WWE Survivor Series 2013: Most Controversial Matches at Historic PPV

The Survivor Series pay-per-view is one that has become associated with controversy over the years. For whatever reason, it has been the breeding ground for some of the most talked-about, most argued-over and most shocking moments in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment.

With the 2013 edition of the show rapidly approaching and an authority angle that greatly enhances the possibility of a controversial conclusion to at least one of the high-profile matches on the card, join me as I take a look back at some of the most controversial matches in Survivor Series history.

Some may seem obvious, while the effects of others would not be felt for some time after.

What are they, whom did they involve and what lasting impact (if any) did they have on WWE?

Find out after the jump.

7. Survivor Series 1990: Grand Finale Match of Survival

The 1990 Survivor Series featured a new concept that had not been tried before. It would be called the "Grand Finale Match of Survival" and would feature all of the babyface survivors from the night's earlier matches taking on all of the heel survivors. 

The babyface team would be made up of Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior and Tito Santana, while the heels would enjoy a significant numbers advantage, thanks to a team consisting of "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, Rick Martel, Paul Roma, Hercules and the Warlord.

What made the match controversial is the same thing that makes John Cena one of the most controversial Superstars in today's WWE.

Despite the overwhelming odds placed in front of them, including a numbers disadvantage, having to compete earlier in the evening and the elimination of Santana early in the match, Warrior and Hogan still dispatched of all the villains with relative ease and did their trademark poses to send the crowd home happy.

It was a display that was becoming incredibly stale as the first year of the new decade neared its end. By the time the 1991 edition of the show rolled around, the company would take a darker, more serious tone that would ultimately lead to a new generation of Superstars.

6. Survivor Series 2001: Winner Takes All Match

The main event of the 2001 Survivor Series was the final chapter of the infamous WCW/ECW Invasion angle.

It was a traditional elimination tag match that consisted of Team WWE (The Rock, Chris Jericho, Kane, Undertaker and Big Show) taking on Team Alliance (Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T and Shane McMahon). More importantly, it carried with it a stipulation that stated that the losing team's organization would cease to exist and its wrestlers would all be out of jobs.

The bout, one of the most star-studded in WWE history, was a wild and chaotic one that saw a series of rapid eliminations until only Rock and Jericho were left on the WWE side of things and Austin and Angle were left to represent the Alliance.

At one point, Rock locked Angle in the Sharpshooter, and the Olympic gold medalist tapped out rather quickly. Alliance commentator Paul Heyman even questioned how Angle could tap after such a short time in the hold.

It was a throwaway comment at the time, but it would be one that would be validated later.

With the match nearing its end and only Rock and Austin left to battle it out, both referees Earl Hebner and Nick Patrick would take bumps, leaving no one to witness Angle make his way back down the ramp, pick up the WWE title and blast Austin with it.

Rock would deliver the Rock Bottom and cover his longtime rival for the win, bringing an end to the unholy Alliance of WCW and ECW stars.

Prior to the big event, Vince McMahon had professed that there was a mole within the Alliance, and that turned out to be the case, as McMahon once again used underhanded tactics to get the outcome he wanted.

Something he has proven to be especially proficient in at the Survivor Series.

5. Survivor Series 1998: The Deadly Game Tournament

The entire Deadly Game tournament for the WWE Championship that ran throughout the 1998 Survivor Series pay-per-view was controversial, but in a way, it was different from the WWE title match a year earlier. Whereas the 1997 show featured controversy stemming from a very real situation, the 1998 show thrived because of the controversy that resulted from predetermined events.

Heading into the show, Mankind did everything in his power to butter up Vince McMahon. He referred to the owner of WWE as "dad" and truly appreciated what he felt was a bond between he and McMahon. What he did not know was that he was being manipulated, which he would not learn until much later in the evening.

For Mankind's first opponent of the evening, McMahon promised a mystery opponent. He claimed that the Superstar would be a blast from the company's past, and speculation immediately ran rampant. A few thousand pay-per-views were probably even sold on the basis of finding out who this mystery star would be.

The answer would come in the form of perennial jobber Duane Gill, who was soundly defeated by Mankind in a matter of minutes.

All of the anticipation and excitement surrounding the star had turned to disappointment and disgust fairly early in the evening.

Luckily for fans, it was only the first step in a masterfully crafted story that would hit its first peak in the semifinals of the tournament, then culminate in a major swerve in the night's deciding title match.

In the semifinals, Steve Austin met Mankind. Austin had been the top star in the industry for the entire year and had carried WWE to heights it had never seen before. He was the odds-on favorite to win the tournament and regain the title.

In the weeks leading to the show, Austin was rehired when Vince McMahon's son Shane stood up to his father and appeared to form a united front with Austin against the evil owner of the company. As punishment for his actions, Vince demoted Shane to referee.

It would prove to be a very important development because late in the Austin-Mankind bout, Stone Cold had his opponent pinned and was on his way to the finals of the tournament when Shane slid into the ring, smacked the canvas twice, then stopped and flipped Austin off.

The crowd was stunned and would become even more stunned when Mankind pinned Austin and took his place in the tournament finals.

While all of the drama surrounding Mankind, Austin and the McMahons was going on, The Rock made the most of his new-found popularity by riding a wave of momentum into the finals, thanks to wins over Big Boss Man, Ken Shamrock and The Undertaker.

With the title on the line, the crowd was solidly behind Rock, who had his own problems with Vince McMahon leading into the Survivor Series.

Rock and Mankind had a very physical bout to close out the evening's event, and it even looked like fans were going to get their wish as the self-proclaimed People's Champ took over late in the bout.

Then, in a moment that mirrored the previous year's controversial finish, Rock locked in the Sharpshooter and McMahon, who had come to ringside earlier, called for the bell. He awarded the WWE title to Rock before embracing the new champion and son Shane in the center of the ring.

It was a major swerve that fans may have had a feeling was coming but did not want to believe was possible.

The Rock would go on to refer to himself as the "Corporate Champion," while Vince relished the idea of having pulled one over on the fans.

4. Survivor Series 1994: Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund in a Submission Match

The Submission Match between WWE champion Bret Hart and No. 1 contender Bob Backlund at the 1994 Survivor Series was an excellent match that showcased the technical abilities of the competitors and the quality of entertainer Owen Hart was, as he managed to con his own mother, complete with tears and histrionics, into throwing in the towel and saving her son from further pain and suffering while locked in the dreaded Crossface Chicken Wing.

The controversy did not exist because of the way Backlund won the title. Instead, the controversy existed because Backlund won the title in the first place.

For an entire year, the company had promoted its "New Generation." It was a movement that championed younger, faster, more athletic Superstars rather than the boring old retreads Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling was selling.

Men like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were tasked with leading the way for the company as it transitioned from the cartoony, over-the-top era that Hulk Hogan represented.

So to see Backlund, who won his first WWE Championship in 1978 and had returned to the company in 1993 as a plucky midcard act, win the title from The Hitman at one of the marquee events of the year was nothing short of shocking.

Luckily for the company and its marketing campaign, Backlund would drop the title to the 7'0'' Diesel at Madison Square Garden three days later, bringing an end to a second title reign that probably never should have happened.

3. Survivor Series 1999: The Big Show vs. the Rock vs. Triple H

Prior to the 1999 Survivor Series, it was announced that Triple H would defend his WWE title against The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a Triple Threat match.

As the event rapidly approached, however, it became known within the inner circles of the company that Austin was suffering from a significant neck injury and would need surgery to repair it. The procedure would sideline him for months and, more importantly, left no possibility of him performing November 14.

With his news in their back pocket, did the company make any sort of formal announcement or change prior to the show hitting the pay-per-view airwaves? No.

Instead, the company waited until fans had already purchased the show and proceeded to shoot an injury angle, which saw Austin get run over by a mystery driver. It explained his absence later in the night, and the company at least delivered a nice surprise by having Big Show enter the match and capture the title, but the decision not to inform the audience of Austin's injury beforehand still left a bad taste in the mouths of many.

Simply put, Big Show vs. Rock vs. Triple H should have been announced prior to the event to prevent a situation where fans felt like they were cheated. The match was better than good and still would have sold an impressive amount of pay-per-vies based solely on Rock and Triple H's involvement.

It was a clear case of bait and switch, a cheap tactic of that sees companies lure customers in on the promise of one thing or event and switching it up on them once they have secured the money. WWE was able to point at the fine print that stated "card subject to change" and chalk it up to "storytelling," but it was misstep that, had the company not been as hot as it was at the time, could have hurt it significantly in the long run.

2. Survivor Series 2002: The Main Events

By 2002, the professional wrestling business had fallen into a slump. Ratings were down from the outstanding heights WWE had reached a year-and-a-half earlier, and the lack of competition was seriously hurting the shows. There seemed to be a decided lack of urgency within the creative team, and the stories that they did manufacture were uneven or downright ludicrous (Katie Vick, anyone?).

The company had brought back several high-profile stars, including Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Scott Steiner and Shawn Michaels.

The latter would play a major part in the controversy surrounding the 2002 Survivor Series, as would a very large Superstar enjoying somewhat of a career renaissance.

Michaels had spent the summer and fall feuding with former friend Triple H. With the annual November event taking place in the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden and the company desperate to pop an above-average buyrate for the show, it was decided that the two competitors would join Rob Van Dam, Chris Jericho, Kane and Booker T in the first-ever Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Elsewhere on the card, Big Show would return to the WWE Championship picture, as he challenged breakout star and champion Brock Lesnar.

It was nice to see Michaels and Big Show get the opportunity to compete in the main events of the show—with major titles on the line—but neither would actually win, right? After all, the company needed to focus on young talent and building to the future.

Right?

Wrong.

Michaels and Big Show captured the top two titles in the company as fans and critics were left to wonder whether they had hopped in the Tardis and taken a trip back to 1996.

Their title reigns would be short-lived, with Show acting as a transitional champion to get the title off of Lesnar and onto Kurt Angle, while Michaels lost the gold back to Triple H.

But that does not forgive booking choices that were reminiscent of those that cost Eric Bischoff his job and Ted Turner his wrestling company.

1. Survivor Series 1997: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels

The WWE Championship match at the 1997 Survivor Series has been written about, discussed and replayed so many times over the last 16 years that it has numbed audiences to exactly what happened (or what they were told happened).

In the fall of 1996, Bret Hart re-signed with Vince McMahon's WWE, despite a huge contract offer from Eric Bischoff's Ted Turner-owned World Championship Wrestling that would have paid Hart a base salary of $9 million.

Behind the scenes, the animosity between Hart and Shawn Michaels was at an all-time high. They took digs at one another on television and, despite their playful nature at first, the words became personal and caused an even bigger rift between them.

There was a backstage fight in June of 1997, and each man went behind the other's back to McMahon to voice their concerns, opinions and dislike for the other on a number of occasions.

Prior to the Survivor Series, McMahon cited financial difficulties when he informed Hart that he would no longer be able to adhere to the 20-year contract he offered him upon his return to the company in October of '96. He told Hart to reach out to Bischoff and see if the deal from his promotion was still valid and, if it was, to accept it.

It was, and Hart did. It was then determined that his final match for World Wrestling Entertainment, the company he had achieved his greatest success in, would be against Michaels for Hart's WWE title at the Survivor Series in Montreal.

Leading up to the show, Hart refused to drop the title to Michaels after the Heartbreak Kid had told Hart he would never lay down for him again. With the second-generation star leaving the company, McMahon had to get the title off of him, but his options were limited.

Hart offered to lose the title to newcomer Ken Shamrock, Mankind, Steve Austin, Vader or even Steve "Brooklyn Brawler" Lombardi the following night on Raw, but under no circumstances would he lose to Shawn.

The backstage power struggle resulted in one of the most tense main event matches the company has ever produced. Hart and Michaels stayed professional throughout the bout, pounding each other around ringside and up the aisle before settling in the squared circle.

Late in the match, Michaels taunted the Montreal audience by wrapping Hart's legs around one another, turning him over and locking in the Sharpshooter, Bret's trademark finishing hold.

Suddenly, the bell rang and Michaels was announced as the new champion, despite no submission from Hart.

The fans were left in shock and awe as referee Earl Hebner, Shawn Michaels and Triple H left the ringside area. Hart spit in McMahon's face once the reality of the situation became clear. He destroyed production equipment around ringside and was left disappointed and heartbroken in the center of the ring to close out the show.

The Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels WWE Championship match is not only the most controversial in WWE history, it is the most controversial in professional wrestling history. It is most blatant example of reality spilling over into entertainment and was a moment that would have a great affect on the sport and everything that came after it.