25 long years and still countingThe 29th edition of the Survivor Series PPV is just a week away and WWE is busy making preparations for the grand event.This PPV boasts of its great history and the quality of the wrestling matches it has produced over the years. Many superstars made this PPV memorable by winning matches that defined their careers. The special “Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match” is something that adds more beauty to this event.Many guys have made debuts at the WWE PPVs, but most of them have fizzled out quickly. There are some debuts that took place at this event that changed the landscape of WWE once and for all.Had it not been for that night, WWE would have looked very different altogether. The latest addition to this list was ‘The Shield’ who debuted 3 years ago in the same PPV. As part of this slideshow, let us have a look at 3 absolute WWE legends that made their WWE debut in the Survivor Series PPV-
#3 Kurt Angle
It was in 1999 that Kurt Angle made his WWE debut against Stan Stasiak at the Survivor Series PPV. Angle won the match convincingly and you know what happened later.
In just one year, he became the WWF Champion and also the first man on the planet to win both the Olympic Gold and a World Championship. Kurt has been a part of numerous story lines with Rock, Triple H, Undertaker, Big Show, Chris Benoit, Christian, Edge and Brock Lesnar over the years.
Angle was a five-time World Champion and one of the very few guys who won all the Championships that existed in the WWE back then. He won several awards in the company and this guy is just a treat to watch in the ring. Have a look at his great debut-
#2 The Rock
The name itself turns the electricity on.
Call him ‘The People’s Champ’, ‘The Brahma Bull’, ‘The Blue Chipper’, ‘The Great One’ or ‘The Most Electrifying Man in all of Entertainment’- It doesn’t matter how you refer to him! Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is undoubtedly one of the most versatile WWE superstars in the history of the company.
He is an actor, a producer, a national level footballer and a highly acclaimed WWE superstar.
Rock’s journey in WWE began at Survivor Series in November 1996, in an eight-man elimination tag match. He was the first ever third-generation superstar in WWE history. His debut was remarkable as he was the sole survivor in the match. Rock won his first IC Championship title in 1997 against HHH.
During his initial days in the WWE, chants of "Die, Rocky, die!" and "Rocky sucks!" were a common phenomenon during his matches. But in the days that followed, you know how the WWE universe loved him and eventually Rock became the largest sporting icon, the pro wrestling industry has ever seen.
For all the ‘Millions and Millions’ of the Rock’s fans, the ‘The jabroni beating, Pie eating, trail-blazing, eye-brow raising Great One’ has made watching WWE a unique and special experience. Have a look at his WWE debut-
#1 The Undertaker
Talk about legendary WWE debuts and this one comes first in the list. Had it not been for that night, countless records in the WWE wouldn’t have existed.
Which wrestler has the most iconic entrance in the WWE? Which wrestler has the longest running streak in sports entertainment? Which wrestler has been a part of most 'Hell in a Cell' matches? Who competed in the highest number of WrestleMania matches?
The one-word answer to all these questions is 'The Undertaker'. But if the Phenom hadn’t debuted in 1990 at the Survivor Series PPV, none of them would have existed. He was the mystery partner of Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Team. His elegance started that night and went on for 25 long years and still counting.
A couple of years back at WrestleMania 30, Undertaker lost to Brock Lesnar. His 21-0 streak came to an end just like that. For Paul Heyman, it is just that his client conquered the undefeated streak of the Undertaker and became the 1 in 21-1.
But do you really think it's that easy to sacrifice something that is built for 21 years? Had it not been for Taker, no other guy on the roster would have done this. He never went after the Championships, he never wanted the Royal Rumble wins and he never longed for the Money in the Bank contracts.
All he wanted was to entertain all the WWE fans by playing mind games with his opponents, doing things that add an element of surprise and all such weird stuff that you can imagine. Every year, he would show up after January, entertain us for a good two months and go to darkness again.
This year at the Survivor Series PPV, Taker will fight the Wyatts along with his brother Kane and that would mean that he will complete 25 years in the company on Sunday.
one of the greatest, if not the greatest indeed.