WWE Survivor Series 2015: Biggest Breakout Performances in PPV History

Over the course of nearly three decades, Survivor Series has become a pay-per-view event muddled in controversy, a show dedicated to screwjobs and shocking debuts.

A closer look at the event, though, provides fans with a look at some of the best and most important breakout performances in WWE.

Legendary stars like Shawn Michaels, The Rock and Steve Austin have had defining moments at the November event that ultimately became the launching point for the Hall of Fame-worthy careers that followed.

From The Heartbreak Kid's legendary bout with Bret Hart to The Rock's very first match inside the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden, the top stars have taken it upon themselves to make an immediate impact on the industry at the iconic event.

With the 2015 edition of Survivor Series right around the corner and the potential for another Superstar to break on through fairly high, let's take a stroll through memory lane with these eight defining breakthrough performances, ranked based on the overall importance to the careers of the Superstars involved and, more importantly, the entire WWE.

8. Kofi Kingston (2009)

Credit: WWE.com

Kofi Kingston had been a quality midcard star for World Wrestling Entertainment for a year before the 2009 Survivor Series event hit the pay-per-view airwaves. He had even captured the intercontinental title from Chris Jericho in a memorable upset at the preceding year's Night of Champions pay-per-view.

But it was not until he stepped inside the squared circle for the Survivor Series match that pitted Team Kingston against Team Orton that he proved he could be so much more than a plucky underdog, babyface type.

Instead, by vanquishing both CM Punk and Orton in succession, he proved he could be a breakout babyface star for the company if given the opportunity. Over the month that followed his tremendous victory at the Survivor Series, Kingston would enjoy the biggest push of his career, working with The Viper in a molten-hot storyline that saw him deliver a boom drop to Orton through a table in the famed Madison Square Garden.

While his meteoric rise may have suffered a bump or two in the road, Kingston would rebound numerous times en route to becoming one of the most decorated stars on the WWE roster and, today, a member of the wildly entertaining New Day.

7. Bam Bam Bigelow (1987)

There was no denying the impressive athleticism that super heavyweight Bam Bam Bigelow possessed as he arrived on the scene for the 1987 Survivor Series, taking his place as part of Team Hogan in a main event war with Team Andre.

What was a mystery, though, what how The Beast from the East would fare under the bright lights and on the big stage of Vince McMahon's sports entertainment empire. 

Fans got the answer to that question when he was the final member of The Hulkster's team, left to battle Andre the Giant, One Man Gang and King Kong Bundy by himself.

It was a numbers game that would have overwhelmed any other Superstar, but the tattooed big man from Asbury Park, New Jersey, showed guts and grit as he systematically picked off his opponents before falling short of victory following an impressive butterfly suplex by the great Andre.

Though he lost the match, Bigelow proved that he could hang with the best in the industry and, more importantly, get the people behind him. It was an impressive, breakthrough performance by Bigelow, and one that should have meant so much more for his career, had ego not gotten in the way. 

6. Owen Hart (1993)

Until the 1993 Survivor Series, Owen Hart was but the little brother of Bret, lost permanently in the shadow of The Hitman. By the end of the event, though, fans would bear witness to one of the most shocking acts of selfishness in the history of the event and the catalyst for a heel turn that would make Owen one of the most hated villains of the 1990s.

The only member of the Hart Brothers team eliminated in the match against Shawn Michaels and The Knights, Owen was furious as he stomped toward the ring to confront his celebrating siblings. Most of all, he was angry at Bret, who had crashed into him on the ring apron and caused his dismissal from the bout.

Owen yelled at his older brother and came off as a spoiled brat, unhappy that he was not enjoying the same spotlight as The Hitman.

From that night on, it would become Owen's goal to fight his brother, to prove to the world that he was every bit as good as the former heavyweight champion.

He would get his chance, after one more shocking betrayal, at WrestleMania X. He would beat Bret that night and go on to become one of the elite heels in the industry.

But it never would have happened without the breakout performance at the 1993 Survivor Series pay-per-view that combined crisp in-ring action with character development and propelled Owen Hart into the stratosphere of top stars overnight.

5. Shawn Michaels (1992)

Shawn Micahels ws already well on his way to becoming a breakout star by the time he got to the 1992 Survivor Series, but without his performance in that night's main event, a singles bout pitting him (the intercontinental champion) against WWE champion Bret Hart, who knows how long it would have taken him to achieve that status.

For nearly 30 minutes, Michaels and Hart tore the roof off the Richfield Coliseum in Ohio, working a style of main event with which longtime fans of Vince McMahon's traveling circus were unfamiliar. Their match was a wrestling match, devoid of the bells and whistles that came with Hulk Hogan's grandiose persona and incessant pandering.

Michaels was fantastic and earned the respect of those who questioned his ability to succeed at the next level.

While Hart had already broken through the glass ceiling and proved that he could be a champion worthy of carrying the company, it was Michaels who gained the most out of the night, even in defeat.

4. Roman Reigns (2013)

The 2013 Survivor Series was the first hint of Roman Reigns' potential as a top star in professional wrestling.

The sole survivor of Team Shield/Real Americans, Reigns demolished the competition, eliminating every member of the opposing team except for Jey Uso, whom Seth Rollins had vanquished.

With every spear he delivered, the crowd reacted more and more favorably to the Samoan ass-kicker. He was a man of few words, the muscle of The Shield who got great pleasure out of tearing through the competition en route to victory.

As he stood tall, arms raised in victory after pinning former heavyweight champion Rey Mysterio, Reigns had the look of a star destined for bigger and better things than playing the silent assassin of The Shield.

His physical appearance, quiet charisma, explosiveness between the ropes and finishing maneuver that could be hit from out of nowhere made for a complete package.

By the time he took to the ring to battle Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXXI, the importance of that breakout performance at the Survivor Series some 14 months earlier became more and more apparent.

3. Rocky Maivia (1996)

Rocky Maivia, as a gimmick, sucked. There is no denying it. As the clean-cut babyface whose only character trait was smiling a lot and doing the most awkward dance/pose ever, the young third-generation star could not get over to save his life.

At least in the weeks proceeding his Survivor Series 1996 debut.

On that night, in Madison Square Garen, the former Miami Hurricane paid off weeks of hype and video packages by becoming the sole survivor of a huge Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination bout that saw him defeat both Goldust and Crush to earn the victory for him and his teammates. 

Still very green at the time, it was apparent to fans that he had quite a way to go in terms of his in-ring work, but the charisma and determination was there. It would be another year or so before he would adopt The Rock persona that would take him to the promised land and help WWE surge past WCW in the Monday Night Wars. 

2. The Undertaker

From the moment The Undertaker stepped through the curtain, it was apparent that the wrestling world had just laid its eyes on its next big star.

With a persona unlike any the fans had ever seen before, he was dark and enigmatic. No one knew exactly where he had come from or what he was all about. All fans knew was that he was a phenomenal athlete and an imposing presence.

As he made his way to the squared circle, fans watched in awe, their mouths open and eyes wide. Then, as he laid rest to Koko B. Ware and pummeled the legendary Dusty Rhodes, they had no choice but to sit up and take notice of the unstoppable force that had just infiltrated the once-safe confines of the family-friendly WWE. 

It was a monumental debut for a star for whom Vince McMahon clearly had big plans, but more importantly the beginning of the most epic and beloved homegrown character in WWE history. 

Over the years, The Phenom became the locker room leader and epitome of what it takes to be a WWE star. Now, on November 22, 2015, he will celebrate 25 years with the company, proving once and for all that legends live forever.

1. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (1996)

If this list has taught us anything, it is that the biggest breakout performances sometimes come in defeat. Never was that more apparent than for "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Not only was the epic loss he suffered at WrestleMania 13 to Bret Hart the most important match of his career, but the defeat he endured at the hands of The Hitman at the 1996 Survivor Series some six months earlier was another watershed moment in the career of wrestling's Toughest S.O.B.

There was no denying that Austin was a skilled professional wrestler, a superb technician who had never had trouble delivering a great match. But now, with a rebellious attitude and a penchant for cursing out anyone who opposed him, he was gaining great momentum as a character.

At Survivor Series, in the night's most anticipated bout, the anti-authority badass battled the legendary, beloved Bret Hart in a five-star classic that showed the world just how extraordinary a performer Austin was.

No one doubted that Hart could deliver the type of performance that he did, but the thought of Austin breaking out a showing like that, one that combined the elements of his newfound persona with his above-average ability, was absurd.

But he did, and overnight, Austin became the hottest star in the industry.

The Texas Rattlesnake would ride a tidal wave of momentum into 1997, a year that would go on to define him and ensure his status as the breakout star in professional wrestling. By the time 1998 arrived, he was the most popular star in the sport and the cash cow Vince McMahon would ride to the bank during the height of the Attitude Era.