WWE Survivor Series is a prestigious PLE that has taken place every November without fail since 1987 in WWE’s calendar of PLEs. It’s also the only “Big Four” event that hasn’t moved months, unlike the other events, which have taken place in multiple months. Most recently, the Royal Rumble occurred in February this year for the first time.
Nevertheless, Survivor Series has been home to some iconic moments that will live in infamy. Especially, some main events that WWE has produced at Survivor Series have been match of the year contenders.
Undeniably, WrestleMania is the Showcase of the Immortals and the biggest event in WWE history. However, that doesn’t mean that WrestleMania is exempt from having a few stinkers close out the show.
There have been several instances when the main event of Survivor Series has outshone WrestleMania. We’ll examine five times that Survivor Series’ main event showed WrestleMania how to put on a good main event.
5. Team SmackDown Vs. Team Raw – Survivor Series 2005
For sure, WrestleMania 21 was Batista’s crowning moment when he defeated Triple H for his first World Heavyweight Championship in the main event. Their match was solid, with the 2005 Royal Rumble match winner triumphant.
Furthermore, the traditional Survivor Series elimination match between Team SmackDown and Team Raw was outstanding. Batista, JBL, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio, and Randy Orton waved the flag for the blue brand. Meanwhile, Raw’s contingent was comprised of Shawn Michaels, Carlito, Chris Masters, Big Show, and Kane.
Team SmackDown had the upper hand, but surprisingly, the World Heavyweight Champion Batista went for an early shower. However, SmackDown’s togetherness shone through, and they had a 3-1 advantage with Shawn Michaels on his lonesome. Michaels’ tenacity shone through as he registered quickfire eliminations by removing Rey Mysterio and JBL from the equation with Sweet Chin Music.
Ultimately, Randy Orton became a hero as for the third consecutive year he was the sole survivor after he saw off Michaels with an RKO, securing the win for Team SmackDown.
