10 Best WWE Survivor Series Elimination Matches

Created back in 1987, Survivor Series was promptly established as one of WWE's Big Four pay-per-views alongside WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam, with the centrepiece of the shows being the traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination matches. 

In the pay-per-view’s heyday, Survivor Series was a gravy-soaked comfort food around Thanksgiving and presented a rare opportunity to see a handful of major stars in the same match. For decades, that tradition persisted in some form or fashion, as WWE served up a cornucopia of flavour through one overstuffed bout after another.

WWE did away with the classic Tag Team Elimination matches after 2021, replacing the matches with WarGames beginning in 2022. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, though, and WWE brought back the traditional Survivor Series matches in 2026. 

These are the 10 best WWE Survivor Series Elimination matches. 

10. Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson, The British Bulldog & Sycho Sid vs. Owen Hart, Yokozuna, Razor Ramon & Dean Douglas - Survivor Series 1995

While most of WWF's 1995 output was rancid, they absolutely delivered with Survivor Series. The entire evening felt like a contradiction of the bad year that proceeded it, and it was thanks to some truly inspired outings. Take for example the Wild Card Match in which faces and heels were forced to co-exist as partners in the name of in-ring supremacy.

Ascending main eventer Shawn Michaels teamed with newcomer Ahmed Johnson, dastardly Davey Boy Smith, and noted Michaels rival Sycho Sid to face Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon and three heels in Ramon and Michaels' enemy Dean Douglas and former WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart and Yokozuna, who were allies of The British Bulldog.

As expected, Michaels and Ramon merrily caused their own hated partners to be eliminated, while Smith did all he could to not-so-subtly save Owen and Yoko. Amid those profound happenings, it was Ahmed who stood out the most as a domineering powerhouse. Really, the whole match was a wonderful slice of something completely different, especially for New Generation WWF.

After 27 minutes, Ahmed Johnson, The British Bulldog and Shawn Michaels were the three survivors after Ahmed last eliminated Yokozuna.

9. Tag Team Raw (The Bar, Enzo & Cass, Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, The New Day & The Shining Stars) vs. Tag Team SmackDown (American Alpha, Breezango, Heath Slater & Rhyno, The Hype Bros & The Usos) - Survivor Series 2016

2016 was the first time in 28 years that WWE had run a Survivor Series bout featuring 10 static tag teams, something that hit the sweet spot for those looking for nostalgia. The only twist was that instead of being five face teams vs. five heel combos, this one was steeped in red vs. blue.

There was a manic energy to the match that saw duos like The Usos, The Good Brothers, Enzo and Cass, and The Bar all shine brightly, as they did have to cram nine eliminations into a 19-minute stretch - about half the time of their 1980s equivalents. 

That said, it was just fun to see WWE with such a fleshed-out tag team division again, even if some teams weren't quite long-haul steady. In other words, it was great to see tag team wrestling feel special in WWE again, even if for just one night.

8. Team SmackDown (AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton & Shane McMahon) vs. Team Raw (Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman) - Survivor Series 2016

The one downside to this match was that it clocked in at 53 minutes, which was too long for a match that didn't really have major stakes outside of WWE’s first edition of BRAND WARFARE since the reintroduction of the brand split earlier in the year. 

The match was so long that Shane McMahon was able to take a 25-minute power nap on the apron, but despite that length, the match is great. 

At the onset of brand split 2.0, you had the treasured Kevin Owens/Chris Jericho friendship, Randy Orton as an unlikely Wyatt Family underling, and Braun Strowman just learning how to be a remorseless killing machine. There was also Roman Reigns getting booed every time he blinked, whether mingling with his old Shield buddies or not. 

The high-impact moments made up for any lulls, as Raw vs. SmackDown redux started out strongly enough, as evidenced here.

7. Team SmackDown (Randy Orton, Batista, Bobby Lashley, John “Bradshaw” Layfield & Rey Mysterio) def. Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Kane, The Big Show, Carlito & Chris Masters) - Survivor Series 2005

This match is a popular one amongst Ruthless Aggression-era fans, and for good reason. In a time when brand warfare wasn't yet done to death, Raw vs. SmackDown felt like a big deal instead of being an annual obligation. 

The 2005 Survivor Series in general was a solid card (ignoring Eric Bischoff vs. Theodore Long), capped off by an elimination bout where everybody had their working boots on. And boy, did it show.

The SmackDown contingent of Randy Orton, Batista, JBL, Rey Mysterio, and Bobby Lashley triumphed over Raw's Shawn Michaels, Kane, Big Show, Chris Masters, and Carlito, in a 24-minute match that almost never slowed down to catch its breath. Just as madcap as the in-ring action was the commentary in which Raw and SmackDown's announcers bickered back and forth at a speed that clearly indicated they’d come up with their own barbed verbiage. 

While Raw vs. SmackDown was incredibly forced and boring by the early 2020s, 2005 was proof that at one time there used to be great results when the two brands collided. 

6. The Powers of Pain, The Rockers, The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation & The Young Stallions vs. Demolition, The Brain Busters, The Bolsheviks, The Fabulous Rougeaus & The Conquistadors - Survivor Series 1988

First of all, you have to love any match where Los Conquistadors survived for over 40 minutes, which really spoke to the unpredictable nature a fray of this size could promise.

While Uno and Dos almost going the distance was fun, the 1988 20-man tag earned its plaudits for a great in-match story, as well as a seemingly innocuous sequence equipped with an unbelievable backstory that also featured a whole bunch of great wrestling. 

Any match with The Hart Foundation, Rockers, Demolition, Brain Busters, and British Bulldogs was going to be excellent, given the talent on display. What put this extensive bout over the top was the late-match sequence in which Mr. Fuji unexpectedly double-crossed Ax and Smash, ending up in the camp of The Powers of Pain by the match's end. It was a bit of a confusing double turn, but a necessary one given Demolition's soaring popularity. As for the other notable portion, Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau's interactions were preceded by a real-life brawl between the two that saw Dynamite get his teeth knocked out, which only added to the legend of this fantastic bout.

5. Team Cena (Dolph Ziggler, John Cena, Ryback, Erick Rowan & The Big Show) vs. The Authority (Seth Rollins, Kane, Mark Henry, Luke Harper & Rusev) - Survivor Series 2014

The best Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination matches usually have tremendous stakes, and there were a whole lot of stipulations for the main event of Survivor Series 2014, from all of John Cena's teammates losing their jobs if they lost to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon standing to lose their jobs if the babyfaces prevailed. The latter came to pass, though The Authority was only out of work for five or six weeks, but the reneging on the stipulation when Seth Rollins threatened to murder Edge before the end of the year didn’t take away from what a fantastic match this was. 

The five-on-five holy war had a dramatic beginning when The Big Show levelled Mark Henry with a KO punch to score one of the fastest Survivor Series eliminations ever, which was then made entertainingly baffling when The Big Show had one of his many, many heel turns and laid out John Cena to eliminate his own team captain, bringing the match down to three vs. one with Dolph Ziggler on his lonesome. 

The drama only ratcheted up from there, though, as Ziggler continually flirted with elimination, looking like a major star in the process, on his way to eliminating Luke Harper and Kane to bring the match down to The Show Off against Seth Rollins, The Authority’s corporate wrestler selected for superstardom. This led to a whole bunch of heel shenanigans from The Authority, including Triple H interference and crooked referee Scott Armstrong being brought out, only for the odds to be evened by the historic WWE debut of Sting, who saved the day for the babyfaces and won the match for Team Cena. 

Sting's WWE run was a colossal waste of a legend overall and Dolph Ziggler was subsequently cut off at the knees because his heroic run was really drawn up for the injured Roman Reigns. Regardless, the match itself was absolutely fantastic. 

4. The Bodydonnas (Skip, Rad Radford, Tom Prichard & 1-2-3 Kid) vs. The Underdogs (Marty Jannetty, Hakushi, Barry Horowitz & Bob Holly) - Survivor Series 1995

What was said earlier about the 1995 Survivor Series being an oasis in a year of unpleasant desert, it rings especially true with this four-on-four opening bout featuring eight gifted mid-carders. Seriously, this was like 1995 WWF's answer to the X-Division, as they sent a bunch of tremendous wrestlers out there and ordered them to kill it for 20 minutes. In a year where change was needed, this felt positively evolutionary.

Marty Jannetty, Barry Horowitz, Hakushi, and Bob Holly tangled with Chris "Skip" Candido, Louie "Rad Radford" Spicolli, Dr. Tom Prichard, and a freshly heel-turned 1-2-3 Kid, wowing the crowd with fast sequences and innovative manoeuvres. Hakushi, especially, looked like a big deal during his offensive flurries, earning astonished crowd responses that sadly fell on the deaf ears of management. Kid ended up surviving the ordeal, pinning former partner Jannetty following interference from Sycho Sid.

Before that tainted finish, this was a match that felt worthy of the frequently bandied "New Generation" ad campaign. It was another harbinger of where American pro wrestling was headed.

3. WWF (The Rock, The Undertaker, Kane, The Big Show & Chris Jericho) vs. The Alliance (“Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T & Shane McMahon) - Survivor Series 2001

The Invasion storyline was a huge flop in 2001 and the last stand of The Alliance was made up of only 40 per cent actual invaders, but the whole angle ended on a strong note.

The final battle at Survivor Series would cast away all non-immune members of the losing side into the abyss – until they were arbitrarily brought back to TV without rhyme or reason, that is, so the stakes were truly never higher.

The Rock, Undertaker, Kane, Chris Jericho, and Big Show represented sports entertainment's final hope against Stone Cold, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, and Shane McMahon. Though true WCW representation was lacking outside of Booker, that was still a pretty impressive end-of-the-line field.

The sides whittled away until it came down to Austin and Rock, turn-of-the-century pillars, fighting to the promotional death. After Angle revealed himself to be a mole, Rock scored the all-important final fall on Austin - the first time he'd ever pinned Stone Cold, in fact. Again, the Invasion was terrible, but its final chapter? Anything but.

2. The British Bulldogs, The Killer Bees, The Rougeau Brothers, Strike Force & The Young Stallions vs. The Bolsheviks, Demolition, The Dream Team, The Hart Foundation & The Islanders - Survivor Series 1987

The first Survivor Series may have been an excuse to muscle Starrcade 1987 out of the pay-per-view market but it wasn't like it was a bad show. In fact, the three other bouts were all pretty close to making the cut of this list. Then there was this 10-team elimination showcase, which ranks near the apex of Survivor showdowns.

Talk about a murderer's row of teams: the Harts, Bulldogs, Demolition, Islanders, Rougeaus, Strike Force. 1987 WWF boasted a loaded roster and one of the finest tag team scenes in promotional history. 

What makes the 1987 version so good is not only the quality of action, but the underdog story it weaved. Mid-card duos The Young Stallions and Killer Bees overcame a 6-on-4 disadvantage to win the match, kickstarted by Paul Roma's brilliant top rope sunset flip on Greg Valentine, who didn’t know Roma was the legal man. Just a thrilling match from start to finish, and it got better as it went along. 

1. Team Bischoff (Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Christian, Scott Steiner & Mark Henry) vs. Team Austin (Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) - Survivor Series 2003

Eighteen months earlier, Shawn Michaels was all but retired from the ring, his time seemingly come and gone. In his 2002 comeback, HBK proved that his god-level talent had not betrayed him and he was still capable of stealing the show on just about any given night. When co-GMs Stone Cold and Eric Bischoff decided Raw wasn't big enough for their dual ruling hands, it set the stage for Michaels to, once again, steal the show and try to save the man who defeated him in what looked to be HBK’s final match at WrestleMania XV. 

Austin wagered his GM role that Michaels, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and The Dudley Boyz could beat Bischoff's squad of Chris Jericho, Christian, Randy Orton, Mark Henry, and Scott Steiner, with Austin gaining the right to "physical governance" should Bischoff's team lose. 

Near the 15-minute mark, Michaels hit a major gusher, just as it came down to three-on-one against him. Valiantly, Michaels eliminated Christian and Jericho, and damn near pinned young Orton during a frenzied, adrenaline-spiking final sequence. Alas, Batista's interference cost Michaels the match, and Austin (briefly) his job. A heartbreaking ending to the greatest elimination match in Survivor Series history.