10 Most Ambitious WWE Shows Ever

3. Survivor Series 1987

The wrestling business is scummy. If this whole hooplah about the Fabulous Moolah Battle Royal this past week didn't give you that impression, nothing will. Promoters will often employ the dirtiest tactics in order to gain the upper hand, and a lot of times, those tactics end up paying off in the long run.

Survivor Series is now seen as one of the most beloved PPVs in the calendar year, and is the second oldest show still running annually. Originally added to capitalize on the popularity of the Hulk Hogan/André The Giant feud, the 1987 edition of Survivor Series was most notable for the show it was running against.

Airing on Thanksgiving Day, this event directly competed with the NWA's Starrcade (which had always run on Thanksgiving). Initially, cable companies were planning to air both to get the most from wrestling fans, but Vince McMahon had other ideas. Threatening to pull WrestleMania IV, McMahon managed to coerce most providers into only airing his show, thus damaging the success of Starrcade '87 and forcing the NWA to move it to December.

So while Survivor Series is now seen as a beloved institution, let's not forget it was originally a cocksure sucker punch at Vince's competition.