WWE Survivor Series 2017: Greatest Title Matches in PPV's History

Survivor Series is a pay-per-view born of and, in many ways, defined by teams of five striving to survive.

Since 1992, though, the event has featured championship bouts outside of the tag team format that made the show a popular addition to the WWE schedule.

Some of those matches have not only added to the legacy of the pay-per-view but also ranked among that given year's best.

They are title bouts that are dramatic, unpredictable, controversial and compelling. They are the bouts that have helped the November event evolve into one of the signature shows of the year and a must-see for WWE fans.

In anticipation of the 2017 event, relive these eight matches that have helped Survivor Series become home to the wildest and craziest championship encounters of the year.

8. Shawn Michaels vs. Sycho Sid (Survivor Series 1996)

Sycho Sid was one of the hottest Superstars in the WWE by the time 1996's Survivor Series rolled around, much to the chagrin of Shawn Michaels and officials attempting to push The Heartbreak Kid as the face of the company.

At the annual event, inside the historic Madison Square Garden, Sid entered to a raucous ovation, while the tough New Yorkers rejected The Boy Toy.

Even resorting to blatant and despicable actions such as blasting legendary competitor Jose Lothario with a camera to the chest, apparently causing a heart attack, Sid could do no wrong in the eyes of the WWE faithful.

After using that same camera on Michaels, Sid dropped him with a powerbomb and earned his first heavyweight championship under the WWE umbrella.

A red-hot crowd fueled a heated and combative match between two Superstars who, to that point, were portrayed as best friends.

A strong main event to cap off one of the best Survivor Series presentations of all time.

7. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 1997)

Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels' rivalry had bled off-screen and into the locker room, where contention and dislike had reached such a point that The Hitman refused to drop the WWE Championship to Michaels. Anyone was a better option. Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, The Undertaker...even The Brooklyn Brawler.

Vince McMahon, owner and creative mind behind the WWE, refused every alternative.

The only option was Michaels and damn it, that would be the outcome.

In Montreal, in front of a pro-Hart crowd, The Hitman and Heartbreak Kid wrestled their second Survivor Series main event. This one, unlike the original, was a heated and brutal brawl of a match that demonstrated the intense personal dislike that had developed between the characters both on-screen and off.

After action had poured from the arena floor back into the squared circle, Michaels seized control of the bout. He grabbed the legs of his opponent and mockingly applied the Sharpshooter.

Referee Earl Hebner, who had taken a bump just moments earlier, looked down at Hart once and suddenly called for the bell. McMahon, who had come to ringside midway through the match, could be heard ordering the bell run.

Hart, who had not tapped out, nor was he supposed to based on the finish agreed upon by all sides and documented in the 1998 film Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows, had been screwed over live on pay-per-view by a booker who was going to have his way come hell or high water.

The infamous event, replicated and duplicated to varying degrees of effectiveness over the years, is a landmark moment in WWE history and a definite ignition point for the Attitude Era.

6. Elimination Chamber Match for the World Championship (Survivor Series 2002)

The first-ever Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship headlined the 2002 Survivor Series.

The match, hardly the best of its kind, served as the introduction to the popular gimmick match so its historical significance is not in doubt.

Most notable for Triple H's gutsy performance, in which he worked 40 minutes with a crushed windpipe courtesy of an ill-fated Rob Van Dam Five Star Frog Splash, the contest brought together the villainous world heavyweight champion and his top five contenders in a brutal and unforgivingly barbaric contest.

Shawn Michaels, wrestling only his second match in four years, blasted Triple H with Sweet Chin Music and won the World Heavyweight Championship in the same arena he had lost the WWE title in six years earlier.

The first of its kind, the inaugural match was not without its flaws, but it did tell several stories throughout, featured the aforementioned performance by Triple H and the happy ending fans were hoping for.

The result? A satisfying marquee bout.

5. Hell in a Cell for the World Heavyweight Championship (Survivor Series 2007)

The Undertaker and Batista had demonstrated uncanny in-ring chemistry throughout 2007, including a WrestleMania 23 match that damn near stole the show. A rematch at Backlash and a subsequent Steel Cage match on an episode of SmackDown featured more hard-hitting action, dramatic near-falls and unsatisfying conclusions.

Survivor Series 2007 saw the culmination of their rivalry inside The Devil's Playground, Hell in a Cell.

The match followed the example of their previous bouts, with pain and punishment dealt by the familiar foes.

Increased brutality and late-match interference from the returning Edge led to Batista successfully retaining his title.

The match, not as good as Undertaker's Hell in a Cell match with Edge or Batista's showdown inside the structure with Triple H, was still a quality main event that lived up to the tone of the rivalry and featured another indecisive finish that kept both competitors strong.

This one, though, would set the stage for a series of Smackdown brand main events featuring the top stars on that roster.

4. John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H (Survivor Series 2009)

D-Generation X reunited for a successful reunion tour in 2009, but at Survivor Series, they found themselves on opposite ends of a Triple Threat Match in which they challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship.

Anyone expecting good friends Shawn Michaels and Triple H to stay united throughout the match found out immediately as HBK blasted Triple H with Sweet Chin Music. That moment set the tone for a wild, crazy, dramatic and unpredictable main event.

Cena, having worked both Michaels and Triple H in matches at past WrestleMania, has proved he could beat them. As a united force, which they would become at one point in the match, there was no guarantee he would leave with gold around his waist.

As he had so many times over the course of his career, though, Cena overcame the odds and retained his title in dramatic fashion.

3. WWE Title Match: John Cena vs. Ryback vs. CM Punk (Survivor Series 2012)

CM Punk had been WWE champion for a year by the time the 2012 Survivor Series rolled around, and during that time, the loudmouthed villain had made his fair share of enemies, two of whom were John Cena and Ryback.

Caught between a rock and a hard place in the form of a Triple Threat Match at the annual pay-per-view, it appeared as though Punk's historic reign was on its way to crumbling. 

Then it happened.

In a moment that would affect the future of the WWE, three turtleneck-wearing newcomers exploded onto the scene, attacking Ryback and powerbombing him through the announce table at ringside. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns made an immediate impact, saving Punk's title and igniting interest in their characters.

Even before The Shield hit the ring, the match was a strong effort from all involved, especially on the part of Punk, who was working through several bumps, bruises and a knee injury that would eventually be operated on a month later.

Ryback was protected, Cena was his typical big-match self, and the result was a quality main event on a show that needed it.

2. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 1992)

Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels may have a much more famous Survivor Series match on their resumes, but their 1992 was superior from an in-ring perspective.

Determined to prove they were deserving of a spot at the top of the card, despite their lack of size or overly muscular bodies, The Hitman and Heartbreak Kid tore the house down in a main event that stole the show out from underneath the previously billed main event of Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect vs. Razor Ramon and Ric Flair.

Hart, in his first title defense, trapped Michaels in the Sharpshooter and forced a tapout, ending the broadcast by standing tall alongside Santa Claus.

A superb wrestling match that ran over 20 minutes, it was the first hint of the greatness Hart and Michaels would deliver on the Survivor Series stage in the years to come.

1. Bret Hart vs. Diesel (Survivor Series 1995)

There comes a time in every Superstar's career when their overconfidence and hubris costs them dearly.

After holding the WWE Championship for just shy of one year, Diesel was in the midst of a dominant No Holds Barred title defense against Bret Hart at the 1995 Survivor Series when his moment of destiny arrived.

Having pummeled The Hitman and even powerbombed him through a table in what was the first use of the popular spot on pay-per-view, Diesel set up to deliver a Jackknife to his top contender that would secure his title and ensure his reign lived to see another day.

Then Hart caught him from out of nowhere with a small package and won the title.

The story told throughout the match helped elevate it in Survivor Series lore. A phenomenally wrestled match that played to the strengths of both men, including Hart's ability to take an ass-kicking like no other Superstar on the roster, it ranks among the greatest WWE Championship bouts in company history some 22 years later.

Diesel snapped after the match, attacking Hart and planting the seeds for a heel turn that would revitalize his character come 1996.