WWE Survivor Series 2016: Most Memorable Matches in History of PPV
WWE Survivor Series 2016 is on the horizon, and that means fans are preparing for a big night.
Much of that is thanks to the return of Goldberg, who is likely to collide with Brock Lesnar at the event on Nov. 20. As if that wasn't enough, both Raw and SmackDown Live will face off in a set of traditional Survivor Series elimination matches.
Hell in a Cell hasn't even happened yet, and everything seems to be heading to the next step already.
Survivor Series was typically always a fun night for the WWE faithful because of the traditional elimination matches, and this will be a return to those days. But that's not the only selling point of the event, as past years have shown.
Some of the best talent WWE has ever featured had a hand in making Survivor Series one of the company's most entertaining nights of the year.
As fans get ready for the 29th Survivor Series, many are taking a look back at those pivotal years. A good number of the headliners who made the event so successful have moved on. But no matter how much time passes, the memories from days gone by cannot be forgotten.
The best always shine through, and that will likely always be the case.
These matches are responsible for making Survivor Series stand out among the rest of the nights WWE presents through the year. In each case, the booking was on point, and the talent rose to the occasion. With any luck, that is exactly what will happen at Survivor Series this year.
Team Austin vs. Team Bischoff, 2003
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2003 saw the struggle for control of WWE Raw come down to a match sponsored by two unlikely men: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Eric Bischoff.
The co-general manager gimmick seemed like nothing but mindless comedy in the beginning, and much of it was exactly that. Austin had fun at the heels' expense, he made matches on a whim and he did everything in his power to make Bischoff miserable.
The angle was one of the best that fans had seen in a long time.
The two men were entertaining together, as every week brought something new. Austin was funny, Bischoff was upset and Raw was in peak form. But it couldn't last forever, and fans likely knew something would eventually happen to change things up.
That something was Survivor Series, which saw two teams go to war in the name of their respective general managers.
Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Christian, Mark Henry and Scott Steiner represented Bischoff. Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Rob Van Dam and The Dudley Boyz represented Austin. The two teams fought it out, with Austin's future as general manager on the line. When it was all over, Team Bischoff came out on top, and Austin was out.
This was one of the more entertaining team matches in Survivor Series history and stands out as one that will always be remembered.
Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, 1996
2 of 5
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Bret "The Hitman" Hart had amazing chemistry.
From the moment they first began feuding, fans could sense something special was happening. They were two entirely different characters with different backgrounds and motivations. Fans would be hard-pressed to find two Superstars who had less in common than Hart and Austin.
But they both wanted to tear the house down.
It was their commitment to being the best that made them so good together. Hart was the consummate professional and the standard-bearer in WWE. He was so good at what he did, and no one could work a match like he could.
Austin, on the other hand, had something to prove.
The "Stone Cold" gimmick was still in its infancy, and Austin was eager to make it work. He gave maximum effort every time he stepped in the ring, and that was especially true against The Hitman. When the two future WWE Hall of Famers worked together, they made magic.
Their Survivor Series match in 1996 set the tone for their rivalry, giving fans a preview of what was to come. They impressed on every level, and it was just the beginning. Austin would go on to become the company's biggest star, and it was thanks in large part to his feud with Hart.
This match was at the heart of it all.
Team WWE vs. The Alliance, 2001
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WWE and WCW went to war under Vince McMahon's roof in 2001. Sort of.
The Invasion storyline had turned WWE upside down, but it wasn't an actual invasion at all. WWE was in charge of it, as the promotion was using the WCW and ECW brands only for the sake of this storyline.
WWE had already won the war, and this was McMahon's way of reminding everyone of it.
But the Invasion had ramifications for everyone involved. Championships were affected, Superstars turned on each other and fans were left unsure of what would happen next. It was entertaining and different, but in the end, it became a mess.
The match at Survivor Series in 2001 was WWE's way of cleaning up the disarray.
Team WWE consisted of The Rock, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Kane and Big Show. The Alliance was represented by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T and Shane McMahon. The match was riddled with main event names who were there to bring a satisfying end to the Invasion drama.
That end came when Angle turned on his team, giving WWE the win.
This match was important for its time, and the twists that happened along the way were part of the event's overall intrigue. Fans wanted to see something big happen that night, and that's exactly what they got. McMahon's company won out, and there was perhaps never any doubt that that would be the end of this angle.
Elimination Chamber, 2002
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Fans thought Shawn Michaels was done.
The Heartbreak Kid was on the shelf and had not worked a match in four years when he finally returned in 2002. The intense and bitter feud with former best friend Triple H put HBK back in the ring and gave his career a major recharge.
For many, it was the comeback of a lifetime.
But that comeback gained even more credibility when HBK competed in the first Elimination Chamber three months later at Survivor Series. He stepped into the ring with Triple H, Rob Van Dam, Kane, Booker T and Chris Jericho. The five men looked like gladiators in a Mad Max environment, and no one knew quite what to expect.
What followed was chaos.
The match was unlike anything fans had ever seen, and it became a physically grueling battle for everyone involved. War was waged in the chamber, and when it was all over, Michaels was the new WWE world heavyweight champion.
The comeback had reached a dynamic crescendo.
HBK was once again the man in WWE, and though he's regarded as arguably the best of all time, it's this match that stands out as a defining moment of his career. He came back to become a top player, carving out a legacy that will never be forgotten.
Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart, 1997
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This was not only one of the most memorable nights in WWE, but also one of the most infamous.
This was the night when Vince McMahon ordered Earl Hebner to end the match between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, thus creating shock waves throughout the industry. The Hitman's departure to WCW was tarnished, Michaels was left as the villain and McMahon was the mastermind who made it happen.
But there are two sides to every story, and this one was no different.
Hart was walking out on the company that made him a star, and doing that while not losing the WWE Championship in the ring was the wrong move. McMahon took matters into his own hands and caused a major controversy in the process.
Survivor Series will forever be associated with the Montreal Screwjob, and that will never change. Both sides have moved on, and everyone has made peace, but the memory of what happened that night will always stay with fans.
WWE is hoping that this year's Survivor Series will be a memorable one as well, but this is one controversy that should never be repeated.
Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here.
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