Every WWE Survivor Series Of The 2000s, Ranked Worst To Best

Since its inception in 1987, Survivor Series has been one of the premier shows for World Wrestling Entertainment. Billed as being a survival of the fittest, the annual event promoted various elimination-style tag team bouts, and even featured tournaments for the vacant WWE Championship.

RELATED: WWF Survivor Series 1993 Review (All-Americans Vs. Foreign Fanatics)

For nearly four decades, much history has been made at the Survivor Series, and the 2000s were no exception, featuring the end of the infamous Invasion angle, the legendary debut of the Elimination Chamber, and all manner of shocking angles, returns, debuts and even seeds being planted for the future. This is every Survivor Series of the 2000s, ranked from worst to best.

10. 2006

If You Skipped Survivor Series 2006, You Missed Nothing!

WWE Survivor Series 2006 Results

• Team Legends (Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Sgt. Slaughter & Ron Simmons) def. Team Spirit Squad (Kenny, Mikey, Nicky, Johnny & Mitch) in a 10-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• Chris Benoit def. Chavo Guerrero to retain the WWE United States Championship

• Mickie James def. Lita to win the WWE Women's Championship

• Team D-Generation X (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy & CM Punk) def. Team Rated-RKO (Edge, Randy Orton, Johnny Nitro, Gregory Helms & Mike Knox) in a 10-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• Mr. Kennedy def. The Undertaker in a First Blood Match

• Team Cena (John Cena, Bobby Lashley, Rob Van Dam, Kane & Sabu) def. Team Big Show (Big Show, Umaga, MVP, Finlay & Test) in a 10-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• Batista def. King Booker to win the World Heavyweight Championship

With everything that had gone on in WWE in 2006, you’d think that that year’s Survivor Series would be suitably epic. Unfortunately, it was the complete opposite, with several lacklustre matches, forgettable bouts and little of note that happened.

Batista regained the World Heavyweight Championship from King Booker in a main-event that never kicked into a higher gear, and Lita dropped the Women’s Title to Mickie James in a very good bout, only to receive a distasteful goodbye from WWE courtesy of Cryme Tyme. The elimination matches themselves were mostly forgettable apart from CM Punk, D-X and The Hardys getting a clean sweep against the heels. Everything else, you’d have to revisit. It was one of the most inconsequential Survivor Series events in history.

9. 2008

What Do You Mean You Don't Wanna See Vladimir Kozlov In A WWE Title Match!?

Full WWE Survivor Series 2008 Results

• Team Michaels (Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali, JTG & Shad Gaspard) def. Team JBL (JBL, Kane, MVP, John Morrison & The Miz) in a 10-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• Team Raw (Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Candice Michelle, Kelly Kelly & Jillian Hall) def. Team SmackDown (Michelle McCool, Maria, Victoria, Natalya & Maryse) in a 10-Diva Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• The Undertaker def. Big Show in a Casket Match

• Team Orton (Randy Orton, William Regal, Shelton Benjamin, Cody Rhodes & Mark Henry) def. Team Batista (Batista, CM Punk, Matt Hardy, Kofi Kingston & R-Truth) in a 10-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• Edge def. Triple H and Vladimir Kozlov in a Triple Threat Match to win the WWE Championship

• John Cena def. Chris Jericho to win the World Heavyweight Championship

Back in 2008, WWE had one of their finest years in terms of pay-per-view consistency, with every show being great. Unfortunately the streak was broken by Survivor Series 2008, which not only featured numerous poor & forgettable matches, but also saw WWE leak to various news sources that Jeff Hardy had been found unconscious in a hotel room, sparking fears for the worst given Jeff’s drug problems.

However, it was all an angle done in poor taste so WWE could force-feed fans the unworthy Vladimir Kozlov as the sole challenger to Triple H’s WWE Championship. The subsequent showdown was simply the absolute worst match of 2008, with the only saving grace being Edge’s shocking unadvertised return and regaining the WWE Title. The main event saw John Cena win his first World Heavyweight Championship from Chris Jericho in a fine bout, but even this wasn’t enough to save the 2008 Survivor Series from being the pits.

8. 2000

A Weak Show From One Of WWE's Hottest Years

WWF Survivor Series 2000 Results

• Steve Blackman, Crash Holly & Molly Holly def. Test, Albert & Trish Stratus

• Team Radicalz (Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn) def. Team D-Generation X (Billy Gunn, Chyna, Road Dogg & K-Kwik) in an 8-Person Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• Kane def. Chris Jericho

• William Regal def. Hardcore Holly by DQ to retain the WWF European Championship

• The Rock def. Rikishi

• Ivory def. Lita to retain the WWF Women's Championship

• Kurt Angle def. The Undertaker to retain the WWF Championship

• The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) & The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) def. Right to Censor (Bull Buchanan & The Goodfather), Edge & Christian in an 8-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• Steve Austin vs Triple H in a No DQ Match ended in a draw

2000 has been regarded by many fans and critics as being arguably the definitive year for WWE, with the product at its absolute best. So, naturally, Survivor Series 2000 should’ve been an absolute scorcher of a show, given that it took place one year after the infamous hit-and-run angle that wrote Steve Austin off television.

Alas, the 2000 edition of Survivor Series was something of a disappointment, being one of the weaker pay-per-views that year with many forgettable matches. Still, a bloody Lita performed valiantly in her match against Ivory for the Women’s Title, Kurt Angle retained the WWE Championship over The Undertaker via a brilliant screwjob finish, The Rock had a good match with Rikishi, and Steve Austin vs Triple H was a fantastic main event that ended with The Rattlesnake finally getting his revenge by dropping Triple H in an automobile from a forklift thirty-feet in the air! Ah, those were the days…

7. 2004

Strong Midcard Matches And An Odd Main Event Picture

WWE Survivor Series 2004 Results

• Spike Dudley def. Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero and Billy Kidman in a Fatal 4 Way Match to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

• Shelton Benjamin def. Christian to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship

• Team Guerrero (Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Rob Van Dam & Big Show) def. Team Angle (Kurt Angle, Carlito, Luther Reigns & Mark Jindrak) in an 8-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• The Undertaker def. Heidenreich

• Trish Stratus def. Lita by DQ to retain the WWE Women's Championship

• JBL def. Booker T to retain the WWE Championship

• Team Orton (Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho & Maven) def. Team Triple H (Triple H, Batista, Edge & Gene Snitsky) in an 8-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match where the members of the winning team would each be RAW General Manager for a week

The 2004 Survivor Series maybe a somewhat forgettable show, but it does have some excellent matches going for it. Namely a cracking Fatal Four Way Match for the Cruiserweight Title which saw Spike Dudley retain over Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman and Chavo Guerrero, and Shelton Benjamin successfully defended the Intercontinental Title in an exemplary bout against Christian.

The Survivor Series Elimination bout did indeed feature an odd line-up for the main event with Chris Benoit, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho & Maven against Triple H, Edge, Batista and Gene Snitsky, but the main event was nonetheless great with Orton being the sole survivor. Sadly, The Undertaker was forced to wrestle Heidenreich in a total dud, and JBL’s WWE Title defence against Booker T was average. But on the whole, the 2004 show wasn’t bad at all.

6. 2005

Back When People Actually Cared About SmackDown Vs. Raw

WWE Survivor Series 2005 Results

• Booker T def. Chris Benoit in Match #1 of a Best of Seven Series for the vacant WWE United States Championship

• Trish Stratus def. Melina to retain the WWE Women's Championship

• Triple H def. Ric Flair in a Last Man Standing Match

• John Cena def. Kurt Angle with Daivari as the special guest referee to retain the WWE Championship

• Teddy Long def. Eric Bischoff

• Team SmackDown (Batista, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, JBL & Bobby Lashley) def. Team RAW (Shawn Michaels, Kane, Big Show, Carlito & Chris Masters) in a 10-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

The 2005 offering has a lot of great stuff going for it, namely the main event for "Brand Supremacy". Before the Raw vs. SmackDown angle was done to death in later years, Randy Orton, JBL, Bobby Lashley, Batista & Rey Mysterio triumphed for SmackDown in their fantastic victory over Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Kane, Big Show, Carlito & Chris Masters).

Survivor Series 2005 was also supported by a terrific undercard, with Triple H and Ric Flair having a bloody and intense Last Man Standing match, a solid WWE Title bout between John Cena and Kurt Angle, a good Booker T/Chris Benoit contest for the United States title, and Women’s Champion Trish Stratus having a great match with Melina. Let’s just pretend that Theodore Long vs. Eric Bischoff NEVER HAPPENED.

5. 2003

How An Awesome Match Can Elevate An Entire Event

WWE Survivor Series 2003 Results

• Team Angle (Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, John Cena, Hardcore Holly & Bradshaw) def. Team Lesnar (Brock Lesnar, Big Show, A-Train, Matt Morgan & Nathan Jones) in a 10-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• Molly Holly def. Lita to retain the WWE Women's Championship

• Kane def. Shane McMahon in an Ambulance Match

• The Basham Brothers (Doug Basham & Danny Basham) def. Los Guerreros (Eddie Guerrero & Chavo Guerrero) to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship

• Team Eric Bischoff (Chris Jericho, Christian, Randy Orton, Mark Henry & Scott Steiner) def. Team Steve Austin (Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) in a 10-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match where the loser (Bischoff or Austin) would be fired as RAW General Manager

• Vince McMahon def. The Undertaker in a Buried Alive Match

• Goldberg def. Triple H to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

Many people forget that some good stuff happened at Survivor Series 2003. Kane beat Shane McMahon in perhaps the best Ambulance match of all time, then helped Vince bury The Undertaker alive and thus plant the seeds for the American Bad Ass’ rebirth as the Deadman at WrestleMania 20. Molly Holly vs. Lita and Los Guerreros vs. The Basham Brothers were good matches, and Chris Benoit & John Cena were also the sole survivors following their great victory in the Team Angle vs. Team Lesnar opener.

But the match that really got everyone talking was the epic Team Austin vs. Team Bischoff Survivor Series eliminator. This overshadowed everything on the card, being not only one of the best matches of 2003, but perhaps the greatest Survivor Series elimination bout of all time. A bloody Shawn Michaels gave yet another Herculean performance, and Randy Orton emerged as the sole survivor, with a glorious future now ahead of him. Oh, yes, and Goldberg met Brock Lesnar for the first time as well!

4. 2009

Possibly The Most Underrated Survivor Series Of The Decade

WWE Survivor Series 2009 Results

• Team Miz (The Miz, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger) def. Team Morrison (John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin, Finlay, Matt Hardy & Evan Bourne) in a 10-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• Batista def. Rey Mysterio by TKO

• Team Kingston (Kofi Kingston, Christian, MVP, Mark Henry & R-Truth) def. Team Orton (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase Jr., CM Punk & William Regal) in a 10-Man Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• The Undertaker def. Chris Jericho and Big Show in a Triple Threat Match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

• Team Mickie (Mickie James, Melina, Gail Kim, Eve Torres & Kelly Kelly) def. Team McCool (Michelle McCool, Layla, Beth Phoenix, Alicia Fox & Jillian Hall) in a 10-Diva Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

• John Cena def. Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a Triple Threat Match to retain the WWE Championship

The Survivor Series really fell under the radar in 2009, receiving a criminal lack of hype amidst WWE’s intentions of actually retiring the pay-per-view at one point! And yet, despite being a forgettable show, the 2009 Survivor Series is actually a quality card from start to finish, with WWE using the event to push new stars who would become major players in the future.

Sheamus, The Miz, Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston all looked great following their Survivor Series wins and all went on to achieve greatness in WWE. Batista cemented his terrific heel run by demolishing his former pal Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker retained his World Heavyweight Title against JeriShow in a solid bout, and John Cena retained his WWE Championship against DX in a cracking main event. Even the Divas’ Survivor Series bout was enjoyable, and yet despite being a very good show that set the wheels in motion for bigger things, the 2009 event has been forgotten about despite what it actually achieved.

3. 2007

A Good Show With Two Fantastic World Title Matches

WWE Survivor Series 2007 Results

• CM Punk def. John Morrison and The Miz in a Triple Threat Match to retain the ECW World Championship

• Mickie James, Torrie Wilson, Maria, Michelle McCool & Kelly Kelly def. Beth Phoenix, Melina, Victoria, Jillian Hall & Layla

• Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch def. Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes to retain the World Tag Team Championship

• Team Triple H (Triple H, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy & Kane) def. Team Umaga (Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Finlay & Big Daddy V) in a 9-Man Survivor Series Elimination Handicap Match

• The Great Khali def. Hornswoggle by DQ

• Randy Orton def. Shawn Michaels to retain the WWE Championship

• Batista def. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell Match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

2007 had been one of the darkest years for WWE, what with the horrific Benoit Tragedy, and yet WWE were moving forward as best they could. Alas, the Survivor Series in 2007 suffered from John Cena’s absence (who was on the injured list), some average bouts… and also the horrifically bad Hornswoggle/Great Khali match. O, the humanity!

But Survivor Series 2007 provided much more good than bad, with a quality triple threat match for the ECW Title, Jeff Hardy surviving with Triple H, and WWE Champion Randy Orton successfully retaining against Shawn Michaels in an excellent match where Sweet Chin Music was barred. The Hell in a Cell main event was yet another exciting chapter in the Undertaker/Batista feud, providing over twenty minutes of glorious carnage, and Edge making a shocking return to once again cost the Deadman the World Heavyweight Championship! The seeds were now truly sewn for WrestleMania 24.

2. 2001

The Invasion Storyline Sucked, But Survivor Series 2001 Didn't!

WWF Survivor Series 2001 Results

• Christian def. Al Snow to retain the WWF European Championship

• William Regal def. Tajiri

• Edge (WCW US) def. Test (WWF IC) in a Title Unification Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship and WCW United States Championship

• The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) [WCW] def. The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) [WWF] in a Title Unification Steel Cage Tag Team Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship and WCW Tag Team Championship

• Test won the Immunity Battle Royal

• Trish Stratus def. Lita, Jazz, Ivory, Jacqueline and Mighty Molly in a Six Pack Challenge for the vacant WWF Women's Championship

• Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane & Big Show) def. Team The Alliance (Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam & Shane McMahon) in a 10-Man Winners Take All Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match

As big a missed opportunity as the entire Invasion angle was in 2001, there was some good stuff that came out of it all, such as the Survivor Series that year. After this pay-per-view, either WWE or the WCW/ECW Alliance would remain, and the other would cease to exist. And on such a high-stakes night, it was only fitting that this show be an epic one.

Edge unified the Intercontinental and United States Championships in a great match with Test, while the Dudley Boys defeated the Hardys in a fantastic steel cage match to unify the WWE and WCW Tag Team Titles. Trish Stratus also made history by winning her first Women’s Championship in a six-pack challenge. The Winner Takes All main event was legendary, which saw Team WWE finally vanquish The Alliance once and for all, and it was only fitting that The Rock finally defeat Steve Austin to do it.

1. 2002

The Best Survivor Series Of All Time?

WWE Survivor Series 2002 Results

• Jeff Hardy, Bubba Ray Dudley & Spike Dudley def. 3-Minute Warning (Rosey & Jamal) & Rico in a 6-Man Elimination Tag Team Tables Match

• Billy Kidman def. Jamie Noble to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

• Victoria def. Trish Stratus to win the WWE Women's Championship

• Big Show def. Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship

• Los Guerreros (Eddie Guerrero & Chavo Guerrero) def. Edge & Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit in a Triple Threat Tag Team Elimination Match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship

• Shawn Michaels def. Triple H, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Chris Jericho and Kane in an Elimination Chamber Match to win the World Heavyweight Championship

Honestly, the 2002 Survivor Series had everything it needed to be an amazing show. Madison Square Garden, Saliva singing the official theme song, “Always”, and of course, the Elimination Chamber. For the first time ever, WWE fans witnessed the awesome structure, complete with an all-star line-up - Kane, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels and Triple H - vying for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Shawn Michaels completed his epic comeback story by winning what arguably remains the greatest Elimination Chamber Match in history, and winning his fourth & final world title. But from top-to-bottom, Survivor Series 2002 is a truly fantastic card, with the Tables Elimination Match and all other bouts being terrific. Also, Brock Lesnar delivered a monstrous F-5 to the Big Show, new champions were crowned in all title bouts, and Scott Steiner made his epic WWE return! No duds whatsoever, only quite possibly the greatest Survivor Series in history. Always!