Survivor Series is infamous for its popular traditional ten-match (or woman) tag team matches, but it’s also a show that has plenty of first-time gimmick matches. Survivor Series has been a major WWE staple for 36 years and the big PLE has produced some incredible moments and matches throughout its time. Below are the five best gimmick matches that took place at this event.

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No Disqualification Match: Triple H vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (Survivor Series 2000)

Admittedly, the ending to the match is off-putting. How does a no-disqualification match end in a no-contest? At the very least, the ending makes more sense than most questionable booking decisions. But ultimately, the match was great from beginning to end.

The story was simple: Stone Cold was looking for revenge. Both guys brought a high level of intensity that tends to be missing in the modern landscape of wrestling. This wasn’t a flashy match. Nor was there a viral moment. But the story elements are what keep this bout in high regard despite a lame-duck finish.

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Elimination Chamber Match For The World Heavyweight Championship: Rob Van Dam vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Booker T vs. Kane vs. Chris Jericho (Survivor Series 2002)

Besides the RVD/Triple H botch, this remains the best elimination chamber match ever. The story again was simple: the ghosts of Triple H’s past were confronting him, including Shawn Michaels, who was coming back following his incredible Summerslam return. The match had this fun aura surrounding its concept and capped off what was a strong pay-per-view overall.

Despite being nearly 40 minutes long, the match was never boring and it lived up to brutal and violent stipulation. That Five-Star Frog Splash from one of the pods was insane. But the magic of seeing Shawn Michaels hit the sweet chin music and covering Triple H for the three count was an unforgettable sight.

Triple H and Shawn Michaels always had amazing chemistry in the ring and it was no different when the match boiled down to the final two. What makes the match click so well is that the layout wasn’t designed to be something overly complex or flashy. It was just an incredible bout that saw the culmination of Triple H’s reign of terror coming to an end. Well, at least for a month.

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Ambulance Match: Shane McMahon vs. Kane (Survivor Series 2003)

Looking back, the build-up to Kane and Shane McMahon was quite fun. Sure, there are absurd moments like Kane electrocuting Shane’s balls and the wild limousine stunt, but those moments are what made their rivalry so memorable.

Their Last Man Standing match at Unforgiven the month prior was great. The Ambulance match was no different as it continued to allow Shane to be a crazy daredevil and Kane to be…Kane. So moments like Shane backing his truck into Kane and the cool coast-to-coast from the ambulance worked because of the elements surrounding this feud. The point of this rivalry was to put Kane over as a monster. And it did. Shane may not be the greatest wrestler in the world, but he’s had too many great matches to not acknowledge his skills inside the ring.

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Last Man Standing Match: Triple H vs. Ric Flair (Survivor Series 2005)

Triple H has turned on everyone at this point, so a feud with Flair was natural. These two had a great string of matches. Like always, Flair bled like a government mule, but it added to the drama and stakes of the bout.

When Triple H first turned on Flair, it was a huge shock that helped boost both their stocks. The rivalry between the former Evolution members was strong and continued to highlight why Ric Flair is considered one of the best wrestlers on the planet. Triple H was made to be a heel. He understands the basics when it comes to laying out a match that organically fuses the story and wrestling nicely. His slow and methodical style benefited this bout because it elevated the drama of the story.

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Men’s Wargames Match: The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn) vs. The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch), Drew McIntyre, and Kevin Owens (Survivor Series 2021)

Speaking of drama, The Bloodline saga is at peak form here. The drawback of these Wargames matches is the early stages before it officially starts. It kills the momentum because the stakes are non-existent since there are no falls during this period. It didn’t help that the babyfaces had the advantage here as well.

However, WWE wisely played off the Jey/Sami dynamic that helped the early portion of the match and played up the possibility that Bloodline could be crumbling right before our eyes. But the match only got better once Roman Reigns entered. The cool sequences such as Ridge Holland being speared through a table and the Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns’ one-on-one battle were great!

But the betrayal of Sami Zayn was the star here. Him turning his back on Owens to prove his loyalty to The Bloodline was heartbreaking, but compelling. This was one of the best finishing sequels of the modern generation. To see the group at the end stand so strong only further elevated the Bloodline saga that has become one of the best WWE stories ever made.