There have been a number of memorable traditional “Survivor Series” matches over the years. Here are 10 matches we wish had taken place at WWE’s annual November pay-per-view and how we think they would’ve played out.
Hulkamania Era (Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, Ultimate Warrior and Andre The Giant) vs. Attitude Era (“Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Mick Foley and Triple H)
This dream match, which obviously could take place only in a video game (sadly, Hogan is the only living member of his team), would undoubtedly be the most star-studded "Survivor Series" elimination match ever.
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It would have to come down to the two biggest box office draws in WWE history — Hogan and Austin. Since Hogan in his prime lost about as often as the Harlem Globetrotters did against the Washington Generals, the finish would undoubtedly be Hogan kicking out of a Stunner, “hulking up” and hitting the big legdrop for the 1-2-3
"When it comes crashing down and it hurts inside …”
Sole survivor: Hogan, brother
DX (Shawn Michaels, Triple H and The New Age Outlaws) vs. The nWo (Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and The Giant)
Before the match, Hogan pulls his creative control card and demands the match go down as follows: Hall, Nash and The Giant get eliminated in succession, leaving him against all of DX; he then goes on to pin each member of DX to singlehandedly win the match.
However, just as they did with the infamous “curtain call” in Madison Square Garden back in the day, The Kliq goes off script. After Road Dogg and Billy Gunn get eliminated, Michaels and Triple H refuse to do business. Hall and Nash turn on Hogan and join their buddies Michaels and Triple H in a four-on-one beatdown. The Giant shrugs his shoulders and eliminates himself.
Sole survivors: Michaels, Triple H, Hall and Nash
Honor Nation (CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins) vs. Impact Players (AJ Styles, Sting, Kurt Angle, Bobby Roode and Eric Young
We all know WWE is the No. 1 company in the industry, but this match is to determine who is No. 2 — ROH or TNA. OK, so New Japan is actually No. 2, but this is Vince McMahon’s world and we’re all just living in it and he makes the rules, OK?
All 10 of these men have been in WWE at some point over the past few years, so this match wouldn’t be that much of a stretch — as long as we pretend that Punk would ever step foot in a WWE ring again and Bryan would be cleared to wrestle in WWE
Roode and Young are probably in a little over their heads in this match, and Sting and Angle have both lost a few steps. So as phenomenal as Styles is, he can’t do it all by himself.
Sole survivors: Punk, Bryan and Joe
Team Supernatural (The Undertaker, Kane, Bray Wyatt, The Boogeyman and Papa Shango) vs. Team Supermen (Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Goldberg and Mark Henry)
Magicians or musclemen? Parlor tricks or power moves? This matchup provides an answer to the age-old question of which side would prevail in an epic battle between the paranormal and the superhuman.
Team Supermen is immediately at a disadvantage when Henry pulls a muscle entering the ring and is unable to compete. To make matters worse, Goldberg starts the match, hits his three moves and then gets blown up and is unable to continue.
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The Superman even the sides, however, after quickly eliminating Boogeyman and Papa Shango because, well, those two pretty much suck. Wyatt, who cut a series of amazing promos leading up to the match in which he talked about Sister Abigail showing him how to consume the souls of his opponents and bring on the apocalypse, is pinned clean about 10 minutes into the match.
That leaves Undertaker and Kane against Lesnar, Reigns and Strowman. The Brothers of Destruction find out the hard way that their powers are no match for Father Time’s.
Sole survivors: Lesnar, Reigns and Strowman
Hardcore Icons (Tazz, Rob Van Dam, Raven, Sandman and Sabu) vs. Team Billionaire Ted (Ric Flair, Sting, Goldberg, Scott Steiner and Diamond Dallas Page)
Remember how badly WWE botched the “Invasion” angle in 2001? Well, what if WCW and ECW didn’t form an alliance, and instead they battled each other for the right to survive as a separate promotion under the WWE umbrella?
Tazz, as the leader of Team ECW, starts the match. Goldberg starts for his team (remember, this is 2001 Goldberg, not 2017 Old-berg). Tazz does his “mean Tazz face” and goes face-to-nipple with Goldberg. Tazz then unleashes a flurry of rights and lefts. Goldberg no sells them all and spears and jackhammers him. Thanks for coming, Tazz.
Ever wonder who would win a fight between a crow and a raven? Well wonder no more. Sting hits the Stinger Splash and Raven’s presence in this match is nevermore. Sabu attempts a death-defying move involving tables and chair but ends up crashing and burning, basically eliminating himself. Then Sandman tries to whack Steiner with his kendo stick but “Big Poppa Pump” takes it from him and turns him into Sandman on a stick. Exit, Sandman.
That leaves RVD in a five-on-four situation. Always cool and calm, RVD takes his predicament in stride and prepares to take them all on, but he fails to notice that Flair had snuck up behind him. One Flair uppercut to RVD’s ying-yang later and it’s all over.
Sole survivors: Flair, Sting, Goldberg, DDP and Steiner
Team OVW (John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton and Batista) vs. Team FCW (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Sheamus)
Before there was NXT, there was FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling). And before FCW there was OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling). This match pits the top OVW alumni versus the top FCW alumni.
Team OVW eliminates everyone on Team FCW except for Reigns, who finds himself in a one versus all scenario. Against all odds, “The Big Dog” eliminates Orton, Batista, Cena and Lesnar.
A giddy Michael Cole touts it as the “single, greatest performance in the history of sports entertainment! Oh my!” And the crowd boos Reigns out of the building. Back in Gorilla, Vince McMahon’s head explodes.
Sole survivor: Reigns
Ruthless Aggression Ladies (Lita, Trish Stratus, Mickie James, Beth Phoenix and Victoria) vs. Women’s Revolution (Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Asuka, Paige and Bayley)
Surprisingly, Asuka is the first competitor eliminated, but it takes all five members of Ruthless Aggression hitting their finishers on her in succession to beat her. Eliminated next is Page after being double-teamed (OK, people, get your minds out of the gutter).
It comes down to Lita and Stratus against Flair and Banks. The latter pair can’t get along, so it’s advantage Team Bestie.
Sole survivors: Lita and Stratus
Team Arnold (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Snoop Dogg, Mr. T and Drew Carey) vs. Team Donald (Donald Trump, Mike Tyson, Pete Rose and Bob Uecker)
As you’ve probably noticed, all of the participants in this match are in the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame. Before the match begins, Trump produces a doctor’s note that states he cannot compete due to a spine condition (he lacks one).
Right after the bell rings, Rose lies down and allows himself to be pinned. Turns out he bet on Team Arnold. Seeing that it’s now four versus two, Uecker says, “F— this,” and takes a seat in the front row. (If you get that reference, congratulations, you’re old.)
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That leaves Tyson by himself. He KO’s Snoop and Carey, eliminating them. Mr. T then enters the ring and the crowd starts buzzing as "Iron" Mike and Clubber Lang go nose to nose. Tyson, who is in the throes of a contact high as a result of being in close proximity to Snoop, is a step slow and thus is beaten to the punch and KOed by Mr. T
After the match, Mr. T grabs a microphone and dedicates the victory to his mother. He then goes on to extol the virtues of Mama T. After several minutes or Mr. T rambling, Schwarzenegger snatches the mic from him and says, “Enough about your mother. Tell me: Who is your daddy and what does he do?”
Sole survivors: Schwarzenegger and Mr. T.
Team Cornette (Jim Cornette, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, Tracy Smothers and Brian Lee) vs. Team Russo (Former WCW World Champion Vince Russo, Former WCW World Champion David Arquette, Big Vito and Richard and Rod Johnson)
Finally, Cornette and Russo settle their differences in the ring after years of childish verbal attacks on one another on podcasts and shoot videos.
Cornette has assembled a team of Smoky Mountain Wrestling all-stars, including Lee, who throws Team Russo a curveball by doing his Underfaker gimmick for this match. A terrified Arquette, thinking it’s the real Undertaker, immediately runs to the back and never returns. Big Vito, who used to do a Mafia gimmick in WCW and got a bit of a push there because he was Russo’s buddy (he later went to WWE and wrestled in a dress, and that didn’t get over either), is quickly eliminated by Full-Blooded Italian Smothers.
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Hey, remember Richard and Rod Johnson from the early days in TNA? No? Well they wore flesh-colored masks and bodysuits that made them look like giant penises. Is it any wonder Cornette the old-school wrestling traditionalist hates Russo? Anyway, rather than sticking around to fight a losing battle, the Johnsons give Russo the shaft and walk out on him.
Suddenly, Russo finds himself trapped in the ring with a wild-eyed Cornette, who fulfills his decades-long fantasy of slapping around Russo like the former writer was a Dairy Queen drive-through employee who had just screwed up a starving Cornette’s order.
Sole survivors: Cornette, Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, Smothers and Lee
The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson and Barry Windham) vs. The Faux Horsemen (Steve “Mongo” McMichael, Paul Roma, Dean Malenko and Sid Vicious)
To paraphrase the late, great Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, it’ll take a good team to beat The Faux Horsemen, it just won’t take them very long. The Four Horsemen score the most lopsided win in “Survivor Series” history. The highlight of the match undoubtedly would be Vicious putting Anderson in a scissors hold.
Despite The Four Horsemen’s dominant performance, Ole Anderson, who was brought in to do commentary for the match, declares everyone in the contest to be “the s—s.”
Sole survivors: Flair, Blanchard, Anderson and Windham