WWE Survivor Series 2014: Remembering Greatest Debuts in Event's History

With his team in desperate need of members for WWE Survivor Series 2014, John Cena should recruit from the NXT ranks.

After all, Survivor Series has been where future Hall of Famers like The Rock and The Undertaker first entered the WWE fray. Thanks to those memorable moments, the event has become known for its great debuts and for providing a starting point on the big stage.

Could Team Cena call Colin Cassady's name? Could this be the show where Charlotte first makes her mark?

If any NXT prospects do head to St. Louis to appear on one of WWE's longest-running pay-per-views, they will have some impressive debuts to top.

The following is a look back at the gladiators and grapplers (and one steel-lined structure) who made their first WWE appearances at Survivor Series. The debuts are ranked based on how memorable they were, the quality of the match and how strong an impression they made. 

5. Kurt Angle, 1999

The fans who chanted "boring" at Kurt Angle have to feel like fools now.

After pinning Shawn Stasiak in Detroit in 1999, Angle would go on to become one of WWE's most compelling performers. Compile the 100 greatest WWE matches of all time, and Angle's name is going to be all over that list.

He came into WWE adorned with the hype that comes from winning a gold medal at the Olympics.

That didn't matter to a chunk of the fans in attendance at Survivor Series 1999, though. As he battled Stasiak on the mat, restless fans chanted their disapproval. It was not a great match, but Angle's slickness in the ring and top-notch technical skills deserved to be marveled at.

The highlight of the action was when Angle grabbed the mic mid-match and demanded that fans stop booing him.

That was just a sliver of the charisma that he would later rely on. The bout was a basic one, and its lack of memorable moments (save for Angle's mini-promo) pushes it this far down the list.

4. Rocky Maivia, 1996

The Rock's very first kip-up was enough to get the fans inside Madison Square Garden to ooh.

He was years away from developing the persona that would make him an all-time great. He was still Rocky Maivia then, a man Jim Ross called a "blue-chipper." 

Still, his athleticism was obvious. He leaped into the air and glided across the ring with ease. 

His night was one of short, fun bursts and taking poundings in the corner. Teaming with Marc Mero, Jake Roberts and The Stalker (Barry Windham), he managed to outlast everyone in the traditional Elimination match. After pinning both Crush and Goldust, Maivia emerged as the bout's sole survivor.

It was a solid match but was made special only by its introduction of Maivia.

Other debuts made memories through shock value, a destroyer's aura or classic composition. This was The Rock before tearing through his cocoon, a flash of greatness from the one we would later know as The Great One.

3. The Shield, 2012

There was nothing traditional about how The Shield entered WWE.

Rather then begin their WWE careers with a standard wrestling match a la Kurt Angle or as part of a Survivor Series team like The Rock, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns simply started destroying. The trio attacked Ryback during the WWE title match and sent him through a table.

Triple powerbomb first; ask questions later.

There was a mystery about these men. They wore all black, didn't explain their actions until later and left a trail of rubble behind them.

Their debut made them look dangerous. Not only did they leave a powerhouse out cold, but they did so in the main event. It was The Shield's first strike that had folks talking after this Survivor Series.

The lack of match quality (being that there was no match) and buildup hurt them in the rankings, but we all knew something big was coming in 1990...

2. Undertaker, 1990

Ted DiBiase promised a mystery partner to complete The Million Dollar Team.

When The Undertaker stepped through the curtains, the announcers gasped and the crowd fell into a hush. It was as if a circus freak had torn through the tent.

He was menacing, intimidating, a dark, unsettling figure. The announcers sold his debut beautifully, talking up his size and sounding fearful of him.

In just a few seconds, he eliminated Koko B. Ware. He dominated when he was on offense to the point where he made Bret Hart cower. He shook off blows like some movie monster and soon pinned Dusty Rhodes.

WWE booked it so that his elimination didn't hurt his monstrous aura. The referee counted him out as he pounded his fist against Rhodes' head. 

This traditional Elimination match was the best bout of the night and made the best use of the format. It entertained as it introduced Undertaker to the world, the first peek at a leviathan in black.

1. Elimination Chamber, 2002

The Undertaker and The Shield debuted as unknowns. The Elimination Chamber had the benefit of being filled with future Hall of Famers.

The first of 17 Elimination Chamber matches threw Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, Kane, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Booker T into the same pit. That stacked lineup battled inside the new strange cage, emerging from pods, their spines rattling against a metal floor.

It wasn't just a new match, though; it was an incredible one.

It merged the violence of a cage match with high-flying spots in a format that payed tribute to Survivor Series' history of elimination-centered matches. The concept stuck, and WWE made it the centerpiece of its February pay-per-view in 2010.

It remains Survivor Series' most impressive debut, one that will be difficult to ever surpass—unless Triple H has another brilliant concept in his brain somewhere.