Five Of The Most Forgettable World Title Matches At Survivor Series

11/25/2023 4:30 AM

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Five Of The Most Forgettable World Title Matches At Survivor Series

Five Of The Most Forgettable World Title Matches At Survivor Series

November 25, 2023 4:30 AM
Five Of The Most Forgettable World Title Matches At Survivor Series
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The five title matches that were the most forgettable at Survivor Series.

This year marks the 36th anniversary and Survivor Series has plenty of memorable moments throughout the storied event. Whether it was the legendary Montreal Screw-job to the first-ever Elimination Chamber match that set the course for a new era, there are countless highlights when it comes to the big four pay-per-view.

However, the show isn’t without its negatives. Especially when it comes to the biggest prizes in sports entertainment. Some of the biggest names have fought for the world title at Survivor Series: Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and John Cena. But some of these big names have been in some of the most forgettable championship matches to date. Below are the five most below-average world title matches that took place at the iconic event.

WWF Championship: The Undertaker vs. Hulk Hogan (Survivor Series 1991)

Who would think that a match with The Undertaker would be so underwhelming? Before Taker was Taker, he was a relative newcomer during this time. Hulk Hogan was still on top of the world, but the WWE Hall of Famer was never a great wrestler to begin with. Hogan has a charisma that’s unmatched and is one of the best showmen in the business. However, his moveset was as simple as it gets. 

Hogan isn’t the only legend without an exciting moveset, but the point is that Taker and Hogan’s styles didn’t necessarily mesh well. Fundamentally, there was nothing particularly wrong with the match. Though Hulk Hogan treating Taker as Andre the Giant was comical, since he wasn’t that much shorter than him. Plus, it was a bad idea to not sell Taker’s first tombstone/piledriver. 

The match wasn’t particularly exciting when Taker was dominating and the ending was chaos. Not the worst match these two men have had, but one that remains in the history books without much fanfare. 

WWF Championship match: Rocky Maivia vs. Mankind (1998)

This has nothing to do with the blatant and terrible rehash of the Montreal Screwjob. The match between Rock and Mankind was simply boring in the early portion of it. That’s because it was mainly dominated by headlocks and stomps before Vince and Shane came out. The match did get better and more exciting, but then the ending happened that ultimately ruined it. 

If Rocky and Vince were in cahoots with each other the entire time, why let Mankind get anything close to a near fall in the beginning? The storytelling was flimsy, and the screwjob itself felt abrupt and effectively killed the crowd. Thankfully, Rock and Mankind would go on to have better matches throughout their feud, but this one was an early portion slog with questionable booking. 

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Triple H (2003)

Triple H’s psychology during his matches tends to be methodical and plodding. So he especially needs an exciting wrestler to counter-balance his in-ring approach. Unfortunately, Goldberg just wasn’t that guy. The Survivor Series 2003 bout wasn’t bad. The Goldberg/Triple H feud was one of the best-built matches on the card, but the heat to this match was shockingly low.

It was a standard television match that didn’t feel like a main event. There weren’t edge-on-your-seat moments. Triple H dominated the early portion of the match by working on the angle, Goldberg made his big comeback, and then the match ended. Goldberg has never been known for his great and long matches as he works best in explosive and short ones, and this bout proved why.

It killed whatever made the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion special and this ultimately felt like a step backward from a man who made a huge debut earlier in the year by beating The Rock in dominant fashion.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Batista vs. King Booker (Survivor Series 2006)

King Booker was a great character. It’s a shame that his title reign was nothing more than a transitional champion. Going in, it was obvious that Batista was going over. The booking of this match did nothing to change anyone’s mindset. Even worse, these guys didn’t have good chemistry with one another. The match itself is by no means bad, but like Triple H and Goldberg, this was a standard television match that somehow headlined one of the big four pay-per-views.

WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett with John Cena as the Special Guest Referee (Survivor Series 2010)

Nexus had the hottest angle in the early 2000s. That RAW moment of seeing the young NXT crew tearing through the main event and destroying everything in sight is still one of the best in the show’s history. Unfortunately, the booking of Nexus was a disaster after that legendary segment. It only got worse when Nexus lost their 5-on-5 Elimination match at Summerslam. The group was effectively dead at that point. Having Wade Barrett beat Cena to gain his services was a nice way to shake things up, but it didn’t matter because Nexus no longer felt like a huge threat.

Still, the title match between Orton and Barrett was compelling because of the interesting layers surrounding these characters. Orton and Cena have a documented history, but not a good one. The match should’ve been a compelling nail-biter with all of these interesting dynamics. 

It wasn’t. Issues on both camps were teased, but the match itself was simply boring. There weren't any exciting near falls, even with the Wasteland spot. No offense to Barrett, but that finisher always looked soft and weak. The teases were expected but weren’t all that captivating until the end.

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