WWE Survivor Series 2016: Craziest Gimmick Matches in PPV History

Survivor Series, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble and WrestleMania are collectively and colloquially known as the Big Four. But Survivor Series has the lowest profile out of all of them.

It was the first WWE pay-per-view that was founded on a gimmick—five-on-five elimination matches—and featured that gimmick exclusively; in the early days, there were no singles or tag title fights on the card. Instead, champions would captain their own five-person, themed teams. The Dream Team vs. The Enforcers. The King's Court vs. The 4x4s.

But for the past decade, with the exception of a few token matches per show, the elimination matches have been done away with in favor of a more traditional PPV format, with singles matches, tag matches and varied stipulations. This list focuses on the earlier, weirder Survivor Series—the "so bad they're good" matches that made this event stand out from the pack. Here are the craziest gimmick matches in Survivor Series history.

The Big Show vs. Big Boss Man, Prince Albert, Mideon and Viscera

When smarks talk about John Cena "burying" talent and the glory days of the Attitude Era, they're probably not thinking of this match from 1999, when Big Show took on Big Boss Man, Prince Albert, Mideon and Viscera. These were not bottom-card workers. They were all midcard monsters, and Big Show not only won; he won easily. He disposed of all of them in under a minute and a half.

How did we get to this implausible point? Why, through equally implausible means, of course. Earlier that month, Big Boss Man crashed the funeral of Big Show's father, and in an infamous segment, hitched the casket to the back of his car and dragged it away, with Big Show riding on top of it. Show wanted revenge, and he was originally scheduled to team with Kaientai and the Blue Meanie in a traditional Survivor Series match. But on the Sunday Night Heat prior to the show, he beat up all three of his teammates backstage, which led to the four-on-one stipulation.

Later that evening, in the main event, Big Show toppled both Triple H and The Rock to win the WWE Championship. Therefore, the handicap match was probably intended to make him look strong and competitive. But still, there were better ways to accomplish that. This entire affair felt ludicrous, as though WWE was trying to shock us into being interested.

Shane McMahon vs. Kane

The 2003 Survivor Series had a go-for-broke quality to it. There was Vince McMahon vs. Undertaker in a Buried Alive match, Vince blading too deeply and wearing one of the worst "crimson masks" in recent memory. But the blood is the only reason why most fans remember that match; the real show-stealer that evening was the hardcore ambulance match between Shane McMahon and Kane.

The build to this showdown was just a bizarre collection of increasingly extreme stunts. This feud took place in the months after Kane was unmasked for the first time, and the Big Red Machine was completely unhinged. He set J.R. on fire. He tombstoned Linda McMahon. He attached jumper cables to Shane's testicles. In return, Shane pushed Kane into a dumpster fire. He crashed a limo with Kane inside it.

This match was extreme but no more extreme than what was happening on Raw every week. If you want to know why the fans are desensitized to today's in-ring stunts, it's because they were fed on a diet of this when they were younger.

The Royal Family vs. Clowns R' Us

Credit: WWE.com

Professional wrestling has its roots in the carnival circuit, and performers with extreme features drew crowds. It's why Superstars such as Andre the Giant and the Great Khali were successful. And it's also why smaller people, such as Hornswoggle and El Torito, will always have their place in WWE as well.

This match between Jerry Lawler's Royal Family and Doink's Clowns R' Us at 1994's Survivor Series is not politically correct by any stretch. It's clearly a product of its time; a comic-relief intermission between the more serious matches.

Every possible size-related visual gag was pulled, mostly at the expense of Lawler, who had all the little people step on and over his body multiple times.

Big Boss Man vs. Nailz

This 1992 match was not good, but its premise was directly out of '90s era WWE—or, as I like to refer to it, the "occupation era." Every other wrestler had a job-related gimmick. There was a wrestling plumber. And a wrestling garbageman. And a wrestling dentist.

Big Boss Man was a wrestling corrections officer. And Nailz, his opponent in this match, was an ex-con (still wearing his prison jumpsuit) who claimed that Boss Man had abused him in prison. Imagine that. Can you imagine a homeowner wrestling T.L. Hopper because his toilet overflowed, or a patient wrestling Isaac Yankem for pulling the wrong tooth?

This was sports entertainment at its funniest.

The 4 Doinks vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, Bastion Booger, and The Headshrinkers

The entrances were the most memorable aspect of this 1993 match. Bastion Booger and The Headshrinkers waddled to the ring gnawing on turkey and generally being gross. And then the Bushwhackers and Men on a Mission came to the ring, dressed in Doink makeup, and the crowd went wild.

The match itself was a train wreck—but an entertaining train wreck nonetheless. Luke Doink, Butch Doink, Mabel Doink, and Mo Doink used every stupid clown pratfall at their disposal to dispose of Bam Bam's team of misfits.

They exploded a water balloon in Samu's face. They pinned Booger after distracting him with a banana. They pinned Fatu after the Samoan slipped on a banana peel. And lastly, Bam Bam Bigelow got squashed in the corner of the ring and all four Doinks piled on top of him for the win. After the match, the real Doink appeared on the Titantron to taunt Bam Bam with corny one-liners. This was the speaking debut of Ray Apollo as Doink; Matt Osborne, the original Doink, had left WWE.