Survivor Series has always been an interesting PPV/PLE to me. Back in the 80s/90s, when there was less TV, seeing big teams of 4 or 5 people was a unique experience for everyone watching. Then Vince McMahon reportedly hated the tag team gimmick and slowly phased it out, adding more singles matches to the show. And of course nowadays, the War Games gimmick is planned around Survivor Series which I absolutely hate. It is just as bad as when there were Hell In A Cell PPVs.
I wish the WWE would go back to a show full of traditional Survivor Series matches. Feel free to have the main Champions defend their titles if you want. But if it was up to me, I would go back to traditional Survivor Series matches. But if you want to add intrigue to it, throw in a slice of the old WCW Battlebowl PPVs. The surviving members of the winning teams get thrown into a battle royal at the end of the show, with the winner getting a guaranteed title shot at the Royal Rumble.
But that is something to talk about at a later date. What is the point of today’s column? To look back at the Survivor Series teams of the past and pick out the best teams of all time! To be clear, this list only takes into account traditional Survivor Series teams. War Games teams are NOT included or under consideration.
For me, there was a clear cut #1 when making this list, but putting the rest together was a tough chore. But I did it anyways. So let the list begin!
10. 2001- Team WWE
Perhaps the best thing about this team is that it signaled the end of the awful Invasion storyline. But instead of seeing the millions in potential for the storyline, Vince McMahon and Company pissed it all away. But it is tough to ignore a team with The Rock, Chris Jericho and The Undertaker on it. Big Show and Kane rounded out the team, but at this point Kane was nowhere near what he was in 1998 and Big Show was stealing money from the company. But the star power is there.
9. 2005- Team Smackdown
It is a struggle to put JBL in any of my Top 10 lists that aren’t negative. I really can’t stand the man. But hey, in 2005 he was a main eventer and a good compliment to this strong team. When you add in Batista, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton, you come out with a solid team of top wrestlers from 2005.
8. 2004- Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Rob Van Dam, Big Show
I like the mix of everyone on this team. Main eventer Eddie Guerrero, up and coming John Cena who would win the WWE title at the next Wrestlemania, and at this point established stars in Rob Van Dam and Big Show. I’m not the biggest Big Show fan but he fills the role of “muscle” on this team full of agile and quicker workers.
7. 1987- Brutus Beefcake, Jim Duggan, Jake Roberts, Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat
The first Survivor Series didn’t have fancy names so we have to list out everyone on the team. But this is a solid group of faces for 1987. We have two former Intercontinental Champions in Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat. As much as I never cared for either, Brutus Beefcake and Jim Duggan were always over. And if you don’t like Jake Roberts then I don’t know what to say. Good thing they didn’t decide to take some of these guys and put them on Hogan’s team.
6. 1990- The Warriors
The Modern Day Warrior, The Road Warriors, and The Ultimate Warriors. What a creative team name! The funny thing is by this point, Texas Tornado had already lost the Intercontinental title at a TV taping. That must have felt awkward for Kerry Von Erich. This match put the Road Warriors in the firm position of replacing Demolition as the team of the WWE. Then of course you have WWE Champion Ultimate Warrior as the captain. It is almost the perfect team of the Hasbro era, but I think there is a much better one down the line which we will get to. Unfortunately, Ultimate Warrior never really took the torch as the main guy and Kerry Von Erich could never be trusted to be a top mid card act. But it is still a solid overall team.
5. 2016- Team Smackdown
It really loathes me to put a team with 2016 Shane McMahon on here. But the star power around him cannot be denied. A team consisting of AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton more than makes up for Shane McMahon also being on the team. AJ Styles was the WWE Champion at the time. He just won it from Dean Ambrose. And Randy Orton was an 8 time Champion at that point. And Bray Wyatt would win the title the next February. Overall a very strong team. And they get the highest of the 2016/2017 teams since they won.
4. 1993- The All Americans
Maybe this is my nostalgia goggle kicking in, but I really loved this team as a kid. I remember being so disappointed as a kid when my parents didn’t take me to see the Lex Express when it was in town. But this is still peak Lex Luger in WWE where people thought he still had a chance at winning the Title. It wasn’t really until Royal Rumble 1994 when it went downhill. But this match leads to the start of Taker/Yoko. We also got to see the Undertaker in his American flag trench coat. And The Steiner Brothers are one of the best tag teams in wrestling history. That is why I enjoyed this team and think it deserves a top spot on this list.
3. 2019- Team NXT Women
Remember the Black and Gold days of NXT? Those were some good times. Looking at this team of women back from 2019 it was clear that the future was very bright. You have Rhea Ripley, arguably the most popular woman in wrestling today. Then there is Bianca Belair. I’ll be honest, I didn’t see her becoming as a big of a star she has when she was in NXT. But she took the ball and ran with it on the main roster. Io Shirai continues to be a top performer. Toni Storm is the top woman in AEW. The only one who isn’t in a top spot is Candice LeRae, but in 2019 she was a top performer in NXT. Giving these women the win was the right call. And it showed that the future was bright for the women’s division back in 2019.
2. 2006- Team D-X
Who knew the stories that would be woven together from this team years down the line. In a few years we would get CM Punk feuding with Jeff Hardy. Then of course, CM Punk leaving and his behind the scenes beef with Triple H. Hell, who would have thought almost 20 years later that the Hardy Boyz would still be wrestling. This team was a pretty big deal for CM Punk in 2006. Punk had a cult following and being paired with the Hardy Boyz and D-X was seen as a big elevation for him. This team just misses out on the top spot, but I wouldn’t fault anyone who would argue them as the best. But they just miss taking the cake for me.
1. 1989- The Hulkamaniacs
And here we are at number one. When I went thru every team I thought it would be hard to beat this team. This is the ultimate Hasbro era team when it comes to the WWE. You have Hulk Hogan, the number one star of his era. If you are on his team for Survivor Series you are going to get some attention. Jake Roberts, a man I would consider the upper mid card guy of this era. His feuds always meant something. And then there is Demolition, the team you might consider the top tag team of the Hasbro era. At that time the longest reigning tag team Champions of that day. When you put all of these men on a team together in 1989 it just screams star power. I don’t think there is a better combination out there and I would hold this team up to any other team ranked lower than them.
Agree with the list? Have your own thoughts? Give me a shout on X at JCWonka and let me know!
