On Sunday, November 20th, WWE will present its 30th annual Survivor Series event. The event has seen its share of both ups and downs. Indeed, the WWE Universe has witnessed some moments, during this PPV, that would best be forgotten.
For example, in 1990, Mean Gene Okerlund stood by as the Gobbledy Gooker hatched from an egg. Those on commentary attempted to make it seem like a grand moment, but in actuality, a person dressed in a turkey costume to represent the American Thanksgiving was not a highlight in the history of the event.
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Survivor Series also came to mean, a style of match that has become traditional for the event, where teams would come together to fight a common foe. Often, feuds would culminate by combining all their combustible elements in the ring at the same time.
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While Survivor Series hasn't always stuck with some of its traditions, it has remained consistent with featuring memorable debuts. The list of wrestlers that have made their initial appearance in the WWE at the event reads like a who's who of pro-wrestling.
And while their debuts may seem somewhat different from how they ultimately ended up, they initially received very special attention when they arrived at Survivor Series. Here are the five most memorable debuts in Survivor Series history.
#5 The Shield
Unless you were watching NXT or were familiar with the independent wrestling backgrounds of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins; there was a pretty good chance that you had no idea, who these men dressed in black, hopping over the guardrail at ringside, were. Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta; these were the letters that spelt their name: The Shield.
These three young men had carved a niche for themselves in NXT, and Florida Championship Wrestling before that. Rollins and Ambrose also built impressive resumes, while competing for promotions such as Ring of Honor and Combat Zone Wrestling.
Roman Reigns is a second generation wrestler, and his father, Sika, was one-half of the Wild Samoans. At the 2012 Survivor Series, Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins, jumped the barricade and came to the aid of the then-champion, CM Punk, by beating down Ryback and John Cena.
The reaction was incredible, because what just transpired showed fans that a new young alliance had arrived in the WWE, one that would prove to remain formidable.
#4 Kurt Angle
We were supposed to applaud him. Fans were supposed to cheer for him. He was an Olympic hero after capturing the 1996 gold medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. However, when Kurt Angle first appeared in a WWE ring, his over the top pro-American stance was fairly insulting and managed to annoy the general population of wrestling fans.
In 1999, armed with his popular three I's of intensity, intelligence, and integrity, Angle managed in one fell swoop, to elicit loud jeers.
However, when he opened his mouth, out poured this huge barrage of insults to the viewing audience that wasn't only un-heroic, but un-American! It was a rather brilliant debut. While fans at the time may have chanted ‘boring’, what is forgotten was how he managed to bring Greco-roman wrestling, once again into sports entertainment, all the while earning a reaction.
Angle eventually joined TNA in 2006, after a seven-year run in the WWE. He has captured numerous championships and faced competition from all over the world. During his time in the ring, he never strayed away from being the Olympic hero. Oh, it's true, it's damn true!
#3 The Rock
Today, he is the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. He is the People's Champion and has captured several championships, including the WWE Championship and Intercontinental Championship. However, with all this success, it is easy to forget where it started.
He debuted with WWE at the 1996 Survivor Series, under the name Rocky Maivia. The name was a hybrid of his father and maternal grandfather's names, not unlike Curtis Axel, whose in-ring name is also from his father and grandfather's names. The Rock's father is Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather was Peter Maivia.
Rocky Maivia brought immediate energy, with his brightly coloured attire and flashy athleticism. He was immediately called a ‘blue chipper,' a label given to talented young athletes with a great deal of upside, as in ‘blue chip prospect.' Looking back, there is no similarity between the Rocky Maivia character and who The Rock eventually became.
However, while Rocky Maivia may be a distant memory, the WWE debut of the performer, whose real name is Dwayne Johnson, was as part of a traditional four-on-four match-up. It was at Survivor Series that we first smelled what The Rock is cooking.
#2 The Undertaker
One of the most ominous characters in WWE's history has been The Undertaker. Having been part of the WWE for over twenty-six years, he has competed in what seems like every match imaginable, whether it was a casket match, buried alive match, inferno match or a Hell in a Cell match.
The Undertaker has evolved over his tenure with the company and has come out all the more iconic. With every character, however, their journey needs to start somewhere. In the case of The Undertaker, his debut was not only eerie, but it also caused a hush among the fans in attendance, and those watching at home.
As part of ‘the Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase's team, he would debut as a mystery partner at Survivor Series in 1990. As he was led down to the ring by Brother Love, DiBiase announced him as hailing from Death Valley. The crowd gasped at the sight of the nearly seven-foot man that was over three hundred pounds.
What was even more impressive was, the mobility he demonstrated upon his debut. It was a memorable debut for the Dead Man indeed.
#1 Sting
He was called The Franchise. As part of World Championship Wrestling, he captured numerous titles and feuded with the likes of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Lex Luger and Randy Savage. He faced some of the biggest and best names in wrestling, over a period of twenty years.
When he first competed for WCW, Sting wore brightly coloured clothing, sported a bleach blond flat-top haircut, and had brightly painted face paint. The character was as beloved for his persona as what he did in the ring, not only by children but adults as well.
There was an intensity about the character that showed he was focused on being the absolute best that he could. Sting was considered the icon of WCW as well, and by having the longest uninterrupted tenure on the WCW roster, he was able to do it all and see it all.
However, in 2001 when WCW closed its doors for good and some of its talent, was brought into WWE, Sting wasn't a part of it. It wasn't until 2014 that he arrived in WWE, when he made his debut at Survivor Series, entering the ring and helping thwart the efforts of Triple H and the Authority by coming to the aid of Dolph Ziggler.
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