WWE Survivor Series 2016: Most Exciting Swerves in Event's History
Having been one of WWE's “Big Four” pay-per-views since 1987, Survivor Series has always been one of the company's most anticipated events of the year.
Although it can be argued that it has lost its luster in recent years, the 2016 installment on Nov. 20 is surely shaping up to be sensational.
With WWE celebrating 30 years of the Thanksgiving week tradition later this month, it is safe to assume it will be pulling out all the stops for the event. A marquee match pitting Goldberg against Brock Lesnar has already been confirmed for the card, along with three Raw vs. SmackDown Traditional Survivor Series tag team elimination matches.
Likewise, Survivor Series has been the home of shocking moments for decades, with 1997's Montreal Screwjob being the most infamous example. Not every surprise in Survivor Series history has been heartbreaking, however, as there have been a handful of unpredictable occurrences that have left fans satisfied.
Not only were the following Survivor Series swerves exhilarating, but fans didn't see them coming, making them that much more monumental. Of course, they were the best kind of swerves, ones that actually added to the event and didn't leave those in attendance shaking their heads (as when Sheamus cashed in Money in the Bank last year).
Ahead of Survivor Series 2016, let's look back at the most thrilling twists from the event's illustrious history.
Edge Returns to Win the WWE Championship (2008)
1 of 5
Jeff Hardy spent the latter half of 2008 chasing the WWE Championship but falling short of victory against Triple H on countless occasions. He was granted one last shot at the prestigious prize at Survivor Series in a Triple Threat match also involving Vladimir Kozlov, but an unknown injury he suffered the night before the show prevented him from competing.
Thus, the match was changed to a standard singles bout pitting Triple H against Kozlov for the WWE title. The subtraction of Hardy from the matchup made it almost unbearable to sit through, because the two remaining combatants had zero chemistry together and Kozlov was a brutally boring wrestler.
It was well on its way to being one of the worst WWE title matches of all time before then-SmackDown general manager Vickie Guerrero proudly exclaimed that “he” had arrived. However, it wasn't Hardy but rather a returning Edge, who hadn't been seen since SummerSlam.
The Ultimate Opportunist raced toward the ring and immediately capitalized on each of his downed opponents. Although Hardy attempted to interfere, his efforts were thwarted by Edge, who hit Triple H with a Spear to capture his sixth world title.
It was an unforgettable return for The Rated-R Superstar, who reclaimed his throne atop the blue brand by taking the title on his first night back. Certainly, no one expected to see him crowned the new champion by the end of the evening.
Kurt Angle Betrays The Alliance (2001)
2 of 5
The annual Survivor Series tag team elimination matches are meant to blow off ruthless rivalries. Thus, there was no better way to decide the fate of the company in 2001 than in a star-studded, 10-man tag matchup between Team WWE and The Alliance.
Superstars had been switching sides for weeks, so it was unknown who would remain loyal to their teams. In fact, it had leaked that there was a mole on The Alliance, with all signs pointing to it being "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, given his storied history with Mr. McMahon.
With so much at stake, everyone was on the edge of their seats anticipating what would happen next. Tension was teased on both tandems, but they banded together for a common cause to capture control of the company for their respective owner.
Even then, members of Team WWF refused to coexist, with Chris Jericho returning to the ring after his own elimination to betray The Rock. That alone was shocking yet paled in comparison to what was about to occur.
In the end, The Rock and Austin, two of the greatest rivals of all time, were the last men standing for their respective teams. No one knew for sure how the match would conclude as they traded shots with the crowd on their feet.
Before The Texas Rattlesnake could put Rock away, Kurt Angle resurfaced and laid out Austin with the WWE Championship belt, revealing himself as the double agent for Team WWE. This allowed Mr. McMahon's group of misfits to reign supreme and rid WWE of The Alliance for good.
The Shield Debuts (2012)
3 of 5
The weeks preceding 2012's Survivor Series pay-per-view were fairly chaotic. The scheduled WWE Championship match changed several times, and thus there was next to no excitement surrounding the Triple Threat match between CM Punk, John Cena and Ryback.
The only real hook heading into the match was that Punk's record-setting reign as WWE champion was on the verge of potentially being broken. Otherwise, Cena was already busy with Dolph Ziggler, Punk was feuding with Mick Foley and Ryback had his sights set on Brad Maddox, so it was a match that made little sense storyline-wise.
Despite that, the three contested an excellent match where it truly could have ended any way. Ryback had a solid showing, while Punk was perfect in the role of the cowardly champion doing everything he could to retain his title.
With Punk out at ringside, Ryback was quickly closing in on the WWE title after laying out Cena with a Shell Shocked. But before he could cover Cena, a black-clad trio of mysterious men stormed the ring and immediately targeted Ryback.
The mysterious men decimated The Big Guy, allowing Punk to score the victory and maintain his possession of the prestigious prize. Later collectively known as The Shield, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns had one of the most memorable debuts in WWE history on that night and went on to cement themselves as one of the greatest stables of all time in the years that followed.
The Rock Joins The Corporation (1998)
4 of 5
With controversy clouding the WWE Championship picture in the fall of 1998, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was stripped of the strap that September. A Deadly Games tournament was to be held at Survivor Series to determine who the new champion would be.
Despite being among Vince McMahon's top archenemies, Rock powered his way through the tourney, ultimately making it to the finals against Mankind. Mankind had been in the back pocket of the manipulative McMahons, so it was widely assumed that he would be walking out the new champion.
Rock attempted to overcome the odds, but what viewers didn't know was that he was the McMahons' "chosen one" the entire time. When he locked in the Sharpshooter on Mankind, Shane called for the bell before Mankind could even submit, awarding Rocky the title.
What followed was mass confusion among those in attendance before it quickly became clear that Rock had been in cahoots with the evil authority from the get-go. They celebrated Rock's grand championship win together as a betrayed Mankind looked on from afar.
At that point, a rehash of The Montreal Screwjob had yet to be done to death, so it was a clever finish playing off the year prior. And that's not to mention that the milestone moment launched The Great One into an all-new stratosphere of superstardom.
Sting Debuts (2014)
5 of 5
For the better part of 2014, The Authority ruled WWE with an iron fist, and no one had been able to end its ruthless reign. When Survivor Series rolled around, Vince McMahon forced Triple H and Stephanie McMahon to put their positions of power at stake in a massive 10-man elimination tag team match at the event.
Triple H and Stephanie compiled a stacked team, while John Cena struggled to find Superstars willing to fight against The Authority at the risk of losing their jobs. But Ryback, Big Show, Dolph Ziggler and Erick Rowan stepped up to the plate in an effort to exile The Authority from WWE indefinitely.
The match was nothing short of stellar as each elimination was exciting and fans never knew what to expect next. Big Show's joining The Authority was surprising alone, but the WWE Universe knew better than to count out Ziggler.
After Ziggler pinned both Kane and Luke Harper by himself, he and Seth Rollins were the last men remaining for their respective teams. Triple H made his presence felt, only for Sting to shockingly surface and send shock waves through the arena.
It was an absolutely surreal moment considering that prior to that point, The Man They Call Sting had never before stepped inside a WWE ring. Ziggler's win was also epic, but Sting's unexpected arrival resulted in the single greatest swerve in Survivor Series history.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Raw Results & Grades 🔠")
