WWE Survivor Series: 5 Best World Championship Matches in the PPV’s history

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Updated: November 18, 2019
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WWE Survivor Series 2019: 5 Best World Championship Matches in the PPV's history

WWE Survivor Series is an extremely popular and time-tested PPV (Pay Per View) event which took place first in the year 1987, only a few months post WrestleMania III. This made it take the second spot amongst the top 4 PPV events, including SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. However, over the years, emphasis has shifted to a few elimination matches rather than 5-on-5 elimination tag team bouts. This year will be the first WWE Survivor Series that will have a World Title match ever since the year 2015.

WWE has been emphasizing more on stories of top brands competing with each other. Brock Lesnar versus Rey Mysterio could be an excellent contest.

Top 5 World Title bouts in the history of WWE Survivor Series

The Undertaker vs. Hulk Hogan (1991): The first 4 editions of the show did not have any WWE Championship match and the 5^th edition was a special contest marking the 1-year anniversary of The Undertaker’s debut who was the 5^th man for the elimination match courtesy Ted DiBiase. The Undertaker thus took on Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship title and eventually won, which clearly indicated Hogan’s falling popularity amongst the fans and the whole chaos over the match and the re-match after a few days led to the championship being junked. The title was then put on the line for Royal Rumble which was won by Ric Flair. This was the match that changed the whole complexion of the WWE Universe, kick-starting a chain reaction of events.
Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton (2007): Shawn Michaels was attacked by Randy Orton previously and suffered a concussion due to the dangerous punt. He also took some time off for a knee injury. After his return in another 5 months, Michaels took on Orton for the WWE Championship at Cyber Sunday. Orton hit a low blow and was disqualified, retaining his title. This led to the Survivor Series match where Michaels hit the Sweet Chin Music many times on Orton. Michaels was unable to finally win since after the Sweet Chin Music move was banned, he mistakenly went for it only to pause and reflect on whether this would cost him the match. This pause enabled Orton’s recovery and he hit Michaels with the RKO, thereby retaining the title.
Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (1992): Shawn Michaels was young and 4 years away from his very first WWE Championship victory. This match is one of the best between the two wrestling greats. Bret Hart was just 1 ½ months into being the WWE Championship title holder. Shawn Michaels was a young talent against Bret Hart in peak condition. They were 27 and 35 years of age respectively. The match is one of the most tantalizing bouts between the two in their respective careers.
Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund (1994): The match had a huge buzz and Bret Hart was defending the title against someone who had not been an active wrestler for a decade. Backlund had turned 45 sometime earlier while Hart was 37. He lost to the former who lost to Diesel who was 35 years old. Backlund was absent for a long time and came back to compete for the title against Hart. Hart defended his title successfully in the Old Generation vs. New Generation match. Backlund thought in vain that he had won at one stage in the match and his celebratory gestures cost him the title. After some crazy months, he once again came back to challenge Bret Hart for the title in a special submission match. The match was a classic to say the least.
First Elimination Chamber Match (2002): Triple H was two months into being the World Heavyweight Champion and had to face off against 5 wrestlers in a single match. Shawn Michaels came back after being absent for 4 years and was immediately taken down by Triple H. Michaels beat him in a match, Triple H attacked him with a sledgehammer and almost eliminated him for life! This made Michaels hungry for revenge in this match. Rob Van Dam had already been insulted by Triple H and Ric Flair. Kane was humiliated by the champion too while Chris Jericho was also struggling to break out from Triple H’s grasp. Booker T was only a few months away from the disastrous encounter with The Game but was at his peak for this contest. It was an amazing match and the stars almost destroyed themselves in fighting for the championship. The two men left in the match were Shawn Michaels and Triple H at the end. The former won the World Heavyweight Championship in a hotly contested match.

These are the 5 greatest PPV matches for WWE Survivor Series that you must catch up on, prior to the upcoming edition!