10 Truly Shocking WWE Survivor Series Eliminations

Survivor Series is WrestleMania’s younger brother, and we love it for that.

The event was previously home to the traditional elimination tag match, a stipulation which has been through many different phases over the years. It started as a device to put long-term storylines in motion for WrestleMania, and it morphed into a battle over whether Raw or SmackDown was the better brand before being retired altogether in 2022 with the debut of WarGames.

One thing that remained constant throughout, though, was a huge variety of eliminations. And with over 30 years of history to look back on, you’d better believe that some are as surprising, dramatic, and downright weird as it gets.

These are the 10 Truly Shocking WWE Survivor Series Eliminations.

10. Walter's Poor Showing - 2019

On the unusual Raw vs. SmackDown vs. NXT edition of Survivor Series, NXT stars like Rhea Ripley, Roderick Strong and Shayna Baszler didn’t just get a chance to shine on the big stage; they took full advantage -  humiliating Raw and SmackDown, and beating some of WWE’s most established names in the process.

If that wasn’t enough to get fans excited, large Austrian bear-man Walter (now Gunther) was part of the men’s elimination tag match. Unlike his teammates, he was representing the NXT UK brand...which should maybe have been a clue of what was to come… With wrestling fans eager to see Walter chop Randy Orton and Seth Rollins into oblivion, he tagged into the match early on. Then he had a little scuffle with Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman, ate a claymore, and was immediately eliminated. Oh.

To make matters worse, Walter was in the midst of an 870 day reign as UK Champion, proving that if you chose to care about WWE’s smaller shows at the time, the company itself will resent and ridicule you for it.

Fortunately, all was alright in the long run and Gunther has since established himself as one of the top stars on the WWE main roster.

9. Mr Fuji Turns On Demolition - 1988

Early Survivor Series events may be slightly cluttered and confusing to watch, but they have a certain substance that modern versions lack. With only a few pay-per-views a year, classic Survivor Series matches were all about the storytelling, a perfect example occurring at the second-ever event in 1988.

Towards the end of a mammoth 20-man elimination tag, Smash of Demolition hit the ropes, only for his manager, Mr. Fuji, to pull them apart and send him tumbling to the outside. Smash was counted out, Demolition were eliminated, and the pair turned face by slamming Fuji to huge cheers.

The Powers of Pain completed the double turn by picking up Fuji, dusting him down, and taking him to stand in their corner - which is possibly the most adorable heel turn in wrestling history. Thankfully, Demolition got their revenge at WrestleMania 5, beating the Powers and Fuji in a handicap match to retain their tag team titles.

8. Lana Wins By Doing Nothing - 2020

WWE was in somewhat of a difficult time in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic raging and this extended to some unusual and erratic booking from Vince McMahon, who at the time was head of WWE creative.

A perfect example of this came at the 2020 Survivor Series, where the women’s match devolved into bickering, bitchiness, and bad comedy.

The finish was particularly eyebrow-raising. Earlier in the match, Nia Jax told Raw teammate Lana to stand on the ring steps and do nothing, because she didn’t like her very much. (This was around the time she was putting Lana through tables on a weekly basis.)

Lana did as she was told, only for Nia and final opponent Bianca Belair to get counted out as they fought on the outside. In a match which could have been used to elevate several women at once, Lana was booked to win by doing absolutely nothing.

Lana was then handed the briefest of pushes, challenging for the Raw Women’s Title on the Raw after Survivor Series in a match that ended by DQ in just over a minute. Lana then transitioned to the Women’s Tag Team Title scene until her release in June 2021.

7. Shawn Michaels Buries Mike Knox - 2006

Shawn Michaels has had his fair share of controversial Survivor Series moments: arguing with Marty Jannetty in 1991, accidentally superkicking Diesel in 1994, and of course, the Montreal Screwjob.

But those moments don’t fully belong in this list, because rather than being huge definitive moments themselves, they sowed the seeds for bigger plot points down the line.

So instead (and this might sound silly) we’ve chosen HBK’s elimination of Mike Knox in 2006. So it’s no surprise that Shawn Michaels eliminated Mike Knox in this match. That’s hardly an upset for the ages. But this elimination was shocking for a different reason.

Seconds into the bout, Michaels superkicks Knox, checks with the referee to make sure he’s actually one of his opponents, and covers him for 3. He then goes back to the corner and asks his teammates who on earth that guy was.

Was it hilarious? Yes, okay, it was. But it didn’t exactly help the career of Mike Knox, who until this point was most known as ‘that guy whose girlfriend wants to leave him for CM Punk.’

6. Big Show Betrays John Cena - 2014

I know what you’re thinking. Big Show turning heel? That’s not a shock. That’s a typical Sunday night for Paul Wight. Context is everything, though, and the timing of this moment was absolutely perfect.

The big elimination match at Survivor Series 2014 was centred around a huge stipulation. If Team Cena won, the Authority would have to disband FOREVER. But, if Team Authority won, John Cena’s merry band of happy helpers would all be fired.

Heading into this match, it’s fair to say that most were predicting a classic Big Match John performance - overcoming the odds, saving the day once again, and sending the kids home happy.

So it was a genuine surprise to see Big Show flatten his team captain with a knockout blow, before shaking hands with Triple H and walking out of the match. Cena was pinned, and Dolph Ziggler was left alone against 3 opponents.

Ziggler ultimately managed to overcome and eliminate The Authority, only for Triple H and Stephanie McMahon to return to power one month later. Paul Wight, of course, became a lackey for the faction that made him cry only one year earlier.

4. Ultimate Warrior Immediately Eliminates André the Giant - 1989

Imagine you’re a member of the Heenan Family at Survivor Series ‘89. It’s not a good place to be. You’re facing a team that features the Ultimate Warrior, and it’s the ‘80s, so you’re almost certainly losing.

To make matters worse, your teammate Tully Blanchard has recently been fired from the company, so he’s been replaced in the match by...Bobby Heenan. And we’re not one to doubt the greatest manager of all time, but he’s hardly going to batter the Ultimate Warrior, is he?

Your team has one saving grace, and it’s a big one: Andre the Giant. Maybe - just maybe - if Andre can eliminate a couple of your opponents early on, you might actually stand a chance here. You wait in the ring, and the Rockers make their entrance alongside Jim Neidhart. They immediately attack you, which is a bit of a d*ck move to be honest. They’re supposed to be the good guys, aren’t they?

The tide turns when Andre gets involved with his big massive bear paws, but then the Ultimate Warrior’s music hits. He charges in, clotheslines Andre out of the ring, and your only hope is counted out after just 26 seconds. Good luck for the rest of the match!

4. Randy Orton Shocks Triple H - 2004

The beauty of the traditional Survivor Series format is that it allows for big upsets. And even though the match has sometimes been used as a vehicle to reinforce the dominance of Hogan, Warrior, Reigns and so on, often it has allowed for big upsets.

Even though he was never the most natural babyface, Randy Orton’s initial push certainly had its positive moments. His first world title win was a big moment, as was the split from Evolution - but dropping the belt to Triple H a month later derailed things somewhat.

However, Orton did get a measure of revenge at Survivor Series - and this was before the Viper had become synonymous with the event.

Facing 2-on-1 odds against Edge and the Game, Orton forced a miscommunication and eliminated the Canadian. A low blow from Triple H seemed to signal the inevitable so when Orton reversed the Pedigree into an RKO, it was a genuinely shocking and joyous moment.

3. Kofi Kingston Shocks Randy Orton - 2009

Five years on from that big win over Triple H, and Orton found himself on the other side of the equation.

The similarities were remarkable, with Kofi Kingston facing 2 on 1 odds late in the match, just as Orton had in 2004. Again, the young babyface prevailed, but we’ve given this one the edge on our list due to its excellent sense of timing.

Kofi reversed a Punk rollup with one of his own for 3, before immediately meeting an onrushing Orton with a perfectly timed Trouble In Paradise. The rest is history.

Of course, it wouldn’t work if every traditional Survivor Series match ended so suddenly, but the situation here was so perfectly set up for Kofi to create an iconic moment in the history of the pay-per-view, seemingly out of thin air.

Weirdly, the similarities between the two matches don’t stop there. Just like Orton, Kofi’s push was ultimately unsuccessful - but this time, it was the fault of the Viper himself. Stupid.

2. Everybody Gets DQ'd, Except Ric Flair - 1991

Well, ALMOST everybody gets DQd.

While it’s true that the British Bulldog and the Warlord had already been eliminated earlier in the match, this moment still took place with six wrestlers active in the contest. Seconds later...the match was over!?

This bizarre finish came as a result of a classic ‘match breaking down’ scenario, with wrestlers from both sides forgetting standard tag convention and brawling in the ring. It’s something we’ve seen a million times before, but at the 1991 Survivor Series, the referee was NOT MESSING ABOUT.

Ric Flair was launched out of the ring by Roddy Piper, before the strange decision was made to disqualify everybody still brawling INSIDE the ring. This meant that the Nature Boy was the only man to escape punishment, thanks to nothing but sheer dumb luck.

It’s a weird finish, isn’t it? At the time, it was probably designed to protect those remaining in the match, with nobody losing clean. But on the other hand, nobody came out of it looking particularly strong either.

1. Sting Helps Dolph Ziggler - 2014

Earlier, we talked about Big Show betraying Team Cena and leaving Dolph Ziggler to face insurmountable odds. What happened next must go down as the most shocking Survivor Series elimination ever.

Credit must be given to Ziggler for ramping up the drama here. Facing three opponents on his own, he took care of Kane with a ZigZag before rolling up Luke Harper, making the match a 1-on-1 contest with Seth Rollins.

At this point - and you’re not going to believe this - the Authority decided to cheat. With Ziggler about to defeat Rollins, Triple H pulled the referee out of the ring, attacked the replacement referee, Pedigreed Dolph, and called out Scott Armstrong to count the fall.

That’s when WCW icon Sting FINALLY decided to make his WWE debut, taking care of Triple H and draping Ziggler over Rollins for the win. So an all-time legend making his first ever WWE appearance, to help have the Authority fired, in a moment that fully made sense with his justice-seeking character? Yeah that’s probably good enough for number 1 on our list.

Don’t worry, by the way. I know you’re probably annoyed that The Authority were back before long, but this story continued to WrestleMania 31 where our hero prevailed! Our hero being Triple H, who beat Sting by cheating, and shook his hand afterwards. That’s sports entertainment, folks!