michaels battled his way back into the match for Team Raw, with the odds stacked against him, he was eventually beaten by the sole survivor Randy Orton after an RKO. The celebrations were cut short, however, as the returning Undertaker came out of a flaming casket to intimidate Orton.
3 2003
Survivor Series 2003 was a very emotionally-charged Pay-Per-View with a lot on the line. The Ambulance match between Kane and Shane McMahon was about as personal as any rivalry could get, but it may have been topped by the brutal Buried Alive match between Mr. McMahon and The Undertaker, which certainly wasn't for the faint-hearted.
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Stone Cold Steve Austin's reign as Co-GM of Raw came to an end after his team lost to Eric Bischoff's in a tremendous 5-on-5 elimination match. In the night main event, Triple H and the rest of Evolution attempted to recapture the World Heavyweight Championship from Goldberg, but the champion overcame the odds to retain his title.
2 2001
Survivor Series 2001 was the grand finale of the Invasion storyline that had dominated the product since the summer of that year. The event itself was pretty good, with a solid undercard that included a tag team steel cage match for the tag titles between The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz, as well as the Immunity Battle Royal.
But the winner takes all 5-on-5 main event was the real show-piece of this event. The match to decide it all, and it didn't disappoint. Team WWE comprised The Rock, Chris Jericho, Big Show, Kane, and The Undertaker, while Team Alliance had Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Shane McMahon, Rob Van Dam, and Booker-T fighting for it. A real nail biter that eventually saw Kurt Angle double cross Team Alliance and ensure The Rock got the pinfall over Austin so that the WWE survived and Team Alliance was gone forever.
1 2002
Survivor Series 2002 had it all; title changes, betrayals, comeback stories, brutality, and feel-good moments. All four titles that were defended changed hands, including Los Guerreros winning the WWE Tag Titles in a triple threat tag team elimination match, Billy Kidman winning the Cruiserweight Title from Jamie Noble and Paul Heyman turning on his client Brock Lesnar for The Big Show to win the WWE Title.
But the biggest title change of all happened in the first-ever Elimination Chamber. Shawn Michaels, who had only returned from a long-term injury a few months previous, won the World Heavyweight Championship in a grueling Chamber match. HBK lifting the World Title, as Madison Square Garden filled up with confetti, was an incredible sight and a great end to a fantastic Survivor Series.
