Five memorable moments from WWE Survivor Series

The Survivor Series event celebrates its 31st instalment this Sunday night - and there has been no shortage of drama throughout those three decades of action.

The pay-per-view has evolved from its early days of being comprised entirely of multi-man elimination matches to what it is today; a combination of those match types but combined with other contests pitting the best of each brand against each other.

We took a look at some of the key moments during the early days of the Survivor Series which helped cement its position as one of the ‘big four’ WWE pay-per-views and arguably the second most important after WrestleMania...

The Beginning - Survivor Series 1987

Survivor Series has its roots in competition. Back in 1987, the then-WWF’s expansion plans were in full swing and their main opposition came from Jim Crockett Promotions, whose upholding of the more traditional style of wrestling was in great contrast to the more entertainment-based offering being promoted by Vince McMahon.

In 1986, Crockett ran the Starrcade event to great success, especially in the home video market. But Wrestlemania III had come six months later and the battle for wrestling supremacy was very much on.

The WWF ran Survivor Series in direct competition to Starrcade as the war turned to the lucrative Thanksgiving market for television viewers keen to watch some in-ring action after the traditional turkey overdose.

The battle lines were drawn and although the content of the event would gradually change over the years, it would remain a staple of the Thanksgiving holiday for years to come.

The Ridiculous - Survivor Series 1990

The event was not always associated with great wrestling and angles. In fact, one of its earliest incarnations played host to a storyline and payoff which many fans believe to be the worst - or at least the most disappointing - in WWF history.

For weeks leading up to the event, a giant egg was taken to house shows and television tapings, leading people to speculate about what was inside.

The dominant conspiracy theory was that the egg contained Ric Flair, who was rumoured to be ready to jump from WCW to the WWF - a move which of course did take place, although not until a year later.

Instead, the fans in attendance at the Hartford Civic Centre were ‘treated’ to the arrival of the Gobbledy Gooker; Hector Guerrero in a six-foot turkey outfit.

“Mean” Gene Okerlund did his best to put the angle over, attempting an interview with the Gooker and even dancing with it as the crowd booed the segment out of the building.

The Impact - Survivor Series 1990

But it wasn’t all bad in 1990. In fact, one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of WWE made his debut at that year’s event and, unlike with the Gobbledy Gooker, this one was unforgettable.

“Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase had been building up the secret addition to his squad for their match against the ‘Dream Team’ of Dusty Rhodes, Koko B Ware and the Hart Foundation.

It was money well spent for DiBiase - and the federation. The Undertaker came out, a monstrously huge presence with dead eyes and accompanied not by Paul Bearer, who would become his famous ally, but by Brother Love.

Taker did not lose on his television debut but was eliminated from the match when he and Dusty Rhodes were both counted out.

The nature of his first contest only added to the mystique of the character - he was immediately portrayed as both an unstoppable force of nature and someone to whom the rules of combat were an abstract mystery. A supernatural legend was born.

The Game Changer - Survivor Series 1991

Hulk Hogan’s stature and fame had grown to such an extent by the end of the 1980s that he was keen to trade the wrestling ring for the film set, but one attempt to replace him as the WWF’s top performer had already gone somewhat awry.

Hogan had ‘passed the torch’ to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VI but that changing of the guard had not been without its problems and there was also a need to build up a suitable heel challenger to Warrior.

And so, just a year after his debut, the title went to Taker, albeit with a little outside help in his first major Survivor Series match.

Paul Bearer had already interfered several times when Ric Flair slid a steel chair into the ring, onto which the Dead Man hit his Tombstone piledriver on Hogan for a tainted pinfall victory.

The Controversial - Survivor Series 1997

The 1997 Survivor Series is dominated by and remembered for a single incident which dramatically altered the course of wrestling history.

Just to hear the name of the city in which it took place is enough to evoke recollections of the incident - Montreal.

The story is well known: Bret Hart was about to leave the company and did not want to drop his WWE world title in Canada. As Hart had creative control, he assumed his wishes would be respected.

But Vince McMahon ordered referee Earl Hebner to ring the bell when Shawn Michaels had Hart in his own Sharpshooter submission, and HBK quickly left the ring with the belt.

The fallout was huge but the biggest impact was that it created the ‘evil boss’ character for McMahon and provided the catalyst for one of the biggest storylines in the history of the company.

Steve Austin would become a megastar based on his feud with the Machiavellian Mr McMahon and WWE would do incredible business as a result, eventually winning the Monday Night Wars with the momentum it helped produce.

The seeds of the program, and the victory, were sown at Survivor Series.