The arrival of
November brings about a great deal of excitement to many Americans across the
nation. Such staples of month include Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, and
for the WWE Universe, the second longest running pay-per-view event, Survivor
Series. Debuting in 1986, Survivor Series has been a Thanksgiving tradition for
the last 28 years, showcasing many of the WWE’s most historic moments ever. The
original appeal to this autumn spectacle was the unique five-on-five
elimination matchup at the end of the night between the WWE’s best and brightest
stars. Although this annual bout has become somewhat of an afterthought over
the years, the five-on-five elimination match is a mainstay on the card and
makes the event feel special.
This
year’s Survivor Series Event is already heating up, as the five-on-five
elimination match will feature Team Cena vs. The Authority. The participants
have yet to be finalized, but if Team Cena is victorious, the Authority will no
longer be in power in World Wrestling Entertainment. This added stipulation
fused with the fact that the event will air live on the WWE Network for free, is
already looking to make Survivor Series 2014 historic; but what other historic
moments have taken place at Survivor Series over the last 28 years? I have
compiled a list of the five most historic Survivor Series moments in WWE
history. Let’s get started!
5. John Cena & The
Rock vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth)
“Never
before, never again,” was the tagline for the main event of Survivor Series
2011, which saw two bitter rivals in John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson,
team up to take on the turbulent tandem of the “Awesome Truth.” The Miz and
R-Truth were running roughshod on the WWE and John Cena and The Rock were not
only tasked to vanquish these vitriolic villains, but also to coexist mere
months before their epic encounter in Miami, Florida, at WrestleMania XXVIII. The
match was a calamity-filled clash between the two unlikely teams, and it added
a brand new dynamic to John Cena and The Rock’s rivalry, which is one of the
greatest in WWE history. The “Leader of the Cenation” and the “Great One” would
pull out the hard fought victory at Madison Square Garden that night, and The
Rock would cap off the evening by laying the smackdown on John Cena, planting
his own teammate with a “Rock Bottom.” John Cena would roll out of the ring and
retreat to the stage to make for a captivating foreshadowing of their upcoming
clash at WrestleMania. No one ever conceived that John Cena and The Rock would
ever square off, much less team together; and that is why their encounter at
Survivor Series 2011 is one of the greatest moments in history.
4. The Rock Becomes the
Corporate Champion
Can
you say, “swerve of the century?” In the fall of 1998, the WWE Title was
vacated in a triple-threat match in which Undertaker and Kane simultaneously
pinned the champion, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Following further controversy at
In Your House: Judgment Day, Mr. McMahon set up a 14-man, “Deadly Games”
tournament to be held at Survivor Series, in which a new WWE Champion would be
crowned. Prior to the event, McMahon was positioning his corporate puppet,
Mankind, to win the WWE Championship and be the torchbearer for his faction.
Mankind would make it to the finals of the tournament to take on the fan
favorite competitor, The Rock. In the latter half of 1998, The Rock’s charisma
and in-ring ability was getting him over as a babyface, even though he was a
heel. He began to portray a much more likeable demeanor as a result of being
cheered by the WWE Universe. As he climbed through the ranks of the “Deadly
Games” tournament at Survivor Series, he amassed so much support and admiration
that it seemed as though he was going to become the number one babyface in the
company. The match between The Rock and Mankind was satisfactory, but the real
shocker would take place when The Rock put Mankind in the sharpshooter, and Mr.
McMahon would call for the bell, signaling the end of the match. Mankind was
not pinned, nor did he submit, but rather he was screwed by his boss, Mr.
McMahon, who would embrace The Rock in the ring as his new “Corporate
Champion.” A wave of confusion fell over the Kiel Center, including Mankind, as
he begged for an explanation from his former number one supporter, Mr. McMahon.
Mankind would get no such explanation, but rather a vicious “Rock Bottom” from
The Rock in the middle of the ring. No one saw this swerve coming, which is why
the 1998 Survivor Series will go down in history as one of the greatest.
3. Shawn Michaels
Captures the World Heavyweight Championship
In
1998, if you had told a professional wrestling fanatic that the “Heartbreak
Kid,” Shawn Michaels would win the Big Gold Belt by superkicking his rival
Triple H, inside of a structure designed by Monday Night Raw General Manager,
Eric Bischoff, at Survivor Series 2002, they would have dropped you with a
“Stone Cold Stunner.” Alas, when Shawn Michael’s return to the ring after a
four-year hiatus culminated with him winning the World Heavyweight Championship
inside the Elimination Chamber at Survivor Series, there was not a dry eye in
Madison Square Garden. The match featured Chris Jericho, Kane, Booker T, Rob
Van Dam, Shawn Michaels, and the World Heavyweight Champion, Triple H, and it
was a gruesome contest to say the least. Seeing as though this was the first
ever Elimination Chamber match in history, there was already an awesome
atmosphere, add in the greatest in-ring performer in WWE history reclaiming his
spot atop the mountain, and you have got yourself a historic night.
2. The Dawning of the
‘Deadman’
Many
a professional wrestling fan hold the 1990 Survivor Series in an unpleasant
light, primarily because it featured the unveiling of the single worst gimmick
in WWE history, the Gobeldy Gooker. It’s no secret the WWE product was very
campy and cartoonish in the early 1990’s. To be unforgivingly honest, the debut
of a second gimmick on that fateful night should have been, for all intents and
purposes, doomed to go down in history as just another unsuccessful character;
however, this character would not only prevail at the 1990 Survivor Series, but
he would go on to thrive as “Phenom” and the greatest performer in WrestleMania
history. Of course, by now you are all aware I am referring to the Undertaker.
What many fans do not realize is that the Undertaker character has experienced
the most longevity of any other character in professional wrestling history.
The Undertaker was on top of the mountain in the “Golden Era,” the “New
Generation,” the “Attitude Era,” the “Ruthless Aggression Era,” and the “PG
Era.” Combine that with a Royal Rumble victory, multiple World Championships,
and a 21-year undefeated streak at WrestleMania, and one could argue that
Survivor Series 1990 witnessed the most historic debut in WWE history.
1. The Montreal Screwjob
Ah
yes, we have finally arrived to not only the most historic moment in Survivor
Series history, but the most controversial occurrence in the entirety of all of
professional wrestling spanning back to 1905. There have been magazines, books,
and even films produced centered on the events that took place on November 9,
1997. I suggest that everyone who reads this go online and watch Wrestling with Shadows, a tell-all exposé about the dirty dealings leading up to the infamous incident that
took place at Survivor Series 1997.
The
best way to start this story is from WrestleMania XII in 1996. Shawn Michaels
and Bret Hart would make history when they competed for over an hour in an
Ironman Match for the WWE Championship. The two men were on relatively good terms
and even considered each other friends, but when Shawn Michaels went on to win
the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XII and told Senior Referee, Earl Hebner,
to get Bret the “f*ck out of his ring,” their transformation into mortal
enemies would begin. Bret Hart had visions of winning back the WWE
Championship, having Shawn Michaels chase once again, and competing in a return
match with the “Heartbreak Kid” at WrestleMania XIII; however, Bret Hart began
to resent Shawn Michaels when he admitted that he only wanted to work with his
“Kliq,” composed of X-Pac, Diesel, Razor Ramon, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
Hart would watch on as Michaels’ ego grew exponentially. In February of 1997,
Shawn Michaels would relinquish the WWE Championship, claiming he had “lost his
smile,” and ultimately take himself off the card at WrestleMania XIII. This led
Bret Hart to assume that Shawn Michaels vacated the title because his ego was
too big to drop it back to him on the grandest stage of them all.
The
plot thickened when the Executive Producer of World Championship Wrestling,
Eric Bischoff, offered Bret Hart a multimillion-dollar deal to jump ship and
turn his back on the WWE. Vince McMahon, who could not afford to let another
top star join the rival promotion, offered Bret Hart a lucrative contract to
stay with the WWE, and stay he did. McMahon would soon realize that keeping
Bret Hart on board was doing more harm than good for his company, as he was
signed to the highest-paid contract in WWE history, and simply did not have the
drawing power that he once did. With great consideration, McMahon asked that Hart’s
contract be reneged and that Hart sign with World Championship Wrestling. Hart
was willing to comply with Vince McMahon, but there was one problem. Bret Hart
beat the Undertaker and won the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 1997 and was in
the middle of a heated on and off-camera rivalry with Shawn Michaels. The two
foes would engage in heated verbal exchanges on camera, many of which hit more
than close to home, including Shawn Michaels insinuating Bret Hart’s
involvement in an extramarital affair with WWE talent, Sunny. Bret Hart would
fire back by bringing Michael’s sexual orientation into question, and Shawn
Michaels would have the audacity to perform antics like picking his nose with
the Canadian Flag. All hell broke loose in Hartford, Connecticut, when Bret
Hart and Shawn Michaels got into a legitimate physical altercation, resulting
in the two men breaking through a wall. Bret Hart attempted to make peace with
Shawn Michaels in saying that he respected him and his in-ring ability and
would be willing to man up and drop the title to him at Survivor Series. The
final straw that broke the camel’s back was when Shawn Michaels responded to
Hart’s peace offering by saying, “I appreciate that, but if the roles were
reversed, I can’t say I would do the same.”
Michaels’
snarky comment set Bret Hart over the edge, and he told Vince McMahon with
finality that he would not lose to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series in his
home country of Canada. Vince McMahon and Lead Writer, Vince Russo, pitched
every possible outcome for this match that would award Shawn Michaels with the
title and make Bret Hart look strong in defeat. But Bret Hart would not budge;
he refused to lose the WWE Championship in Montreal, Canada, at Survivor
Series. Vince McMahon became very fearful seeing as though the man holding his
company’s top prize refused to give it up and was set to leave for WCW
immediately after Survivor Series. If Bret Hart were to show up on WCW Nitro
with the WWE Championship, the WWE would surely take its final breath. Vince McMahon
had no choice; he had to screw Bret Hart.
On
the night of November 9, 1997, four men knew what was going to take place.
Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Senior Referee, Earl Hebner, knew
that when Shawn Michaels applied the sharpshooter to Bret Hart, Hebner would
call for the premature ending of the match. Once the bell rang, Shawn Michaels
and Triple H retreated from the ring with the WWE Championship, and Vince
McMahon stood at ringside where he was spat on in front of millions of people
by Bret Hart. Bret Hart was taken completely by surprise as he thought the
match was supposed to end in disqualification, and he would leave Montreal with
the WWE Championship. The broadcast would end in Shawn Michaels exiting the
arena and a very confused play-by-play commentator, Jim Ross, thanking everyone
for watching. What the world did not see was Bret Hart destroying everything at
ringside, signing “WCW” with his right hand, and eventually cold-cocking Vince
McMahon in the right eye. There is no doubt that the Montreal Screwjob is the
most historic moment in not only Survivor Series history, but perhaps WWE
history as well.
